Commentary

Small modular reactors (SMRs) are emerging as a potentially critical part of the future power mix. Only a year ago, SMRs were still framed as a promising but distant technology. But that’s all changed as electricity demand accelerates, grids struggle to expand at the pace required, and affordability and reliability move back to the top […]

The 2026 midterms delivered a clear warning to anyone who thinks communities will accept major energy projects simply because Washington or Wall Street says they are strategic. Voters are worried about costs, local control and who benefits when power-hungry infrastructure arrives. Democrats next year will take control of Congress, and many local communities voted to […]

Renewable energy must overcome significant challenges, and if it succeeds, it can achieve the potential that many envision. Renewable energy must be ever-economical and ever-competitive. Otherwise, it will continue to lag. Ideology never got a megawatt-hour (MWh) to market; economic competitiveness did. COMMENTARY To set the stage, we know that generation using fossil fuels is […]

Battery energy storage systems are becoming essential infrastructure for a grid that increasingly depends on variable renewable generation. Their ability to respond quickly to changes in supply and demand makes storage uniquely valuable: batteries absorb excess generation, discharge when demand rises, and provide balancing services that help keep the grid stable. But as storage takes […]

For years, virtual power plants (VPPs) were treated by much of the power industry as a promising but niche experiment. A way to aggregate a modest pool of rooftop solar and residential resources and call it a grid resource. That framing no longer holds. In 2025 and through 2026, VPPs have moved much further into […]

Energy affordability is top of mind for many state legislative and regulatory bodies. As part of those energy affordability considerations, conversations and proposals are increasingly contemplating who should be allowed to own the batteries that keep the grid running. Utilities, independent developers and customer-owned systems can all deliver various grid services. The states that let […]

For decades, electric utilities have planned around a relatively predictable relationship between population growth, economic activity, weather and electricity consumption. Demand increased gradually, infrastructure investments followed long-term forecasts and utilities generally had time to prepare for changes in where and how electricity was consumed. That planning model is being tested. The U.S. Energy Information Administration […]

How do you know when you’re in a technological renaissance? When science, technology, and economics have lined up to produce something new. COMMENTARY In Europe it took artists, scientists, and craftspeople until 1550 to recognize that they had created the Renaissance—about 200 years into the revival of the classical teachings of ancient Greece and Rome, […]

Some of the most valuable real estate in the U.S. energy system is hidden in plain sight: the utility corridor. These narrow strips of land carry high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) transmission lines across farmland, suburbs, and industrial parks. They have become increasingly important as it becomes harder to add lines to new land. Building transmission […]

A field demonstration on a 500-MW-class coal-fired unit shows how targeted fuel chemistry can mitigate severe slagging and fouling while delivering measurable operating benefits—including approximately 50% lower superheater spray demand, 53% lower reheat spray demand during comparable trial conditions, lower air preheater (APH) inlet gas temperatures, improved combustion flexibility, reduced selective catalytic reduction (SCR)-inlet NOx […]

How much more generation will the U.S. need to meet rising electricity demand? It’s an important question, but it isn’t the only one the power industry needs to answer. As data centers, advanced manufacturing, and broader electrification increase demand, the growing challenge is delivering power where and when it is needed. COMMENTARY New generation can […]

A famous aphorism goes like this: “Doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result, is one definition of insanity.” In the world of electricity transmission, there is a direct corollary: adding more capital expense to a system that is already inherently broken doesn’t improve it or make it more reliable. That’s […]

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the power requirements of modern data centers. At this point in the timeline of AI’s continued evolution, this statement should not be controversial. The deployment of increasingly large GPU clusters for training and inference purposes, such as NVIDIA’s 72-GPU Vera Rubin model, is causing rack power densities to climb from […]

Data centers do what any industry would to continue operations during a power outage: Quickly pivot to their own emergency energy. As reported in several media outlets, a 10-minute grid outage in late July of this year on the East Coast caused data centers to hop off the main grid and switch over to their […]

