SoCalEdison & SolarCity partner to study aggregated distributed resources

The pilot project will study 50 homes equipped with solar, storage, controllable thermostats, and smart inverters.

By Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 14, 2015

Beyond batteries: The diverse technologies vying for the bulk storage market

Batteries are hot, but utilities looking to store a lot of power may find cheaper options elsewhere.

By Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 14, 2015

Hawaii co-op, SolarCity ink deal for dispatchable power from solar-storage project

The goal is to use the power, which can be stored in a 52 MWh battery, for peak shaving purposes in the evenings. 

By Gavin Bade • Sept. 10, 2015

Duke: Efficiency drives down peak demand, but SC rates to rise

Duke Energy Progress' efficiency measures have helped reduce peak demand by almost 9%, but the utility this month asked South Carolina regulators to raise rates to pay for the programs.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 9, 2015

How Massachusetts utilities plan to modernize their grids and rate designs

Across the country, states are taking a hard look at how to bring their electric grids into the modern era. But for Massachusetts, operating in a regional market means taking a more cautious approach to change.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 9, 2015

Stem, PG&E bid aggregated energy storage into CAISO real-time market

The transaction was a part of Pacific Gas and Electric’s Supply-Side Pilot, a project which enables customer-sited, demand-side resources to participate in the California ISO wholesale markets as demand response.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 8, 2015

Plug-and-play storage startup Orison seeks to challenge Tesla in residential market

The company's 2 kWh battery simply plugs into a standard outlet, can keep a home's lights on during a power outage, and has built-in demand management functions, the CEO says.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 4, 2015

Florida PSC allows TECO to scuttle ineffective demand response program

Tampa Electric will finally end its "Prime Time" demand response program, a decade after regulators agreed it was no longer cost effective.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 4, 2015

Mass. utilities target TOU rates, DER integration in grid modernization filings

Similar to California and New York, utilities in Massachusetts are being asked to envision what the electric grid of the future will look like.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 2, 2015

Nest unveils 3rd generation of its smart thermostat

The new Nest Learning Thermostat costs $249 but can save customers 10% to 15% on their electricity bills, according to the company.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 2, 2015

Why California still has a long way to go on energy efficiency

The NRDC released a report highlighting massive energy savings in California – but with the caveat that much more needs to be done. At the same time, a green jobs program focused on efficiency in schools has come under fire for not working fast enough.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 2, 2015

Whatever happened to Oncor's big energy storage plans?

The utility says gigawatt-scale storage can be cost effective in Texas, but the state's electricity market rules are holding the technology back.

By Gavin Bade • Sept. 1, 2015

EPSA, other demand response opponents file Supreme Court brief

The Electric Power Supply Association told the U.S. Supreme Court that Order 745 was a "naked attempt" by federal regulators to overstep their jurisdiction.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 1, 2015

Walgreens taps EnerNOC to manage utility bills

Though the partnership is starting out with fairly basic billing management services, EnerNOC said the deal could be just the beginning for its relationship with the drugstore chain.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 31, 2015

Microgrids on the table as DC stakeholders look to boost reliability in nation's capital

The District of Columbia is about three weeks away from kicking off a workshop examining how microgrids can help power stability in the nation's capital.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 31, 2015

Ohio utilities were on track for big energy savings before efficiency mandate freeze

Before state lawmakers froze the escalating efficiency targets last year, utilities saw the potential to reduce consumption by more than a third across 15-year time frame.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 28, 2015

SoCal Edison integrating over 1,000 MW of demand response into wholesale markets

The utility takes advantage of new CAISO rules allowing aggregations of demand side resources to bid into wholesale markets.

By Gavin Bade • Aug. 26, 2015

How will utilities profit in the future? New York's REV initiative is trying to figure it out

The Empire State is remaking its utility industry, but one key piece – where the money comes from – remains elusive, and regulators are taking a fairly hands-off approach to finding the answer.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 26, 2015

How demand flexibility is about to transform electricity delivery

For utilties, when consumers use energy could become just as important to their bottom lines as if they generate it themselves.

By Herman K. Trabish • Aug. 26, 2015

President Obama calls for clean energy revolution: 'There is something big happening in America'

President Obama shows renewed passion in his legacy fights against climate change and for renewable energy.

By Herman K. Trabish • Aug. 25, 2015

PJM auction results: Capacity payments to plants rise 37% in bid to avoid outages

While the auction results were good news for most existing generation, three of Exelon's nuclear plants did not clear.

By Gavin Bade • Aug. 24, 2015

Judge upholds denial of rate increase to recover utility revenues lost to efficiency

Lost revenues are a problem facing many utilities as efficiency and distributed energy resources play bigger roles on the grid.

By Davide Savenije • Aug. 20, 2015

In SolarCity's 'new paradigm' for distribution planning, DERs come first

Top solar installer calls for new distribution system planning with priority on distributed resources.

By Herman K. Trabish • Aug. 18, 2015

Why the utility transformation will require vision, planning, and new revenue models

An industry survey by Black & Veatch shows utilities are beginning to embrace distributed resources in larger numbers, develop new business models and focus on the shift into a new role as a platform service provider responsible for far more than simply delivering power.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 12, 2015

How Maryland regulators redefined energy efficiency – in 33 pages

It's a short, elegant piece of policy work that fundamentally changed how the state views and values energy efficiency. And now utilities must figure out how to respond.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 5, 2015