Electric Utility News | Power Utility Business Models

A Wood Mackenzie Business

GTM members benefits:

Unlimited access to our free news articles
Unlimited access to our free webinars, white papers, and videos
Special offers and discounts on Events and Squared
Updates on breaking news and current events

01.01.18 Energy Storage 0

The U.K. could be come a world-leading storage market as batteries get paired with renewables.

The UK Could Install 12 Gigawatts of Energy Storage by 2021

It depends on many variables.

by Jason Deign

12.29.17 Regulation & Policy 1

A planning deficit is hindering the ability of utilities to accommodate a growing number of distributed energy resources.

Industry Perspective

Want to Prevent Interconnection Gridlock? Make a Plan

In Part 7 of IREC’s interconnection series, Erica McConnell and Stephanie Safdi explain how DER interconnection issues can be overcome with proper integrated distribution planning.

by Erica McConnell and Stephanie Safdi

12.29.17 Commercial & Industrial Energy 4

Some 1,700 American companies have committed to delivering on the Paris Agreement despite the U.S. government withdrawal, from big corporate players like Amazon and Walmart to a coffee shop in Montana.

How Corporations ‘Bypassed the Politics’ to Lead on Clean Energy in 2017

From mega wind purchases to rooftop solar arrays to electric truck orders, companies of all sizes are stepping up to act on climate.

by Julia Pyper

12.28.17 Regulation & Policy 7

Industry Perspective

A Year-End Update on Electricity Policy From the Field

A review of the most important developments in rate design, distributed energy deployments, and utility business models.

by Sonia Aggarwal

12.28.17 Finance & VC 1

Was 2017 the Year Global Energy Giants Went All-In on the Distributed Energy Revolution?

The year in cleantech, energy storage and grid edge M&A.

by Jeff St. John

12.26.17 Solar Finance & VC 16

The Cleantech Casualties of 2017

Residential solar and nuclear power took a beating this year.

by Julian Spector

12.22.17 Solar-Plus-Storage 15

Rebuilding Puerto Rico’s Grid With Batteries and Solar Would Be the Cheapest Option

In this week’s episode of The Interchange: we look at AES’ vision for repowering Puerto Rico with solar and storage.

by Stephen Lacey

12.22.17 Utilities 11

How Utilities Charged Consumers $40 Billion for Failed Power Plants

On this week’s Energy Gang podcast: a look at the best energy journalism of 2017.

by Stephen Lacey

12.22.17 Demand Response 4

NRG Energy and Cummins’ New Business: Backup Generators as Grid Assets

How aggregating backup power for demand response and other grid services could unlock a big new C&I distributed energy market.

by Jeff St. John

12.21.17 Commercial & Industrial Energy 1

EDF has expanded its footprint in the U.S. commercial energy market, offering distributed solar and storage to large corporate customers.

Why French Utility EDF Is Entering the US Distributed Storage Market

The company sees an opportunity to hone internal expertise and broaden its offerings to commercial customers.

by Julian Spector

12.20.17 Electric Vehicles 11

Tesla is so close to delivering on Musk's

The Ups and Downs of Tesla’s Wild Ride in 2017

A look back at the year for Elon Musk’s ambitious energy company.

by Katie Fehrenbacher

12.20.17 Residential Solar 1

New York, Hawaii and others are experimenting with different cost-allocation methods for connecting DERs.

Industry Perspective

Sharing the Burden and the Benefits: The Quandary of Allocating DER Interconnection Costs

In Part 6 of our interconnection series with IREC, Erica McConnell and Laura Beaton examine how to fairly allocate costs for grid upgrades among DER customers.

by Erica McConnell and Laura Beaton

12.20.17 Regulation & Policy 5

The Australian Energy Market Operator's new CEO has launched a planning exercise to cope with the rise of wind and solar.

Audrey Zibelman Helms Australia’s Grid Through a Giant Wave of Renewables

“Australia is a postcard from the future,” says the former New York regulator.

by Jason Deign

12.20.17 Regulation & Policy 9

Natural gas plants in California may get replaced with energy storage.

Gas Under Threat? California Regulators Target PG&E Natural Gas Plants With Energy Storage

Energy storage, solar and demand response have been used to replace power plants that haven’t been built yet. Can they replace plants that already exist?

by Jeff St. John

12.19.17 Electric Vehicles 3

San Diego-based Nuvve claims to have deployed the world's first commercially available V2G solution.

EDF Renewable Energy Leads Series A Round in Vehicle-to-Grid Startup Nuvve

It’s just the latest in a series of grid edge investments and acquisitions by European utility giants.

by Julia Pyper

12.19.17 Energy Storage 3

Industry Perspective

Governor Cuomo Signed New York’s Energy Storage Bill. But Don’t Celebrate Just Yet

New York needs to take bolder action to build a meaningful storage market, argue Suzanne Hunt and Jigar Shah.

by Suzanne Hunt and Jigar Shah

12.18.17 Energy Storage 8

A fire engulfs a lithium-ion battery system at an Engie test site in Belgium, Nov. 11.

