New cybersecurity center to protect grids integrated with renewables, microgrids 23-Apr-2024 Bringing renewable energy to the power grid raises all kinds of “internet-of-things” issues, said Iowa State University’s Manimaran Govindarasu. That’s because “everything is connected,” said the Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering. Solar inverters are connected to the internet.…
Internet data centers are fueling drive to old power source: Coal
Internet data centers are fueling drive to old power source: Coal April 17, 2024 A helicopter hovers over the Gee family farm, the noisy rattle echoing inside their home in this rural part of West Virginia. It’s holding surveyors who are eyeing space for yet another power line next to…
Reconductoring transmission lines could be one solution to the growing demands on the grid
Reconductoring transmission lines could be one solution to the growing demands on the grid Energize Weekly, April 17, 2024 Faced with a soaring demand for transmission capacity in the U.S. and a dwindling number of new transmission projects, one strategy could be to upgrade the existing transmission network to carry…
DOE Finalizes Energy Efficiency Standards For Distribution Transformers
DOE Finalizes Energy Efficiency Standards For Distribution Transformers April 8, 2024 The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has finalized congressionally mandated energy efficiency standards for distribution transformers to increase the resiliency and efficiency of America’s power grid, support good-paying, high-quality manufacturing jobs, and accelerate the deployment of affordable, reliable, and…
With time short, S.C. senators take up comprehensive energy bill
With time short, S.C. senators take up comprehensive energy bill Apr. 5, 2024 Utilities, conservation groups, and other stakeholders are all in agreement: South Carolina needs to expand its energy capacity to keep up with its growth. It’s a top priority for leaders in Columbia as well, but they face…
In the central U.S., an electric grid bottleneck persists
In the central U.S., an electric grid bottleneck persists MARCH 30, 2024 Forty-five million people live in the area managed by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, the organization that runs a massive portion of the North American electric grid running from Manitoba, Canada, to the Gulf of Mexico. Inside that…
Evergy Plan Maintains Lowest-Cost Approach to Meeting Growing Customer Electricity Demand, Maintaining Reliability, and Advancing Sustainability
Evergy Plan Maintains Lowest-Cost Approach to Meeting Growing Customer Electricity Demand, Maintaining Reliability, and Advancing Sustainability April 1, 2024 Evergy, Inc. (NASDAQ: EVRG) today filed its triennial Integrated Resource Plan with the Missouri Public Service Commission. This outlines the plan to meet customer electricity needs over the next 20 years.…
Hawaii Faces Lengthy Blackout Risk Amid Power-Plant Outages
Hawaii Faces Lengthy Blackout Risk Amid Power-Plant Outages March 25, 2024 The big island of Hawaii is at risk of blackouts through the end of April because several large power plants have broken down or are undergoing maintenance, the state’s main utility operator said. Hawaiian Electric on Monday asked customers…
The U.S. is facing an “unprecedented” shortage of electric transformers, NREL says
The U.S. is facing an “unprecedented” shortage of electric transformers, NREL says Energize Weekly, March 27, 2024 The U.S. is facing an “unprecedented” shortage of electric distribution transformers creating challenges for the nation’s utilities, according to a study by the National Renewable Energy Research Laboratory (NREL). The nation’s grid faces…
Shake up looms for Long Island’s power grid
Shake up looms for Long Island’s power grid 18th March 2024 New York’s state lawmakers are considering a measure that would shake up the way Long Island’s power grid operates. The Long Island Power Authority Public Power Act would make LIPA the sole operator of the grid, ending the long-standing…
U.S. Power Grid Struggles to Keep Up with Data Center Growth
U.S. Power Grid Struggles to Keep Up with Data Center Growth March 18, 2024 The exponential growth of data centers with a tremendous appetite for electricity rapidly is outpacing the capacity of utilities to meet their needs, pushing data center developers to prioritize new markets where they can be sure…
After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans
After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans March 18, 2024 State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce…
SRP, City Of Phoenix To Begin Removing Trees That Threaten Overhead Power Lines
SRP, City Of Phoenix To Begin Removing Trees That Threaten Overhead Power Lines March 12, 2024 In an effort to increase power reliability and reduce potential safety risks, SRP and the City of Phoenix are scheduled to begin removing trees growing too close to power lines. For every tree removed,…
Goldman Sachs-backed BESS developer Gridstor makes first ERCOT project acquisition
