The Latest
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Opinion
FERC’s final regional transmission rule is coming soon. It has one shot to get it right.
A strong rule will help spur the transmission lines necessary to meet America’s growing energy needs, while also setting the table for a future interregional rule to mitigate the effects of extreme weather.
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DOE finalizes 4 appliance efficiency rules expected to save consumers almost $1.9B a year
DOE is catching up on its reviews of appliance energy efficiency rules “and it needs to keep up that momentum,” said Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.
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Deep Dive
As states increasingly look to advanced nuclear, Wyoming, Virginia and Michigan lead the way
Their efforts are showing policymakers elsewhere how to attract emerging nuclear technologies and the skilled workers they need to operate, National Association of State Energy Officials President David Terry said.
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Surging demand growth spurs openings for advanced nuclear, grid technologies: DOE’s Crane
Inflation Reduction Act and infrastructure law funding are supporting new technologies, he said, but the "missing link" is permitting reform. “Without permitting reform, what we are hindering is new zero-carbon energy sources.”
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Georgia Power receives approval to add 1.4 GW of natural gas generation
Environmentalists are criticizing the Georgia Public Service Commission’s decision to approve the construction of new fossil fuel generation, citing cost and climate concerns.
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Equinor jumps into ERCOT market with 110 MW of merchant battery projects
The projects come as battery storage capacity in ERCOT could grow to 17,700 MW by mid-2025 from 6,300 MW in March, according to data from the grid operator.
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VPPs, other advanced technologies could each expand existing US grid capacity 20-100 GW: DOE
Separately, AES and LineVision released a case study showing how using dynamic line ratings increased capacity on power lines in Indiana and Ohio.
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CIP acquires 1.3 GW of New York onshore wind projects
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners made the acquisition through its CI V fund, which has raised billions in capital commitments for greenfield renewable energy investments.
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How cities are building out public EV charging infrastructure
As more electric vehicles hit the road, municipalities and property owners are working with contractors to deploy public charging infrastructure.
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Opinion
The time is ripe for utilities to play a larger role in the energy transition
Utilities should provide upfront support to low- to moderate-income customers for residential electrification and decarbonization measures to prevent them from being stuck on the existing fossil fuel systems.
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Constellation, generator trade groups back PJM plan to revert to original capacity auction results
However, Delaware and Maryland utility commissions contend the PJM plan should be rejected, telling the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission it would more than double capacity costs for ratepayers in their states.
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Virtual power plant adoption could save California ratepayers $550M annually: Brattle report
The report called for the state to facilitate virtual power plant growth in California, noting that “more can be achieved” to scale VPP adoption by 2035.
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DOE finalizes new light bulb standard expected to save consumers $27B on utility bills over 30 years
The new rule requires the most common types of light bulbs to produce more than 120 lumens/watt, up from the current standard of 45 lumens/watt.
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Inside the rise of groundwater-based geothermal heat pumps
The technology, which is cost-effective across 75% of the U.S. landmass and ideal for space-constrained users, could eventually displace utility gas service, proponents say.
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Opinion
Power grids are facing more demand than ever. Policy needs to catch up.
There is a gap between operational realities and aspirational policies. That gap is growing, and not shrinking as it must.
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Grid interconnection queues jumped 27%, to 2.6 TW, in 2023, led by solar, storage: DOE lab
Solar, battery and wind projects make up 95% of the capacity in interconnection queues, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers said Wednesday.
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South Carolina tackles EV issues, including questions around utility investment in charging
A state consumer advocate wants regulators to take a skeptical approach to utilities investing ratepayer funds in charging stations.
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Opinion
The Future of AI will require an energy breakthrough. The answer is a fusion moonshot.
Skeptics contend that fusion has long promised much but failed to deliver. Historically, that has been true. But there is reason to believe this moment is different.
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China, Russia ramping up cyber activities against energy, water and other critical sectors: FBI director
“We’re seeing hostile nation states become more aggressive in their efforts to...target our critical infrastructure, export their aggression to our shores and front and center is China,” Christopher Wray said Tuesday.
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House Republicans begin congressional challenge to SEC climate disclosure rule
House Financial Services Committee Chair Patrick McHenry said the agency’s voluntary pause is “not enough.”
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DOE awards $27M for communities to plan a clean-energy future
This is the first funding round for the Energy Future Grants initiative, which launched last year to help communities plan for transportation and building electrification, microgrids and solar projects.
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Pathways Initiative proposes independent power market organization for the West
The stakeholder group aims to establish an organization free of CAISO governance to run wholesale power markets, laying the groundwork for a possible regional transmission organization.
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Green Mountain Power, RMP offer strong virtual power plant blueprint: RMI webinar
VPP policy should promote widespread distributed energy resource adoption while enabling retail and wholesale market participation and preserving customer choice, webinar participants said.
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As DOE updates how it sets energy efficiency standards, advocates, legislators push it to act faster
The U.S. Department of Energy has made progress reviewing a backlog of appliance efficiency standards, but advocates and lawmakers say the administration must redouble those efforts as the election looms.
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Opinion
Regulators: Don’t panic and rush to gas amid cries we’re out of power
Proposing new gas plants to serve growing demand does not occur in isolation. It is a decision that implicitly rejects alternatives as either infeasible, expensive or unconsidered.