California tops ACEEE’s energy efficiency scorecard as states shift focus to equity, decarbonization

States falling behind in the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s annual rankings are not increasing their energy savings annually and do not have a strong focus on energy equity.

By Robert Walton • Dec. 6, 2022

10 must-read utility sector stories from 2022

Reliability, security and affordability concerns are rising in a U.S. power sector increasingly focused on decarbonization and electrification. Utility Dive has rounded up some of our top stories so far on these and other trends in 2022.

By Larry Pearl • Dec. 5, 2022

Explore the Trendline➔

Building Electrification

Decarbonization goals are spurring building electrication efforts across the U.S. While the use of heat pumps and other technologies is expanding, some policies are facing legal challenges.

By Utility Dive staff

DC-area county spurs electrification of future buildings

Montgomery County, Maryland, is taking aim at its largest source of emissions. Its policy is the latest advancement for building decarbonization on the East Coast.

By Maria Rachal • Dec. 2, 2022

Electrifying US long haul trucks will require 504 TWh a year. But that won’t be the hardest part.

The energy needed to support electric semis is enormous, from a generation perspective. However, it is the transmission and distribution angle that makes this challenge truly daunting for utility planning and investment.

By Will Sierzchula • Dec. 1, 2022

Biden backs shift to zero-emissions truck sales at COP27

The nonbinding pledge targets the conversion of all new medium- and heavy-duty truck sales by 2040.

By Colin Campbell • Nov. 30, 2022

New York and 4 other US cities target building energy use, emissions with fines, Moody’s reports

San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Boston and St. Louis are also poised to implement penalties to curb building-level greenhouse gas emissions or energy use.

By Maura Webber Sadovi • Nov. 30, 2022

High electricity rates impede crucial but costly technology investments to manage rising DER levels: utilities

Utilities want distribution system technologies for more DER visibility and control. But advocates want a new national stakeholder dialogue about the timing of spending for DER integration.

By Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 29, 2022

Want to electrify your bus fleet? A new FTA-funded research center can help.

Battery and hydrogen fuel-cell electric buses are “fundamentally different technologies” cities and transit agencies will have to learn, said a researcher from The Ohio State University's Center for Automotive Research.

By Dan Zukowski • Nov. 23, 2022

Electric transit bus orders boom after Federal Transit Administration funds 1,100 buses

Cities, states and transit agencies need to plan ahead to transition their fleets to electric buses as manufacturers struggle to keep up with orders.

By Dan Zukowski • Nov. 22, 2022

California moves to accelerate fossil-free energy and vehicles to further cut climate gases and other pollution

An updated greenhouse gas reduction plan from the state’s Air Resources Board incorporates new clean energy laws and directives and includes the potential use of carbon capture to curb emissions at fossil-fueled power plants.

By Elizabeth McCarthy • Nov. 21, 2022

Second-life EV batteries can bolster the energy storage market — if major challenges can be overcome

With 80% of a battery’s capacity left at the end of its useful life in a vehicle and current constraints on supply chains for new batteries, repurposing electric vehicle batteries seems like a no-brainer. 

By Emily Goldfield • Nov. 21, 2022

Building out nationwide EV charging is taking longer than consumers think, Fuels Institute says

Permit approvals, government funding and knowing where to deploy charging stations are some of the many hurdles EV stakeholders face.

By Brett Dworski • Nov. 21, 2022

Pilot and Volvo to launch charging network for heavy-duty electric trucks

The companies will select the Pilot locations to house the chargers based on driver needs, the number of electric trucks, public funding and more.

By Brett Dworski • Nov. 18, 2022

US EV adoption likely to get 20% boost by 2030 from Inflation Reduction Act: BloombergNEF report

A BloombergNEF report released at COP27 outlines trends for electric vehicles. Meanwhile, at the global climate summit, a coalition of 200 government and private sector entities committed to accelerating EV adoption. 

By Dan Zukowski • Nov. 17, 2022

SDG&E partners with General Motors to study electric vehicle bidirectional charging potential

The collaboration will focus on three bidirectional capabilities: the ability for vehicles to support home energy needs, send energy back to the grid or participate in a virtual power plant.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 16, 2022

US can reach 100% clean power by 2035, DOE finds, but tough reliability and land use questions lie ahead

New aggressive planning is needed to identify the long-duration storage technologies and find the land to grow enough resources to reach the Biden administration’s net zero emissions goals, a DOE national lab reports.

By Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 15, 2022

Electric vehicle sales rise as registrations jump 57% through September

Consumers are shifting away from hybrid vehicles to plug-in EVs as manufacturers offer more models. 

By Dan Zukowski • Nov. 14, 2022

Georgia to get $850M EV battery parts plant

Chemical manufacturer Solvay Specialty Polymers plans to build a plant in Augusta to manufacture binders and separator coatings for lithium-ion batteries.

By Megan Ruggles • Nov. 10, 2022

Californians reject tax on millionaires intended to raise up to $4B a year for vehicle electrification

Gov. Gavin Newsom, D, criticized the ballot measure as an attempt by Lyft to get its drivers’ EVs subsidized.

By Elizabeth McCarthy • Nov. 9, 2022

Putin-focused and other hacks of charging stations drive new cybersecurity steps for an EV boom

A broad utility-to-charger attack surface will require smarter protection strategies and tools for cyber threats as transportation electrification and vehicle-to-grid integration expand, analysts said.

By Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 8, 2022

Amazon rolls out Rivian EVs in new cities for holiday deliveries

The company has more than 1,000 electric fleet vehicles making U.S. deliveries and plans to have thousands on the road by the end of this year.  

By Max Garland • Nov. 8, 2022

New York’s building decarbonization goals may be unachievable without a new technology boost

Building developers and government mandates should consider newly developed solar PV windows to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, the author writes.

By Arnold R. Wallenstein • Nov. 4, 2022

PG&E launches vehicle-to-grid export rate for commercial electric fleets to help meet peak demand

The new three-year pilot will cost ratepayers up to $1.52 million.

By Elizabeth McCarthy • Nov. 2, 2022

Tesla revamps EV production schedule to ease logistics strains in its delivery network, Elon Musk says

The EV maker is transitioning to a more evenly spread schedule throughout the quarter to avoid logistics capacity strains.

By Kate Magill • Nov. 2, 2022

How the US plans to transform its lithium supply chain

With just 3.6% of global reserves, U.S. access to the critical mineral is vital to the country’s sustainable energy plans.

By Deborah Abrams Kaplan • Nov. 1, 2022