DistribuTECH 2016: Increasingly at home with DERs, utilities shift focus to controlling them on the grid

The big question for utilities in 2016 isn’t whether they will be able to integrate DERs — it’s how they will be able to manage them all on the grid.

By Gavin Bade • Feb. 11, 2016

Canada's Fortis to buy ITC Holdings in $11.3B deal

Canadian company Fortis Inc. is moving to acquire ITC Holdings Corp. in a bid to enter the FERC-regulated U.S. transmission market. 

By Krysti Shallenberger • Feb. 9, 2016

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Grid Resiliency

Utilities and grid operators are facing increasing threats from climate change as well as cyber and physical attacks, and are deploying a variety of responses to meet the rising challenges.

By Utility Dive staff

CA lawmakers: PacifiCorp-CAISO regional market could hurt clean energy targets

Integrating PacifiCorp into the California Independent System Operator's grid could save billions of dollars, but lawmakers are wary of any plan that would "cede authority of our state’s cutting edge clean energy and climate policies."

By Robert Walton • Feb. 8, 2016

Arizona regulators approve $2B SunZia power line over objections from greens

The line's 3,000 MW carrying capacity will deliver New Mexico wind and Arizona solar to demand centers in the Southwest.

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 5, 2016

FERC approves plans for NextEra natural gas pipeline in Florida

The vast majority of new generation in Florida is gas-fired, but the two major pipelines supplying the state are nearing full capacity.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 5, 2016

'The future grid': How one DOE program is pushing the boundaries of aggregated DERs

ARPA-E is funding research aimed at fuller aggregation and coordination of distributed resources on the grid through its NODES project. 

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 4, 2016

Electric utility interest in gas takeovers to continue, analysts say

Dominion Resources annouced ths week it was buying Questar for $4.4 billion, and analysts expect similar acquisitions may be on the horizon.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 3, 2016

Arizona regulators to decide if SunZia power line must guarantee space for renewables

Opponents fear that without restrictions, a line planned to transmit renewable energy will end up carrying gas-generated power.

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 3, 2016

On grid modernization, gap widens between leading states, laggards

“The top states have started to pull away from the rest of the field,” a new report on grid modernization found.

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 2, 2016

Dominion to buy gas distributor Questar for $4.4B

The Virginia-based electric and gas utility will deepen its investment in natural gas, the company announced Monday.

By Gavin Bade • Feb. 1, 2016

ConEd creates new subsidiary for electric and gas transmission

Just last week the company's new subsidiary, Consolidated Edison Transmission, LLC, announcd it had acquired 12.5% of the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 28, 2016

Report: SPP transmission upgrades yield $240M in annual fuel savings

The $3.4 billion the Southwest Power Pool spent on transmission upgrades from 2012 to 2014 are expected to yield more than $16 billion in benefits over four decades.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 27, 2016

How MISO is reforming market rules to spur storage deployment

Developers are eager to develop MISO’s storage market, but it has a long way to go to catch up with other RTOs.

By Peter Maloney • Jan. 26, 2016

East Coast utilities 'dodged a bullet' with winter storm Jonas

Utilities feared the worst, but the vast majority of customers who lost power during the storm were restored by the end of the weekend.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 26, 2016

National Grid pursues approval for long-term natural gas capacity contracts

The utility has asked Massachusetts regulators for authorization to sign long-term fuels supply contracts, which it says could save customers billions of dollars.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 25, 2016

Critical security flaws found at Los Angeles muni 15 years after warning report

Security recommendations included in a 2001 report still have not been implemented at Los Angeles Department of Water and Power transmission sites, according to a recent report by consultant firm Navigant. 

By Robert Walton • Jan. 25, 2016

New York Gov. Cuomo unveils $5B clean energy fund

The New York State Public Service Commission approved the plan, which aims to support state efforts to reach 50% renewables by 2030.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 22, 2016

East Coast utilities prepare for 'potentially crippling' winter storm

With up to 2 feet predicted for some major metropolitan areas, utilities are scrambling and reinforcements from outside the region are on the way.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 22, 2016

Can utilities learn to love distributed solar like central station arrays?

Utility-scale solar has become mainstream among U.S. power providers, but persisting questions around cost and valuation are masking further opportunties in the distributed generation space, analysts say.

By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 21, 2016

ISO/RTO model best alternative to Hawaiian Electric service, Maui report concludes

A report commissioned by leaders in Maui County, Hawaii, suggests forming an independent system operator to take over grid operations from the investor-owned utility. 

By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 21, 2016

Kansas bill to defund transmission authority raises alarm with wind energy advocates

A bill to cut funding to the Kansas Electric Transmission Authority, established in 2005 to spur the development of the state's transmission infrastructure, is really part of an effort to combat wind generation in the state, critics say.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 21, 2016

REV in 2016: The year that could transform utility business models in New York

While utilities probably won’t shift to new revenue and business models under REV this year, just how they plan to meet the goals of the groundbreaking reform initiative could become much clearer in the coming months.

By Gavin Bade • Jan. 20, 2016

Southwest Power Pool study shows it can reliably manage 60% wind penetration

The grid operator needs new wires and tools to add 4,700 MW of wind by 2017, a new report shows.

By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 20, 2016

DOE proposes $220M for multi-year grid modernization effort

The $220 million spread over three years will focus on grid edge research, including advanced storage systems and clean energy integration.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 19, 2016

J.D. Power: Business customer satisfaction with utilities at 8-year high

Improvements in communications, corporate citizenship and prices mean business customers are happier with their utilities than they have been in nearly a decade.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 15, 2016