Engie Investigates Source of Belgian Battery Blaze

The fire last month didn’t hurt anyone, but it destroyed a containerized lithium-ion system.

by Jason Deign

12.18.17 Utilities 5

SoCal Edison is under investigation for causing the disastrous Thomas fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

California Wildfires Spark Utility Investigations and New Regulations

How much responsibility should utilities bear for fire prevention, and are distributed energy resources part of a grid resilience solution?

by Julia Pyper

Can California Achieve 100% Renewable Electricity by 2040? Jerry Brown Thinks So

GTM Squared

Can California Achieve 100% Renewable Electricity by 2040? Jerry Brown Thinks So

But it will take some major breakthroughs in energy storage and grid regionalization. Plus, some crafty resource planning amid the rise of community-choice aggregation.

by Julia Pyper | December 15, 2017

A Feast of Batteries, A Storm of Storage

GTM Squared

A Feast of Batteries, A Storm of Storage

Tales from GTM’s biggest storage event so far.

by Julian Spector | December 15, 2017

12.14.17 Electric Vehicles 55

Electric vehicles will put the pressure on battery, oil and power demand.

3 Charts That Illustrate the Impact of EVs on Battery Supply, the Electric Grid and Oil Demand

“While this transformation would be extreme, it is not considered impossible.”

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

12.14.17 Regulation & Policy 19

A new assessment adds to the weight of evidence that coal and nuclear plant retirements are not a threat to grid reliability.

Grid Reliability Authority Undercuts Perry’s Plan to Save Coal and Nukes in New Report

NERC’s latest 10-year forecast finds natural gas and renewables can cover the grid’s reliability needs as coal and nuclear plants close.

by Jeff St. John

12.13.17 Energy Storage 0

Tokyo’s Tepco to Test Stem and Sunverge Behind-the-Meter Batteries as Virtual Power Plants

Two California startups join mutual investor Mitsui to test a distributed energy storage solution for Japan’s post-Fukushima grid needs.

by Jeff St. John

12.12.17 Regulation & Policy 1

A look back at policy actions that shaped the U.S. electricity sector in 2017.

Industry Perspective

The Top 10 Utility Regulation Trends of 2017

From performance-based regulation to wholesale market changes, AEE examines the most prominent grid edge policy actions of the year.

by Coley Girouard

Live broadcast of U.S. Energy Storage Summit 2017

GTM Squared

Watch the Live Broadcast From US Energy Storage Summit 2017

GTM Squared live-streamed more than 9 hours of panels from the event in San Francisco on December 12 and 13.

by Nicholas Rinaldi | December 12, 2017

How Cheap and Abundant Can Clean Power Get?

Climate Fintech Startup Atmos Financial Puts Savings to Work for Clean Energy

Could Chile’s Auction Help Save CSP From Oblivion?

What the Coming Wave of Distributed Energy Resources Means for the US Grid

Extreme Weather Keeps Maxing Out the Grid

A Wartime Plan for Electrifying America

An Island’s Path to 100% Renewables

Are Batteries at a Turning Point?

Storage Integrator FlexGen Gains New Leadership at Crucial Time

Vestas Ventures Makes First Investment With Stake in Wooden Tower Start-Up

Vestas Launches World’s Largest Turbines as 'Big 3' Competition Ramps Up

BP, RWE and EnBW Win Big in UK Offshore Wind Leasing Round

How Cheap and Abundant Can Clean Power Get?

Climate Fintech Startup Atmos Financial Puts Savings to Work for Clean Energy

Could Chile’s Auction Help Save CSP From Oblivion?

Utilities

The UK Could Install 12 Gigawatts of Energy Storage by 2021

Want to Prevent Interconnection Gridlock? Make a Plan

How Corporations ‘Bypassed the Politics’ to Lead on Clean Energy in 2017

A Year-End Update on Electricity Policy From the Field

Was 2017 the Year Global Energy Giants Went All-In on the Distributed Energy Revolution?

The Cleantech Casualties of 2017

Rebuilding Puerto Rico’s Grid With Batteries and Solar Would Be the Cheapest Option

How Utilities Charged Consumers $40 Billion for Failed Power Plants

NRG Energy and Cummins’ New Business: Backup Generators as Grid Assets

Why French Utility EDF Is Entering the US Distributed Storage Market

The Ups and Downs of Tesla’s Wild Ride in 2017

Sharing the Burden and the Benefits: The Quandary of Allocating DER Interconnection Costs

Audrey Zibelman Helms Australia’s Grid Through a Giant Wave of Renewables

Gas Under Threat? California Regulators Target PG&E Natural Gas Plants With Energy Storage

EDF Renewable Energy Leads Series A Round in Vehicle-to-Grid Startup Nuvve

Governor Cuomo Signed New York’s Energy Storage Bill. But Don’t Celebrate Just Yet

Engie Investigates Source of Belgian Battery Blaze

California Wildfires Spark Utility Investigations and New Regulations

Can California Achieve 100% Renewable Electricity by 2040? Jerry Brown Thinks So

A Feast of Batteries, A Storm of Storage

3 Charts That Illustrate the Impact of EVs on Battery Supply, the Electric Grid and Oil Demand

Grid Reliability Authority Undercuts Perry’s Plan to Save Coal and Nukes in New Report

Tokyo’s Tepco to Test Stem and Sunverge Behind-the-Meter Batteries as Virtual Power Plants

The Top 10 Utility Regulation Trends of 2017

Watch the Live Broadcast From US Energy Storage Summit 2017