Southern's Powersecure contracts with Bloom for fuel cell + storage solution

Powersecure will purchase 50 MW of Bloom fuel cells to supply customers like the Home Depot with a new backup power option.

By Krysti Shallenberger • Oct. 26, 2016

How Walmart is leveraging DERs for its 100% renewable energy goal

The retail giant is already a rooftop solar leader and is now applying its massive market power to energy storage.

By Peter Maloney • Oct. 25, 2016

A tale of 2 Dukes: Utility, university partner on 21 MW CHP project

Duke Energy wants to own and operate a 21 MW combined heat and power project on the campus of Duke University.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 20, 2016

How the coming boom in electric and self-driving vehicles will transform the grid

A new BNEF report imagines a world where fleets of autonomous electric vehicles provide services to the grid, but getting there requires utilities to be proactive. 

By Robert Walton • Oct. 19, 2016

British Parliament looks to California for demand response cues

A report from the House of Commons' Energy and Climate Change Committee calls for the expanded use of demand response but finds several factors holding back the market.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 18, 2016

IEA: Despite efficiency gains, global climate goals at risk without more action

The International Energy Agency says global policy efforts for efficiency still lag behind. 

By Robert Walton • Oct. 17, 2016

With new control technology, demand response set to become operational tool for utilities

The age of manual demand response is closing as new software allows automatic load management for utilities, Navigant's Brett Feldman argues in this guest post. 

By Brett Feldman • Oct. 13, 2016

Building codes, utility mandates propel California, Massachusetts to top efficiency rankings

Utilities in the United States invested approximately $7.7 billion in energy efficiency last year in 2015—up from about $7.3 billion in 2014.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 12, 2016

Minnesota real estate developer tackles 'beyond ambitious' energy retrofit

Madison Equities is spending more than $12 million on efficiency upgrades at three buildings in St. Paul, Minn., in what stakeholders call the largest combined PACE project in the U.S. 

By Robert Walton • Oct. 12, 2016

New Jersey lawmakers push bill to revamp solar program

Already approved in the state's Senate, the New Jersey House is considering a bill that would accelerate solar deployment. 

By Robert Walton • Oct. 6, 2016

The flaws in the utilities' push for residential demand charges

Time-based rates offer far better incentives, argue James Tong and Jon Wellinghoff in this guest post.

By James Tong, Jon Wellinghoff • Oct. 3, 2016

California regulators order PG&E, SDG&E to revisit second DRAM auction

Regulators say Pacific Gas and Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric did not acquire sufficient resources in the state's second Demand Response Auction Mechanism.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 3, 2016

Ohio lawmaker seeks to make renewable targets voluntary

Ohio state Sen. Bill Seitz (R) is amending a proposal to bring clean energy standards back into force next year, but with no compliance requirement until 2020.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 27, 2016

EnerNOC to lay off 15% of workforce

It is the second round of layoffs by the demand response provider, highlighting the increasing competitiveness of the sector. 

By Robert Walton • Sept. 26, 2016

Critics question effectiveness, fairness of FirstEnergy Ohio efficiency plans

Consumer advocates say the utility's plan would allow it to profit from work done by other organizations or municipalities. 

By Robert Walton • Sept. 23, 2016

ConEd reaches settlement on $200M rate increase, boosts efficiency spending

The deal has support from environmental advocates, including $99 million for new energy efficiency programs over the next three years.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 22, 2016

How Southern California Edison's new rate case would transform the grid

SCE wants to spend $2.3 billion to ready its grid for distributed resources. Here's what that money would buy.

By Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 21, 2016

Environmentalists wary of Congress' rush to pass energy bill

Lawmakers are hoping to produce a broad energy bill this session, but environmentalists warn more than two dozen provisions could trigger backlash or a presidential veto.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 21, 2016

Will utilities fully unlock the value that rate change offers?

Innovative rate designs have the potential to create significant value for the utility industry and its customers by building new avenues for improving customer satisfaction.

By Gavin Novotny • Sept. 16, 2016

New York agency earmarks $10M for industrial efficiency programs

Combined, the two programs are expected to save a total of $12.9 million annually.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 15, 2016

Greening demand response: California mulls big changes for DR to meet climate goals

A new proposal at the CPUC would limit fossil fuel resources in demand response, but big questions remain about the utility's role in administering DR programs. 

By Robert Walton • Sept. 14, 2016

A two-way street: Scaling up demand response requires a nimble management system

Scaling up utility DR management systems could help DER integration on the grid. 

By Robert Walton • Sept. 7, 2016

Uncle Sam's battery bank: ARPA-E spurs commercialization of innovative storage technology

The DOE is touting the success of its ARPA-E program for funding advanced technologies: $1.3 billion funded; $1.2 billion raised from private sources.

By Peter Maloney • Sept. 7, 2016

After tariff changes, storage to play larger role in CAISO demand management

FERC's approval for storage and demand response tariffs highlights California's efforts to integrate more DERs. 

By Peter Maloney • Sept. 6, 2016

Confidence in collaboration: Rhode Island targets a common perspective on DER values

Facing an impasse over DER rate design, Rhode Island regulators have initiated a new proceeding to find common ground on measures and expectations for distributed energy programs.  

By Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 6, 2016