Northeast grid rules could make or break clean energy 11/22/2021 New England’s grid operator is considering an overhaul of regional power market rules that could determine whether Northeast states meet their clean energy goals, creating uncertainty in a region pivotal for reaching President Biden’s push for 100 percent clean electricity.…
EV sales poised to set a record in 2021, forecast to reach a 20 percent market share by 2025
EV sales poised to set a record in 2021, forecast to reach a 20 percent market share by 2025 Energize Weekly, November 24, 2021 A booming global electric vehicle (EV) market is forecast to post more than 7 million in sales of battery-electric and hybrid plug-in cars in 2021, double…
‘We could handle it right now’ — AEP chief says U.S. power grid can sustain influx of EVs
‘We could handle it right now’ — AEP chief says U.S. power grid can sustain influx of EVs NOV 12 2021 The U.S. power grid will be able to handle the influx of electric vehicles in the coming years, American Electric Power CEO Nick Akins told CNBC on Friday. Read more
A New Generation of Nuclear Reactors Could Hold the Key to a Green Future
A New Generation of Nuclear Reactors Could Hold the Key to a Green Future NOVEMBER 16, 2021 On a conference-room whiteboard in the heart of Silicon Valley, Jacob DeWitte sketches his startup’s first product. In red marker, it looks like a beer can in a Koozie, stuck with a crazy…
Infrastructure bill offers a $30 billion down payment on upgrading the nation’s grid
Infrastructure bill offers a $30 billion down payment on upgrading the nation’s grid Energize Weekly, November 17, 2021 The federal infrastructure bill signed by President Joe Biden this week, includes a nearly $30 billion down payment in grants and loan authorities to upgrade the nation’s aging and challenged electric grid.…
New NARUC-DOE reports highlight economic implications of energy transition, means to negate fossil fuel retirement effects
New NARUC-DOE reports highlight economic implications of energy transition, means to negate fossil fuel retirement effects November 01, 2021 Two reports issued by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Center for Partnerships & Innovation (CPI) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage Partnership…
World energy consumption to rise 50 percent by 2050 with fossil fuels still dominant, EIA says
World energy consumption to rise 50 percent by 2050 with fossil fuels still dominant, EIA says Energize Weekly, October 13, 2021 Global energy consumption is forecast to increase 50 percent over the next 30 years if no policies or new technologies are introduced to curb demand, according to the U.S.…
State, federal actions show growing push for a nuclear role in reaching net zero emissions
State, federal actions show growing push for a nuclear role in reaching net zero emissions Sept. 28, 2021 Nuclear power advocates are increasingly emphasizing the value of existing but financially struggling U.S. nuclear plants in curbing carbon emissions and addressing climate change. Read more
PPL Corporation receives FERC approval to acquire The Narragansett Electric Company
PPL Corporation receives FERC approval to acquire The Narragansett Electric Company September 23, 2021 PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) today received unanimous approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to acquire The Narragansett Electric Company from National Grid USA. Read more
Colorado consumer advocates ask utility commission to reject $130M of Xcel’s February storm surcharge
Colorado consumer advocates ask utility commission to reject $130M of Xcel’s February storm surcharge Sep 14, 2021 Xcel Energy ignored numerous weather warnings when buying natural gas and failed to switch to cheaper fuel oil during the historic deep freeze in mid-February, leaving the utility helpless as spot prices spiked…
Solar could power 45 percent of U.S. electricity by 2050 with multi-billion dollar investment, DOE says
Solar could power 45 percent of U.S. electricity by 2050 with multi-billion dollar investment, DOE says Energize Weekly, September 15, 2021 The U.S. could get 40 percent of its electricity from solar installations by 2035 and 45 percent by 2050 – through $225 to $560 billion in the power grid…
Los Angeles City Council approves transition to clean, carbon-free energy by 2035
Los Angeles City Council approves transition to clean, carbon-free energy by 2035 September 3rd, 2021 In a unanimous vote, the Los Angeles City Council yesterday (September 1) approved a motion introduced by Councilmembers Paul Krekorian and Mitch O’Farrelll requiring that 100 percent of the city’s electricity come from clean, zero carbon energy by 2035. Read…
Clean power capacity surges in second quarter marked by a record rise in energy storage
