Utilities

Utilities

Data centers want clean electricity. Can Georgia Power deliver it?

The utility intends to build fossil gas plants to meet data center demand, but tech companies and enviro groups are pushing for more clean energy in the next plan.

By Jeff St. John . 22 April 2024
Utilities

More demand, more gas: Inside the Southeast’s dirty power push

Southeastern utilities want to build fossil gas power plants to meet surging demand. Critics say clean energy, batteries and grid-responsive data centers can do the job.

By Jeff St. John . 11 April 2024
Distributed energy resources

California’s new rules allow solar and batteries to help out the grid

Utilities tend to treat solar and batteries as threats to their power grids. California’s policy will now tap their flexible power to benefit the grid instead.

By Jeff St. John . 2 April 2024
Utilities

California regulator takes income-based electric bills off the table

CPUC’s new proposal ditches the controversial plan to charge ratepayers based on their income and instead puts forth fixed monthly charges.

By Jeff St. John . 29 March 2024
Energy storage

Arizona just added its biggest grid battery yet, with another coming soon

The state is shoring up clean energy supply for a new Google data center during a record year nationally for energy storage installations.

By Julian Spector . 20 March 2024
Electrification

Data centers, bitcoin and EVs send utilities scrambling for more power

U.S. energy use has been flat, but bitcoin, data centers, and EVs are fueling a spike and threatening climate goals.

By Kristi Swartz, Pam Radtke, Floodlight . 19 March 2024
Utilities

Minnesota utility’s plan for getting off gas isn’t enough, critics say

CenterPoint Energy’s "innovation plans" won’t put the state on track to achieve its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by midcentury.

By Frank Jossi . 12 March 2024
Solar

New policy proposal dims hopes of reviving community solar in California

State regulators and utilities could kill off a community-solar plan backed by lawmakers, pro-solar groups, environmental-justice advocates, unions and homebuilders.

By Jeff St. John . 6 March 2024
Liquefied natural gas

One big downside of LNG exports: Price swings for US gas consumers

The global gas trade has brought new volatility home to domestic markets — a factor the White House is considering as it reassesses the LNG buildout.

By Julian Spector . 6 March 2024
Transmission

Smart tech could help fix the biggest barrier to building clean energy

A new report finds that "grid-enhancing technologies” can help gigawatts of solar and wind leapfrog the clean energy logjam — and save a ton of money.

By Jeff St. John . 22 February 2024