Building & Transportation Electrification

  • Low angle view of people on a train platform under a canopy with a red and white self-propelled passenger train alongside marked Caltrain.
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    Permission granted by Caltrain
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    Caltrain ridership up 47% after electrification

    The public transit operator says electrification allowed it to expand overall system capacity while reducing travel times and enabling more frequent service at stations.

    By Dan Zukowski • Oct. 28, 2025
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Renewing the case for energy efficiency: a grid resource, customer trust tool and economic engine

    Efficiency and broader demand-side management strategies are powerful tools for grid planning that offer flexibility, speed and cost control, writes ICF’s Justin Mackovyak.

    By Justin Mackovyak • Oct. 24, 2025
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Top 5 Stories from Utility Dive

    Power demand is rising amid dramatic shifts in federal energy policy, but technology and markets continue to push the grid toward cleaner, more distributed resources. 

    By Utility Dive staff
  • General Motors CEO Mary Barra speaks at the General Motors Factory ZERO electric vehicle assembly plant
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    Nic Antaya via Getty Images
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    $1.6B in clean energy investments were rolled back in September: E2

    More than $24 billion in clean energy investment has been withdrawn so far this year, according to E2. The group said $11 billion in new projects were announced over the same period.

    By • Oct. 23, 2025
  • A rendering of a building in a parking lot. A sign above the door says "Sheetz." A canopy off to the side has a sign that reads "Ionna" and has a number of EV chargers and cars beneath it.
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    Courtesy of Ionna
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    Convenience store executives say EV charging investments not paying off

    Leaders from Parker’s, Sheetz and Nouria said demand for charging has weakened and installation is more expensive as industry and government support disappears.

    By Jessica Loder • Oct. 23, 2025
  • Nissan and Volkswagen electric cars sit parked at a Charge Point EV charging station.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    To keep power affordable, regulators must rethink who pays — and when

    A growing body of evidence shows that widespread residential electrification can actually reduce average rates, but only under the right conditions, write Becky Li and Joe Daniel of RMI. 

    By Becky Li and Joe Daniel • Oct. 20, 2025
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    A customer-centric vision for meeting future demand growth

    As data center growth pressures the electric grid, customer relationships will be critical for utilities, write Nathan Shannon of the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative and Sharon Talbott of Salesforce.

    By Nathan Shannon and Sharon Talbott • Oct. 17, 2025
  • Two large outdoor HVAC units are installed on a concrete platform outside a building. Each unit has a visible circular fan and a rectangular vented casing. The building’s exterior includes gray walls, windows with closed blinds, and a strip of weathered wood paneling. Some grass and concrete blocks are in the foreground.
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    Alamy
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    Opinion

    Why data center operators should pay for residential electrification upgrades

    Upgrading households is the fastest way for hyperscalers to obtain all the electricity they need, writes Ari Matusiak, founder and CEO of Rewiring America.

    By Ari Matusiak • Oct. 10, 2025
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    Provided by Tesla 

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    Xcel Minnesota proposes ‘first-of-its-kind’ distributed capacity procurement

    Xcel requested the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approve the program with a budget range of $152 million, based on a minimum procurement of 50 MW, to $430 million if it deploys all 200 MW.

    By • Oct. 8, 2025
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Energy efficiency is reducing Northeast peak demand, electricity bills: Acadia

    “It is more important than ever for policymakers, advocates, program administrators, and consumers to understand the value ... of energy efficiency resource acquisition,” said Acadia’s Jamie Dickerson.

    By • Oct. 7, 2025
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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    The week in 5 numbers: DOE slashes clean energy funding following coal ‘investment’

    Plus PJM’s data center woes, record storage deployment and new generation additions.

    By • Oct. 3, 2025
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Utility conferences to watch in 2026

    See our annual list of notable power-sector conferences where industry leaders will share knowledge in a rapidly-changing landscape. 

    By • Oct. 1, 2025
  • A data center under construction in Elk Grove, Illinois
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    Courtesy of Clune Construction
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    For data center contracts, it’s all about the fine print

    Regulation, tariffs, labor shortages, supply chain issues and “sophisticated power and utility needs” are complicating data center development, say contract attorneys.

