Texas power demand to hit record high during Tuesday heat August 24, 2021 The Texas power grid operator forecast demand would reach a record high on Tuesday as homes and businesses crank up their air conditioners to escape another heat wave. Read more
NM could get billions in new federal funding
NM could get billions in new federal funding August 23, 2021 Congress is gearing up to approve the largest federal investments in infrastructure and social programs since the Great Depression in the 1930s, and New Mexico could reap huge benefits. Read more
PJM puts transmission upgrades for onshore renewables and offshore wind at up to $3.2 billion
PJM puts transmission upgrades for onshore renewables and offshore wind at up to $3.2 billion Energize Weekly, August 18, 2021 The PJM Interconnection – the nation’s largest grid operator – estimates that it will take between $2.2 billion and $3.2 billion in new transmission investments by 2035 to accommodate the…
PG&E power line suspected in Dixie fire was set to be buried underground in safety move
PG&E power line suspected in Dixie fire was set to be buried underground in safety move AUG. 10, 2021 After Pacific Gas & Electric equipment sparked a massive fire that burned much of Paradise, Calif., and killed 86 people in 2018, the utility vowed a safety campaign aimed at preventing similar…
Utilities are struggling to keep the lights on as fires, drought plague California
Utilities are struggling to keep the lights on as fires, drought plague California AUG 1 2021 The electric grid in the West is being tested like never before amid extreme-weather events, including raging wildfires and severe droughts fueled by climate change. Read more
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…
PG&E Announces Plan to Underground 10,000 Miles of Power Lines in Highest Fire-Threat Areas
PG&E Announces Plan to Underground 10,000 Miles of Power Lines in Highest Fire-Threat Areas JUL 27, 2021 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) recently announced a major initiative to expand the undergrounding of electric distribution power lines in High Fire-Threat Districts (HFTD) to further harden its system and help prevent…
Growing Oregon Wildfire Threatens California Transmission Lines, State Issues Grid Warning
Growing Oregon Wildfire Threatens California Transmission Lines, State Issues Grid Warning July 10, 2021 Southern Oregon’s Bootleg Fire has grown to more than 143,000 acres as of Sunday morning, doubling in size from Saturday, when California energy officials warned it was encroaching on power transmission lines to the state. Read…
California energy officials seeking additional capacity for the summer
California energy officials seeking additional capacity for the summer July 2, 2021 Citing climate change-driven heat events, California energy officials announced Thursday that the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), the operator of the state’s power grid, would exercise its authority to procure additional capacity. Read more
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…
Hawai’i Microgrid Tariff Framework Could Become Model for Other States
Hawai’i Microgrid Tariff Framework Could Become Model for Other States June 28, 2021 Last month Hawai’i become only the second state with a formal microgrid services tariff, and its framework could become a model for other states, according to Microgrid Knowledge, a national publication. Read more
FirstEnergy Taking Proactive Steps to Prepare Transmission System for Summer Weather
FirstEnergy Taking Proactive Steps to Prepare Transmission System for Summer Weather Jun 21, 2021 FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) has completed annual inspections and maintenance throughout its transmission system to help ensure reliability for customers ahead of the summer season. Read more
Texas grid operator urges electricity conservation as many power generators are unexpectedly offline and temperatures rise
Texas grid operator urges electricity conservation as many power generators are unexpectedly offline and temperatures rise JUNE 14, 2021 The Electric Reliability Council of Texas says a large number of power plants are offline, but it could not provide details as to what may be causing the “very concerning” number…
Energy chief cites risk of cyberattacks crippling power grid
Energy chief cites risk of cyberattacks crippling power grid June 6, 2021 Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Sunday called for more public-private cooperation on cyber defenses and said U.S. adversaries already are capable of using cyber intrusions to shut down the U.S. power grid. Read more
Extreme heat drives ‘high risk’ summer for U.S. power, especially in California
Extreme heat drives ‘high risk’ summer for U.S. power, especially in California May 26, 2021 Extreme heat this summer could create energy shortfalls in California, Texas, New England and the U.S. West and Central regions, the organization responsible for North American electric reliability warned on Wednesday. Read more
Canada Gives Final OK for Hydropower Transmission Project
Canada Gives Final OK for Hydropower Transmission Project May 21, 2021 The Canadian government has given its final approval for construction and operation of power line to serve as a conduit for hydropower to reach the power grid in New England, officials said Friday. Read more
Texas Legislature close to approving billions to pay for winter storm financial fallout
Texas Legislature close to approving billions to pay for winter storm financial fallout MAY 25, 2021 Several billions of dollars in state-approved financing will be necessary to stabilize the state’s distressed energy market after the winter storm. Texas approves more in finance bailouts for its utilities than any other state.…
TVA identifies route for proposed transmission line through Knox, Loudon counties
TVA identifies route for proposed transmission line through Knox, Loudon counties May 18, 2021 The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) unveiled its proposed 5.4-mile route for a new transmission line running through Knox and Loudon Counties. Read more
