The US has more clean energy projects planned than the grid can handle

The US has more clean energy projects planned than the grid can handle 20 April 2022 The proposed wind, solar and battery projects seeking interconnection to U.S. transmission grids today are enough to bring the country to 80 percent carbon-free electricity by 2030. But based on historical trends, less than…

Read more

Consumers Energy settles with stakeholders over Clean Energy Plan, pledges coal elimination by 2025

Consumers Energy settles with stakeholders over Clean Energy Plan, pledges coal elimination by 2025 April 22, 2022 After agreeing to a settlement with key stakeholders, Consumers Energy announced this week that, as part of its Clean Energy Plan, it will cease using coal as a fuel source for electric generation…

Read more

Droughts threaten one of the Southwest power grid’s biggest electricity generators

Droughts threaten one of the Southwest power grid’s biggest electricity generators APR 17, 2022 Thirty-nine years ago, due to record-breaking snowfall in the Upper Colorado River Basin, Lake Powell rose substantially, catching river managers off-guard. By late June, the reservoir was nearly overflowing, forcing operators—for the first time ever—to rely…

Read more

PGE offers a look inside its futuristic new ops center

PGE offers a look inside its futuristic new ops center Apr. 15, 2022 When you flip the light switch or turn up your thermostat, you expect the juice to start flowing. It’s as simple as that. But in an age of distributed power generation and storage, intermittent renewables, electric cars,…

Read more

National Grid announces plan to decarbonize by 2050

National Grid announces plan to decarbonize by 2050 April 18, 2022 Utility giant National Grid (NG.L) is planning to eliminate fossil fuels from its heating systems in New York state and Massachusetts by 2050, primarily by expanding the use of electric heat pumps and sourcing more renewable natural gas (RNG),…

Read more

Covid-19 boost in green spending still not enough, IEA says

Covid-19 boost in green spending still not enough, IEA says 04/12/2022 The world’s wealthiest countries are rapidly boosting spending on clean energy, but lower-income nations are struggling to do the same, with higher food and fuel prices bearing down on their already limited finances. The widening gap could challenge the…

Read more

Supply-chain issues hobble storage projects but installation still set a record in 2021

Supply-chain issues hobble storage projects but installation still set a record in 2021

Supply-chain issues hobble storage projects but installation still set a record in 2021 Energize Weekly, April 13, 2022 Even in the face of supply-chain problems, energy storage installations set a record in the U.S., and the forecasts have domestic and global capacity growing twentyfold by 2030, according to industry analyses.…

Read more

Surging electric bills threaten Calif. climate goals

Surging electric bills threaten Calif. climate goals 04/05/2022 Millions of Californians pay among the highest prices in the nation for electricity, a potential threat to the state’s plans to electrify cars and homes as it battles climate change. Surging electricity prices of the three biggest utilities in the Golden State…

Read more

UN report on climate crisis confirms the world already has solutions – but politics are getting in the way

UN report on climate crisis confirms the world already has solutions – but politics are getting in the way April 4, 2022 The world is careening toward levels of global warming that will have irreversible impacts, a new landmark report says, but we already have the solutions — the only…

Read more

Environmental campaign targets Bitcoin miners in an effort to curb greenhouse gases

Environmental campaign targets Bitcoin miners in an effort to curb greenhouse gases

Environmental campaign targets Bitcoin miners in an effort to curb greenhouse gases Energize Weekly, April 6, 2022 Environmental groups are taking aim at the power-hungry Bitcoin cryptocurrency seeking to get it to change the way it operates and thereby cut its greenhouse gas emissions. The “Change the Code, Not the…

Read more

Xcel wants to close power plant near Pueblo barely a decade after going into operation

Xcel wants to close power plant near Pueblo barely a decade after going into operation Mar 27, 2022 The Colorado Public Utilities Commission tabled a request by Xcel Energy to once again shorten the operating life of the Comanche power station’s Unit 3 near Pueblo, the last of three generating…