Clean power capacity surges in second quarter marked by a record rise in energy storage Energize Weekly, September 1, 2021 A record-breaking 5,620 megawatts (MW) of clean power capacity was installed in the second quarter of 2021 with battery storage becoming a bigger portion of the mix, according to an…
PSEG Agrees to Sell PSEG Fossil Generating Portfolio to ArcLight Capital
PSEG Agrees to Sell PSEG Fossil Generating Portfolio to ArcLight Capital Aug 12, 2021 Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) has entered into an agreement to sell its 6,750-megawatt fossil generating portfolio to newly formed subsidiaries of ArcLight Energy Partners Fund VII, L.P., a fund controlled by ArcLight Capital Partners, LLC…
New Mexico customers sound alarm over major utility merger
New Mexico customers sound alarm over major utility merger Aug 10, 2021 New Mexico customers are sounding the alarm over a proposed multibillion-dollar merger of the state’s largest electric utility provider with a U.S. subsidiary of Spanish energy giant Iberdrola, citing a sordid track record of reliability and customer service.…
Bipartisan $1T Senate infrastructure bill focuses on nuclear, carbon capture, transmission
Bipartisan $1T Senate infrastructure bill focuses on nuclear, carbon capture, transmission Aug. 3, 2021 A bipartisan group of senators on Sunday unveiled its nearly $1 trillion infrastructure bill, formalized into text following a 67-32 consensus to advance the legislation. The vote to advance the bill included the support of 17 Republicans. Read…
Incentives, reliability concerns spur adoption of home solar+storage, but not economics
Incentives, reliability concerns spur adoption of home solar+storage, but not economics Energize Weekly, August 4, 2021 The twinning of residential solar arrays and batteries, which rose from near zero in 2016 to about 550 megawatts (MW) of combined storage by 2020, is being driven by government and utility incentives and…
Duke Energy, hedge fund continue battle
Duke Energy, hedge fund continue battle July 19, 2021 Duke Energy and a hedge fund continued a public battle Monday about the financial performance of the utility, including the operations of Duke Energy Florida. The West Palm Beach-based Elliott Investment Management L.P. sent an 11-page letter to the Duke Board…
Western drought hurts hydropower production, California among the hardest hit states
Western drought hurts hydropower production, California among the hardest hit states Energize Weekly, July 14, 2021 The drought conditions smothering the West are crippling hydropower production with hydro-generation’s share of energy production forecast to be 6.5 percent this year – the lowest it has been since 2015, according to the…
NJ Board of Public Utilities awards 2,658 MW of offshore wind
NJ Board of Public Utilities awards 2,658 MW of offshore wind July 02, 2021 The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) awarded 2,658 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind capacity this week, bringing the state closer to Gov. Phil Murphy’s goal of 7,500 MW of offshore wind by 2035. Read…
More than half the U.S. faces electricity supply problems in the face of a long, hot summer
More than half the U.S. faces electricity supply problems in the face of a long, hot summer Energize Weekly, July 7, 2021 More than half the U.S. – primarily in the West, Texas, Midwest and to a lesser extent, New England – is at risk of energy emergencies this summer,…
NJ set to award second massive offshore wind project
NJ set to award second massive offshore wind project JUNE 29, 2021 In a decision that could make New Jersey a leader in wind power, the state is poised to award a deal for the second-largest procurement of new offshore turbine projects yet to be developed anywhere in the U.S.…
Texas power grid overcomes problems to meet record June demand
Texas power grid overcomes problems to meet record June demand June 25, 2021 Peak electricity demand in Texas broke June’s record on Thursday and was expected to do so again on Friday, the power grid operator said, but there was no repeat of last week’s problems when a significant amount…
IOUs cut carbon emissions in 2020, though the footprint remains big for some
IOUs cut carbon emissions in 2020, though the footprint remains big for some Energize Weekly, June 30, 2021 Coal-fired generation and carbon emissions are down among the largest investor-owned utilities, but even with sharp drops in emissions, the carbon footprint for some companies remains large, according to survey data from…
Green push presents cybersecurity problems of its own
Green push presents cybersecurity problems of its own May 17, 2021 The shift to cleaner energy forebodes greater cybersecurity challenges as the economy adds new technologies and relies increasingly on electricity to fuel vehicles and heat homes. Read more
New England grid expects 1 million electric vehicles, 1 million electric heat pumps by 2030