Biden administration to provide $8.25 billion in loans for grid overhaul
Biden administration to provide $8.25 billion in loans for grid overhaul Energize Weekly, May 5, 2021 In an effort to jumpstart the overhaul of the nation’s electric grid, the Biden administration has announced two new initiatives – including $8.25 billion in federal loans. “After the Texas transmission debacle this winter,…
Cost of winterizing Texas electricity grid worth the expense, Dallas Federal Reserve says
Cost of winterizing Texas electricity grid worth the expense, Dallas Federal Reserve says Energize Weekly, April 21, 2021 The cost of weatherizing the Texas electric power system – which faced a major collapse during a February freeze – could run into hundreds of millions of dollars, but the expense would…
Transmission strategy takes shape as Congress, FERC press ahead with reforms
Zack Hale, 12 Apr 2021 A package of far-reaching reforms to expand the nation’s high-voltage electric transmission system is coming into focus as congressional Democrats begin drafting legislation in line with U.S. President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure vision. Read more
Records reveal Entergy’s role in stalling MISO transmission planning
Daniel Tait • April 5, 2021 Entergy coordinated closely with Mississippi Public Service Commission staff and the Commission’s outside consultants to stall regional transmission projects, potentially blocking its customers’ access to lower-cost wind energy from outside Entergy’s service territory and placing them at greater risk of future power outages. Read more
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
Electric grid threatened by climate change, federal agencies need to do more, GAO says
Energize Weekly, March 17, 2021 Climate change – the heat waves, flooding, droughts, and hurricanes it may bring – poses a multibillion-dollar threat to the country’s aging electric grid, according to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Without significant efforts to upgrade the grid and make it…
House E&C Democrats question ERCOT CEO over response to Texas winter storm, outages
Published on March 08, 2021 by Chris Galford Leaders from the House Energy and Commerce Committee (E&C) have written to Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) President and CEO Bill Magness seeking answers about the organization’s failures during the recent deadly winter storm. Read more
The U.S. Grid Isn’t Ready For A Major Shift To Renewables
By Irina Slav – Mar 03, 2021 The blame game for the massive power outages in Texas last month continues. The dominant argument is that renewables had an ignorable part to play in the crisis, with natural gas and coal the indirect culprits due to their reduced availability resulting from infrastructure freezing…
The $7 Trillion Cost Of Upgrading The U.S. Power Grid
By Leonard Hyman & William Tilles – Feb 25, 2021 We have just witnessed the damage caused by poorly designed energy grids—rolling blackouts, skyrocketing electricity prices, people sleeping in their cars and in one insulated room to keep warm. At the same time a weaponized right wing media swings into action blaming…
Texas’ power grid crumples under the cold
JOHN TIMMER – 2/15/2021, 12:59 PM Monday morning, as a jet stream brought frigid air south to the central United States, Texas residents found themselves facing rolling blackouts as the statewide grid struggled to meet demand amid a large shortfall in generating capacity. Read more
Fossil fuel demand drops in 2020 with a limited rebound in 2021, IEA says
Energize Weekly, October 21, 2020 The global pandemic will cut worldwide energy demand 5 percent in 2020 and result in an 18 percent decline in energy investment, according to International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts. If the novel coronavirus is brought under control in 2021, energy demand will return to its…
Rural communities to get $865 million in infrastructure aid from USDA programs
Energize Weekly, August 26, 2020 The Trump administration, in the last three weeks, has announced $865 million in loans and grants to upgrade rural infrastructure – electric grids, water systems and broadband internet. The two largest programs are for water and wastewater systems – $462 million – and rural electrification…
Boulder seeking to create a municipal utility offers Xcel $94 million for its wires and poles
Energize Weekly, December 4, 2019 In an effort to avoid a court condemnation proceeding, Boulder, Colo., which wants to create its own municipal utility, upped its offer for the purchase of Xcel Energy’s infrastructure to $94 million. It is the third offer the city has made to Xcel, which currently…
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…
Seattle’s grid could be overwhelmed by ambitious plans for electric trucks and buses
Energize Weekly, September 18, 2019 Seattle’s ambitious plans for electrifying the city’s transportation sector could destabilize the metropolitan area’s electric grid by the addition of large numbers of electric trucks and buses, a study finds. The study by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) in collaboration with Seattle City Light offers…
Solar power contract prices are falling to record lows, but also gathering some risk
Energize Weekly, August 21, 2019 Portugal’s first photovoltaic (PV) solar auction has led to a record low-cost contract of $16.54 a megawatt-hour (MWh), narrowly besting the previous record, a recent Brazilian power purchase agreement (PPA) for $16.95 a MWh. “With the levelized cost of utility-scale PV in Southern Europe now…
Residential energy storage set to grow fivefold in Europe, Wood Mackenzie says
Energize Weekly, August 14, 2019 The annual pace of residential energy storage in Europe is set to double in the next six years with total of 6.6 gigawatts of capacity on the continent by 2024 – a fivefold increase from 2018, according to a Wood Mackenzie analysis. Annual deployments are…