Read more

Supply chain problems and rising prices are pinching the U.S. solar industry

Supply chain problems and rising prices are pinching the U.S. solar industry

Supply chain problems and rising prices are pinching the U.S. solar industry Energize Weekly, March 23, 2022 Facing supply chain problems and rising prices, the U.S. solar industry delayed about a third of its utility-scale capacity in the fourth quarter of 2021, and installations are projected to be down in…

Read more

Kauai Quit Using Oil To Produce Most Of Its Electricity Years Ago. That’s Paying Off Now

Kauai Quit Using Oil To Produce Most Of Its Electricity Years Ago. That’s Paying Off Now March 15, 2022 In 2008, Kauai’s electric utility set an aggressive goal to power half the island with renewable energy. The plan was so ambitious that no one knew exactly how it could be…

Read more

NorthWestern Energy commits to net zero carbon emissions by 2050

NorthWestern Energy commits to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 March 07, 2022 NorthWestern Energy last week became the latest energy company to announce a net zero carbon emissions goal, pledging to neutral out its emissions production by 2050, though cautioning it would need policy and regulatory support to achieve…

Read more

Rocky Mountain states to team up on hydrogen tech proposal

Rocky Mountain states to team up on hydrogen tech proposal February 24, 2022 Four Rocky Mountain states will cooperate on developing ways to make the most abundant element in the universe, hydrogen, more available and useful as clean-burning fuel for cars, trucks and trains, the states’ governors announced Thursday. Colorado,…

Read more

What the Russia crisis means for U.S. electricity mix

What the Russia crisis means for U.S. electricity mix 03/01/2022 Gasoline prices have spiked in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the effects of the conflict are also spilling into the U.S. electricity sector, with implications for greenhouse gas emissions and energy policy. Although the crisis isn’t expected…

Read more

Florida Infrastructure: Critical strategies the Sunshine State can implement to manage the state’s anticipated growth

Florida Infrastructure: Critical strategies the Sunshine State can implement to manage the state’s anticipated growth 3/1/2022 The pandemic has been accompanied by an influx into Florida of people from California, Illinois, New York and other states. Tops on the list of motivations for the moves: Taxes, quality of life, business-friendly…

Read more

Clean power faced headwinds in 2021 and the pace of installations faltered

Clean power faced headwinds in 2021 and the pace of installations faltered

Clean power faced headwinds in 2021 and the pace of installations faltered Energize Weekly, February 23, 2022 Clean power installations – wind, solar and battery storage – were down slightly in 2021 as the various sectors face challenges ranging from tariffs to expiring tax credits to regulatory uncertainty, according to…

Read more

Hartsfield-Jackson Airport pledges net-zero by 2050

Hartsfield-Jackson Airport pledges net-zero by 2050 February 14, 2022 Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) in the US has unveiled its first carbon policy, incorporating various green measures to reduce emissions. The airport has committed to reaching the City of Atlanta’s 100% Clean and Renewable Energy by 2035 objective and the ACI…

Read more

New clean generation technology is needed for the West to achieve 100 percent clean electricity

New clean generation technology is needed for the West to achieve 100 percent clean electricity

New clean generation technology is needed for the West to achieve 100 percent clean electricity Energize Weekly, February 16, 2022 The West could run on 90 percent clean electricity by 2040 with existing renewable generation and storage, but to get to 100 percent, new, clean generation filling the same baseload…

Read more

Peco parent Exelon completes spinoff of its power generation business

Peco parent Exelon completes spinoff of its power generation business Feb 2, 2022 Exelon Corp. on Wednesday completed its separation into two companies: a new generation and marketing business that owns the nation’s largest fleet of nuclear power plants, and a Chicago-based utility giant whose operations include Peco, Atlantic City…

Read more

Can A Smarter Grid Jolt The U.S. Economy And Circumvent Climate Change?