New England grid expects 1 million electric vehicles, 1 million electric heat pumps by 2030 5/11/2021 The organization that oversees the six-state power grid predicts New England will see one million electric cars and trucks on its roads and more than one million electric heat pumps in homes and businesses…
Texas Storm Cost NextEra $180 Million in Uncollected Revenue
Texas Storm Cost NextEra $180 Million in Uncollected Revenue Josh Saul and Mark Chediak; Fri, April 23, 2021 NextEra Energy Inc., the world’s biggest investor-owned generator of wind and solar power, said it wasn’t able to collect $180 million in revenue following the Texas energy crisis that left the state’s…
Global energy demand is forecast to rebound in 2021, IEA says
Global energy demand is forecast to rebound in 2021, IEA says Energize Weekly, April 28, 2021 Global energy production and demand is set to rebound from their pandemic doldrums in 2021with energy consumption up 4.6 percent, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The agency said in its annual Global…
Maine Lawmakers Unveil Effort To Purchase CMP, Versant To Create Consumer-Owned Utility
Maine Lawmakers Unveil Effort To Purchase CMP, Versant To Create Consumer-Owned Utility Maine Public | By Mal Leary Published April 19, 2021 A group of Maine lawmakers has unveiled an effort to buy Maine’s two largest utilities and operate them as a consumer-owned corporation. At a news conference outside the State House…
U.S. cities and towns made deals for a record 3.7 gigawatts of renewables in 2020
Energize Weekly, April 7, 2021 Cities and towns across the U.S. installed or purchased a record 3.7 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity in 2020, a 23 percent increase over 2019, according to the clean energy consultant, RMI. The RMI analysis was based on data from the Local Government Renewables Action…
The cost of power grid independence
Jim Redden, March 15, 2021 Being a leading producer of any commodity means little if you’re unable to faithfully distribute it to your customers. The state of Texas failed that elementary business principle in spectacular fashion during February’s historic deep freeze. Read more
Georgia Power Issues Sustainability Bond: First for a US Utility
MARCH 1, 2021 BY EMILY HOLBROOK Georgia Power has announced its first sustainability bond, and the first sustainability bond for a domestic utility in the United States. Bond proceeds will be allocated to fund the company’s environmental, renewable, and social initiatives. The 3.25% coupon represents the lowest 30-year coupon for a publicly traded bond ever…
Collapse of the natural gas system from wellhead to turbine fueled Texas’ blackout
Energize Weekly, February 24, 2021 The near collapse of Texas’ electric grid was caused in the main by a failure of the natural gas system from the wellhead to pipeline to gas turbine, according to an analysis by the International Energy Agency (IEA). “Texas has a power shortage because it…
California Utilities Will Buy More Energy, Hike Rates to Avoid Blackouts: CPUC
By Olga R. Rodriguez • Published February 12, 2021 Utilities will be allowed to buy extra energy and pass on the costs to customers in order to avoid a repeat of rolling blackouts that kicked in last summer when demand outpaced supply, California regulators said Thursday. Read more
European oil companies changing names and shifting their focus to alternative energy
Energize Weekly, February 17, 2021 European oil companies are continuing their push to reorient and rebrand themselves as comprehensive energy companies and not just producers of oil and natural gas. On Feb. 9, French oil company Total announced it was changing its name to TotalEnergies to reflect a broader strategy…
U.S. energy consumption will take years to rebound from pandemic, EIA says
Energize Weekly, February 10, 2021 It will take years for U.S. energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions to return to 2019 levels after the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country’s economy and the global energy sector, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). Energy consumption in…
SPP launches Western Energy Imbalance Service real-time balancing market
Energize Weekly, February 3, 2021 Regional transmission organization (RTO) Southwest Power Pool (SPP) launched its Western Energy Imbalance Service (WEIS) on Monday, Feb. 1. The WEIS includes parts of Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. The real-time balancing market is expected to decrease wholesale electricity costs, increase price…
Longmont electric, water utility rate increases take effect in January
By JOHN FRYAR, December 30, 2020 Longmont’s electric and water rates are increasing in January. The 2021 municipal water and electric charges are the second year of rate hikes in a multiple-year rate hikes schedule City Council members approved in a unanimous December 2019 vote. Read more
