Jury orders Xcel to pay Colorado co-op $26.5M for extended outages at Comanche 3 coal plant

“This verdict will at least partly compensate CORE for damages caused by the systemic failures of Xcel,” said CORE Electric Cooperative CEO Jeff Baudier.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 27, 2023

NextEra expects up to $1.8B by 2026 in renewable energy tax credit sales, CFO says

The tax credit market is growing more rapidly than expected, an energy marketplace director said, but questions remain about whether it's bringing new money to the sector.

By Emma Penrod • Oct. 27, 2023

Explore the Trendline➔

The Energy Transition to Renewables

New policy and business actions are giving a significant boost to renewable energy in the U.S., but opposition is growing and grid interconnection, permitting, labor and other challenges remain.

By Utility Dive staff

Utility-scale solar installation costs rose 8% in Q1, residential costs fell 16%: NREL

While module costs have dropped, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory said utility-scale solar is facing steeper prices for inverters and labor.

By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 26, 2023

DOE issues draft plan for speeding up, improving grid interconnections

The draft road map goes beyond the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s recent interconnection reform rule, in part by calling for fast-track interconnection options.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 26, 2023

Microsoft leans on renewable energy PPAs, energy efficiency in environmental efforts

“Ensuring our buildings are energy efficient is a key first step in reducing emissions,” the tech giant said in its 2022 Environmental Report.

By Joe Burns • Oct. 25, 2023

New York Gov. Hochul announces 4 GW of offshore wind contracts as industry criticizes recent actions

Offshore wind advocates have questioned the governor's veto of an offshore wind transmission bill and the state's rejection of a financial relief petition by three project developers.

By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 25, 2023

Bloom Energy, Google, others back microgrid tax credit extension

The push for the microgrid controller investment tax credit extension comes amid growth but also emerging challenges for the sector.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 25, 2023

Princeton’s Zero Lab has it wrong on corporate renewable energy procurement and emissions

The authors disagree with Zero Lab’s core conclusion that any procurement strategy other than hourly matching will have “zero or near-zero long-run impact on system-level CO2 emissions.”

By Jake Oster, Rob Threlkeld, Chad Reed and Hannah Hunt • Oct. 25, 2023

New Mexico approves early closure agreement for Xcel’s coal-fired Tolk power plant

Under the agreement approved by New Mexico regulators, Xcel will only run Tolk “when it is economically beneficial for customers,” the Sierra Club said.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 25, 2023

Xcel seeks 1.2 GW of new Minnesota wind resources to replace retiring coal plant

The new wind projects would utilize Xcel’s proposed 345-kV transmission line to deliver energy to the retiring Sherco coal plant in Becker, Minnesota.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 24, 2023

AI is enhancing electric grids, but surging energy use and security risks are key concerns

The power demands of artificial intelligence could grow almost fivefold by 2028, said Sreedhar Sistu, vice president of artificial intelligence offers for Schneider Electric.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 23, 2023

Failing to expand the grid may be biggest threat to US energy transition: National Academies

A panel of experts urged FERC to “expeditiously” issue its pending transmission planning and cost allocation reforms and to make sure wholesale power markets can support a shift to 100% clean energy.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 19, 2023

DOE announces ‘largest-ever investment in America’s grid,’ giving $3.5B across 44 states

The first round of funding under the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program will boost U.S. renewable capacity by more than 10% within this decade, said DOE officials.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 19, 2023

Renewable PPA dealmaking slows as high solar prices appear set to stay: LevelTen

Prices have begun to level out, but some corporate buyers are considering other options, according to officials at power marketplace LevelTen.

By Emma Penrod • Oct. 18, 2023

Groups blast fossil fuel focus of DOE hydrogen hub selections

The DOE said Monday that two-thirds of the hydrogen produced in the hubs will come from renewable resources, but environmental groups are skeptical.

By Emma Penrod • Oct. 17, 2023

New York rejects Ørsted, Equinor and BP bids to adjust offshore wind contracts

The developers say increased costs have left the projects financially unviable, but the state said granting their petitions would pass billions in costs to ratepayers.

By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 13, 2023

DOE selects 7 hydrogen hubs for $7B funding opportunity

The selection of several hubs focused on hydrogen production from fossil fuels and carbon capture drew the ire of environmental groups.

By Emma Penrod • Oct. 13, 2023

Reworking the grid to accommodate offshore wind is a matter of ‘extreme urgency’: Ørsted exec

The limited points of interconnection on the Atlantic coast make collaborative and creative planning a necessity, said Ørsted’s Head of Electricity Policy Lopa Parikh.

By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 12, 2023

Clean energy could create up to 4.7 jobs for every commercial building

Solar PV, heat pumps and battery storage installation and maintenance could generate more than 2 million new jobs in the U.S. and Europe, according to a study by Schneider Electric and Boston University.

By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 12, 2023

2024 US power sector conferences to watch

Start planning for this year’s events, which will cover the clean energy transition, state and federal energy policy and more.

By Larry Pearl • Updated Feb. 16, 2024

Rooftop solar system median size up 200%, with storage pairings rising: DOE lab

In 2022, around 10% of all new residential solar installations included paired storage, and median system size was 7.2 kW, rising from 2.4 kW in 2000.

By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 10, 2023

NiSource hydrogen, gas blending project to test specialty skid to optimize mix

The pilot will help NiSource test the safety and viability of using hydrogen blends in natural gas infrastructure and in commercial and industrial settings.

By Emma Penrod • Oct. 10, 2023

Bank of America upgrades Xcel Energy to ‘buy’ on strength of Colorado resource plan

Xcel’s plan to double its renewable resources in Colorado lays the foundation “for an upward inflection in rate base growth to the end of the decade,” said analysts at Bank of America.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 10, 2023

No more delays or excuses: California must build clean energy now to replace fossil fuels

We need Gov. Newsom to sign SB 619 so that 2023 is the last year state agencies can point to insufficient clean energy generation as a reason for delaying the closure of outdated fossil fuel plants.

By Ed Smeloff • Oct. 6, 2023

US solar farms are aging. Is it time to begin repowering?

Some 23 GW of U.S. solar farms contain inverters that will need to be replaced over the next five years. But repowering might not unfold in the solar industry the same way it did for wind.

By Emma Penrod • Oct. 6, 2023