    By Sebastian Obando • Oct. 1, 2025
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    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    World’s carbon-neutral aspirations may hinge on appliance efficiency: CLASP

    “There is such a huge disconnect between what our research shows is needed ... and what the U.S. government is saying would be good for the world,” said Ari Reeves, CLASP senior director of research.

    By • Oct. 1, 2025
  • A bright blue 2024 Chevy Blazer EV plugged into a EVgo-branded charger.
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    Courtesy of General Motors
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    Regulatory uncertainty slowing US electric vehicle adoption: report

    While domestic EV purchases will grow, the elimination of incentives could deter buyers, per EY Mobility Lens Forecaster.

    By Eric Walz • Sept. 30, 2025
  • A technician installs a heat pump.
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    The image by Vernon Air Conditioning, Plumbing and Electrical Services is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    Opinion

    Heat pumps could be affordable for most — if rates were fair

    Massachusetts is making a good start by offering seasonal discounts for heat pumps. But it could do more, write authors from Green Energy Consumers Alliance and the Acadia Center.

    By Larry Chretien and Kyle Murray • Sept. 25, 2025
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    Brett Dworski/Utility Dive
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    Pilot, GM surpass 200 EV charging sites

    Pilot is building many of its chargers in rural areas because fewer than half of rural counties have any public EV charging infrastructure, the company said. 

    By Jessica Loder • Sept. 23, 2025
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    The image by Analogue Kid is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    Utilities are backtracking on climate commitments: Sierra Club

    The report named six utility companies reversing course on emissions reductions: Entergy, Duke Energy, Evergy, Cleco, American Electric Power and Arizona Public Service.

    By • Updated Sept. 23, 2025
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    Getty Images
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    Slow EV infrastructure expansion out of step with rising demand: report

    More than half of Americans said lack of access to EV charging was the biggest barrier to widespread EV adoption, according to a new study.

    By Kalena Thomhave • Sept. 18, 2025
  • The government’s appliance and equipment standards program “has strayed far from its original intent and now yields the minimum energy efficiency benefits while imposing ... costs on consumers and manufacturers,” Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., said at a hearing Sept. 9, 2025.
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    Retrieved from House Energy and Commerce Committee.
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    Republicans take aim at DOE’s appliance efficiency program

    The federal appliance and equipment standards program “has strayed far from its original intent and now yields the minimum energy efficiency benefits,” said Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky.

    By • Sept. 11, 2025
  • The president in a blue suit and red tie alongside Elon Musk in black with a ballcap in front of a red Tesla vehicle with the White House behind them.
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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    13 state governors join coalition to promote EVs

    The Affordable Clean Cars Coalition said it will push back against the Trump administration's policies of “putting polluters over people.”

    By Dan Zukowski • Sept. 8, 2025
  • Workers install solar panels on the rooftop of a house
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    With tax credits expiring, a home electrification nonprofit is racing against the clock

    Rewiring America has launched a national campaign to help homeowners take advantage of clean energy and efficiency incentives that will expire soon.

    By • Sept. 3, 2025
  • An 'EV Charging Only' sign is seen at a Power Up fast charger station for electric vehicles
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    EV charger reliability improves, but high costs still dent satisfaction

    Just 14% of EV owners visited a charger without being able to successfully charge their vehicles, down from 19% last year.

    By Kalena Thomhave • Sept. 2, 2025
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    Courtesy of Greenlane
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    Greenlane announces second long-haul electric truck charging corridor

    Greenlane is a joint venture between Daimler Truck, NextEra Energy and BlackRock. The new charging corridor will run from Southern California to Arizona via Interstate 10.

    By Alejandra Carranza • Aug. 26, 2025
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    The cheapest power plant is in your home

    Households can help prevent blackouts and lower energy bills if we plan smarter and reward people for using power at the right time.

    By Paul Hines • Aug. 25, 2025
  • People cool off in the shade of a bridge along Chicago's Riverwalk
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    30 years after Chicago’s deadly heatwave, cooling should be recognized as a right

    The 1995 heatwave that killed more than 700 people made clear that access to reliable, affordable energy is not a luxury, the authors write. 

    By Qëndresa Krasniqi, Diana Hernández, Vivek Shastry and Rachel Scheu • Aug. 21, 2025