Voters weigh in on local and state energy issues from renewable energy to oil and gas taxes
Energize Weekly, November 11, 2020 Election returns on state and local energy issues were both literally and figuratively all over the map last week on issues ranging from renewable energy to oil and gas taxes. Voters in Alaska rejected a tax on oil operations while the industry was denied a…
Nearly all U.S. coal-fired power plants will be more expensive than wind and solar by 2025
Energize Weekly, August 5, 2020 The economic pressure on coal-fired power plants in the U.S. continues to grow with virtually the entire fleet out of the money compared to wind and solar generation by 2025, according to an analysis by Energy Innovation, a clean energy think tank. The study, done…
COVID-19 drives down electricity demand, puts renewable projects and balance sheets at risk
Energize Weekly, April 15, 2020 The impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic on electricity demand in the U.S. and on the utility industry is becoming clearer with lower loads, changing peak demands, more emphasis on renewable generation and emerging financial risks. U.S. power usage is set to drop more steeply…
Electricity demand drops as utilities enact plans to keep lights on during the pandemic
Energize Weekly, April 1, 2020 The closing of businesses and sheltering-in-place of millions of citizens to tamp down the novel coronavirus pandemic is dampening demand for electricity, even as utilities across the country put in place emergency plans to keep electrons flowing through the grid. Between March 14 and March…
Utilities running inefficient coal plants in wholesale power markets cost ratepayers
Energize Weekly, October 30, 2019 Electric customers of regulated utilities in four of the biggest U.S. wholesale electric markets shouldered a $3.8 billion burden for inefficient coal plants between 2015 and 2017, according to a Sierra Club analysis. The Sierra Club report focused on the “shelf-scheduling” of coal plants by…
Five states with open electricity retail markets now have financial aid programs for nuclear plants
Energize Weekly, October 16, 2019 Five states have now moved to provide financial aid to their economically challenged nuclear power plants, according to a federal Energy Information Administration (EIA) report. In July, Ohio joined Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Illinois in offering financial relief or other assistance to their…
Coal production in the fourth quarter drops 17 percent, hitting a 42-year low, EIA says
Energize Weekly, October 16, 2019 Coal production in the U.S. is projected to fall 159 million short tons in the fourth quarter of 2019, a 17 percent drop when compared to the same period in 2018, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). For the year, the EIA is…
EIA forecasts a 50 percent increase in energy demand by 2050 driven by Asian economies
Energize Weekly, October 2, 2019 World energy consumption is projected to grow by 50 percent by 2050, with most of that demand coming from growing Asian economies, according to the federal Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) International Energy Outlook. “Energy consumption was greater in Asia than in any other region in…
Utility M&A deals rebound in the second quarter of 2019, reaching $12.3 billion, PwC says
Energize Weekly, August 7, 2019 North American utility mergers and acquisitions rebounded in the second quarter of 2019, hitting $12.3 billion, a 55 percent increase over the year’s first quarter, according to the accounting and consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Still, the second quarter of 2019 was 47 percent lower than…
Global power M&A hits $158 billion in 2018, making it second busiest year in the last five
Energize Weekly, July 17, 2019 Global power mergers and acquisitions (M&A) reached $158 billion in 2018, making it the second most active in the last five years, according to GlobalData, a London-based data and analytics company. The number of deals was down a little more than 4 percent to 622…
Colorado co-op sues to block Tri-State’s move to FERC regulation, state lawmakers also concerned
Energize Weekly, July 10, 2019 Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association is going ahead with its deliberations on moving from state to federal regulatory oversight even as one of its rural Colorado electric cooperatives has gone to court to block the action. Tri-State’s decision to seek regulation by the Federal Energy…
Wind and solar running ‘neck and neck’ in global corporate power purchases in 2019
Energize Weekly, June 19, 2019 Wind generation, which has been the dominate form of renewable energy for corporate clean energy in power purchase agreements, is running “neck and neck” with solar in 2019, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). Globally, companies had signed deals for 2.8 gigawatts (GW) of…
