A new Colorado law makes it a top site for clean hydrogen developers, but it’s not a model for federal rules

We do not advocate that the U.S. Treasury adopt Colorado’s approach. Rather, it should base its decision on careful economic analysis and phase in more rigorous GHG accounting over time.

By Will Toor • May 25, 2023

Energy Department cancels $200M Microvast battery grant

Republican lawmakers accused the Houston-area battery maker of having ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

By Sara Samora • May 24, 2023

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

Energy permitting reform divides environmental, clean energy groups as it remains in debt limit talks

While three clean energy trade groups wrote to House and Senate leaders May 22 urging bipartisan transmission permitting legislation, some NGOs say easing energy permitting could undermine environmental goals.

By Stephen Singer • May 24, 2023

The generators who cry ‘wolf’: How competitive wholesale markets handle generator bankruptcy

Generators with competitive operating costs that enter bankruptcy have every incentive to remain in business and to produce as much energy as they can whenever they can earn more than their variable costs.

By Mike Hogan • May 24, 2023

Mass. agency dismisses 2 battery storage projects, citing lack of legal clarity over ‘generating facility’

“As a matter of physics, batteries do not actually store electrical energy,” the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board said.

By Stephen Singer • May 23, 2023

California’s ‘zonal’ approach could revamp clean energy planning, shrink interconnection queue: experts

The strategy is part of the California Independent System Operator’s latest transmission plan, which calls for 45 projects estimated to cost $7.3 billion.

By Kavya Balaraman • May 23, 2023

Collecting data to support energy-burdened communities poses unique challenges, experts say

Census data isn’t collected often enough to reflect neighborhood demographic shifts, while asking communities to self-report can present additional burdens, panelists said at a Wednesday clean energy summit.

By Diana DiGangi • May 22, 2023

Exelon, other generators urge PJM to reject proposal to reduce ‘capacity performance’ penalties

The proposal would undermine reliability when more frequent extreme weather and falling capacity margins make it more important for resources to meet their capacity commitments, the companies said.

By Ethan Howland • May 19, 2023

How a federal program meant to help communities buy zero-emission buses instead favors fossil fuels: report

A legal requirement added to the Federal Transit Administration program in 2015 led to the disparity, advocacy organization Transportation for America said.

By Dan Zukowski • May 18, 2023

EPA proposes rules that could require utilities to clean up ‘legacy’ coal ash ponds, landfills

About 280 coal ash sites owned by utilities such as Arizona Public Service, PacifiCorp and Xcel Energy would face federal regulations under a proposal published Thursday.

By Ethan Howland • May 18, 2023

Georgia’s Plant Vogtle is a $35B boondoggle. We need new and better solutions for a carbon-free grid.

Urgent utility business model reforms are needed to create a 21st-century, people-centered grid that delivers affordable fossil-free solutions.

By Patty Durand • May 18, 2023

As Sen. Carper releases permitting reform proposal, White House vows to update NEPA rules

Carper’s proposal joins a crowded field of legislative approaches to streamlining energy permitting reform.

By Robert Walton • May 18, 2023

Carolina market reforms would increase grid reliability and reduce customer costs

Opening the energy market in the Carolinas to more competition translates to more options to meet customer preferences and, in turn, supports economic development prospects throughout both states.

By Reese Rogers • May 17, 2023

FERC’s Christie pushes review of power markets, deregulation ahead of agency’s PJM, ISO-NE scrutiny

The Electric Power Supply Association defended power markets, saying their shortcomings are driven by federal and state energy policies, not the markets themselves.

By Ethan Howland • May 16, 2023

South Carolina could save electricity customers up to $362M a year by joining RTO: The Brattle Group

The current Southeast Energy Exchange Market is limited in benefits compared to a regional transmission organization, the consulting firm said in a report to a legislative committee.

By Diana DiGangi • May 15, 2023

Manchin aims to bring energy infrastructure permitting reform bill to Senate floor for vote by August

However, there are “yawning gaps” between Republican and Democratic permitting reform priorities, according to research firm ClearView Energy Partners.

By Ethan Howland • May 12, 2023

NRC grants Holtec interim license for N.M. nuclear waste storage that faces governor’s opposition, lawsuit threat

The state approved a law in March banning nuclear fuel storage, and courts may need to decide if federal approval preempts state law.

By Patrick Cooley • May 11, 2023

EPA proposes power plant greenhouse gas limits with carbon capture, ‘green’ hydrogen main compliance options

The proposal won’t hurt grid reliability, with an estimated 22 GW of coal-fired capacity retirements offset by roughly the same amount of gas-fired additions, the agency said.

By Ethan Howland • May 11, 2023

Biden ‘doesn’t love everything in the bill,’ but calls for Congress to pass Manchin’s energy permitting reforms

The White House on Wednesday laid out its priorities for permitting reform, including faster deployment of critical electric transmission, and acknowledged the need for compromise.

By Robert Walton • May 11, 2023

Arizona Corporation Commission explores standardized cybersecurity assessments, workforce development

Utility partnerships with academia can boost the security workforce, including through the use of residencies and apprenticeships, said Idaho National Laboratory Department Manager Ralph Ley.

By Robert Walton • May 10, 2023

DOE proposes framework for national transmission corridors to spur new lines, ease grid congestion

The proposal would allow transmission developers to apply for project-specific corridors, unlocking potential federal funding, the department said Tuesday.

By Ethan Howland • May 10, 2023

DOE promotes commercialization of long-duration energy storage

To DOE, “lift-off” occurs when private capital can take over as technology costs and operations improve significantly.

By Stephen Singer • May 9, 2023

Hawai’i leads the way on advanced rate design with default time-of-use rates, fixed charge innovations

Hawai’i’s planned granular cost study still must prove to other states that the new TOU rates, fixed charge framework and new way of defining costs will allocate costs accurately, analysts said.

By Herman K. Trabish • May 9, 2023

NGOs suing California PUC, utilities over net metering update could face ‘fairly steep’ challenge: attorney

The lawsuit names the California Public Utilities Commission and the state’s three investor-owned utilities — Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric — as respondents.

By Kavya Balaraman • May 9, 2023

FERC commissioners tell senators of major grid reliability challenges, with some blaming markets

Power plants are retiring faster than they’re being replaced, according to FERC Commissioner Mark Christie. “The arithmetic doesn’t work,” he said at a Senate hearing Thursday.

By Ethan Howland • May 5, 2023