Goldman Sachs-backed BESS developer Gridstor makes first ERCOT project acquisition March 12, 2024 Gridstor, a developer of standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) assets, has acquired a 450MW/900MWh project in Texas, US, the company’s first in the booming ERCOT market. Gridstor announced last week (6 March) that it has bought…
Maine’s Versant Power proposes changes to its distribution rates
Maine’s Versant Power proposes changes to its distribution rates March 08, 2024 Maine’s Versant Power has filed a plan with regulators to change its distribution rates in 2025. If approved, the average residential customer using 500 kilowatt-hours per month would see an increase of about $12 per month. A customer…
National Grid says Biden-backed transmission line ‘not viable’
National Grid says Biden-backed transmission line ‘not viable’ March 5, 2024 NATIONAL GRID and Citizens Energy are pulling the plug on a proposed $2 billion two-way transmission line linking New England and Quebec that had received financial backing from the Biden administration. A source familiar with the situation said National…
Xcel says big reason it needs to spend millions on new projects is regional grid’s reliability risks
Xcel says big reason it needs to spend millions on new projects is regional grid’s reliability risks MARCH 4, 2024 The growing risk of unreliability and potential expense of buying energy on the open market is a big reason why Xcel Energy wants to make significant investments in its infrastructure.…
Poor grid interconnection policies are causing project backups across the U.S., study says
Poor grid interconnection policies are causing project backups across the U.S., study says Energize Weekly, March 6, 2024 The grid interconnection process in the U.S. is so “dysfunctional” that more than two million megawatts of generation and storage are waiting to be hooked up, according to an analysis by Advanced…
DOE announces $45 million investment for cybersecurity research
DOE announces $45 million investment for cybersecurity research FEBRUARY 26, 2024 The Department of Energy on Monday announced a $45 million investment into cybersecurity research for the energy sector, including projects on artificial intelligence detection and response and quantum communication for the grid. DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and…
Rebooted commission could breathe new life into bills challenging Virginia’s largest utility
Rebooted commission could breathe new life into bills challenging Virginia’s largest utility February 26, 2024 Virginia clean energy champions have their fingers crossed that members of a resurrected legislative commission won’t water down four utility-focused bills when they meet in the off-season to reshape the failed measures for next year’s…
US government may sue PacifiCorp, a Warren Buffett utility, for nearly $1B in wildfire cost
US government may sue PacifiCorp, a Warren Buffett utility, for nearly $1B in wildfire costs February 26, 2024 The U.S. government is threatening to sue PacifiCorp, a unit of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, to recover nearly $1 billion in costs related to the 2020 wildfires in southern Oregon and northern…
Texas Lawmaker files bill that would allow the rest of the country to access Texas’ power grid
Texas Lawmaker files bill that would allow the rest of the country to access Texas’ power grid February 18, 2024 Congressman Greg Casar, D-Austin, says it is the first time it has ever happened in Congress: a bill was drafted and filed that would make Texas connect its power grid…
Texas Electric Utility Courts Unnamed Crypto Miners With Five-Year Deals
Texas Electric Utility Courts Unnamed Crypto Miners With Five-Year Deals Feb 17, 2024 In a recent report, the community-driven, nonprofit electric provider in Texas, Denton Municipal Electric (DME), is attracting interest from several crypto mining companies seeking to establish operations. These companies are eyeing a five-year agreement for powering their…
Growing electricity demand from electric vehicles poses risks to the bulk power system, NERC says
Growing electricity demand from electric vehicles poses risks to the bulk power system, NERC says Energize Weekly, February 21, 2024 The growing demand for electricity to charge electric vehicles (EVs) – depending upon the timing of the charging – could threaten the bulk power system, according to a study by…
Western Maryland Electric Grid Stronger and More Resilient Following Smart Enhancements
Western Maryland Electric Grid Stronger and More Resilient Following Smart Enhancements 13 Feb, 2024 FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) subsidiary Potomac Edison has completed service reliability projects that will enhance electric service and minimize the impact of power outages for nearly 5,000 customers in Allegany, Frederick and Garrett counties. The two…
New method utilizes hydropower project signals to monitor grid stability
