Edison takes $1.8B charge for California wildfires, despite no new liability determination

Utility officials say the number of claims that are being filed and the potential for litigation led them to conclude Southern California Edison faces "a potential material liability."

By Robert Walton • March 1, 2019

Newly-elected Arizona commissioner prepares to subpoena APS over political spending

Arizona Corporation Commissioner Sandra Kennedy is acting on a 2018 campaign promise to require Arizona Public Service and its parent company, Pinnacle West Capital, to disclose several years of political spending.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 28, 2019

Explore the Trendline➔

Sustainability

Companies are pursuing increasingly ambitous sustainability goals around clean energy, but integrating rising amounts of renewables, minimizing environmental impacts, and achieving carbon reduction targets can be challenging.

By Utility Dive staff

California regulators tee up changes to utility distributed storage programs

A proposed decision from an Administrative Law Judge would direct utilities to allow independently owned projects to compete with utility-owned proposals when procuring distributed storage.

By Gavin Bade • Feb. 28, 2019

PG&E disputes allegations it deferred maintenance on transmission line tied to deadly Camp Fire

"We disagree with the overall premise of the Wall Street Journal article," the utility said in a statement responding to the publication's coverage.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 28, 2019

California's review of wildfire mitigation plans will be a sprint

The California Public Utilities Commission wants to approve utility wildfire mitigation plans in May — a short time frame for such a proceeding, according to the presiding judge.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 27, 2019

TVA staff sees no need to add solar capacity until 2023

"There was a strategy in the draft IRP to promote efficient load shape and it emphasized energy efficiency, demand response, electrification and storage," said Jane Elliott, part of TVA's enterprise planning group.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Feb. 27, 2019

Designing Liberty Utilities' New Hampshire residential storage program

A closer look at the decision to pair distributed energy storage with time-of-use rates.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Feb. 25, 2019

Enabling storage integration through market-driven procurements

Early renewables procurements that reverse traditional auctions with one utility buyer and multiple renewables-plus-storage sellers have lowered storage costs and grown capacity.

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 25, 2019

Alabama Power says federal regulations forcing it to close century-old coal plant

The utility said it could cost $300 million to comply with new environmental mandates to continue operating Gorgas' three coal-fired generating units — money it is not willing to spend.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 25, 2019

Split apart PG&E? The utility is open to it, but warns rates would likely rise

Splitting the bankrupt utility's natural gas and electricity businesses could bring safety improvements, PG&E officials said, but could also increase costs by duplicating services.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 21, 2019

PJM to ask FERC to invalidate its energy market rules after stakeholder impasse

The grid operator's controversial five-point proposal includes changes that will boost the real-time and day-ahead markets by allowing larger, less flexible units to set prices.

By Gavin Bade • Feb. 15, 2019

Vineyard Wind submits 1,200 MW proposal to New York's 800 MW offshore wind RFP

The New York State Energy Research and Development authority received 18 bids from four companies for its inaugural offshore wind solicitation.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Feb. 15, 2019

How renewable energy providers can prepare for PG&E's bankruptcy

Providers need to be prepared to renegotiate power purchase agreements at lower rates in the near term, and to try and leverage greater rate increases in the years ahead, writes CohnReznick Capital's Jeffrey Manning.

By Jeffrey R. Manning • Feb. 15, 2019

TVA votes to retire Paradise, Bull Run coal units despite Trump tweet

Even if power demand increases and prices for natural gas more than double, TVA found the plants would not be competitive.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Feb. 15, 2019

As New York utilities file storage plans, interconnection hurdles loom

Utilities laid out "reasonable" timelines for procuring the rights to schedule and dispatch storage by 2022, but NYISO needs to address the long interconnection process, according to industry-focused coalition NY-BEST.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Feb. 14, 2019

Tesla, others question storage hourly requirements, charges in FERC Order 841 compliance plans

As the comment period on FERC Order 841 compliance fillings closed, various utilities and regulators also asked to play larger roles on storage interconnection requirements.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Feb. 13, 2019

Dominion to halve emissions from gas infrastructure in next decade

Renewable energy advocates were unimpressed by the commitment, saying the best way for Dominion to reduce methane emissions is to stop building pipelines.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 13, 2019

AEP to buy Sempra Renewables for $1B, including 724 MW wind and battery assets

The acquisition follows parent-company Sempra's announcement last summer that it plans to spin off its nonutility operating renewable assets.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Feb. 13, 2019

Winning in a more distributed energy world: 3 steps to utility success

The utility of the future will deliver retail products and services instead of generation, but getting to the future will require engaging now-reluctant customers.

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 12, 2019

Duke offers community solar option for South Carolina residents

Duke Energy Carolinas estimates upwards of $200 in annual credits for customers enrolled in the new Shared Solar subscription.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Feb. 11, 2019

Residential solar+storage breaks new ground as Sunrun wins ISO-NE capacity contract

With a strong regulatory bedrock to develop distributed resources in Northeast states, Sunrun's bid represents 20 MW from the solar and battery systems of approximately 5,000 New England customers expected in 2022.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Feb. 8, 2019

Lyft introduces 'Green Mode' to put riders in EVs, hybrids

The platform, which is now live in Seattle, is part of the company's goal to get a billion rides per year in electric cars by 2025.

By Jason Plautz • Feb. 8, 2019

Want better grid mod proceedings? Exelon official says involve stakeholders earlier

To reduce tension between power companies and other stakeholders, the grid mod process could include more opportunities for public input, the company's director of utility initiatives told a crowd of state energy regulators.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Feb. 7, 2019

Puerto Rico proposes largest solar, storage buildout in US with 20-year draft resource plan

Adding over 2,220 MW of solar and 1,080 MW of battery storage over the next two decades, PREPA would also phase out its use of coal and bunker oil, expensive energy fuels the island imports.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Feb. 6, 2019

As corporate renewable buying surges, innovative PPAs pressure utilities to improve green tariffs

Financial intermediaries are de-risking all-time low-cost renewables purchases, driving record private sector buying and pressuring utilities to match the offerings.

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 6, 2019