Research on Power & Utilities | Transmission, Regulations

Dec202021

Visual Primer: Renewables and Reliability Needs Lead to Multi-Billion-Dollar Transmission Investments

December 20, 2021

Regulators across the U.S. are accelerating electric transmission projects worth tens of billions of dollars to bring renewable power to consumers and make the grid more resilient against extreme weather events. Infrastructure updates have also garnered bipartisan support on the federal level, with more than $65 billion allocated for clean energy transmission and grid development in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act enacted by the Congress last month.

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Dec132021

Visual Primer: Weather-Induced Energy Crises Drive Resiliency Efforts Across U.S.

December 13, 2021

The growing incidence of extreme weather events has triggered regulatory and legislative efforts across the U.S. to improve the reliability and resilience of the energy system. Winter Storm Uri, which caused widespread outages in the South Central U.S. in February, prompted a regulatory upheaval in Texas, which suffered the brunt of the storm, leaving more than 4.5 million people without power. California has adopted measures to ensure reliability in the event of extreme weather in the summers of 2022 and 2023. Federal regulators have approved new cold weather electric reliability standards.

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Dec62021

Policy Primer: U.S. Offshore Wind Industry December 2021 Update

December 6, 2021

Interest in offshore wind energy has reached new levels driven by supportive federal action, ambitious state procurement targets, and evolving technology. Recent developments include federal approval of the second commercial-scale project, and plans to hold up to seven new lease sales by 2025 in the East Coast, as well as the West and Gulf Coasts. Despite the progress, the industry faces opposition with recent lawsuits challenging the approval of the nation’s first major offshore project, the 800-megawatt (MW) Vineyard Wind I venture, over its potential impact to the fishing industry and endangered species.

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Nov222021

Visual Primer: Grid Reliability Needs, Clean Energy Goals Spur Discussion Around Western RTO

November 22, 2021

Western U.S. states are evaluating options to join or form a regional transmission organization (RTO) as regional coordination would strengthen electric system resilience and reliability, enhance clean energy adoption, and address transmission challenges.

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Nov222021

Virginia Regulator Approves $650 Million Grid Transformation Plan for Dominion Energy

Infrastructure Bill Provides Over $62 Billion for U.S. Energy Department Initiatives

November 22, 2021

U.S. President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law on Nov.15, unlocking $62 billion for U.S. Energy Department initiatives, including revitalizing domestic manufacturing, expanding access to energy efficiency and clean energy, modernizing the power grid, and advancing next-generation technologies. Among the major provisions, the legislation allocates $6 billion for a Civilian…...

Nov152021

Visual Primer: Performance-Based Regulation Evolves to Align Utility and Customer Interests

November 15, 2021

Discussion around performance-based regulation (PBR) continues to evolve as utilities and regulators explore a framework aimed at strengthening the connection between utility returns and performance.

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Oct252021

Visual Primer: Utilities’ Long-Term Resource Plans Reflect Growing Role of Battery Storage in Power Mix

October 25, 2021

Energy storage is becoming an increasingly important part of the power mix to accommodate the exponential growth of intermittent renewables required to accomplish ambitious decarbonization targets set by U.S. states and utilities.

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Oct182021

Visual Primer: Growing Push for Transportation Electrification Highlights Potential of EVs as Grid Resources

October 18, 2021

The growing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is driving interest in vehicle-grid integration technologies that enable EVs to inject power from their batteries onto the grid, thereby enhancing reliability benefits across the distribution system.

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Oct112021

Policy Primer: Grid Modernization – October 2021 Update

October 11, 2021

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.

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Oct42021

Visual Primer: Hydrogen Technology Draws Interest as Federal, State Regulators Explore Pathways to Carbon-Free Economy

October 4, 2021

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.

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Sep202021

Policy Primer: Net Energy Metering Reforms – September 2021 Update

September 20, 2021

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.

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Sep62021

Visual Primer: Reforms to PURPA Rules Influence Small Renewable Energy Development Across U.S.

September 6, 2021

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.

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