Latest
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Legal & Regulatory
Despite Federal Support, Economic Forces Are Driving the Future of Coal
The Trump administration during both its terms has prioritized its efforts on reviving the coal industry by introducing a series of policy changes and executive actions intended to boost coal leasing and production on federal lands. Yet, despite these political moves, coal’s trajectory in the U.S. energy market has followed a different path.
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Water
Four Reasons to Consider Water Chemistry Early in the Design Process
Power plants are engineered with precision down to the smallest detail, yet one critical variable is often considered too late in the process: water chemistry. When it’s considered early in design rather
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Distributed Energy
Grid Edge DERMS: The Ultimate Enabler of the Decentralized Grid
Electricity management is undergoing a fundamental shift. The traditional model of one-way power flows is giving way to a dynamic system shaped by distributed assets and active consumer participation. Renewables are proliferating, distributed energy resource (DER) adoption is accelerating and assets are emerging at the grid edge.
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Renewables
Reimagining the Grid: How Microgrids Can Strengthen Utility Resilience
Microgrids have long been viewed as bespoke energy systems mostly deployed by universities, hospitals, and corporations looking to ensure power reliability and reduce costs. Widespread outages caused by major named storms, such as Sandy in 2012 and Maria in 2017, demonstrated the essential role microgrids can play in maintaining service continuity, with some communities sustaining power through local generation even as millions lost power.
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Gas
Maryland Regulators Support Fast-Tracking New Gas-Fired Plants
Utilities regulators in Maryland are prepared to expedite reviews of two natural gas-fired power plants proposed by Baltimore-based Constellation Energy. The state’s Public Service Commission on December 30 issued a 14-page order in which the group approved Constellation’s request to fast-track the facilities in the regulatory process.
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Legal & Regulatory
DOE Uses Emergency Powers to Freeze More Than 2 GW of Coal Retirements as Opposition Intensifies
A rapid succession of Section 202(c) emergency orders has forced utilities to keep more than 2 GW of coal capacity online in December alone, marking an unprecedented federal intervention in grid operations and triggering legal challenges from states and environmental groups. Across all orders issued since May 2025, the DOE has now stalled the retirement […]
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Coal
One Day Prior to Planned Closure, DOE Orders Colorado Coal-Fired Unit to Keep Running
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued another emergency order to keep a coal-fired power plant operating, this time saying a Colorado facility must remain online at least another three months.
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Commentary
Power Generation in the Age of AI: Year-End 2025 Outlook
In early 2020, the prevailing narrative in the power sector was a continuation story of the developments from the decade before: renewable buildout will keep compounding, thermal capacity will keep retiring (albeit at a slower rate), markets will evolve to compensate for flexible generation products, capital will keep moving earlier in the development value chain […]
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Data Centers
Data Centers, the Grid, and the Assumptions That Don’t Hold Up
The power sector is grappling with a fundamental mismatch: hyperscale data centers demand electricity at unprecedented speed and scale, while the infrastructure to serve them operates on timelines measured in years, not months. According to Stephen Empedocles, PhD, founder and CEO of Clark Street Associates (CSA), an advisory firm specializing in government funding for technology […]
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Data Centers
Amazon Data Centers Aren’t Raising Your Electric Bills—They May Be Lowering Them
[Ed. update 1/6/2026: This article has been updated to include additional context about the scope and methodology of the E3 study referenced herein.] As electricity demand from data centers continues to surge, a persistent question has dogged the industry: Are residential ratepayers footing the bill for massive tech infrastructure? According to Amazon Web Services (AWS) […]