Summer is here. Can the grid keep the lights on? 06/23/2022 As a heat wave grips large parts of the country and sets heat records coinciding with the start of summer, the U.S. electricity grid has held up. Even Texas’ electricity system — which has experienced power failures during extreme…
Wisconsin coal plants to keep running amid reliability, supply chain concerns
Wisconsin coal plants to keep running amid reliability, supply chain concerns Jun 24, 2022 Three of Wisconsin’s largest coal-fired power plants will continue operating for at least another two years. Alliant Energy and the WEC Energy Group each announced plans Thursday to delay previously announced retirements of the Columbia Energy…
Cybersecurity Tools to Protect Solar, Wind Power on the Grid
Cybersecurity Tools to Protect Solar, Wind Power on the Grid June 20, 2022 Solar panels and wind turbines, now projected to produce 44% of America’s electricity by 2050, present cybersecurity challenges. They have sensors, controllers, actuators or inverters that are directly or indirectly connected to the internet. They’re distributed far…
Ameren aims to charge customers for closure of Rush Island coal plant
Ameren aims to charge customers for closure of Rush Island coal plant June 21, 2022 The costs to close the region’s second-largest power plant, after decades of Clean Air Act violations, are rising. Electric utility Ameren has proposed the construction of $244 million in electric lines and other upgrades before…
New York grid operator sees generating margins shrinking, increased reliability risks
New York grid operator sees generating margins shrinking, increased reliability risks Energize Weekly, June 22, 2022 The buffer of extra generating capacity – the reserve or reliability margin – is shrinking in New York State as fossil-fuel plants retire faster than renewable sources are being added, according to an assessment…
DOE: Here’s where renewable costs are heading
DOE: Here’s where renewable costs are heading 06/14/2022 Recent challenges facing wind and solar likely won’t sink their longer-term progress in the United States, as industries figure out ways to keep the cost of renewable power on a downward slope, according to a new peer-reviewed analysis from Lawrence Berkeley National…
Indiana utilities brace for possible rolling blackouts, Kentucky meeting demands
Indiana utilities brace for possible rolling blackouts, Kentucky meeting demands Jun 13, 2022 Summer is kicking in with heat and humidity this week, and that puts a strain on the power grid to keep up with demand. Parts of Indiana could face rolling blackouts, according to the Midcontinent Independent System…
U.S. Midwest in Danger of Rotating Power Blackouts This Summer
U.S. Midwest in Danger of Rotating Power Blackouts This Summer June 3, 2022 The power grid in the Central United States could be forced to impose rotating blackouts on some of the hottest days of the summer due to rising demand and plant retirements, federal energy officials said in an…
Activists hail Biden’s use of security powers to boost clean energy
Activists hail Biden’s use of security powers to boost clean energy June 7, 2022 Environmental groups have welcomed Joe Biden’s invoking of national security powers to rapidly expand the production of clean energy technology as a significant advance in the effort to curb dangerous climate breakdown. Read more
Here’s what has to happen before CPS Energy can shut down its last coal plant
Here’s what has to happen before CPS Energy can shut down its last coal plant June 6, 2022 In recent months, and with San Antonio facing stricter air quality regulations, calls to diversify CPS Energy’s generation portfolio and speed up the closure of the J.K. Spruce coal-burning power plant have…
New England hits a record low in electricity demand thanks to distributed solar
New England hits a record low in electricity demand thanks to distributed solar Energize Weekly, June 8, 2022 It was a typical spring Sunday afternoon – sunny with temperatures in the 50’s and 60’s – but May 1 was also historic as the demand for electricity in New England dropped…
Alaska utilities plan $200M investment in grid to boost renewable power, increase reliability
Alaska utilities plan $200M investment in grid to boost renewable power, increase reliability May 26, 2022 Five electric utilities in Alaska will invest more than $200 million to upgrade the transmission system from Homer to Fairbanks, in a step they say could boost renewable power opportunities in the state. The…
NYSEG and RG&E Announce “Reliable Energy New York” Plans
NYSEG and RG&E Announce “Reliable Energy New York” Plans May 26, 2022 Today, New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E), subsidiaries of AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), announced the companies have filed proposed changes to delivery rates with the New York State Public Service Commission…
FERC chair on grid: ‘The old way doesn’t work’
FERC chair on grid: ‘The old way doesn’t work’ 05/20/2022 The growing threat of power outages fueled by extreme weather calls for new approaches to grid oversight, the head of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said yesterday, adding that utilities and grid operators should “think differently.” Read more
Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack: Lessons for Technologists
Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack: Lessons for Technologists May 23, 2022 While technologists have always understood the damage that ransomware could do to an organization’s infrastructure and data, the May 2021 attack that targeted Colonial Pipeline IT infrastructure changed the game for good. Read more
West and Midwest U.S. face summer electricity shortfalls due to heat, drought, and fire
West and Midwest U.S. face summer electricity shortfalls due to heat, drought, and fire Energize Weekly, May 25, 2022 The West and Midwest U.S. risk severe electricity shortfalls this summer due to high temperatures, drought, severe storms and wildfire – all driven by a changing climate, according to the North…
Creaky U.S. power grid threatens progress on renewables, EVs
Creaky U.S. power grid threatens progress on renewables, EVs May 12, 2022 The nation’s transmission network, plagued by outages and increasingly severe weather, needs a trillion-dollar overhaul to handle the Biden administration’s promised clean-energy revolution. No one is taking charge of that problem. Read more
White House Says $110 Billion in Infrastructure Funds Released in First 6 Months
White House Says $110 Billion in Infrastructure Funds Released in First 6 Months May 16, 2022 The White House on Monday said it has released $110 billion in funding from the $1 trillion infrastructure package that seeks to fix crumbling roads, expand broadband internet and improve the electrical grid. Read…
California Power Officials Warn of Power Shortfalls This Summer Amid Increasing Strain from Climate Change
California Power Officials Warn of Power Shortfalls This Summer Amid Increasing Strain from Climate Change May 6, 2022 California power regulators are warning of power shortages and possible blackouts this summer as the state’s electrical grid faces increasing strain from drought and extreme heat. “We know reliability is going to…
Tampa Electric, Duke Energy seek approval for storm-project money
Tampa Electric, Duke Energy seek approval for storm-project money May 4, 2022 As this year’s hurricane season gets ready to start June 1, major utilities have filed proposals that could lead to customers paying hundreds of millions of dollars in 2023 to help bolster electric systems against storms. Florida Power…
U.S. and European EV sales climb but more chargers will be needed to sustain growth
U.S. and European EV sales climb but more chargers will be needed to sustain growth Energize Weekly, May 11, 2022 Electric vehicle (EV) sales in both the U.S. and Europe are posting strong gains, but to reach the market penetration governments are targeting – the Biden administration goal is 50…
The race against hackers to secure EV cyber-grid
The race against hackers to secure EV cyber-grid April 30, 2022 The electric vehicle (EV) revolution is here. After decades of hype, EVs are finally starting to get their day in the sun. In the last ten years, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles have grown from 16,000 to over 2 million…
We Energies seeks rate plan to fund clean energy investments, grid hardening
We Energies seeks rate plan to fund clean energy investments, grid hardening May 02, 2022 We Energies proposed a new rate plan to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) last week, potentially raising customers’ rates for electricity, natural gas and steam next year to pay for a large-scale clean…
Power demand to grow in Tennessee Valley as economy electrifies, TVA CEO says
Power demand to grow in Tennessee Valley as economy electrifies, TVA CEO says April 28, 2022 Tennessee will soon become the No. 1 state for electric vehicle production as part of a power shift that could nearly double electricity demand in the Tennessee Valley over the next three decades, the…
SEPA report makes recommendations to improve transmission development
SEPA report makes recommendations to improve transmission development April 22, 2022 In a new report, the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) calls for greater coordination, collaboration, and partnerships among transmission utilities and developers to achieve the nation’s transmission development goals. Read more
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…
PG&E makes property tax and franchise fee payments to cities and counties
PG&E makes property tax and franchise fee payments to cities and counties 21 APRIL 2022 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. reported this week on the property tax payments it is making to cities and counties this month. The company, which serves more than 16 million Californians, is paying property taxes…
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…
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,…
Russia’s Sandworm Hackers Attempted a Third Blackout in Ukraine
Russia’s Sandworm Hackers Attempted a Third Blackout in Ukraine APR 12, 2022 MORE THAN HALF a decade has passed since the notorious Russian hackers known as Sandworm targeted an electrical transmission station north of Kyiv a week before Christmas in 2016, using a unique, automated piece of code to interact…
