Power & Utilities
A growing number of states are turning to grid modernization initiatives aimed at creating a more flexible system that can accommodate the proliferation of distributed energy resources (DER) and other solutions that meet changing customer needs and climate goals.
As the power and transportation sectors shift toward decarbonization, federal and state regulators are examining hydrogen's untapped potential in lowering emissions across industries ranging from energy storage to heavy-duty vehicles.
As the distributed solar landscape evolves, revisions and successors to net metering programs seek to ensure that the compensation rate and other and program elements avoid cost shifting to non-participating customers while supporting a value proposition for new solar customers.
Amid the growing interest in clean energy, state and federal policy changes to utility power procurement rules under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) are shaping the portfolios of small renewable power producers. PURPA, which has been a key driver of renewable generation in the U.S., sets requirements for utilities to purchase power from small independent electricity and cogeneration facilities.
A growing number of states are gearing up to leverage distributed energy resources (DER) to support grid operations amid clean energy and climate goals that require investments in and incentives for renewables and customer-sited generation.
As the retail energy marketplace evolves, state lawmakers and regulators are expanding their focus on the impacts to clean energy and long-term reliability, in addition to consumer protections and operational efficiencies.
Extreme cold weather conditions were a major factor in multiple grid events that occurred over the last decade, most notably the recent mid-February Winter Storm Uri that affected the south-central U.S., causing widespread outages and forcing natural gas processing plants to shut down. The impacts of these events on electric and gas systems that were unprepared for the challenge has emphasized the need to address cold weather reliability.
Extreme cold weather conditions were a major factor in multiple grid events that occurred over the last decade, most notably the recent mid-February Winter Storm Uri that affected the south-central U.S., causing widespread outages and forcing natural gas processing plants to shut down. The impacts of these events on electric and gas systems that were unprepared for the challenge has emphasized the need to address cold weather reliability.
Oregon has embarked on a clean energy transition with the enactment of sweeping legislation that mandates carbon-free power by 2040, setting one of the most ambitious decarbonization timelines in the nation. The state’s carbon reduction efforts range from legislative measures to study renewable hydrogen and expand transportation electrification, to rulemaking for a climate protection plan, and investigation into resource adequacy.
Demand response (DR) portfolios of electric utilities across the U.S. continue to expand as they refine their programs and explore new options to support grid reliability in response to the changing resource mix. The role of DR in planning and operations is expected to increase as the resource mix continues to evolve with increasing generation from natural gas, wind, solar, battery storage, and other emerging distributed energy technologies.
States are exploring ways to utilize the multiple benefits that energy storage provides to the grid, from enabling the increased penetration of renewable resources and reducing dependence on emitting generation, to bolstering reliability.
Clean energy mandates and goals adopted by U.S. states and utilities are driving efforts to plan and build out the transmission infrastructure needed to accommodate the exponential growth of wind and solar to facilitate power sector decarbonization.