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…

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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

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…

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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,…

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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…

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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…

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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

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US energy department announces $1.3bn transmission buildout

US energy department announces $1.3bn transmission buildout Oct 31, 2023 The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to a $1.3 billion commitment in three transmission lines crossing six states, advancing projects aimed at adding 3.5GW of additional grid capacity throughout the United States. To ensure that transmission buildout is…

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U.S. DOE awards $3.5 billion for 58 projects to make electric grids safer and more resilient

U.S. DOE awards $3.5 billion for 58 projects to make electric grids safer and more resilient

U.S. DOE awards $3.5 billion for 58 projects to make electric grids safer and more resilient Energize Weekly, October 25, 2023 The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has made $3.5 billion in grants to utilities in 44 states to improve grid reliability and to take measures to meet the risks…

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Global electricity grid must be upgraded urgently to hit climate goals, says IEA

Global electricity grid must be upgraded urgently to hit climate goals, says IEA 17 Oct 2023 Ministers have been urged to “open their eyes” to the need to build a vast network of new electricity grids to allow countries to hit climate goals, the chief of the world’s energy watchdog…

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Hawaiian Electric begins restoration work in Lahaina at request of Maui Emergency Operations Center

Hawaiian Electric begins restoration work in Lahaina at request of Maui Emergency Operations Center September 21, 2023 Hawaiian Electric reports that replacement of poles and electrical equipment damaged in last months windstorms and wildfires in Lahaina will get underway at the request of Maui emergency management officials. This work will…

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CMP accused of overspending $53.6 million in storm recovery efforts

CMP accused of overspending $53.6 million in storm recovery efforts Sep 8, 2023 Maine’s advocate for utility customers wants state regulators to withhold more than $50 million that it says Central Maine Power Co. overspent in violation of staffing guidelines when restoring power to customers during a dozen storms in…

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Hawaii power utility takes responsibility for first fire on Maui, but faults county firefighters

Hawaii power utility takes responsibility for first fire on Maui, but faults county firefighters August 28, 2023 Hawaii’s electric utility acknowledged its power lines started a wildfire on Maui but faulted county firefighters for declaring the blaze contained and leaving the scene, only to have a second wildfire break out…

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Data Centers in Oregon Strain Electricity Grid and Challenge Clean Energy Goals

Data Centers in Oregon Strain Electricity Grid and Challenge Clean Energy Goals AUG 12, 2023 Data centers in Oregon are expected to consume significantly more electricity than initially estimated, according to three recent forecasts. This unexpected increase in energy consumption is placing additional strain on the Northwest electrical grid and…

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Feds propose $2B in PNW energy grid upgrades to meet rising demand

Feds propose $2B in PNW energy grid upgrades to meet rising demand July 24, 2023 The Pacific Northwest’s need for more — and renewable — electricity is increasing, and Bonneville Power Administration officials say the grid needs billions of dollars’ of work to keep those higher energy loads flowing across…

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Global EV sales set to triple by 2026 led by China, Europe, and the U.S.

Global EV sales set to triple by 2026 led by China, Europe, and the U.S.

Global EV sales set to triple by 2026 led by China, Europe, and the U.S. Energize Weekly, July 12, 2023 Electric vehicle (EV) sales are projected to almost triple between 2022 and 2026, reaching nearly 27 million vehicles as the technology pushes beyond automobiles to trucks and buses, according to…

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Austin to enter mutual aid agreement with neighboring utility companies after February freeze

Austin to enter mutual aid agreement with neighboring utility companies after February freeze June 2, 2023 A little over three months after an ice storm left tens of thousands of Austin Energy customers without electricity, some for as long as two weeks, the Austin City Council on Thursday ratified a…

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Lawmakers eye compromise bill to bolster power lines in permitting negotiations

Lawmakers eye compromise bill to bolster power lines in permitting negotiations 05/25/23 Lawmakers appear to be considering a compromise bill to bolster the nation’s power lines as part of efforts to tie energy permitting reforms to legislation that would lift the debt ceiling. A source briefed on the issue told…

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Grant County’s $75 Million Electric System Upgrade Project Nearing Completion

Grant County’s $75 Million Electric System Upgrade Project Nearing Completion May 15, 2023 Grant County PUD is set to undergo a comprehensive electric-system upgrade project across 10 different sites, costing approximately $75 million. The aim of these upgrades is to minimize outage durations and enhance the electric supply for residential,…

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ComEd says traditionally summer preparations becoming year-round reality for grid resilience

ComEd says traditionally summer preparations becoming year-round reality for grid resilience May 08, 2023 According to a presentation of ComEd’s summer readiness and plans to the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), mechanisms are in place to assure reliability for its 9 million customers in northern Illinois. Summer is traditionally the time…

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Utilities Seize Control of the Coming Boom in Transmission Lines