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…
‘The lights will not go out’ – Energy experts do not foresee EVs overloading US electrical grid
‘The lights will not go out’ – Energy experts do not foresee EVs overloading US electrical grid Apr. 5th 2022 According to research teams and engineers at multiple US energy laboratories, the acceleration of EV adoption will not reach any sort of “tipping” point in which charging EVs will overwhelm…
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…
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…
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…
Federal agencies warn Russian cyber operations pose continued threat to U.S. energy infrastructure
Federal agencies warn Russian cyber operations pose continued threat to U.S. energy infrastructure March 28, 2022 In a joint advisory published this week, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the United States Department of Energy (DOE) assessed that state-sponsored Russian cyber operations…
US seeks new lithium sources as demand for batteries grows
US seeks new lithium sources as demand for batteries grows March 28, 2022 The race is on to produce more lithium in the United States. The U.S. will need far more lithium to achieve its clean energy goals — and the industry that mines, extracts and processes the chemical element…
SRP proposes high-voltage line for Facebook center
SRP proposes high-voltage line for Facebook center Mar 21, 2022 Meta, parent company of Facebook, may be getting its own half-mile high-voltage power line between the 202 San Tan Freeway and Ellsworth Road in Mesa. Salt River Project said in a release that a proposed 230 kV line, which would…
Biden warns the private sector that Russia is exploring options for cyberattacks
Biden warns the private sector that Russia is exploring options for cyberattacks March 21, 2022 President Biden warned on Monday that Russia is exploring the possibility of waging potential cyberattacks against the United States in retaliation for economic penalties imposed on Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine. Read more
As electrification grows, car dealerships become prime candidates for microgrids
As electrification grows, car dealerships become prime candidates for microgrids March 14, 2022 US car dealerships are finding they need to upgrade their electrical infrastructure — and fast — given that more than half of their sales are expected to come from electric vehicles (EVs) before the decade is out. …
Entergy completes $100 million improvement project in north Louisiana
Entergy completes $100 million improvement project in north Louisiana 03/07/2022 Entergy Louisiana recently completed a $100 million project across Ouachita Parish that positioned the region for economic growth and increased the resilience and reliability of the electric system in north Louisiana. Read more
BitNile Plans to Expand the Power Capacity of Its Michigan Data Center to 300 Megawatts
BitNile Plans to Expand the Power Capacity of Its Michigan Data Center to 300 Megawatts Mar 7, 2022 BitNile Holdings, a diversified holding company today announced that it plans to expand the power capacity at its Michigan data center to 300 megawatts, which would enable Bitcoin mining operations at the…
Putin’s threat of ‘consequences’ heightens worries about Americans’ electricity
Putin’s threat of ‘consequences’ heightens worries about Americans’ electricity 02/25/2022 The war in Ukraine is renewing fears of a Russian cyberattack on the U.S. — and the danger that such a strike could spiral into a wider conflict between the two powers. U.S. officials have worried for years about a…
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…
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…
Ameren Missouri to invest $8.4M in grid modernization
Ameren Missouri to invest $8.4M in grid modernization February 20, 2022 Ameren filed its updated Smart Energy Plan with Missouri’s Public Service Commission (PSC) this week, pledging to put $8.4 million toward replacing equipment, some of which is up to 50 years old, and putting new technology into practice to…
Cyber insurance premiums soar for energy companies
Cyber insurance premiums soar for energy companies Feb. 18, 2022 Cyber insurance rates are rising because of geopolitics, ransomware, a growing threat to operational technology, and continued fallout from last year’s Colonial Pipeline attack, say experts. Read more
Blocking Microgrid Cyberattacks To Keep The Power Flowing
Blocking Microgrid Cyberattacks To Keep The Power Flowing February 14, 2022 As microgrids grow more complex, they require sophisticated computer networks to coordinate, control and distribute different sources of power. Like any network, they are vulnerable to cyberattacks. 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 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…
Texas’ grid held up this time with enough extra capacity to power 3 million homes
Texas’ grid held up this time with enough extra capacity to power 3 million homes February 6th 2022 As this latest arctic blast hit the state, the power for most of Texas stayed on as the grid stayed steady. “The power grid continues to perform well at peak demand during…