Can A Smarter Grid Jolt The U.S. Economy And Circumvent Climate Change? Feb 1, 2022 The electric grid is evolving and adapting to the 21st Century market place. America’s brain trust is developing bells and whistles to increase reliability and to maintain affordability — in the context of bolstering the…

Read more

Cleantech investments soar to a record $755 billion in 2021, BNEF says

Cleantech investments soar to a record $755 billion in 2021, BNEF says

Cleantech investments soar to a record $755 billion in 2021, BNEF says Energize Weekly, February 2, 2022 A record $755 billion was invested in energy-transition technologies in 2021 – a 27 percent increase over 2020, according to energy consultant BloombergNEF (BNEF). In addition, climate-tech companies raised $165 billion in equity…

Read more

Tri-State reaches agreement with more than two dozen parties on resource plan

Tri-State reaches agreement with more than two dozen parties on resource plan January 20, 2022 Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, a wholesale power provider serving rural utilities in Colorado and three other states, has reached a settlement with several parties on a plan aimed at cutting costs for ratepayers and…

Read more

A rise in U.S. renewable generation to reduce fossil-fuel electricity in coming years

A rise in U.S. renewable generation to reduce fossil-fuel electricity in coming years

A rise in U.S. renewable generation to reduce fossil-fuel electricity in coming years Energize Weekly, January 26, 2022 Generation from renewable energy sources, primarily wind and solar, will reduce fossil-fuel generation over the next two years in the U.S., even as the country’s energy-related carbon dioxide emissions are set to…

Read more

The U.S. is divided over whether nuclear power is part of the green energy future

The U.S. is divided over whether nuclear power is part of the green energy future January 18, 2022 As climate change pushes states in the U.S. to dramatically cut their use of fossil fuels, many are coming to the conclusion that solar, wind and other renewable power sources might not…

Read more

Energy and Commerce Committee leaders seek information from TVA on business practices

Energy and Commerce Committee leaders seek information from TVA on business practices January 17, 2022 Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee are seeking information from Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) on its lack of deployment of renewable energy and other business practices. Specifically, the lawmakers are concerned that TVA…

Read more

In plan to state regulators, Idaho Power phases out coal by 2028

In plan to state regulators, Idaho Power phases out coal by 2028 January 8, 2022 Idaho Power has submitted a 20-year plan to state regulators that phases out coal-fired power plants by 2028 as part of its effort to provide only clean energy by 2045, the company said Tuesday. Read…

Read more

Evergy Files Missouri Rate Review to Recover Costs to Modernize Grid, Improve Reliability and Enhance Customer Service

Evergy Files Missouri Rate Review to Recover Costs to Modernize Grid, Improve Reliability and Enhance Customer Service January 7, 2022 Today Evergy submitted a detailed rate review to the Missouri Public Service Commission (MPSC). The requested rate adjustment reflects investments to improve reliability, enhance customer service and enable the company’s transition to cleaner energy…

Read more

Western and Midwestern grids may face supply shortfalls as early as this summer, NERC says

Western and Midwestern grids may face supply shortfalls as early as this summer, NERC says

Western and Midwestern grids may face supply shortfalls as early as this summer, NERC says Energize Weekly, January 12, 2022 The Midwest and Western grids could face shortfalls in electricity supply and generating capacity as early as this summer as baseload plants retire and weather-related disruptions become more common, according…

Read more

Germany Rejects EU Proposal for Nuclear Energy, Will Rely on Natural Gas

Germany Rejects EU Proposal for Nuclear Energy, Will Rely on Natural Gas 1/3/22 Germany’s government on Monday rejected the European Union‘s proposals to include nuclear energy in the bloc’s climate-focused plans and investments for the future. Instead, the European nation plans to lean heavily on natural gas as an energy source…

Read more

ERCOT says generation, transmission ready for winter following on-site inspections

ERCOT says generation, transmission ready for winter following on-site inspections 30 Dec 2021 Generation and transmission facilities in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas market are ready for winter, ERCOT said Dec. 30 after inspecting more than 300 generation units and 22 transmission facilities representing 85% of the megawatt hours…

