Electrical utilities were among the first in the industry to adopt fiber optics, closely following the telephone companies, who were involved in developing the technology. Telcos saw fiber optics as the most cost-effective...
What does it take to survive hurricane season each year for utilities—especially those in the Southeastern United States? It takes a lot, including well-trained utility workers, partnerships with other utilities and great...
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, Colo., released a plan to help the General Services Administration (GSA) shift its huge real estate portfolio to a more grid-interactive and energy-efficient operation...
To protect and meet the energy needs of its 16 million customers, and also enhance its own energy systems, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is proposing a series of safety, resiliency and clean energy investments in...
As the largest utility in California, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), San Francisco, along with its 16 million customers, has been heavily impacted by the state’s growing number and intensity of wildfires. Last week...
Electric utilities in the United States apparently got off easy from the massive SolarWinds cyberattacks, according to the organization charged with protecting North American power supplies. That was possibly due more to luck...
Electric utilities are going through a transition in their relationships with customers. Once seen as the only players in town when it came to supplying electricity, they are now facing new challengers in the form of solar...
Utility spending on transmission work, in terms of new transmission lines and existing transmission line system operations and maintenance (O&M), is continuing to grow. A March 2021 report report from the U.S. Energy...
U.S. electricity use is expected to increase by 2.1% this year, over last year’s pandemic-related 3.8% drop in demand, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. This rise, however, will mostly reflect a return...
A number of utilities (all subsidiaries of Exelon, Chicago) working together in cooperation have won three of the Electric Power Research Institute’s (EPRI) 2020 Technology Transfer Awards for Innovation. The annual EPRI...
According to a January 2021 report, “A 2030 United States Macro Grid,” from Breakthrough Energy Sciences (BES), an organization founded by Bill Gates that works to promote innovation designed to help eliminate greenhouse...
Electric vehicle (EV) use is growing rapidly across the country. As the technology catches on, demand for a comprehensive network of charging infrastructure is also on the rise. Stakeholders recognize the trend and are taking...
California’s utilities are enhancing their wildfire mitigation plans in the wake of 2020’s rash of deadly wildfires. The state’s three major utilities—Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), San Francisco; Southern California Edison...
With this new year comes a new presidential administration with vastly different environmental and economic priorities. For electric utilities, this could result in a significant ratcheting up of environmental regulations and...
On Dec. 28, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released two rules related to the use of “unmanned aircraft,” commonly known as drones. Utilities are more frequently using drones for...
In its “2020-2021 Winter Reliability Assessment,” the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), Atlanta, predicts that there will be sufficient resource capacity in place across North America to meet winter...
According to a new report by Steve Cicala, an assistant professor and Neubauer faculty fellow at Tufts University, Medford, Mass., while utilities have multiple challenges and unexpected additional expenses as a result of the...
With hurricane season on the horizon, electric utilities are gearing up and preparing to reach out to each other for help when recovering from potential storm events. While weather-related destruction can occur year-round...
We’re used to lineworkers being the face of electric utilities. These employees are out there keeping the power on, and they’re also on the front lines of restoration efforts to turn the lights back on in communities hit by...
An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on May 1 has sweeping implications for electric utilities across the nation. Namely placing restrictions on the foreign-supplied components installed on the nation’s...