New method utilizes hydropower project signals to monitor grid stability 12 February 2024 Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), have unveiled an algorithm designed to forecast electric grid stability by harnessing signals from pumped storage hydropower (PSH) projects. This innovation emerges as…
Facing a growing crypto-mining sector, the U.S. to require reports of power use by miners
Facing a growing crypto-mining sector, the U.S. to require reports of power use by miners Energize Weekly, February 14, 2024 Faced with a burgeoning cryptocurrency market and its rising demand for electricity, the U.S. government is going to collect monthly data on the industry’s use of power. The federal Energy…
Oak Ridge public-private partnership looks to advance quantum tech for the power grid
Oak Ridge public-private partnership looks to advance quantum tech for the power grid FEBRUARY 1, 2024 A new cooperative endeavor based at Tennessee’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory unites public and private sector players to push forward advancements in the quantum sciences field, particularly for solutions to further secure the U.S.…
Red tape closes power plants before replacements ready
Red tape closes power plants before replacements ready Feb 2, 2024 Despite the key positions states like Ohio and Pennsylvania hold to solve future energy problems, shifting the power grid from coal and natural gas to wind and solar isn’t as easy as flipping a switch. A cadre of Pennsylvania…
Global investment in clean tech and energy transition reached a record $1.8 trillion in 2023
Global investment in clean tech and energy transition reached a record $1.8 trillion in 2023 Energize Weekly, February 7, 2024 Global investments in the energy transition from fossil fuels to clean tech climbed 17 percent in 2023 to a record $1.8 trillion, according to a study by the energy research…
U.S. Oil Drillers Are Going Electric—and Hitting Speed Bumps
U.S. Oil Drillers Are Going Electric—and Hitting Speed Bumps January 29, 2024 In the country’s busiest oil field, frackers are devouring nearly as much electricity as four Seattles every day—and they are clamoring for more. Diamondback Energy, a major producer in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico,…
Texas’ grid has gone 3 years without a crisis. Will it last?
Texas’ grid has gone 3 years without a crisis. Will it last? 01/30/2024 In the three years since deadly blackouts paralyzed Texas, two major winter storms have hit the electricity grid without plunging the state into blackouts. Texas has touted its success during those two events — Elliott in December…
TVA reaches its highest weekend power demand during the cold temperatures
TVA reaches its highest weekend power demand during the cold temperatures Jan 21, 2024 Icy temperatures followed us into the weekend, and the Tennessee Valley Authority broke another peak power record along the way. The peak power demand on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. Easter Time was 34,284 megawatts, with…
World’s most advanced battery energy storage system comes online, speeding Hawaii’s transition to 100% renewable energy
World’s most advanced battery energy storage system comes online, speeding Hawaii’s transition to 100% renewable energy 11 Jan, 2024 Plus Power™ announced it has begun operating its Kapolei Energy Storage facility on Oahu, Hawaii, the most advanced grid-scale battery energy storage system in the world, helping transition the state’s electric…
PJM Urges Delayed Retirement of 840-MW Fossil Fuel Power Plant, Citing Reliability Impacts
PJM Urges Delayed Retirement of 840-MW Fossil Fuel Power Plant, Citing Reliability Impacts January 10, 2024 PJM has urged Talen Energy to delay its deactivation of two of four units at the 840-MW coal, oil, and gas–fired Herbert A. Wagner Generating Station in Maryland until transmission upgrades are put into…
Puget Sound Energy says region set new record for electrical demands
Puget Sound Energy says region set new record for electrical demands January 15, 2024 Puget Sound Energy says the region set a new record for demand on the natural gas and electrical systems on Friday. A faulty fiber optic cable temporarily took down one of its gas storage facilities in…
Energy Department has cyber threats to infrastructure in mind with $70 million funding offer
Energy Department has cyber threats to infrastructure in mind with $70 million funding offer JANUARY 5, 2024 The Department of Energy is offering $70 million in funds toward research and development for technology that would protect delivery infrastructure against cyber-related threats and other physical hazards, part of what a senior…
Hawaii completes assessment of Oahu energy system and critical infrastructure
Hawaii completes assessment of Oahu energy system and critical infrastructure December 29, 2023 The Hawaii State Energy Office (HSEO) recently concluded work on an initiative called the O‘ahu Energy System and Critical Infrastructure Vulnerability and Resiliency Assessment. The assessment involved a comprehensive hazard and risk assessment of O’ahu’s critical energy…
