Northeastern utilities aim to 'crush and flatten' system peaks as DERs boost grid efficiency

DER providers and utilities have found shared market interests in New England, leading to cooperative BYOD programs that provide a range of benefits for customers and the power system.

By Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 23, 2019

Ex-Tesla exec wants to increase utility control of DERs, and has a smart panel to do it

The new electric panel combines smart metering capabilities with remote control of energy use in residences, while easing installation of solar, energy storage and EV chargers.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Sept. 20, 2019

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Grid Resiliency

Utilities and grid operators are facing increasing threats from climate change as well as cyber and physical attacks, and are deploying a variety of responses to meet the rising challenges.

By Utility Dive staff

FERC oversight battle heats up as Colorado regulators blast Tri-State petition

The state's Public Utility Commission has taken steps to regulate Tri-State's electric resource planning, and worries the utility views federal regulation as an escape hatch for its coal-heavy generation mix.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 19, 2019

PJM, parties reach 'agreement in principle' over $160M GreenHat FTR default

The grid operator has agreed to pay two trading firms a total of $12.5 million under the proposed agreement filed with FERC Wednesday.

By Robert Walton • Updated Oct. 15, 2019

PG&E reaches $11B insurance settlement over wildfire claims

Pacific Gas & Electric announced it reached a settlement with insurers related to the 2017 Northern California wildfires and 2018 Camp Fire. The $11 billion settlement is significantly lower than the $20 billion insurers say they were owed.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 13, 2019

New England grid operator sees potential for year-round power constraints

Despite a tight supply-demand balance, ISO-NE said it expects to operate a reliable and affordable electric grid through transmission investments and a reliance on energy efficiency.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 13, 2019

Michigan urges MISO, PJM to improve regional reliability after Consumers compressor station fire

In a letter to the grid operators, the state's governor and head regulator called for quicker interconnection processes to improve regional resource diversity and a reexamination of demand response capabilities.

By Catherine Morehouse • Sept. 12, 2019

Santee Cooper forecasts coal phaseout, 1 GW new solar as base case for potential sale

The state-owned utility prepared the forecast at the direction of South Carolina legislators who are considering selling the company to pay off debt from the failed V.C. Summer nuclear project. 

By Robert Walton • Sept. 11, 2019

Tri-State joins suite of new participants in Southwest, California energy imbalance markets

The California ISO and Southwest Power Pool each recently announced new members. SPP's Western Energy Imbalance Service market is expected to begin operations in 2021. 

By Robert Walton • Sept. 11, 2019

As utilities scramble to manage explosive DER growth, is power grid autonomy a solution?

The U.S. electric grid could face hundreds of millions of distributed resource deployments in the near future. But optimizing these data points may exceed human ability.

By Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 11, 2019

PJM policy to add $5.7B cost to capacity market? We don't think so

The consulting firm Grid Strategies recently found significant cost impacts from PJM's proposed minimum offer price rule. The heads of PJM Power Providers Group and the Electric Power Supply Association dispute that.

By Glen Thomas and Todd A. Snitchler • Sept. 9, 2019

San Francisco offers PG&E $2.5B for city's grid

The city's offer is part of a plan to develop a municipal provider and came three days before the bankrupt utility is expected to propose a path to solvency.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 9, 2019

SDG&E looks to raise minimum bill 400%, citing solar-driven cost shift

The utility says more than $400 million in costs to maintain the grid are annually shifted from solar to non-solar residential households in its territory.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 9, 2019

PG&E bankruptcy plan includes $14B equity commitments, no liability estimates: Bloomberg

Pacific Gas & Electric plans to file its restructuring plan with the bankruptcy court by Monday, though the amount of its liability — estimated at $30 billion — will be tallied by another court.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 6, 2019

Boulder's plan to condemn Xcel assets, form municipal utility faces new setback

The court granted Xcel Energy’s motion to dismiss the city's condemnation filing. Boulder officials say they knew this was a possibility, and see a way forward. 

By Robert Walton • Sept. 6, 2019

FERC chairman to Congress: 'Make energy policy boring again'

Neil Chatterjee says Congress, not regulatory agencies, should be making major energy policy decision and wants to see broad legislation, including an overhaul of PURPA.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Sept. 5, 2019

Outages begin to mount as Dorian slams into US

South Carolina Electric & Gas reported more than 128,000 customers without power Thursday morning, with Hurricane Dorian now a Category 3 storm located 70 miles south-southeast of Charleston.

By Robert Walton • Updated Sept. 5, 2019

Tri-State subject to FERC regulation as it adds non co-op member

Tri-State has expressed concerns over growing calls for increased state oversight of its facilities and rates, noting there is political pressure for such a move in New Mexico and Colorado.

By Robert Walton • Updated Sept. 6, 2019

Dominion to invest $277M in unauthorized revenue from 2018 in offshore wind, smart meters

The utility says state lawmakers have approved investments where it intends to spend the over-collection. A ratepayer advocate says the utility is "cheating Virginia customers."

By Robert Walton • Sept. 3, 2019

Dominion launches electric school bus initiative, aims for 100% electric fleet in Virginia territory by 2030

The utility wants 1,000 electric buses by 2025, at no additional cost to school districts.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 30, 2019

EPA proposes to roll back methane rules for oil, gas industry

The move is expected to save the multi-billion dollar industry up to $19 million annually.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 30, 2019

Is PREPA ready for hurricane season?

The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority has "a fragile system," according to the utility's director of project management, and "it still hasn't been elevated to the codes and standards for a Category 4" storm.

By Catherine Morehouse • Aug. 29, 2019

Lawsuit advances alleging TVA grid access charge discourages renewables adoption

A district court judge denied the utility's motion to dismiss the case, giving five environmental groups legs to stand on in their complaint.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 28, 2019

Wildfires in Alaska? A historic drought has local utility scrambling

Fires burning to the north and south of Chugach Electric Association's territory prompted the utility to make operational changes and step up vegetation maintenance.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 28, 2019

Clean energy groups urge FERC to support transmission investment incentives

While there is worry about rising costs, there is also agreement that increased transmission investment will benefit the broader electric grid.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 27, 2019