Generation: Page 63
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Photo illustration by Brian Tucker/Utility Dive; photograph by LL28 via Getty Images
Deep Dive2020 Outlook: 10 trends driving the US power sector
From utilities to states to grid operators, the energy transformation is accelerating, but significant challenges remain.
By Larry Pearl • Jan. 13, 2020 -
Getty Images
'Most dangerous and capable' hacking group now targeting electric sector, Dragos report finds
There is an increasing threat of supply chain and third-party attacks, according to the cybersecurity firm. Experts say patching vulnerabilities will not be easy.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 10, 2020 -
Tri-State to shut New Mexico, Colorado coal plants by 2030, but move may not satisfy unhappy members
While environmental advocates called it "a step in the right direction," they said Tri State's plan does not fully address concerns about energy prices and the ability of members to develop local renewable resources.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 10, 2020 -
SWEPCO settles with Sierra Club to plan 650 MW coal plant retirement by 2026
Closure of the Dolet Hills coal plant would mark the 300th retirement targeted by Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, and advocates say shuttering the facility will save customers over $60 million annually.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 9, 2020 -
4th Circuit nixes key permit for Dominion's Atlantic Coast Pipeline, citing environmental justice concerns
A three-judge panel vacated a necessary air quality permit for a new compressor station, concluding the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board failed to adequately consider impacts on nearby communities.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 8, 2020 -
Xcel Minnesota: Running coal seasonally will save customers millions, reduce emissions
Clean energy advocates say economic and environmental savings could be replicated nationwide if utilities were to take similar steps.
By Catherine Morehouse • Jan. 8, 2020 -
Reduced coal generation drove power sector greenhouse emissions down 10% in 2019, report says
Meanwhile, coal plant retirements between 2005 and 2016 saved an estimated 26,610 lives, 570 million bushels of crops and had significant climate impacts, another study found.
By Catherine Morehouse • Jan. 8, 2020 -
PJM: Electric vehicles could boost load 1.5 GW by 2035
One industry group says the forecast is likely too modest, as the addition of a plug-in vehicle can nearly double a household's electric consumption and adoption is expected to rise rapidly.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 7, 2020 -
Mosaic Energy
South Carolina raises rates Dominion must pay to solar providers, reversing earlier decision
Dominion would have paid some of the lowest avoided cost rates in the country, according to clean energy groups, and the new decision is more consistent with directives under the state's Energy Freedom Act.
By Catherine Morehouse • Jan. 7, 2020 -
Elizabeth Regan, Industry Dive/Utility Dive
OpinionFERC's clean energy boycott distorts PJM prices and discards history
The new rules approved for PJM's capacity auction will force the grid operator to buy more capacity than it needs to keep the lights on, according to Harvard energy lawyer Ari Peskoe.
By Ari Peskoe • Jan. 7, 2020 -
Utilities 'caught in the crosshairs' as US-Iran tensions rise; experts say domestic cyberattack likely
Iran wants to avoid a shooting war following the United States' assassination of a top military leader, making domestic cyberattacks "almost a foregone conclusion," according to one expert.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 7, 2020 -
Deep Dive
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.
By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 6, 2020 -
Judge tells Michigan regulators to send DTE back to drawing board on its long-term resource plan
The Administrative Law Judge criticized the utility's calculations of its energy needs and rejected its plan for failing to issue a mandatory Request for Proposals to solicit accurate prices for renewable resources.
By Iulia Gheorghiu • Jan. 3, 2020 -
Wikimedia Commons
Tri-State members develop alternative generation plans in their bid to exit the utility's service
United Power and La Plata Electric Association say they are "weighing all options" to change their energy procurement contracts with Tri-State in order to cut costs and provide customers with more clean energy.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 3, 2020 -
Duke agrees to largest coal ash cleanup in US after years of fighting with environmentalists
The utility plans to excavate 80 million tons of coal ash, although some ash will remain at the Marshall Steam Station and the Roxboro Plant.
By Catherine Morehouse • Jan. 2, 2020 -
Array Technologies Inc.
Trump Administration approves NV Energy's 690 MW, 1.5 GWh Gemini solar+storage project
The Obama Administration previously rejected the $1 billion project under an agreement with conservation groups that protected sensitive desert land from wind and solar development.
By Catherine Morehouse • Updated May 12, 2020 -
Minnesota appeals court rejects PUC approval of Wisconsin gas plant, orders environmental review
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved the Nemadji Trail Energy Center without considering potential climate impacts, prompting the court to require a new look at the project.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 24, 2019 -
EPA makes Georgia 2nd state to operate coal ash program, proposes 'efficient' rule for other 48
Both moves are part of EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler's broader goal to give states more "flexibility" in their management of coal ash disposal.
By Catherine Morehouse • Dec. 23, 2019 -
Washington Gov. Inslee proposes to slash emissions, reach net-zero carbon by 2050
He also directed the Washington Department of Ecology to strengthen review of fossil fuel projects to ensure climate change impacts are taken into account.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 23, 2019 -
FERC move to raise PJM capacity market bids shows 'clear bias' against new, clean generation: Glick
The order will raise the floor price for new generation bidding into PJM Interconnection that receives any form of state subsidy.
By Catherine Morehouse • Dec. 20, 2019 -
Getty
Virginia, Maryland unveil 100% clean energy plans, but NGOs not satisfied
The separate legislative efforts announced this week face criticisms from clean energy groups of being insufficient to facilitate a clean energy transition.
By Iulia Gheorghiu • Dec. 20, 2019 -
Opinion
New York vs. ExxonMobil ruling shows natural gas development, not litigation, key for climate solutions
With demand for power expected to boom by over 50%, more natural gas is a common sense approach to fighting global temperature rise, writes former Ambassador Richard D. Kauzlarich.
By Richard D. Kauzlarich • Dec. 20, 2019 -
NERC: Grid operators must prepare for 330 GW of renewables by 2029
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation expects adequate capacity reserves will be available to meet increasing peak demand over the next 10 years, but warned of challenges to integrating more intermittent resources.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 20, 2019 -
Getty Images
Deep DiveTax 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.
By Herman K. Trabish • Dec. 19, 2019 -
Goldman Sachs bolsters climate policy with $750B goal, fossil-fuel restrictions
The company pledged to stop financing new coal-fired power plants in developing nations, unless they have carbon capture and storage or another form of technology to reduce emissions.
By Dan Ennis • Dec. 18, 2019
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