Transmission

This DOE-backed software is helping to unclog the grid

GridUnity’s software can shave 12 months from the sluggish interconnection process that’s stalling clean power. A $50M DOE grant is helping it expand.

By Jeff St. John . 12 November 2024

(Citizen of the Planet/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Transmission

Biden admin awards $2B in new grid resilience grants

The third round of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grants target the hurricane-ravaged Southeast U.S. as well as nationwide projects to bolster the grid.

By Jeff St. John . 18 October 2024
Transmission

Why won’t PJM let batteries and clean power bolster a stressed-out grid?

The country’s biggest grid operator is preventing developers from adding batteries to existing projects that have extra grid space, in defiance of a federal mandate.

By Jeff St. John . 3 October 2024
Utilities

California lawmakers punt on chances to deal with utility bill crisis

Wildfire mitigation and grid expansion are driving up utility bills in California. But plans to contain those costs failed to make it through the legislative gauntlet.

By Jeff St. John . 5 September 2024
Transmission

Midwest grid operators submit $1.7B plan to build cross-border power lines

MISO and SPP are seeking approval for a joint transmission project that could unlock gigawatts of clean energy — and create a template for similar collaborations.

By Jeff St. John . 27 August 2024
Transmission

New England grid gets $389M boost to help plug in offshore wind

The region’s new Department of Energy award comes as several New England states band together to try and build more offshore wind for less money.

By Hannah Chanatry . 8 August 2024
Transmission

Prices just spiked in the biggest US power market. Blame the grid backlog.

PJM’s inability to get wind, solar, and batteries online will cause utility bills to rise for 65 million customers from the Great Lakes to the mid-Atlantic.

By Jeff St. John . 6 August 2024
Transmission

Biden admin announces $2.2B in grants to boost US power grid

The grid is overburdened, under-resourced — and vital to the energy transition. New federal funding aims to increase capacity and get more clean energy built.

By Jeff St. John . 6 August 2024
Transmission

Startup nabs $60M for high-tech cables to help speed clean energy rollout

The grid needs much more capacity to bring clean energy online. TS Conductor’s tech could help — and federal and state policies are pushing utilities to adopt it.

By Jeff St. John . 31 July 2024
Solar

Minnesota creates new ombudsperson role to help connect solar faster

Solar developers have long complained about the state’s lengthy process for connecting to the grid. The ombudsperson will work to resolve disputes.

By Frank Jossi . 11 July 2024
Transmission

New projects aim to break US barriers to digitizing the grid

U.S. utilities are just starting to deploy grid-boosting tech like Smart Wires’ SmartValve systems. A carbon-free grid will need a lot more of it to succeed.

By Jeff St. John . 20 June 2024