The Latest

  • Amazon worker walks inside a data center facility
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    Courtesy of Amazon
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    NIPSCO to supply 3 GW to Amazon data centers in northern Indiana

    Northern Indiana Public Service Co. and an affiliate expect to spend about $7 billion on 2.6 GW of gas, 400 MW of storage and transmission — to be paid for by Amazon.

  • A man wearing an orange vest is positioned on a platform adjacent to a substation, monitoring the surroundings.
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    Andrey Grigoriev via Getty Images
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    Sponsored by Bloom Energy

    Owning the edge: How utilities can lead in the age of onsite power

    For utilities, the surge in demand from data centers represents both a challenge and an opportunity.

  • A man walks past the Scattergood Generating Station on February 12, 2019 in El Segundo, California.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Natural gas sees ‘largest year-over-year drop’ in California as solar surges

    For the first eight months of this year, utility-scale solar generation totaled 40.3 billion kilowatt hours in California, and natural gas accounted for 45.5 BkWh.

  • Smoke billows from a coal-fired power plants smokestacks.
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    Getty Images
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    FERC urged to reject 370-MW NorthWestern Colstrip PPA

    The Montana Environmental Information Center contends the power purchase agreement with Mercuria could harm NorthWestern Energy’s ratepayers.

  • An aerial view of residential homes, many with solar panels.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    States must advance technology-neutral permitting to support clean energy

    A competitive environment is necessary for rapid innovation and cost reduction as federal support evaporates, say Leila Banijamali and Zachary Millimet of Symbium.

  • A side-loading garbage truck with a visible Hyzon-branded fuel cell sits in a parking lot.
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    Courtesy of Recology
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    Large California waste hauler plans fleet transition, hopes market catches up

    Despite a loosening of state and federal regulations and a “get in line” attitude from utilities, Recology is still planning to transition to battery electric and fuel cell vehicles.

  • Power line crews come out to help people who are experiencing difficulty with their power in Savannah, Georgia.
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    Megan Varner via Getty Images
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    Georgia Power’s large load pipeline shrinks by 6 GW

    Georgia Public Service Commission staff testimony noted data centers are “underperforming expectations” due to lower materialization rates, project cancellations and delays.

  • An industrial building in a city.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    DOE large load interconnection proposal sparks federal-state jurisdiction concerns

    State regulators, lawmakers and ratepayer advocates voiced alarm over the department’s interconnection proposal, while the Data Center Coalition offered qualified support.

  • An aerial view of a large warehouse.
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    Nathan Howard via Getty Images
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    FERC approves PECO-Amazon data center transmission agreement

    The pact raises “significant questions” about how the agency and states will protect existing customers from the costs of adding large loads to the grid, FERC Commissioner Judy Chang warned.

  • A test rig used to determine if geothermal systems are viable at the URI campus.
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    Permission granted by University of Rhode Island / Seth Pilotte
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    University of Rhode Island to use geothermal system after test success

    The university used a grant from its utility to drill a test well that showed a geothermal system could potentially cut heating and cooling costs in half or more.

  • A gas-fired power plant.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Texas loan fund tops 3.5 GW of gas capacity secured with latest NRG deal

    Greens Bayou is NRG’s third gas project to receive support from the Texas Energy Fund. The company has secured $1.15 billion in low-interest loans to develop about 1.5 GW of capacity.

  • A woman sits at a dias.
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    Retrieved from Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
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    New FERC commissioners say connecting data centers is key priority

    The agency also will look at how to streamline permitting for certain liquefied natural gas and hydroelectric projects, per its open meeting on Thursday.

  • A press conference with huge storage tanks in the background.
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    Ron Jenkins via Getty Images
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    The week in 5 numbers: Power outages stretch, data center load overstated

    Winter peak demand is rising faster than resource additions, and a bribery scandal ends with a massive payout.

  • Rows of photovoltaic solar panels cross a green field with trees in the distance.
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    Getty Images
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    San Antonio’s public utility seeks 600 MW of solar

    “It is probably an excellent time to be shopping for Black Friday deals on renewables in the ERCOT market right now,” said Joshua Rhodes, an energy research scientist at the University of Texas at Austin.

  • A large hallway with supercomputers inside a server room at a cloud data center
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    Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Utility operating systems at the grid edge pose an overlooked risk

    While utilities focus on network security and access control, underlying operating systems remain a vulnerable foundation, writes Andrew Rynhard, chief technology officer for Sidero Labs.

  • Homes site near data center buildings.
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    Nathan Howard via Getty Images
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    PJM stakeholders fail to agree on data center interconnection rules

    The PJM Interconnection’s board may develop a proposal for new rules to interconnect large loads to the grid, but the timing is unclear.

  • A nuclear power plant near a waterway.
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    Retrieved from US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
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    Ohio PUC orders FirstEnergy utilities to pay $250.7M over HB 6 bribery scandal

    The decision “closes a chapter tied to activities that do not represent the company we are today,” according to FirstEnergy, which has paid $390 million in other fines related to the scandal.

  • Georgia Rep. Rick Allen speaks at a hearing.
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    Retrieved from House Energy and Commerce Committee.
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    Bills to weaken DOE efficiency programs advance

    Republican lawmakers say the proposals will make housing and appliances more affordable and improve consumer choice. Energy efficiency advocates say they will raise consumer energy costs.

  • Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai lead a panel at the Google Midlothian Data Center
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    Ron Jenkins via Getty Images
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    Some load forecasts using ‘unrealistically high load factors’: Grid Strategies VP

    “It's very challenging, at this point in time, for load forecasts to be accurate,” said Grid Strategies Vice President John Wilson.

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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Texas is winning the energy war by ignoring the politics

    The Lone Star State is demonstrating an affordable and reliable path to achieving American energy resilience that prioritizes practicality over ideology, writes Amperon CEO Sean Kelly.

  • A worker on a utility pole covered in snow and ice.
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    Julie Denesha via Getty Images
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    Winter peak demand is rising faster than resource additions: NERC

    Batteries and demand response make up the bulk of new resources heading into this winter, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. said Tuesday. Following capacity changes in some markets, wind resources declined.

  • An aerial view of a power plant.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Groups sue FERC over MISO, SPP fast-track interconnection programs

    The groups contend the Midcontinent Independent System Operator and Southwest Power Pool’s processes give undue advantage to fast-tracked projects and will lead to higher residential ratepayer costs.

  • A nuclear power plant alongside a river.
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    DOE loans Constellation $1B to restart Three Mile Island nuclear unit

    The Baltimore-based company expects to spend about $1.6 billion — about $1,916 per kW — to restart the unit, possibly as soon as in 2027.

  • A large energy storage unit
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    Courtesy of Peak Energy
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    Peak Energy deal marks progress for sodium-ion batteries in US

    The Denver-based technology company said it would deliver up to 4.75 GWh by 2030 to Jupiter Power, an independent power producer focusing on energy storage.

  • Solar panels stand in front of a row of wind turbines.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    How renewable energy producers can navigate FERC’s new interconnection rules

    Federal Energy Regulatory Commission reforms aim to accelerate interconnection, but regional differences can affect project timelines, write energy attorneys at Balch & Bingham.

  • Flames from a fire seen behind a Sunset Blvd. street sign.
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    Apu Gomes via Getty Images
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    Federal appeals court halts implementation of California’s climate disclosure law

    The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has temporarily stopped enforcement of a law that requires large businesses operating in California to publicly disclose their climate-related financial risks.