July heat wave drove peak electricity demand to two-year high in the East and Midwest
Energize Weekly, August 7, 2019 Electricity demand during the July heat wave that covered the Midwest and Atlantic coast led to the highest electricity peak – 704 gigawatts (GW) – in two years, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). The heat wave, which also brought high humidity, extended…
Nearly half of U.S. utilities filed rate cases in 2018, most of them seeking rate increases
Energize Weekly, July 31, 2019 Almost half of the major U.S. electric utilities filed rate cases with state regulators in 2018 – the highest number since 1983 – with nearly 90 percent seeking rate increases, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). The rate increase requests were driven mainly…
ABB is paying $470 million for Fimer to take its inverter business off its hands
Energize Weekly, July 24, 2019 Zurich-based ABB is paying $470 million to unload its solar inverter business to Italian solar inverter maker Fimer Spa, as price pressures dog the market. ABB said it will take an after-tax nonoperational charge of $470 million with about 75 percent going to Fimer as…
Utility-scale battery storage capacity has grown fourfold since 2014 to 899 megawatts
Energize Weekly, July 17, 2019 Utility-scale battery storage capacity has grown more than fourfold since the end of 2014, reaching 899 megawatts (MW) by March 2019, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). If currently planned projects are completed and no capacity is retired, storage could exceed 2,500 MW…
Renewable generation temporarily overtakes coal-fired generation in April, the EIA says
Energize Weekly, July 3, 2019 Renewable electricity generation surpassed coal-fired generation for the first time in April, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). Renewable generation accounted for 23 percent of electricity generation in April compared to 20 percent for coal. “This outcome reflects both seasonal factors as well…
Wood Mackenzie puts the cost of transition to all renewable energy at $4.5 trillion
Energize Weekly, July 3, 2019 The cost of transforming the U.S. electric grid to totally renewable energy in the next 10 to 20 years would be $4.5 trillion given current technology, according to a study by energy-and-industry consultant Wood Mackenzie. At a time of competing climate plans among Democratic presidential…
Texas, California and U.S. West may face electricity reliability challenges this summer
Energize Weekly, June 26, 2019 There is adequate generating reverse to meet summer electricity demands in most of the U.S., while Texas, California and the West may face challenges, according to the North American Reliability Corp. (NERC) 2019 summer assessment. NERC, a nonprofit corporation overseeing regional electricity reliability in the…
New Jersey unveils a broad plan to reach 100 percent clean energy target by 2050
Energize Weekly, June 19, 2019 A multipronged, draft energy plan aimed at getting New Jersey to 100 percent clean energy by 2050 was unveiled June 10 by the state Board of Public Utilities (BPU). The plan looks to address transportation, energy consumption by buildings, grid modernization, as well as a…
U.S. energy storage installations set a record in the first quarter of 2019
Energize Weekly, June 12, 2019 U.S. energy storage installations hit a quarterly record in the first three months of 2019 with 148.8 megawatts (MW) of new capacity, according to a market report by Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables and the Energy Storage Association (ESA). The first quarter of 2019 installations…
Mitsubishi Hitachi seeks to build world’s largest energy storage facility in Utah
Energize Weekly, June 12, 2019 Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MPHS) and Magnum Development announced a plan at the end of May to develop the world’s biggest clean energy storage facility – 1,000 megawatts – using a range of technologies and salt caverns in Utah. The aim is to provide energy…
Retired coal-fired power plant site to be turned into $650 million transmission facility for offshore wind
Energize Weekly, May 22, 2019 The site of a former Massachusetts coal-fired power plant is slated to be turned into a $650 million relay for electricity produced offshore, according to energy developer Anbaric. The Anbaric Renewable Energy Center, built on the site of the old Brayton Point power plant in…
Electricity demand to be down this summer, coal’s share expected to drop, EIA says
Energize Weekly, May 15, 2019 Summer electricity generation in 2019 is forecast to be down 2 percent from last summer to 1,168 million megawatt-hours (MWh) with a sharp drop in how much of that power is provided by coal-fired plants. The energy mix for the summer highlights the ongoing shift…
Texas Renewable Energy Co-op gets wholesale bids at less than 3 cents a kilowatt-hour
Energize Weekly, May 8, 2019 The Texas Renewable Energy Co-op (TREC) has received wholesale electricity bids for less than 3 cents a kilowatt-hour on 12-year contracts for its public non-profit participants, such as municipal and state agencies. The bidding process was managed by the Texas Energy Aggregation (TEA), which was…
Small, net-meter wind turbine capacity growth led by a tripling in the Northeast
Energize Weekly, May 1, 2019 Small wind turbines—at homes, farms and businesses—have increasingly been plugging into the grid and getting paid for the electricity they put on the wires—with the fastest growth in the Northeast. Net metering, which enables homeowners and commercial customers to be credited for electricity they put…
Vermont’s Green Mountain Power sets a goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2030
Energize Weekly, April 24, 2019 Vermont’s largest utility, Green Mountain Power, has set a goal of reaching 100 percent carbon-free generation by 2025 and 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. Green Mountain, which serves 264,000 customers or about 40 percent of the state, is already 90 percent carbon-free, getting the…
