Form Energy snags $30M grant for California’s largest long-duration energy storage project

The company plans to build a 5-MW/500-MWh iron-air battery storage project at a Pacific Gas & Electric substation in Mendocino County.

By Kavya Balaraman • Dec. 18, 2023

Texas regulators look to expand successful 80 MW virtual power plant pilot

The updated program, initially spurred by Tesla, would allow aggregated distributed energy resources to participate in ERCOT’s contingency reserve service.

By Robert Walton • Dec. 15, 2023

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 Stories from Utility Dive

The U.S. energy transition is facing challenges around grid interconnections, project permitting and power system reliability, but state, federal and other solutions are emerging.

By Utility Dive staff

Eos’ energy storage pipeline grows by $1.3B amid shift to larger, longer-duration projects

More than half of Eos’ $12.9 billion project pipeline comes from proposals delivered in 2023, thanks in part to the Inflation Reduction Act. 

By Kavya Balaraman • Dec. 13, 2023

Fourth Power raises $19M to scale new thermal battery technology using liquid tin

The technology is best suited for projects that are around 100 MW and can store energy for a duration of five hours to 100 hours, CEO Arvin Ganesan said.

By Kavya Balaraman • Dec. 12, 2023

CMBlu Energy’s long-duration organic flow battery set for demonstration at national labs

The Germany-headquartered company is now looking to develop U.S.-based manufacturing and a supply chain for its technology.

By Kavya Balaraman • Dec. 7, 2023

Offshore wind, long-duration liquid air energy storage could make for good pairing: analysis

The study by Highview Power and Ørsted found the technology could help reduce the curtailment of wind. 

By Kavya Balaraman • Dec. 6, 2023

Alliant, DTE, NextEra, others urge FERC to reject MISO’s proposed interconnection queue cap

The grid operator’s proposed interconnection study cap would create “an unworkable queue that undermines competition, raises rates, and threatens reliability,” renewable energy groups said Monday.

By Ethan Howland • Dec. 5, 2023

The energy storage space is heating up. Here are some of the technologies making a dent.

Utility Dive took a look at four technologies, and spoke to some of the companies spearheading them, to get a better picture of the emerging energy storage landscape.

By Kavya Balaraman • Dec. 5, 2023

Why utilities can’t afford to ignore stored solar panels

Market forces are making it unsustainable to store large quantities of solar panels. Having a plan is crucial.

Dec. 4, 2023

Texas PUC delays vote on ERCOT battery rules amid concerns that standards are ‘discriminatory’

“ERCOT is trying to make batteries look like and act like coal plants,” PUCT Commissioner Jimmy Glotfelty said in a Wednesday memo.

By Robert Walton • Dec. 1, 2023

Fire safety outreach is critical to energy storage development

Some states may require stronger outreach around safety in exchange for other entitlements, including power purchase agreements and local permissions like zoning and fire code enforcement.

By Kelly Sarber and Scott M. Bryant • Nov. 29, 2023

Lithium-ion battery prices hit record low, drop 14% from 2022: BloombergNEF

Prices rose last year for the first time since 2010, then dropped sharply thanks to factors including increased production capacity, the firm said.

By Diana DiGangi • Nov. 28, 2023

Can ERCOT show the way to faster and cheaper grid interconnection?

With the "connect and manage" process, which doesn’t require network upgrades, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas brought 14.2 GW online in the last two years, more than any other grid operator.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 27, 2023

Michigan governor expected to sign clean energy bill that includes incineration

A suite of clean energy bills would transition the state to clean energy by 2040. It counts an existing WTE facility in Kent County as clean while also supporting the use of landfill gas systems and anaerobic digestion.

By Jacob Wallace • Nov. 22, 2023

Cost, availability of raw materials is biggest barrier to US battery manufacturing: SEIA

Global demand for batteries is expected to increase from around 670 GWh in 2022 to more than 4,000 GWh by 2030, according to a report released Thursday.

By Kavya Balaraman • Nov. 21, 2023

Energy Department offers $3.5B for battery manufacturing

The funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law will go toward new, retrofitted and expanded battery and critical mineral production sites.

By Kate Magill • Nov. 15, 2023

7 lessons for Rocky Mountain Power and its partners from virtual power plant pioneer Soleil Lofts

The apartment complex in Herriman, Utah — a collaboration among Rocky Mountain Power, sonnen and the Wasatch Energy Group — is powered by 5 MW of solar panels and has a battery in each of its 600 units.

By Patrick Cooley • Nov. 15, 2023

California project is second in US to employ used EV batteries to sell power to the grid: B2U

B2U Storage Solutions said Tuesday it has begun operations at its second grid-connected hybrid storage facility, using hundreds of repurposed EV batteries from Honda for a 3 MW/12 MWh facility.

By Kavya Balaraman • Nov. 14, 2023

The O&M benefits of continuous battery monitoring

Advances in battery technologies offer utilities substantial operations and maintenance (O&M) benefits.

Nov. 13, 2023

How to plan a safe battery energy storage project

Although very rare, recent fires at energy storage facilities are prompting manufacturers and project developers to ask serious questions about how to design safer projects.

By Noah Ryder, Managing Partner, Fire and Risk Alliance and Mishaal Syed Naveed, Fire Protection Engineer, Wärtsilä ES&O • Nov. 13, 2023

Kentucky PSC partly approves PPL’s $2.1B plan to retire coal, add gas, solar and storage

The commission approved a 125 MW/500 MWh battery energy storage facility, which it said will give LG&E/KU insight into operating and integrating large-scale storage to meet customer demand.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 8, 2023

Redwood Materials to recycle 4.6-MWh, first-generation battery system from Hawaii substation

The successful decommissioning could serve as an industry model for future gigawatt-scale projects, according to the company.

By Kavya Balaraman • Nov. 7, 2023

Duke, others leverage new IRA rules to finance clean energy, but cost, complexity are hurdles

New tax credit provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act could more than triple the $20 billion annual tax equity market that today finances clean energy in the U.S., if various challenges can be overcome.

By Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 6, 2023

Powin, Hitachi Energy ink alliance amid burgeoning demand for battery energy storage

The deal is part of a broader partnership, which will include incorporating eks Energy’s technology into Powin’s product roadmap and Powin’s batteries into Hitachi’s solutions.

By Kavya Balaraman • Oct. 31, 2023

FERC accepts ISO New England plan facilitating storage as transmission-only assets

Because they would be built to improve transmission reliability, “SATOAs will not compete in the electricity markets and will have minimal effect on wholesale prices,” ISO New England said.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 26, 2023