Latest

  • Facing a Supply Crunch, ERCOT to Revamp Reserve Margin Targets

    The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) on April 30 updated its summer 2018 planning reserve margin to 11% based on resource updates, but it warned that the regional grid serving most of Texas could still suffer rotating outages under extreme conditions. In its final Seasonal Assessment of Resource Adequacy (SARA) report for the upcoming […]

  • EPA Rampaging on Coal Ash Rule Despite Groundwater Concerns

    Despite pleas by environmental groups for more time to review recent dumps of groundwater monitoring data from power companies, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is forging ahead to finalize a proposed overhaul of the Obama administration’s 2015 final Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) rule. The EPA’s 45-day comment period for the agency’s March 1 proposed rule, […]

  • Net Metering and Time-Variant Rates Drive Solar Power and Energy Storage Growth [PODCAST]

    Nevada law has included net metering provisions for more than 20 years. Net metering is an arrangement that allows energy generated by a customer’s leased or purchased solar system to offset monthly power bills. It also permits excess energy supplied to the grid to earn credits, which are then automatically applied to future billing periods […]

  • Japanese JV Will Invest $935M in U.S. Power Projects

    A joint venture of two Japanese energy companies reportedly plans to invest $935 million on U.S. power generation projects. Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) and Chubu Electric Power, through their JERA joint venture, would make the investment by 2030, according to Asian news reports. AsiaElec reported that JERA currently has about 3,000 MW of generation in […]

  • Helicopter Market Encouraged by Growth in Offshore Wind Farms

    Waypoint Leasing, a global firm that claims to be the world’s largest independent helicopter leasing company, has identified offshore wind farms as a growth opportunity for the helicopter market. Although still a small market, offshore wind power is expected to grow in coming years. According to WindEurope, a Brussels, Belgium-based wind industry advocacy group, a […]

  • Report: Technology, Renewables Will Grow Turbine Market

    The growth in power generation from renewable energy sources, along with the continued shift from coal-fired generation to natural gas, is expected to drive the global market for turbines over the next several years, according to a report released by international business analysts Research and Markets. The Dublin, Ireland-based company in an April 25 news […]

  • On the Horizon: Utility Drone Flights Beyond Visual Line of Sight

    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is taking steps to more quickly enable flights of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) beyond visual line of the operator’s sight (BVLOS), though no changes are planned to a rule that governs visual line of sight in aircraft operations. The agency that is responsible for the safety of civil aviation under […]

  • EPA Declares Forest Biomass Is ‘Carbon Neutral’

    Future regulatory actions issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will treat biomass from managed forests as carbon neutral when used for energy production at stationary sources, an agency policy statement declares. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who revealed the policy statement  on April 23 during a meeting with Georgia forestry leaders, also said the […]

  • CenterPoint, Vectren Merging in $8 Billion Deal

    CenterPoint Energy, a Houston, Texas-based natural gas and electric utility company with sales and services operations in more than 30 states, on April 23 said it would buy Evansville, Indiana-based Vectren in a deal valued at more than $8 billion, including the assumption of more than $2 billion in Vectren debt. Both companies in statements […]

  • Alarming Increase in Cybersecurity Threats Prompts Spate of Government Action

    Lawmakers, industry, and government entities, including the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), this week released a string of measures responding to mounting cybersecurity attacks by state-sponsored actors. A Revised Cybersecurity Framework On April 16, the Commerce Department’s NIST, a federal standards laboratory, released an updated version of […]