Read more

Cyber Pirates Could Hold The Renewable Revolution For Ransom

Cyber Pirates Could Hold The Renewable Revolution For Ransom Dec 19, 2021 Cybersecurity risks to critical infrastructure came to the forefront this year when hackers took over the Colonial Pipeline. The renewable revolution is especially vulnerable to cyber attacks, as well. Wind and solar energy infrastructure are in desperate need…

Read more

Renewable and coal-fired power generation surge in 2021 led by India and China

Renewable and coal-fired power generation surge in 2021 led by India and China

Renewable and coal-fired power generation surge in 2021 led by India and China Energize Weekly, December 22, 2021 The global profile for electricity generation in 2021 is a tale of surging old and new power as both renewable energy and coal-fired generation are set to reach record highs, according to…

Read more

Operator warns New England power system at ‘heightened risk’ heading into winter

Operator warns New England power system at ‘heightened risk’ heading into winter Dec 11, 2021 New England’s electric grid operator warned Monday that power outages are possible if an extended cold snap this winter grips the region and fuel supplies are pinched as demand spikes. ISO-New England said natural gas…

Read more

ERCOT inspecting more than 300 Power Plants to ensure Texas Power Grid is ready for winter

ERCOT inspecting more than 300 Power Plants to ensure Texas Power Grid is ready for winter Dec 6, 2021 The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has announced that by the end of this month, they’ll have inspected more than 300 power generation plants. Including natural gas, nuclear, coal, wind…

Read more

California Community Choice Financing Authority issues first municipal clean energy bonds

California Community Choice Financing Authority issues first municipal clean energy bonds DECEMBER 6, 2021 California’s first municipal non-recourse Clean Energy Project Revenue Bonds issued today are valued at over $2 billion for thirty-year terms. The two separate bond issuances support the purchase of clean electricity to serve over 2.5 million…

Read more

New York State OKs transmission projects to bring clean energy to New York City

New York State OKs transmission projects to bring clean energy to New York City

New York State OKs transmission projects to bring clean energy to New York City Energize Weekly, December 8, 2021 Setting the stage for its biggest transmission initiative in 50 years, New York State has struck agreements for two high-tension lines to bring more than 2 gigawatts of wind, solar and…

Read more

The First U.S. Offshore Wind Farm Could Be a Lifeline for Struggling New England Cities

The First U.S. Offshore Wind Farm Could Be a Lifeline for Struggling New England Cities NOVEMBER 29, 2021 As many of New England’s industrial cities fell into decline in recent decades, the wealthier residents of Martha’s Vineyard, a regional center of affluence and privilege, have gotten richer, building and rebuilding…

Read more

Coal Creek carbon capture, hydrogen hub among projects seeking clean energy funding

Coal Creek carbon capture, hydrogen hub among projects seeking clean energy funding 11/30/2021 A new arm of state government tasked with vetting funding applications for clean energy projects will evaluate eight proposals in the coming weeks, including one involving a carbon capture system at Coal Creek Station and another related…

Read more

U.S. grid ready for winter, NERC says, New England and California may face fuel pinch

U.S. grid ready for winter, NERC says, New England and California may face fuel pinch

U.S. grid ready for winter, NERC says, New England and California may face fuel pinch Energize Weekly, December 1, 2021 Winter electricity-generating resources across the North American grid are forecast to be adequate, although weather and fuel access issues may create challenges for New England, California and parts of Canada.…

Read more

Texas grid vulnerable to blackouts during severe weather, even with new preparations, ERCOT says

Texas grid vulnerable to blackouts during severe weather, even with new preparations, ERCOT says November 21, 2021 Electricity outages in Texas could occur this winter if the state experiences a cold snap that forces many power plants offline at the same time as demand for power is high, according to an…

Read more

Northeast grid rules could make or break clean energy

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.…

Read more

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

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.…

Read more