Utilities Seize Control of the Coming Boom in Transmission Lines April 26, 2023 Just about everyone involved agrees that the grid needs an upgrade, including a plan for a new transmission line that would run south of Chicago, across northern Indiana and into Michigan. What they don’t agree on is…

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Surge in clean generation and storage projects creating a backlog on U.S. electric grids

Surge in clean generation and storage projects creating a backlog on U.S. electric grids

Surge in clean generation and storage projects creating a backlog on U.S. electric grids Energize Weekly, April 26, 2023 A surge in clean energy projects – a 40 percent year-over-year increase in 2022 – is creating a traffic jam in getting onto the U.S. electric grid, according to a Lawrence…

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US Power Plant Firm Goes Bankrupt After Winter Storm Penalties

US Power Plant Firm Goes Bankrupt After Winter Storm Penalties March 31, 2023 Lincoln Power LLC, the owner of two Illinois power plants, filed for bankruptcy after its financial strain was exacerbated by nearly $39 million in penalties levied by the biggest US electric-grid operator. The Chapter 11 filing allows…

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More than 43,000 miles of new transmission lines needed in the U.S. by 2040, DOE study says

More than 43,000 miles of new transmission lines needed in the U.S. by 2040, DOE study says

More than 43,000 miles of new transmission lines needed in the U.S. by 2040, DOE study says Energize Weekly, March 15, 2023 The United States is projected to need more than 47,300 gigawatt-miles of new transmission lines by 2040 – in some cases they will be needed as soon as…

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Minnesota utility proposes $192M EV charging station network

Minnesota utility proposes $192M EV charging station network March 6, 2023 A Minnesota utility’s proposal to deploy around 730 EV charging stations while raising rates has encountered opposition from the state department of commerce, rate payers and other parties, according to a startribune.com report. Opponents of the plan question whether…

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DOE touts grid expansion plans as operators raise concerns

DOE touts grid expansion plans as operators raise concerns 02/27/2023 The Department of Energy calls its new draft report on transmission a vital step in confronting barriers to long-distance power lines, but not all U.S. grid operators are sold on the outlook. DOE’s draft “National Transmission Needs Study,” released Friday,…

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Electric Vehicles Loom Large in U.S. Power Grid Modernization

Electric Vehicles Loom Large in U.S. Power Grid Modernization February 9, 2023 Since its inception, the U.S. electric grid has mostly operated smoothly as one synchronous machine with a one-directional flow of electricity to meet the nation’s predictable power needs. However, as older centralized thermal resources are being replaced with…

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Renewables and nuclear set to cover global growth in electricity demand, IEA says

Renewables and nuclear set to cover global growth in electricity demand, IEA says

Renewables and nuclear set to cover global growth in electricity demand, IEA says Energize Weekly, February 15, 2023 New renewable and nuclear generation is set to meet 90 percent of the growing demand for electricity globally during the next three years, while increasing extreme weather will test grid resilience, according…

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FBI says Baltimore County woman plotted to ‘shoot up’ BGE electric substations

FBI says Baltimore County woman plotted to ‘shoot up’ BGE electric substations February 6, 2023 A Baltimore County woman has been arrested on charges for allegedly plotting to destroy electric substations in the Baltimore region, federal authorities said during a press conference on Monday. Sarah Beth Clendaniel was recorded detailing…

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The United States Is Facing Electricity Famine

The United States Is Facing Electricity Famine Feb. 7, 2023 There are signs that we are heading towards an electricity famine; a life-threatening energy Holodomor throughout many areas of the United States caused by political decisions. The system is being set up to fail. This problem this time is not…

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FERC Directs NERC to Tighten Bulk Electric System Cybersecurity

FERC Directs NERC to Tighten Bulk Electric System Cybersecurity January 26, 2023 On January 19, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a Final Rule directing the North American Electric Reliability Corporation to file for FERC review new or modified Reliability Standards that require internal network security monitoring (INSM) within…

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Senators explore power supply failure — especially natural gas — during Christmas storm

Senators explore power supply failure – especially natural gas – during Christmas storm January 26, 2023 The winter storm of Dec. 23-25 produced an unexpectedly high demand for electricity. Despite the surprise, PJM, the 13-state power grid organization — thought it had plenty of reserve on hand. But the power…

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State lawmakers propose power grid protections after attacks

State lawmakers propose power grid protections after attacks January 22, 2023 When gunshots at two electrical substations cut power to thousands of central North Carolina homes for several days in early December, Republican state Rep. Ben Moss watched his vibrant district full of family farms, small businesses and sprawling golf…

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Substation attacks may lead to new energy security rules in 2023, experts say

Substation attacks may lead to new energy security rules in 2023, experts say Jan. 17, 2023 Amid a growing cyber threat to the U.S. electric grid, 2022 ended with a spate of physical attacks that could portend new security rules for some energy infrastructure, say experts. “The physical substation attacks…

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Winter Storm Elliott stressed regional electric grids across the U.S. in different ways