Energy cases to watch in 2024
Energy cases to watch in 2024 01/02/2024 Energy regulators’ power to address planet-warming emissions is in the crosshairs in federal courts in 2024. In one of the year’s biggest cases, the Supreme Court could rein in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s ability to use 50-year-old laws to take bold action…
New manufacturing facilities and data centers are driving increased electricity demand
New manufacturing facilities and data centers are driving increased electricity demand Energize Weekly, December 27, 2023 The U.S. electric grid is ill-prepared for a surge in demand coming from new manufacturing, data centers and in future years, electrification of transport and building heating. Meanwhile, the queue of generation projects waiting…
Building transmission takes forever. The Biden administration is pushing to change that
Building transmission takes forever. The Biden administration is pushing to change that DECEMBER 19, 2023 The SOO Green electric transmission project, a 350-mile high-voltage line between Mason City, Iowa, and Plano, Illinois, was proposed in 2018 to deliver renewable power and to better connect the nation’s two largest power markets.…
Grid monitor warns of blackout risks as coal plants retire
Grid monitor warns of blackout risks as coal plants retire 12/14/2023 Rolling blackouts are a rising threat across the U.S. as aging power grids collide with extreme weather, rising electricity demand and a shift to cleaner fuels, the nation’s top grid monitor warned Wednesday. In a report, the North American…
FirstEnergy Subsidiaries Awarded More Than $800 Million in Transmission Upgrades
FirstEnergy Subsidiaries Awarded More Than $800 Million in Transmission Upgrades 12 Dec. 2023 FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) subsidiaries Potomac Edison and Mid-Atlantic Interstate Transmission (MAIT) have been awarded transmission projects totaling more than $800 million in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia by regional transmission organization PJM Interconnection. The projects…
FirstEnergy’s 4 Pa. subsidiaries, including Met-Ed, to combine into one company
FirstEnergy’s 4 Pa. subsidiaries, including Met-Ed, to combine into one company Dec 10, 2023 First Energy Corp. has won regulatory approval to combine its four Pennsylvania electric-distribution subsidiaries, including Met-Ed, into one company. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) approved that move on Thursday, Dec. 7, allowing for the combination…
Ford and Xcel Energy will build 30,000 EV charging ports for fleet businesses
Ford and Xcel Energy will build 30,000 EV charging ports for fleet businesses Dec 5, 2023 Ford may be dialing back some of its larger EV investments, but it’s still operating under the assumption that a lot of businesses will be interested in electrifying their fleets eventually. The company is…
Offshore Wind’s Power Grid Costs in States Add to Industry Woes
Offshore Wind’s Power Grid Costs in States Add to Industry Woes Nov. 28, 2023 Atlantic Coast states and energy regulators are working to avoid the looming cost of plugging offshore wind into the nation’s power grid as the industry confronts rising inflation and project cancellations. The push to improve regional…
NARUC establishes new gas-electric working group to tackle grid-related reliability
NARUC establishes new gas-electric working group to tackle grid-related reliability November 28, 2023 At its annual meeting and education conference last week, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) launched a new 15-month gas electric working group to improve reliability for both the gas and electric industries. “The safety…
ERCOT cancels additional capacity request for winter, CEO says Texas grid is ‘adequately’ prepared
ERCOT cancels additional capacity request for winter, CEO says Texas grid is ‘adequately’ prepared November 19, 2023 The state’s power grid won’t add any additional capacity this winter, according to an ERCOT statement. ERCOT said it made this decision after weighing various factors and accounting for a limited market response.…
PG&E bills to soar next year after regulators approve 13% rate increase Thursday
PG&E bills to soar next year after regulators approve 13% rate increase Thursday Nov 16, 2023 Monthly bills for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers will climb even higher next year after California regulators on Thursday unanimously approved allowing the utility giant to increase its rates for electricity and natural…
Security researchers raise concerns regarding electric vehicle chargers
Security researchers raise concerns regarding electric vehicle chargers November 13, 2023 Security researchers have found voltage vulnerabilities while putting home electric vehicle chargers to the test. Consumer Adviser Clark Howard delves into why they want more regulation for manufacturers to keep the power grid safe. Read more
