Republicans tout tax law success in hearing on energy sector impacts

While Republican witnesses cited increased wages, capital expenditures and company growth from the recent changes to the tax code, the lone Democrat witness said the bulk of the benefits are bypassing the middle class.

By Peter Maloney • June 21, 2018

DOE: Puerto Rico has plenty of options for new generation

A new report on options for rebuilding the island's grid recommends considering a wide range of renewables and alternative fuels, an expansion of liquefied natural gas imports, microgrids and energy storage.

By Robert Walton • June 20, 2018

Explore the Trendline➔

Virtual Power Plants

Virtual power plants and their ability to balance energy supply and demand are increasingly sought by utilities as electricity demand increases, but their lack of standardization remains a barrier.

By Utility Dive staff

In Massachusetts, capacity ownership of distributed resources could determine fate of storage

Current debates over ownership and control of capacity rights associated with solar and energy storage projects could have a big impact on the trajectory of the technologies in the state.

By Peter Maloney • June 20, 2018

World on track for 50% renewables by 2050, says Bloomberg energy outlook

Wind and solar will provide almost 50% of the world's electricity, with hydro, nuclear and other renewables taking total zero-carbon electricity up to 71%.

By Robert Walton • June 19, 2018

US, EU research further integrates solar and storage

An energy-storing solar cell? Medium-voltage silicon carbide inverters? Research in the United States and Europe could make harnessing solar energy more efficient and cost effective.

By Robert Walton • June 19, 2018

5 things utilities should consider for energy storage

Utilities navigating energy storage integration should take into account the flexibility and speed of modular programs when comparing storage to gas peaker plants, Axiom Exergy's John Lerch writes.

By John Lerch • June 19, 2018

Vistra plans largest energy storage project in Texas

The 10 MW, 42 MWh lithium-ion battery would be located at the 200 MW Upton 2 solar plant.

By Robert Walton • June 19, 2018

Is New Hampshire on the verge of battery energy storage history?

A Liberty Utilities-stakeholder settlement could put 1,000 behind-the-meter batteries in place and provide a model for the rest of the country.

By Herman K. Trabish • June 19, 2018

100% renewable energy omnibus clears Massachusetts Senate

The package of energy bills would also remove net metering caps, increase the storage mandate and void demand charges approved earlier this year for Eversource. 

By Iulia Gheorghiu • June 18, 2018

Scientists say new material can triple lithium-ion battery energy density

The research strategy could be applied to other high-energy conversion materials, and future studies may use the approach to improve other battery systems.

By Peter Maloney • June 15, 2018

Vistra will shrink its generating portfolio before growing it, CEO says

At a June 12 analyst meeting, Curtis Morgan also said the company is looking at energy storage opportunities and criticized the Trump Administration's plans to support ailing coal and nuclear plants.

By Peter Maloney • June 14, 2018

NV Energy 2.3-cent solar contract could set new price record

The utility's proposed power purchase agreement beats an Arizona project that GTM Research previously said was the cheapest solar contract in the nation.

By Gavin Bade • June 13, 2018

Gates, Bezos jump into storage via Breakthrough Energy VC fund

The billion dollar venture capital fund has identified storage as one of five key investment areas and has chosen startups Quidnet Energy and Form Energy as two of its initial investments.

By Peter Maloney • June 13, 2018

California looks to next steps as utilities near energy storage targets

As Golden State utilities approach 2 GW of battery capacity, lawmakers are preparing mandates for 2 GW more. 

By Peter Maloney • June 12, 2018

SDG&E approved for 5 storage projects totaling 334 MWh

San Diego Gas & Electric also received authorization for a new demand response program to be managed by OhmConnect.

By Robert Walton • June 11, 2018

End of the 'gas rush?' Renewables, storage reaching cost parity, report finds

Portfolios of clean energy and batteries will soon be cost effective, according to a new RMI study, but $110 billion in planned natural gas investments could slow adoption.

By Herman K. Trabish • June 11, 2018

National Grid settlement curbs rate increase, ups grid mod in Rhode Island

The agreement is part of Rhode Island's power sector transformation and calls for investments in electric vehicle infrastructure, energy storage and advanced metering.

By Robert Walton • June 11, 2018

Musk says Tesla can get li-ion cell prices below $100/kWh this year

The Tesla CEO is again pushing the envelope with promises for energy storage and electric vehicles.

By Peter Maloney • June 7, 2018

First grid-scale liquid air energy storage plant launches in UK

Highview Power says the technology can scale to hundreds of megawatts and could store enough electricity to power around 100,000 homes for many days.

By Peter Maloney • June 6, 2018

PJM region and California dominate US storage via different paths

While the two jurisdictions are dominating, other areas are rising as New York and Massachusetts implement energy storage targets.

By Peter Maloney • June 6, 2018

Grid mod policy actions jump 75%, with storage playing a central role

While the number of actions rose significantly from Q1 2017 to Q1 2018, they remained within the same set of 37 states, according to the latest edition of 50 States of Grid Modernization.

By Herman K. Trabish • June 5, 2018

Colorado integrates storage into utility planning process

Gov. Hickenlooper signed a bill Friday directing the state's Public Utilities Commission to develop procurement rules to enable investor-owned utilities to acquire energy storage systems.

By Robert Walton • June 5, 2018

Duke agrees to cut North Carolina grid modernization plan by $5.3B

The utility will deploy at least 300 MW of energy storage projects on its system in North Carolina by May 2026, as part of a deal reached with environmental groups.

By Robert Walton • June 4, 2018

Will batteries do for wind what they're doing for solar?

Experts say wind-plus-storage could become viable with longer-duration batteries. 

By Herman K. Trabish • May 31, 2018

Blink Charging unveils new EV fast-charging station

The company wins Underwriters Laboratories approval for a new station meant to cut charging time by about two-thirds.

By Peter Maloney • May 31, 2018