PG&E announces microgrid awards for $43M as Sunrun joins its 2025 VPP

The nine microgrid projects will serve about 9,000 customers in disadvantaged or vulnerable Northern California communities, the utility said.

By Brian Martucci • April 2, 2025

White paper points to carbon capture as possible data center solution

Pairing carbon capture with natural gas-fired generation could prove cost-competitive with other baseload options, like nuclear and battery storage, according to a Carbon Direct white paper.

By Emma Penrod • March 31, 2025

Explore the Trendline➔

Distributed Energy Resource Growth

Distributed energy resources, including rooftop solar, battery storage and electric vehicles, are experiencing significant growth in the U.S. as the power sector evolves to a cleaner, less centralized future.

By Utility Dive staff

Harnessing climatology to avert tomorrow’s black swan natural catastrophe

Is the electric utility industry truly equipped to anticipate and mitigate these increasingly frequent catastrophes, particularly when it comes to wildfire and extreme weather?

By Steve Vanderburg, Vice President of Weather & Risk Solutions, Technosylva • March 31, 2025

But first, eat your vegetables: A guide to smarter load management

Smarter load management optimizes grid performance and efficiency. Discover strategies for balanced growth.

By Kyle Kichura • March 18, 2025

Microgrids called a low-burden way to ensure backup power

Facilities managers can lower upfront costs and avoid disruptive maintenance checks by subscribing to a resiliency-as-a-service platform, a microgrid executive says.

By Robert Freedman • March 17, 2025

IRA funding freeze has put ‘many’ clean energy projects on pause

The uncertainty created by the funding freeze has affected projects at “various stages of development,” a clean energy executive said on a recent press call.

By Lamar Johnson • March 7, 2025

Avista, PG&E, Ameren AI demonstrations show great potential – but are other utilities ready?

New artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms can optimize complexities across the power system if utilities and regulators can make data more accessible — and protect it, experts say.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 7, 2025

10 years of grid modernization: Major progress, stubborn challenges

Improving energy affordability and grid reliability can guide the way on modernizing the grid for tomorrow’s challenges, according to Grid Forward’s Bryce Yonker.

By Bryce Yonker • Feb. 28, 2025

Are utility demand response program costs outstripping their benefits in California?

California Public Utilities Commission policy has been pushing customers to choose utility-run supply-side DR programs over third-party options that face pressure to keep costs low.

By Collin Smith • Feb. 24, 2025

AEP expects electric sales to jump 8.6% annually over 3 years

American Electric Power is in the early permitting phase for small modular reactors in Indiana and Virginia as data centers and industrial facilities drive demand for power.

By Ethan Howland • Feb. 18, 2025

2024 ‘a pivotal year’ for virtual power plant policy: report

Following 105 policy actions nationwide last year, 2025 could see continued momentum as load begins to grow, the NC Clean Energy Technology Center and the Smart Electric Power Alliance say.

By Brian Martucci • Feb. 12, 2025

Transformer supply bottleneck threatens power system stability as load grows

Electric transformers are critical to managing power system reliability. Solutions to the bottleneck are emerging, but long wait times remain.

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 12, 2025

EPA funding freeze endangers $7B Solar For All program

“We don't know how much money got out the door, we don't know how much money the administration can seek to claw back,” said Vote Solar’s executive director, Sachu Constantine.

By Diana DiGangi • Feb. 6, 2025

Electricity is the next energy crisis

Electricity demand and distribution technologies won't solve the entire problem, but they can provide immediate relief.

By Juan Macias • Feb. 6, 2025

2025 US power sector outlook

The second Trump administration has ramped up energy transition uncertainty. Meanwhile, electricity demand from data centers and electrification continues to grow, and the resource mix is changing.

By Utility Dive staff • Jan. 31, 2025

‘Interconnection processes must evolve’ to handle DER influx: DOE

The DER interconnection roadmap issued in the last days of the Biden administration envisions interconnection wait times under one day for <50-kW systems and 25% shorter power outage durations by 2030.

By Brian Martucci • Jan. 24, 2025

Trump freezes IRA funding

The White House issued a memo to clarify the funding pause, specifying that it pertains only to aspects of the law mentioned in Section 2 of the executive order.

By Kate Magill • Updated Jan. 23, 2025

Sonnen, SOLRITE Energy launch grid-optimizing virtual power plant in Texas

The program aims to relieve congestion and improve renewable power economics on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas grid, sonnen USA CEO Blake Richetta said.

By Brian Martucci • Jan. 17, 2025

NREL seeks distributed wind turbine technology proposals from manufacturers

The request for proposals offers award amounts up to $800,000 for submissions from domestic manufacturers of small and medium-sized wind turbines.

By Diana DiGangi • Jan. 16, 2025

Bipartisan, ‘nonpolitical’ messaging key to achieving DOE’s 2030 VPP goal, analysts say

Successful VPPs in Utah and other GOP-controlled areas highlight effective framing around cost reduction, consumer choice, self-reliance and resilience, experts told Utility Dive.

By Brian Martucci • Jan. 15, 2025

9 US electric power sector issues to watch in 2025

From rising electricity prices and demand to emerging opportunities and challenges around nuclear energy, virtual power plants, renewables and more, we’ve highlighted nine of the most important issues for the year ahead.

By Robert Walton, Ethan Howland, Diana DiGangi, Larry Pearl, Brian Martucci • Jan. 8, 2025

Microgrids boost grid reliability, lower costs: Colorado road map

Rising transmission costs and extreme weather impacts prompted a fresh look at the benefits of self-contained grids for rural Colorado communities.

By Brian Martucci • Jan. 7, 2025

Convergent lands $150M in financing for distributed solar, storage projects

The funding will speed development of more industrial-scale distributed energy projects, CEO Johannes Rittershausen said.

By Brian Martucci • Dec. 12, 2024

Texas task force aims to ‘tear down barriers’ to virtual power plant pilot as participation lags

The aggregated DER pilot, which includes Tesla and Bandera Electric as participants, aims to harness 80 MW of flexible resources on the Texas grid, but it has not reached that goal due to various limitations.

By Robert Walton • Dec. 11, 2024

BlackRock, Temasek venture leads $35M funding round for ConnectDER

The latest funding round, led by Decarbonization Partners, will help accelerate growth for the home solar power and EV adapter company.

By Lamar Johnson • Dec. 5, 2024