Deep Dive: Page 11
Industry insights from our journalists
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Photo illustration by Brian Tucker/Utility Dive; photograph by jhorrocks via Getty Images
2020 Outlook: Utilities will be pushed to further embrace distributed energy resources
As net metering fades, some states will move ahead with new visions for DERs, while others are playing catch-up.
Matthew Bandyk • Jan. 17, 2020 -
Photo illustration by Brian Tucker/Utility Dive; photograph by thinkreaction via Getty Images
2020 Outlook: US renewable resources on steady course for increased deployment
"In 2020, there’s sort of a 'come on in, the water's warm' element of excitement and momentum" around renewable energy procurement, one analyst said.
Iulia Gheorghiu • Jan. 16, 2020 -
Photo illustration by Brian Tucker/Utility Dive; photograph by LL28 via Getty Images
2020 outlook: Natural gas faces regulatory, environmental scrutiny but still wants role in carbon-free grid
Aggressive natural gas investments in recent years may bring the sector to its tipping point. But some stakeholders say the fuel still has an important role to play in a decarbonized future.
Catherine Morehouse • Jan. 15, 2020 -
Photo illustration by Brian Tucker/Utility Dive; photograph by LL28 via Getty Images
2020 Outlook: Coal faces headwinds from aging plants, adverse market signals and high remediation costs
Despite persistent economic challenges, the coal industry continues to fight to preserve its place in the U.S. energy mix.
Catherine Morehouse • Jan. 14, 2020 -
Photo illustration by Brian Tucker/Utility Dive; photograph by LL28 via Getty Images
2020 Outlook: 10 trends driving the US power sector
From utilities to states to grid operators, the energy transformation is accelerating, but significant challenges remain.
Larry Pearl • Jan. 13, 2020 -
Making the case for billion-dollar investments in grid modernization by answering 3 key questions
Boston Consulting Group’s framework prioritizes the business case for grid mod investments to win stakeholder and regulator backing for billion-dollar spending.
Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 6, 2020 -
Getty Images
Tax credit, net metering declines strike distributed solar, but falling costs, storage offer new hope
With tax credits and net metering threatened, previous withdrawals of financial support mechanisms show what the distributed solar industry may soon face.
Herman K. Trabish • Dec. 19, 2019 -
Investigations of ComEd, Exelon lobbying threaten Illinois energy transition
Lawmakers and clean energy advocates vow to continue fighting for the state's landmark clean energy bill despite a "black cloud of corruption."
Herman K. Trabish • Dec. 17, 2019 -
Northern California's wildfire season is effectively over. What's next for PG&E?
While PG&E did not cause another catastrophic wildfire in Northern California this year, it still has to deal with risky infrastructure, the likelihood of prolonged power shut-offs and the specter of municipalization.
Kavya Balaraman • Dec. 11, 2019 -
Adeline Kon, Industry Dive
Road to 100: How four cities are leading the renewables revolution
Utility Dive visited four U.S. cities powered by 100% renewables, getting local insights on the political will and economic drivers that got them there.
Catherine Morehouse • Dec. 10, 2019 -
Pixabay
Road to 100: How Western water rights and local billionaires complicated Aspen's renewables path
Controversy over hydropower in the Mountain West politicized the city's 100% renewables goal, bringing in a wave of opposition.
Catherine Morehouse • Dec. 10, 2019 -
Greensburg tourism
Road to 100: How a demolished Kansas town became a model of DOE renewables resilience
The destruction wrought by a 2007 tornado gave the federal government an opportunity to build up a fully renewable town in a conservative part of the country.
Catherine Morehouse • Dec. 4, 2019 -
Can new transmission tech boost capacity and save billions? Two proposals aim to find out
Advocates are pushing a "shared savings" approach to incentivize deployment, but system operators have doubts.
Herman K. Trabish • Dec. 3, 2019 -
Catherine Morehouse, Utility Dive
Road to 100: How the shale boom broke Georgetown, Texas' renewables spell
In 2017, the city of about 50,000 became the largest in the U.S. able to claim it ran on 100% renewable energy. But after customer bills spiked last year, its utility department is facing an overhaul.
Catherine Morehouse • Nov. 25, 2019 -
Adeline Kon / Waste Dive
Electric trucks may be the future, but waste and recycling market still charging up
Looking to move away from diesel and meet climate goals, a growing number of service providers are in the process of testing out models from coast to coast.
Mary Catherine O'Connor • Nov. 21, 2019 -
Catherine Morehouse, Utility Dive
Road to 100: How one man's mission to power his hometown by wind created a Northwest Missouri boon
The town of 1,200 was the first in the country to be able to power all of its electricity from wind resources. Now, the county is booming in wind production.
Catherine Morehouse • Nov. 21, 2019 -
New money: Green banks and green bonds are bringing billions to utilities for the energy transition
The financial mechanisms are bringing investors to renewables and distributed energy as utilities, co-ops and munis move away from uneconomic legacy assets.
Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 19, 2019 -
Photo illustration by Danielle Ternes/Utility Dive; photographs by Martin Prescott and tampatra via Getty Images
Satisfying utility customers is getting much harder. AI is helping, despite data challenges
Utilities are leveraging algorithms and machine learning in various ways, ranging from mundane to ambitious, to improve the customer experience.
Iulia Gheorghiu • Nov. 15, 2019 -
Photo illustration by Danielle Ternes/Utility Dive; photographs by elantsevv and tampatra via Getty Images
How does AI improve grid performance? No one fully understands and that's limiting its use
Machine learning's greatest impact will be helping algorithms understand "how the voltage here affects the voltage there," which will enable "optimizing grid operations like dispatching battery storage," one industry executive said.
Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 14, 2019 -
Photo illustration by Danielle Ternes/Utility Dive; photographs by Courtney Hale and tampatra via Getty Images
From EV integration to wildfire prevention, utilities accelerate AI use to drive efficiencies, profits
Billions of internet-connected devices interact with the power grid right now, and experts say utilities will need smarter solutions.
Robert Walton • Nov. 13, 2019 -
In the 'cat and mouse game' of utility cyberattacks, AI and machine learning show promise, limits
"There is so much low hanging fruit in utility system challenges that can be addressed by advanced data analytic strategies that AI and machine learning are not the place to start," a cybersecurity expert said.
Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 7, 2019 -
US power grid attack points surge with proliferating DERs: A hacker 'will eventually get in'
Critical infrastructure protection standards are essential — but they're also just a starting point, say experts focused on maintaining a reliable electric grid.
Robert Walton • Nov. 4, 2019 -
As Dominion, others target 80-year nuclear plants, cybersecurity concerns complicate digital upgrades
Nuclear reactors need new digital controls as part of a push to avoid retirement, but cybersecurity concerns and high costs complicate the transition from analog.
Matthew Bandyk • Nov. 4, 2019 -
Max Pixel
California may be a climate leader, but it could be a century behind on its carbon goals: study
Renewables are driving carbon out of the power sector, but economic expansion has led to much less progress in reducing emissions from the transportation, building and industrial sectors, the nonprofit Next 10 found.
Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 29, 2019 -
Utilities' failure to plan for DER surge promises missed opportunities, increased costs, analysts say
Utilities can use skyrocketing customer-owned DER to balance rising penetrations of variable renewables on their systems, if they take on the big work of distribution system planning.
Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 24, 2019
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