Interior Department advances permitting for NV Energy Greenlink transmission projects

Greenlink West and Greenlink North would connect a total of up to 8 GW of renewable energy to the Western grid, the Bureau of Land Management said.

By Diana DiGangi • May 26, 2023

2023 global solar investment projected to overtake oil for the first time: International Energy Agency

The IEA expects more than $1.7 trillion will be invested in clean energy around the world in 2023, versus about $1 trillion in fossil fuels.

By Diana DiGangi • May 25, 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

Enel chooses Oklahoma as home of first US solar panel factory

The more than $1 billion project will have up to 3 GW of production capacity by 2025, with the possibility of a future expansion to 6 GW.

By Kate Magill • May 23, 2023

Federal judge dismisses whale case, upholds permits for offshore Vineyard Wind project

Judge Indira Talwani found the case brought against the offshore wind project lacked merit because evidence indicated that it is “unlikely to cause the death of any right whale.”

By Diana DiGangi • May 23, 2023

BOEM completes environmental analysis for Ocean Wind 1 offshore New Jersey

The project could add up to 1.4 GW capacity to the grid if fully approved, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said.

By Diana DiGangi • May 23, 2023

DOE earmarks nearly $42M to produce, store and deploy clean hydrogen

The funding is intended to address “some of our hardest to decarbonize sectors — heavy transportation and industry,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

By Stephen Singer • May 23, 2023

PJM interconnection delays threaten state renewable energy goals: NRDC report

Some states could fall short of their renewable energy goals as projects become mired in lengthy interconnection queues at PJM, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.

By Emma Penrod • May 22, 2023

DOE report outlines 10 actions needed to achieve 100% clean electricity

“We know the Inflation Reduction Act is not itself, alone, sufficient to get to 100% clean energy,” said Paul Donohoo-Vallett, an analyst in DOE’s Office of Policy and a lead author on the report.

By Diana DiGangi • 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

Colorado’s new clean hydrogen standards could push production out of the state, industry group says

A recently-passed bill would provide incentives for the use of clean hydrogen, but the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Association says the legislation’s narrow definitions and strict standards will limit production.

By Emma Penrod • May 17, 2023

House fails to overturn Biden’s veto on congressional resolution to end Southeast Asia solar panel tariff pause

The measure returned to the House and passed 214 to 205, falling short of the two-thirds margin needed for a veto override.

By Diana DiGangi • Updated May 25, 2023

Bipartisan Senate bill aims to preserve hydropower fleet, spur gigawatts of pumped storage

“We're optimistic that this can get through Congress this year, which is important because we do have that growing risk of license surrenders looming on the horizon,” Malcolm Woolf, National Hydropower Association CEO, said.

By Ethan Howland • May 17, 2023

USDA offers $10.7B for rural electrification and energy transition

“This represents the single largest investment in rural electrification since President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act into law in 1936,” the department said.

By Diana DiGangi • May 16, 2023

IRS details which renewable energy components must be made in the US to qualify for IRA tax credits

The U.S. Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service notified owners of green energy projects — wind, solar and energy storage — how to apply tax rules for domestic content bonus credits.

By Emma Penrod • May 15, 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

Silicon Valley Bank closes $203M solar deal with Pivot Energy in first transaction since collapse

Pivot Energy was set to wrap up a deal on a 100 MW solar portfolio just before the FDIC seized Silicon Valley Bank. They closed the deal on May 9 — only six weeks later than expected.

By Emma Penrod • May 12, 2023

DOE directs $26M to PG&E, ConEd and other projects testing how clean energy can support a resilient grid

The Department of Energy announced it will offer $26 million for projects “to demonstrate how solar, wind, storage and other clean energy resources can support a reliable and efficient U.S. power grid.”

By Diana DiGangi • May 11, 2023

Provisional winners of Pacific offshore wind auction call for procurement, port plans

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s lease sale last December drew $757.1 million in winning bids for lease areas the agency estimates can generate around 4.6 GW of offshore wind energy. 

By Kavya Balaraman • May 10, 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

NextEra Energy Partners to sell its natural gas pipelines, focus solely on renewable energy

The move should boost the value of the company in the eyes of environmentally-conscious investors, NextEra CEO John Ketchum said.

By Emma Penrod • May 9, 2023

Eversource set to announce decision on sale of stake in offshore wind joint venture with Ørsted

Eversource, which is focusing on its regulated businesses, is “very far along in the process” of finding possible buyers for its 50% stake in the offshore wind partnership, CEO Joe Nolan recently told industry analysts.

By Stephen Singer • May 8, 2023

As Shell and other oil and gas majors adopt clean energy strategies, how should electric utilities respond?

Oil and gas companies are experts in flexibly responding to market conditions and opportunities, and their entry into the generation market plays to these strengths.

By Alex Boyd • May 5, 2023

To spur geothermal heating and cooling, DOE funds 11 community-scale system design projects

DOE will select several of the designs for development to advance community-scale geothermal systems, which are relatively uncommon in the U.S.

By Ysabelle Kempe • May 4, 2023

The IRS’s coming 45V tax credit rules can build a domestic clean hydrogen industry — but only if done right.

A loose framework of rules could raise utility rates, make it tougher to meet clean energy targets, and threaten reliability while setting the clean hydrogen industry up for failure once 45V expires.

By Dan Esposito • May 4, 2023