ComEd forges ahead with ambitious microgrid plans amid legislative debate

A $4 million DOE grant could help ComEd build up to six microgrids in Chicago, depending on the outcome of pending legislation.

By Peter Maloney • March 15, 2016

Are residential demand charges the best rate reform for DERs?

The debate over rooftop solar is shifting in a new direction, with utilities and regulators examining new rate reform methods.

By Krysti Shallenberger • March 15, 2016

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

EPA: 11 states failed to submit sulfur dioxide pollution plans

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said those states have until late 2018 to reduce their pollution limits or finalize plans to do so. 

By Krysti Shallenberger • March 14, 2016

New York PSC request for $98.6M bond for energy service companies 'wild speculation,' critics say

Energy Service Companies, known as ESCOs, have come under scrutiny in New York for allegedly overcharging customers. The state wants the companies to post a bond, almost $100 million, to cover potential repayments.

By Robert Walton • March 14, 2016

Montana court upholds PSC order to keep original PURPA rates

A Montana judge upheld the state's utility regulators' decision to reject NorthWestern Energy's bid to reduce the established avoid cost rate paid to independent power producers under the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act. 

By Herman K. Trabish • March 12, 2016

New Hampshire House passes bill to raise net metering cap to 100 MW

New Hampshire lawmakers look to revamp the state's net metering policy in the wake of dominant utility, Eversource Energy, hitting its net metering cap in January. 

By Herman K. Trabish • March 12, 2016

Update: DC ratepayer advocate rejects proposal to save Exelon-Pepco merger

In a statement today, the D.C. Office of the People's Counsel rejected the most recent proposal made by Exelon and Pepco Holdings for their proposed $6.8 billion merger. 

By Davide Savenije , Krysti Shallenberger • March 11, 2016

Civil rights hearing focuses on Illinois coal plant

The Commission's investigation of choice for 2016 is civil rights violations related to environmental justice and statutory enforcement, with a focus on coal ash and hydraulic fracturing industries. 

By Shalina Chatlani • March 11, 2016

Oregon passes 50% renewables standard into law

Gov. Kate Brown (D) signed the controversial energy bill that will boost the state's renewables mandate and phase out coal generation by 2035 into law yesterday. 

By Krysti Shallenberger • March 11, 2016

Florida senator puts hold on broad energy bill, ties up Flint funds

Florida Sen. Bill Nelson (D) has placed a hold on bipartisan energy legislation, in response to a provision which would expand revenue sharing from offshore drilling along the Gulf states.

By Robert Walton • March 11, 2016

Duke Energy appeals $6.6M fine for Dan River coal ash spill

Duke Energy said the fine, issued by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, was unfair in light of the other actions the utility has taken to address the Dan River coal ash accident that dumped more than 30,000 tons of the toxic waste into the nearby river in 2014. 

By Herman K. Trabish • March 11, 2016

US, Canada pledge cooperation on Paris climate accord, clean energy, methane leaks

After the first joint meeting between President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the two nations committed to cutting methane emissions 40%-45% by 2025 from the oil and gas sector, as well as working together on the Paris climate accord.

By Gavin Bade • March 10, 2016

Dueling studies draw battle lines for next Arizona utility-solar showdown

Studies commissioned by APS and TASC have hugely different approaches to solar valuation, but share an important piece of common ground.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 10, 2016

Maine Gov. LePage opposes plan to replace net metering with market-based incentives

Governor’s energy office says the plan would not protect against cost shifts, while TASC says it should include net metering as an option for solar owners.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 10, 2016

Arizona lawmakers mull changes to conflict-of-interest law for utility regulators

Newly-appointed Arizona Corporation Commissioner Andy Tobin had agreed to recuse himself from cases involving SolarCity, where a family member works, but changes to an Arizona law could allow him to vote on those cases.

By Robert Walton • March 10, 2016

California utilities push CPUC to vacate or 'modify' net metering decision

Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, and Pacific Gas and Electric have said in previous accounts that preserving the retail rate remuneration doesn't take into account cost-shift burdens on non-rooftop solar users. 

By Herman K. Trabish • March 10, 2016

Learning by doing: How utilities are answering the distributed energy resources challenge

As our 2016 survey shows, utilities are beginning to understand how they can make money with distributed resources, but it's still a work in progress.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 9, 2016

SDG&E issues call for 140 MW of renewables, DERs, demand-side resources

The utility has issued an RFO for storage, renewables, distributed generation, energy efficiency and demand response resources to comply with CPUC procurement targets.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 9, 2016

Charts: How will the Clean Power Plan stay affect the utility power mix transition?

Utilities will keep adding renewables and natural gas, but what happens to the Clean Power Plan could have a big effect on just how much of both are brought online in the coming years.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 8, 2016

California utility IID halts net metering incentives after hitting 5% cap

Imperial Irrigation District says it is still accepting applications, but installers say solar is a hard sell without the generation incentives.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 8, 2016

Connecticut legislature to mull slew of energy bills, including boosting renewables

Connecticut lawmakers are considering a raft of legislation on sources fom solar and nuclear to energy produced from trash.

By Robert Walton • March 7, 2016

Updated: Exelon, Pepco file proposal to save merger

After District of Columbia officials rejected conditions on a merger deal outlined by the PSC last week, Exelon and Pepco have filed a new proposal they hope will satisfy both the regulators and city leaders.

By Gavin Bade , Krysti Shallenberger • March 7, 2016

Oregon passes utility-scale solar incentives to support 50% RPS

The proposal, overshadowed last week by the larger bill its aims to support, would provide $0.005/kWh for 2 MW to 10 MW installations.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 7, 2016

After record year, U.S. energy storage forecasted to break 1 GW capacity mark in 2019

Energy storage installations were up 243% in 2015 compared with 2014, according to new GTM Research/Energy Storage Assoc. report.

By Peter Maloney • March 7, 2016

Clean coalition: How utilities and greens teamed up to pass Oregon's 50% RPS

A unique combination of threat and opportunity brought Oregon’s investor-owned utilities to the negotiating table, but not everyone is pleased with the results.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 7, 2016