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05.17.21 Utilities 0

What Are ‘Transformational’ Utilities Doing Right?

This week on The Energy Gang: a look at what sets top-performing utilities apart.

by Stephen Lacey

03.18.21 Utilities 0

What Does a ‘Climate Resilience Director’ Do?

This week on The Interchange: the person trying to make PG&E more resilient.

by Stephen Lacey

03.12.21 News 43

Greentech Media in action at the 2019 Solar Summit, one of our last live events before the pandemic put us all behind screens.

Greentech Media Bids Farewell

A 14-year run covering an energy industry transformed — and just getting started.

by Jeff St. John

03.10.21 Grid Edge 4

California's demand response industry isn't happy with state regulators' latest move to tap flexible loads to prevent future grid emergencies.

California’s Latest Demand-Side Emergency Plan Draws Criticism From Providers

Critics say the minor changes aren’t enough to help, and the expanded capacity rules could boost natural gas plants.

by Jeff St. John

03.09.21 Grid Edge 14

Decade-old startup Mainspring Energy is moving into commercial deployment via a $150 million deal with NextEra Energy Solutions. (Credit: Mainspring Energy)

Mainspring Energy Lands $150M Deal To Deploy Its Linear Generators With NextEra

The startup’s fuel-flexible systems offer the low emissions of fuel cells with the affordability and flexibility of engines and microturbines.

by Jeff St. John

03.04.21 Manufacturing 1

US Electric Component Manufacturing on the Rise

Manufacturing of clean energy equipment – and electric components generally – is gaining traction in the U.S.

by GTM Creative Strategies

03.04.21 Grid Edge 26

Duke Energy's plan to build natural gas plants is being challenged by groups accusing the utility of misrepresenting data to undermine cleaner alternatives.

Duke Energy Faces Challenges to Its Push for New Natural Gas Plants

Critics cite flaws in the utility’s analysis of winter peaks and offer up solar, battery and efficiency alternatives.

by Jeff St. John

03.03.21 Grid Edge 16

East Bay Community Energy is tapping OhmConnect's residential virtual power plant as a hedge against energy costs during the state's summer peaks.

Energy Hedging: A New Way to Make Demand Response Pay in California?

OhmConnect and East Bay Community Energy take a novel approach to capturing value from home energy flexibility.

by Jeff St. John

03.03.21 Grid Edge 4

Huge solar and wind growth is on the way. The grid operator is hoping not to hinder progress toward the 2060 net-zero target.

New Plans Reveal How China’s Grid Is Prepping for Net-Zero Carbon

Terawatts of renewables and the world’s largest EV charging network will play a role as China eyes peak carbon emissions by 2030.

by John Parnell

03.01.21 Energy 12

Texas is facing a cascading financial fallout from a week of sky-high electricity and natural-gas prices amid blackouts.

Texas Crisis Drives First Nonprofit Utility Bankruptcy, With More Fallout Expected

A co-op seeks shelter from $2 billion in electricity costs, the state sues a shut-down Griddy, and a San Antonio utility may pull back on its clean energy goals.

by Jeff St. John

03.01.21 Grid Edge 16

Siemens Energy's Silyzer electrolyzer is part of a green hydrogen technology line the company is hoping will gain market share in the nascent U.S. market. (Credit: Siemens)

How Siemens Energy Is Targeting the US Green Hydrogen Opportunity

The latest test at the Utah mega-project marks the third U.S. entry into electrolysis, storage and the use of carbon-free fuel.

by Jeff St. John

02.26.21 Grid Edge 75

As Texas lawmakers seek source of blame for last week's energy crisis, experts point to interconnected failures in natural gas, power grid and market constructs.

Texas Blackout Hearings Highlight Intertwined Risks of Natural Gas, Power Grid and Deregulated Market

Winter storms have revealed the threat of cascading system breakdowns, while the financial fallout looms ahead.

by Jeff St. John

02.25.21 Grid Edge 8

Highland Electric Transportation's all-inclusive service model for electric school buses has landed a big VC investment and a major U.S. contract.

Highland Electric Raises $235M, Lands Biggest Electric School Bus Contract in the US

Maryland county taps startup’s all-inclusive EV fleet leasing model to break upfront cost barriers to electrification.

by Jeff St. John

02.24.21 Grid Edge 17

Dynamic line rating, advanced power flow control and

Report: ‘Grid-Enhancing Technologies’ Could Save $5B per Year by Boosting US Renewables Capacity

Grid groups and federal lawmakers cite the report’s findings to ask federal regulators to push incentives for transmission tech.

by Jeff St. John

02.23.21 Grid Edge 3

After raising money from Bill Gates, Khosla Ventures and 3M, Varentec has been acquired by a grid sensor subsidiary of Koch Industries' engineering services arm. (Credit: Varentec)

Grid Edge M&A Alert: Sentient Acquires Varentec for Dynamic Grid Control

The line sensor and software provider bought by Koch Engineered Solutions last year picks up a stalwart in distribution power electronics.

by Jeff St. John

02.23.21 Grid Edge 43

A new report proposes a radical, income-based alternative billing structure to boost California's clean energy goals.

Should California Link Electricity Bills to Customer Incomes?

A new report takes aim at regressive volumetric rates and proposes a new way to share the costs of the state’s clean electrification goals.

by Jeff St. John

02.22.21 5

Rooftop solar is the largest source of renewable power in Hawaiian Electric's territory, accounting for nearly half of its renewable production.

Hawaii Is Ahead of Schedule for Renewable Power Adoption

The state demanded 30 percent renewable energy by 2020. The electric utilities blew past that.

by Julian Spector

02.18.21 Grid Edge 1

Understanding the Texas Grid Failure

This week on The Energy Gang: we dissect what went wrong in Texas.

by Stephen Lacey

02.16.21 Grid Edge 48

The massive blackouts across Texas are pushing regulators and policymakers to consider the threat of winter demand peaks and power-plant-disabling temperatures.

Texas Energy System Faces a Winter Reckoning

Widespread power plant failures spur calls for better weatherization and an examination of bulk power market structures.

by Jeff St. John

02.16.21 Grid Edge 9

Demand charges are a big problem for EV fast-charging. Finding the right rates to replace them requires a careful balancing act. (Credit: EVgo)

Getting the Rates Right for a Public EV Charging Build-Out

Demand charges can tank the economics of early-stage electric-vehicle charging rollouts. Replacements must balance support for EV growth with fair cost-sharing.

by Jeff St. John

02.15.21 Grid Edge 87