What does the upcoming European Union (EU) Battery Passport look like to many energy executives? Another regulatory requirement. Another documentation demand. Another checkbox. In other words, another headache. But viewing a battery passport as merely a component of compliance infrastructure overlooks its potential as a key piece of financial infrastructure. Why? Because second-life batteries have […]

This article draws on lessons from the first triennium of PSE&G’s Energy Efficiency (EE) program and how those experiences have helped shape our approach as the program has progressed. Intended for energy companies, industry peers and others involved in shaping or advancing energy efficiency efforts, the article shares insights on program management and delivery, customer […]

When the heads of three of the power sector’s biggest trade associations shared a stage at Experience POWER on Sept. 30, the most notable thing was how little they disagreed. Whether the question was data center backlash, grid security, or what to do about gas-plant emissions rules, the answer came back to the same point: […]

Who pays, who bears the risk, who decides, and when? Virginia Commissioner Jehmal Hudson makes a forceful case that serving large-load growth requires credible commitments, earlier coordination, and ratepayer protections built into investment decisions. Good afternoon. Thank you to POWER Magazine for inviting me to join you today. It is a pleasure to be with […]

Power plants have largely optimized individual assets. The next opportunity lies in how assets, resources, and operating decisions work together. Power producers are experts at optimizing equipment. Decades of advancement in engineering and operating practices have improved the performance of gas turbines, pumps, steam systems and other critical assets. Operators can measure unit-level performance in […]

Data centers increasingly serve a pivotal role in the global economy, driving artificial intelligence (AI) systems, cloud transactions, and e-purchases. Historically lead‑acid, and more recently, lithium‑ion batteries have supplied backup power, but safety, sustainability, longevity, and high-power performance progressively place zinc batteries as the preferred solution for uninterruptible power supply. With the recent announcement that […]

Over 2,060 gigawatts. That is the staggering volume of generation and storage capacity currently trapped waiting in U.S. interconnection queues. According to data from RMI, the typical project now takes almost five years—stuck in administrative and transmission review before a single watt can be delivered to the grid. In 2008, it was only two years. For […]

For most Americans, electricity is so woven into daily life that we rarely consider what its absence means. Hospitals depend on it to preserve medicines and operate equipment. Schools, factories, farms, and businesses depend on it to function. Reliable electricity is one of the foundations of a modern economy. COMMENTARY Yet 655 million people worldwide […]

It’s tempting to think the transition to cleaner homes depends entirely on better technology or larger government incentives. Those certainly matter. But history suggests something else matters just as much: Making the cleaner option easier to understand, easier to finance, and easier to buy. The automobile industry offers perhaps the clearest example. Electric drivetrains existed […]

U.S. grid planners are preparing for annual electricity demand growth of about 0.9% to 1.6% through 2050, with data centers emerging as a major driver, and EPRI—the Electric Power Research Institute—suggesting they could account for as much as 17% of U.S. electricity demand by 2030. For the wind, solar, and energy storage industry, this represents […]

On Aug. 30, workers at the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Covert Township, Michigan, began loading 204 fuel assemblies into a reactor vessel that had sat empty since the plant shut down in 2022—the first time in U.S. history that a commercial reactor that had entered decommissioning began reloading fuel. Holtec International Chairman and CEO Dr. […]

The issue of load growth for the power grid and electric utilities has an overlooked answer: reinvesting in the coal-fired power plant sites being retired.

Many environmental statutes have narrowed as streamlined permitting and efficient project development are prioritized.

Last year an automotive parts manufacturer asked us for solar with battery storage on a 110-kW system. They were ready to buy the battery. We told them not to. Their half-hourly data showed a site that ran hard through the day and went almost dark by early evening. Solar would cover the daytime load directly. […]

America is in the middle of one of the largest infrastructure buildouts in generations. Data centers are rising to support artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing. Battery plants and advanced manufacturing facilities are reshaping industrial regions. Renewable energy projects continue to expand, while new transmission infrastructure is being built to connect generation with growing demand. […]

I have spent my career building companies, and along the way I’ve learned that the technical mastery of a trade and the strategic discipline required to scale a business around it are two fundamentally different competencies. You can be the most capable operator in your field and still not have a business. A business is […]