Utilities

Wind

Kentucky's first-ever utility-scale wind turbine will come online soon

It’s a notable development in a state where renewable energy has had a slow start.

By Liam Niemeyer . 16 January 2024
Transmission

Suddenly, US electricity demand is spiking. Can the grid keep up?

Data centers, factories, heat pumps, and EVs are putting increasing stress on a grid that isn’t growing fast enough, new data shows.

By Jeff St. John . 20 December 2023
Utilities

Maine utilities eye move to time-varying electric rates to boost electrification

"Time-of-use" rates that encourage customers to cut energy use at times of peak demand could help the state meet its electrification goals without straining the grid.

By Annie Ropeik . 14 November 2023
Utilities

Mainers reject historic bid to make for-profit utilities publicly owned

The ballot initiative aimed to bolster Maine’s energy transition, grid reliability and affordability. Utilities fought the effort with a torrent of cash.

By Julian Spector . 8 November 2023
Podcast

For Microsoft, AI is an 'unlock' for decarbonization

A conversation with Microsoft’s Hanna Grene on the many ways AI is impacting utility operations.

Play

By Stephen Lacey . 38 min . 7 November 2023
Clean energy

Kauai became a clean energy leader. Its secret? A publicly owned grid

Making the island’s utility a cooperative resulted in cheaper and cleaner power. It could hold lessons for communities around the country debating local utility control.

By Julian Spector . 7 November 2023
Utilities

Mainers will vote on replacing for-profit utilities with public power

Organizers of the ballot initiative hope to improve service and speed up the shift to clean energy by taking profits out of the utility sector.

By Julian Spector . 30 October 2023
Utilities

Utilities still moving way too slow on clean energy

Despite historic wind, solar and battery subsidies from the Inflation Reduction Act, U.S. utilities remain hooked on fossil fuels.

By Jeff St. John . 16 October 2023
Hydrogen

The problem with making green hydrogen to fuel power plants

A new plant in Florida will produce green hydrogen to help power the grid. But experts warn that its approach would be wasteful and ineffective if scaled up.

By Jeff St. John . 10 October 2023
Utilities

Duke Energy will cover upfront costs of home efficiency upgrades

In what could be the largest such effort from a big investor-owned utility, the program will recoup costs over time via low on-bill payments from customers.

By Elizabeth Ouzts . 4 October 2023