Winter Storm Elliott stressed regional electric grids across the U.S. in different ways

Winter Storm Elliott stressed regional electric grids across the U.S. in different ways Energize Weekly, January 18, 2023 Winter Storm Elliott, the bomb cyclone with freezing temperatures and blizzard conditions that swept across the U.S. east of the Rockies, sparked a wave of outages with its impacts varying from regional…

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Biden declares emergency in California as more winter storms advance

Biden declares emergency in California as more winter storms advance JAN 9 2023 President Joe Biden on Monday declared an emergency in California after a barrage of deadly winter storms has prompted widespread power outages and flooding since last week. Extreme downpours, high winds and flash floods have caused at…

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AEP Ohio asking for rate increase to boost system reliability after last summer’s storms

AEP Ohio asking for rate increase to boost system reliability after last summer’s storms Jan. 6, 2023 Several months after powerful storms whacked AEP Ohio’s transmission system and forced the power company to turn off electricity to some Columbus-area neighborhoods to avoid a larger power loss, AEP is now asking…

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Two Puyallup men charged in Pierce County power substation attacks

Two Puyallup men charged in Pierce County power substation attacks January 3, 2023 Two Puyallup men alleged to have attacked four Pierce County power substations over Christmas weekend will appear in U.S. District Court Tuesday. Matthew Greenwood, 32, and Jeremy Crahan, 40, were arrested Dec. 31, and face charges of…

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Entergy Louisiana files proposed 10-year Entergy Future Ready resilience plan

Entergy Louisiana files proposed 10-year Entergy Future Ready resilience plan 12/19/2022 Today, Entergy Louisiana filed its proposed Phase I Entergy Future Ready resilience plan with the Louisiana Public Service Commission. Phase I seeks approval of the first five years of a 10-year resilience plan that would aim to accelerate the…

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Boise State prof receives grant to develop power grid security that thinks like a human

Boise State prof receives grant to develop power grid security that thinks like a human DECEMBER 08, 2022 A Boise State associate professor is researching ways to improve the power grid’s reliability by creating electronics to make it think like a human brain. The United States Department of Energy is…

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Tens of thousands still in the dark after ‘targeted’ attacks on North Carolina power substations

Tens of thousands still in the dark after ‘targeted’ attacks on North Carolina power substations December 5, 2022 With no suspects or motive announced, the FBI is joining the investigation into power outages in a North Carolina county believed to have been caused by “intentional” and “targeted” attacks on substations…

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NYISO reports sufficient electricity supplies expected to meet winter demands

NYISO reports sufficient electricity supplies expected to meet winter demands 11/28/22 The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) reported Monday, that they expect sufficient electricity supplies in the state are expected to meet demands this winter. “The New York State bulk electric system is well positioned to meet this winter’s…

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Highway charging stations for EVs may need as much electricity as a small town

Highway charging stations for EVs may need as much electricity as a small town

Highway charging stations for EVs may need as much electricity as a small town Energize Weekly, November 30, 2022 A growing number of electric cars and trucks on highways will by 2035 require charging stations demanding the same power as an outdoor sports arena or even a small town, according…

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Biden-Harris Administration Announces $13 Billion To Modernize And Expand America’s Power Grid

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $13 Billion To Modernize And Expand America’s Power Grid NOVEMBER 18, 2022 The Biden-Harris Administration, through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $13 billion in new financing opportunities for the expansion and modernization of the nation’s electric grid. Funded by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,…

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U.S. grid faces “unprecedented” risk of electricity shortfalls this winter, NERC warns

U.S. grid faces “unprecedented” risk of electricity shortfalls this winter, NERC warns

U.S. grid faces “unprecedented” risk of electricity shortfalls this winter, NERC warns Energize Weekly, November 23, 2022 A large swatch of the U.S. electricity grid – in Texas, the Midwest, Southeast and New England – is at risk of being unable to provide adequate power in the face of extreme…

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AEP to spend millions improving electrical grid to prevent another massive outage

AEP to spend millions improving electrical grid to prevent another massive outage November 14, 2022 Winter is right around the corner and those who lost power during this summer’s large storm, coupled with a heatwave, are wondering if another massive outage could happen again when the temperatures dip below freezing.…

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ComEd to file multi-year grid plan, rate plan

ComEd to file multi-year grid plan, rate plan November 07, 2022 ComEd, a Chicago-based energy company, will file a multi-year grid plan along with a four-year rate plan in line with the requirements of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA). The plan will align closely with the state of…

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Puerto Rico’s Fragile Grid to Get Boost from Networked Batteries

Puerto Rico’s Fragile Grid to Get Boost from Networked Batteries November 1, 2022 Sunrun Inc was selected to develop a 17-megawatt electricity generation project in Puerto Rico that harnesses excess battery power from its residential solar customers. The California-based company will begin enrolling households into what is known as a…

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