grid
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T&D
What Is ERCOT and What Does It Do?
To understand what the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is, it helps to understand how the North American electric power system is configured. The contiguous U.S. is comprised of three power grids or “interconnections.” The Eastern Interconnection reaches from central Canada eastward to the Atlantic coast (excluding Québec), south to Florida, and west to […]
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Commentary
EV Fast Charging Infrastructure Isn’t Growing Fast Enough—Utilities Must Step Up to Accelerate This Critical Infrastructure Buildout
Utilities are just beginning their journeys to speed up deployment of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in reaction to increasing EV penetration. In the U.S., EV sales have risen nearly 50% between 2022 and 2023, now accounting for 8% of total industry sales (the Biden administration has a goal of 50% new vehicle sales comprising zero-emission vehicles by […]
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Commentary
Why Utilities Must Create A Stronger Digital Architecture to Manage the Future Power Grid Amid Climate Challenges
This year, many of us watched with audible gasps as high temperatures shattered records and extreme weather destroyed homes and displaced people across the globe. These uncontrolled events have undoubtedly strained our old, antiquated electric grids, causing outages and downtime. The Biden administration has stepped up with $167 Million in energy grid resilience funding to assist in modernizing these […]
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Hybrid Power
New Zealand Utility Eyes Cloud Computing to Support Renewables, EVs
A New Zealand utility is piloting two software solutions to gauge their efficacy at handling grid constraints. Raglan is a beachside community of just under 4,000 people, about a two-hour drive from Auckland
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Electrification
Transformative, Next-Gen Grid Control Technologies Get $42M in Federal Funding
The Department of Energy (DOE) has initiated a new “enabling” pathway to achieve and sustain a dramatic transformation of the nation’s evolving grid—through its power electronics fabric, with the realization of advanced semiconductor materials, devices, and power module technologies. The agency on Nov. 21 unveiled the agency’s first awards—$42 million for 15 projects across 11 […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Increased Demand Is Fueling Interconnection Process Changes
Electrical system operators are seeing an increase in potential projects seeking to connect to the power grid. Ideally, this growth in application activity means that energy systems and networks will become
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T&D
Enhancing Energy Asset Performance: Confronting the Energy Challenges of the 21st Century
The energy sector has been characterized in recent years by a crisis that affects the globe. As fossil fuel-based energy production decreases in popularity due to its negative effects on the environment and human health, other means of production are added to the grid. Nevertheless, the new methods, with emphasis on renewable energy forms, are […]
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Commentary
How Utilities Can Power Up the Customer Experience
In today’s rapidly changing world, utility providers play an increasingly important role in ensuring that people have access to the vital resources they need to power their homes, businesses, and communities. From electricity and gas to water and internet services, these providers are responsible for delivering critical resources that are essential to our daily lives. […]
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Commentary
A Tipping Point for America’s Grid
COMMENTARY The American grid is reaching a tipping point. With electric vehicles (EVs) making up 5% of all new vehicle sales last year, there is an urgent need to prepare for the unprecedented strain that will be placed on the U.S. power grid as adoption continues to ramp up—and this is to say nothing of […]
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Legal & Regulatory
DOE Proposes New Distribution Transformer Standards as Crippling Shortages Persist
Almost all distribution transformers produced or imported into the U.S. could require amorphous steel cores starting in 2027 under new energy efficiency standards proposed by the Department of Energy (DOE). The measure, unveiled as industry grapples with a crippling shortage of distribution transformers, will serve a longer-term role in boosting grid resiliency as a “strategic […]
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