Load Management, Efficiency & Demand Response: Page 5
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Utilities, others lobby senators to block DOE’s distribution transformer efficiency rule
The U.S. Department of Energy plans to finalize new efficiency rules for distribution transformers in April, but a broad coalition of utilities is supporting legislation to block the effort.
By Robert Walton • Updated March 19, 2024 -
Lenders can spur building decarbonization with a focus on energy efficiency, renewables: RMI
A new RMI report recommends that lenders conduct, as part of their underwriting process, a cost-benefit analysis of efficiency upgrades and the replacement of fossil fuel technologies with renewable ones.
By Nish Amarnath • March 13, 2024 -
ASHRAE introduces renewable energy in latest building energy standard
The Department of Energy has affirmed ASHRAE’s updated Standard 90.1, estimating that it will drive energy savings nationwide. States now have two years to certify that they have reviewed and, if needed, updated their codes.
By Nish Amarnath • March 11, 2024 -
Sponsored by Uplight and GridX
4 strategies to boost customer engagement with time-varying rates
Empower customers to be active participants in the clean energy transition with proven principles for crafting a successful Time-Varying Rates (TVR) customer experience.
By Alex Lopez, Senior Product Marketing Manager of Uplight and Brad Langley, VP of Marketing of GridX • March 11, 2024 -
Building energy code revamps can get another $90M from DOE
More energy-efficient homes can remain habitable longer during extreme heat and cold events, which could save lives, a Department of Energy-commissioned study finds.
By Ysabelle Kempe • March 6, 2024 -
Top 3 US energy efficiency policy opportunities in 2024: ACEEE
The United States achieved a 4% reduction in energy intensity last year, and experts say federal policy changes will be needed to maintain that pace.
By Robert Walton • March 6, 2024 -
Sponsored by Overstory
Smarter data, smarter budgets: Utilities benefit economically from proactive vegetation management
Vegetation management remains one of the biggest budget items for utilities, but proactive vegetation management is key to extending operating budgets.
March 4, 2024 -
Local, tribal clean energy projects can tap into $18M from DOE
Microgrids and downtown revitalization efforts that create energy-efficient buildings are potential projects the Department of Energy suggested could be eligible.
By Ysabelle Kempe • Feb. 29, 2024 -
EIA reaches agreement with bitcoin miners, will destroy collected data and publish new survey proposal
The U.S. Energy Information Administration told a federal district court on Friday that it has “formally withdrawn and ceased” the emergency collection of data from crypto miners.
By Robert Walton • Updated March 1, 2024 -
Sponsored by Siemens
Is software the untapped hero to unlock the potential of the grid and help us reach net zero?
Discover how innovative software promises to revolutionize grid management, turning DERs from burdens into assets and paving the way for a future of autonomous grids.
Feb. 26, 2024 -
Heat pumps would cut energy bills for majority of US homes: NREL research
Even so, “we need work to bring down the cost of installing heat pumps,” said a senior research engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
By Ysabelle Kempe • Feb. 26, 2024 -
Con Edison expands SmartCharge EV incentive program to commercial stations in NYC
Ride share and fast charging provider Revel will be the first participant in Consolidated Edison’s new EV charging program. Officials say program incentives should help to lower station operating costs.
By Robert Walton • Feb. 26, 2024 -
Opinion
Smart electric panels are not a smart bet
A recent analysis of the product and commercial landscape, value proposition and alternatives to smart panels concluded that their long-term prospects are dim unless they are significantly stripped of cost and functionality.
By Ben Hertz-Shargel • Feb. 23, 2024 -
New England capacity prices rise almost 40% in most recent auction
Clean energy resources made up 40% of the total capacity commitments, according to ISO New England, and no coal plant met the auction clearing price.
By Robert Walton • Feb. 23, 2024 -
FERC enforcement office seeks $27M from Ketchup Caddy for MISO demand response fraud
The CEO of the company, which had “no legitimate market activity,” according to FERC staff, said he planned to “[d]o this for just a couple of years, make a bunch of money to put kids through school .... and no one’s hurt.”
By Ethan Howland • Feb. 22, 2024 -
Schneider Electric sees surge in energy management, system revenue in Q4 2023
AI developments and continued demand across the data center and infrastructure markets drove its fourth-quarter and full-year growth, according to the company’s latest earnings.
By Nish Amarnath • Feb. 20, 2024 -
Arizona Corporation Commission moves to eliminate energy efficiency rules, renewables targets
The move is “a big step backwards” for Arizona, said Mark Kresowik, senior policy director for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
By Robert Walton • Feb. 13, 2024 -
Colorado regulator’s vision for Xcel virtual power plant: Tariff-driven, 50 MW and online by this fall
The virtual power plant pilot would include an opt-in “prosumer tariff” with higher fixed costs and a lower volumetric rate designed to incentivize distributed energy resource investment.
By Robert Walton • Feb. 7, 2024 -
Duke Energy proposes new gas plant to meet load growth, but groups question projections
“We’re already projecting eight times the load growth we anticipated just two years ago,” said Mike Callahan, Duke Energy’s South Carolina president.
By Diana DiGangi • Feb. 6, 2024 -
Ikea makes strides in reducing carbon footprint, attributes progress to clean energy initiatives
The home furnishings retailer said its greenhouse gas emissions declined by 11.5% from the previous year and it has updated its climate strategy to reach net zero by 2050.
By Zoya Mirza • Feb. 1, 2024 -
Texas regulators nix proposed battery rule over concerns it would limit new resource additions
The Texas electricity market “will need every megawatt of fast, flexible dispatchable generation resources, as soon as possible,” according to PUC Commissioner Lori Cobos.
By Robert Walton • Feb. 1, 2024 -
2024 US power sector outlook
The U.S. clean energy transition is expected to accelerate in 2024 but faces question around transmission, financing, federal elections and other issues.
By Utility Dive staff • Jan. 31, 2024 -
DOE invests $254M in industrial emission cuts, decarbonizing technologies
In addition to awarding $171 million to 49 projects, the U.S. Department of Energy said it is accepting applications for $83 million to cut emissions from hard-to-decarbonize industrial sectors.
By Nish Amarnath • Jan. 30, 2024 -
Deep Dive
New solutions emerge to better integrate renewables into the grid, Xcel, Eversource and others say
Requiring the 400+ GW of battery capacity in U.S. interconnection queues to have grid-forming capabilities could enable variable renewables growth “cheaper and faster than adding new transmission,” one expert said.
By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 25, 2024 -
Electrification, manufacturing to propel 1.5% annual US electric demand growth through 2026: IEA
Data centers account for about a third of the anticipated U.S. demand growth, the International Energy Agency said.
By Ethan Howland • Jan. 24, 2024