Sunrun, PG&E to roll out 30-MW virtual power plant to support California grid in the summer

Sunrun will create the virtual power plant by enrolling up to 7,500 existing and new rooftop solar and battery systems in PG&E’s footprint.

By Kavya Balaraman • Feb. 7, 2023

Sunrun partners with startup Lunar Energy to operate nationwide portfolio of virtual power plants

Under the terms of the deal, Lunar’s aggregation software will coordinate energy from assets installed by Sunrun to sell blocks of energy to utilities and on wholesale markets.

By Emma Penrod • Feb. 3, 2023

Explore the Trendline➔

Distributed Energy Resource Growth

Utilities' traditional reliance on large power plants is shifting to a model that includes distributed energy resources such as rooftop solar, battery storage, smart appliances electric vehicles.

By Utility Dive staff

Demand for Tesla storage products exceeds supply as Q4 deployments rise 152% to 2.5 GWh

Tesla deployed 6.5 GWh of storage in 2022, “by far the highest level of deployments we have achieved,” the company said.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 26, 2023

2023 US Power Sector Outlook

2023 promises to be another busy year for the U.S. energy transition as stakeholders move to implement new clean energy measures while tackling growing security, reliability, equity and affordability challenges.

By The Utility Dive Team • Jan. 25, 2023

As Puerto Rico moves to privatize generation, DOE study outlines 3 pathways to 100% renewables

By law, Puerto Rico must achieve 100% renewable electricity by 2050. “There is no space for building more natural gas assets,” a senior official at the U.S. Department of Energy said Friday.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 24, 2023

3 big advances coming as distributed energy resources take newer, bigger roles in 2023

Analysts foresee DER growth in 2023 at the wholesale market and retail distribution system levels as communities and local leaders demand more reliability and resilience.

By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 23, 2023

California PUC’s delay of microgrids program harms disadvantaged communities

This delay in community microgrid development means more vulnerability to heat waves, wildfires, power shutoffs and pollution, especially in frontline communities.

By Stephanie Doyle and Shina Robinson • Jan. 18, 2023

Small modular reactors could hold key to electrifying heavy transport: Michigan study

Distributed energy resources can help affordably reduce emissions associated with heavy-duty vehicles, relative to building traditional grid infrastructure.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 18, 2023

Consumers as partners: The evolving utility business model

How is the utility business model evolving with wide-scale adoption of DERs?

Jan. 17, 2023

RMI partners with General Motors, Google Nest for initiative to promote and support virtual power plants

A coalition launched Tuesday aims to spur broader adoption of the virtual power plant concept by bringing together distributed energy industry stakeholders and policymakers.

By Emma Penrod • Jan. 11, 2023

The hidden barrier to V2X: How states and utilities can open the floodgates for bidirectional EV charging

Avoid reinventing the wheel, minimize unnecessary review, and provide flexible service connection and interconnection options.

By Ed Burgess and Dan Bowerson • Dec. 22, 2022

GIS mobility – the true utility digital twin secret weapon

A utility digital twin includes a digital representation of the assets and it includes the processes of a utility.

By Bill Meehan • Dec. 19, 2022

California lowers compensation rate for rooftop solar, prompting fears of a steep drop in installations

Regulators hope the decision will encourage customers to install storage paired with solar systems to draw more excess energy during the middle of the day and export energy back to the grid in the evening.

By Kavya Balaraman • Dec. 16, 2022

Cost concerns could blunt ‘promising’ utility trends on energy storage, smart meters, EVs: Deloitte

“Supply chain snags, rising costs and extreme weather are likely to continue plaguing the power sector,” the consulting firm said in a report.

By Ethan Howland • Dec. 14, 2022

Top 5 challenges facing distribution utilities in 2023

In interviews with more than 30 utility leaders from organizations large and small, five challenges stood out as most top-of-mind for utilities across the United States.

Dec. 12, 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

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

How to create utility scale microgrids

Distributed energy resources (DERs) have emerged as a financially viable and resilient alternative to traditional generation assets and distribution.

Nov. 28, 2022

House lawmakers, advocates want $5B to help Puerto Rico install rooftop solar, storage systems

Dozens of Democratic lawmakers in the House have called for an emergency supplemental spending bill to provide clean energy for underserved Puerto Rican households. 

By Robert Walton • Nov. 22, 2022

Solar industry, utilities, ratepayer advocates clash over California net energy metering proposal

“Other states that have implemented a similar cliff in the export compensation rate have seen sharp declines in the pace of solar deployment,” a solar industry representative said. 

By Kavya Balaraman • 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

The Inflation Reduction Act leaves low-income homeowners out of the clean energy transition. Or does it?

The IRA has a major flaw in one of its most popular provisions – the residential tax credit for solar and battery storage. Low-income homeowners often do not have a tax liability and cannot access this 30% tax credit.

By Shelley Robbins • Nov. 15, 2022

‘Needs more work’: Solar industry remains skeptical of California PUC’s new net energy metering proposal

One initial analysis suggests the proposal, if approved, would cut the average export rate in California from 30 cents per kilowatt to 8 cents per kilowatt effective April 2023. 

By Kavya Balaraman • Nov. 11, 2022

SMUD tests tool to accelerate rooftop solar interconnections

The Sacramento Municipal Utility District project “has worldwide potential,” according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and can “easily handle hundreds of applications daily.”

By Robert Walton • Nov. 10, 2022