Xcel commits to eliminate carbon emissions by 2050

The pledge makes the Minnesota-based firm the first multi-state utility to commit to a complete phaseout of the planet-warming gas, according to company officials. 

By Gavin Bade • Dec. 4, 2018

CEO of the Year: Jim Robo, NextEra Energy

As the largest provider of wind and solar power in the world, NextEra's executive team, particularly CEO Jim Robo, has guided the company's steady, disciplined growth.

By Gavin Bade • Dec. 3, 2018

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

Utility of the Year: Xcel Energy

The company is a leader in the U.S. power sector's transition to a clean energy future, making significant investments in renewable energy and electric vehicles while pursuing innovative business models.

By Larry Pearl • Dec. 3, 2018

The Utility Dive Awards for 2018

The awards recognize the utility industry's top disruptors and innovators. These executives and companies are key leaders in the sector's pivotal transition.

By Utility Dive Team • Dec. 3, 2018

Offshore Wind Prices Have Fallen 75% Since 2014 – Here's How To De-Risk Projects Even Further

Offshore wind could be America's biggest bipartisan clean energy success story in the next two years. But how policymakers design related policies will determine how fast project costs fall, writes Energy Innovation's Mike O'Boyle.

By Mike O’Boyle • Dec. 3, 2018

Capital Dynamics, Tenaska to develop 2 GW of solar across the Midwest

The agreement envisions 14 projects across six states and would significantly boost solar capacity in a region poised for clean energy growth after several Democratic wins in the midterm elections. 

By Catherine Morehouse • Nov. 29, 2018

Reducing property taxes a key to profitability of renewables

Traditional property tax models are wrong for most renewable energy assets, but assessors have largely failed to keep pace with this shift — and aren't incentivized to do so, write Ernst & Young's Tom Bernard and Trevor Mason.

By Tom Bernard & Trevor Mason • Nov. 29, 2018

DC City Council unanimously advances 100% renewable energy bill

The Clean Energy Omnibus would also mandate that all public transport and fleet vehicles in the District be zero-emissions by 2045, including those operated for Uber and Lyft. 

By Gavin Bade • Nov. 28, 2018

Electric Power Show Ep. 2: PJM CEO Andy Ott says 'the game has changed'

The CEO of the nation's largest wholesale power market talks fuel security, plant bailouts, capacity markets and how state policy preferences are putting stress on the market's founding principles. 

By Gavin Bade • Nov. 28, 2018

How cities are affected by the federal climate report — and how they're fighting back

Extreme weather threatens to destroy urban areas while transportation systems may buckle, but there is optimism that city leaders will keep moving things forward.

By Chris Teale • Nov. 27, 2018

Brown mandates a 'greener' Golden State

As California inches closer to a renewable-only grid, S&P Global Ratings Director of Sustainable Finance Michael Ferguson assesses which assets from a credit perspective could stand to either benefit or face heightened risks.

By Michael Ferguson • Nov. 26, 2018

FERC rejects generator proposal for CAISO capacity market

Generators said growing renewable energy is putting them out of business, but FERC determined they failed to identify where CAISO market rules are unreasonable or any serious reliability problems that could result.

By Gavin Bade • Nov. 21, 2018

GE, Juhl partner for first commercial solar-wind hybrid generation project

The design allows the project to produce power when it is most needed, with the solar providing summer peak energy, and the wind providing winter peak energy, according to Juhl.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 21, 2018

FERC nominee McNamee slams renewables, green groups in Feb. video

The nominee told Texas lawmakers that renewable energy "screws up the whole physics of the grid" and portrayed industry lawsuits with environmental groups as a "constant battle between liberty and tyranny."

By Gavin Bade • Updated Nov. 21, 2018

New Microsoft contract could expand corporate renewable energy deals to smaller buyers

The "volume firming agreement" could mitigate some of the risk and volatility of renewable energy power purchase agreements, helping to expand procurement beyond large corporate buyers.

By Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 20, 2018

Chicago challenges businesses to power buildings with renewable energy

Participants in the Chicago Renewable Energy Challenge pledge to keep their buildings powered with renewable sources for at least 10 years, and to track and share their progress.

By Jason Plautz • Nov. 20, 2018

NY simplifies interconnection standards to ensure 'robust' clean energy pipeline: PSC chair

"If you want people to do something, make it easy," Public Service Commission Chairman John Rhodes told Utility Dive.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 19, 2018

Customer demand drives SRP to add 1 GW new solar by 2025

By the end of Fiscal Year 2025, Salt River Project plans to have more than 1,200 MW of solar capacity and will be in the market to add battery storage.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 19, 2018

Pennsylvania DEP solar plan aims for 10% solar generation by 2030

The majority of the state's generation comes from nuclear and natural gas, with solar providing 300 MW, less than 1%.

By Catherine Morehouse • Nov. 15, 2018

Customer preference shifts from utilities to third-party providers for rooftop solar, EV: Cogent

Only 47% of consumers surveyed prefer utilities as their solar provider, down from 68% last year, suggesting utilities need stronger brand management.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Nov. 15, 2018

Big tech companies are becoming the top buyers of green energy to meet data needs: BNEF

About 1% of the world's electricity consumption goes to power data centers, which can require three times more energy in developed nations.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 15, 2018

EY: Q3 power transactions reach record $241B globally

U.S. deals are valued at $28.8 billion this quarter, a 7% increase from Q2, driven largely by cheaper gas and renewables, according to an Ernst & Young Q3 report. 

By Catherine Morehouse • Nov. 14, 2018

APS spent millions defeating Prop 127. Is a clean energy compromise ahead?

The utility beat the push for 50% renewables, then started talk about an 80% clean energy standard.

By Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 14, 2018

216 mayors signal support for more solar power in updated letter

The Mayors for Solar Energy effort, organized by Environment America, also includes training and resources for local governments to encourage more solar power.

By Jason Plautz • Nov. 13, 2018

Locational value of DER is essential to grid planning. So why hasn't anyone found it?

Policymakers want to identify the precise value of DER to their power systems, but the system may be changing too fast to make that possible right now.

By Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 13, 2018