PG&E outage hit SF Mission District April 30, affecting 2,725 customers. Learn how PG&E's new monitoring hub uses ML to prevent future outages.

This California-based company is leveraging cutting-edge AI to prevent billions in fire damage, fight climate change, and create a more resilient electrical grid.

Kerr County officials are urging state regulators to implement stricter guidelines for battery energy storage systems (BESS) due to concerns about fire hazards, environmental impact, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and potential declines in property values throughout the Texas Hill Country. Battery energy storage facilities, which store electricity generated from sources such as solar or wind power for

Concord Municipal Light Plant staff told the Light Board that allowing residential battery "pushback" raises safety, interconnection and transformer-sizing risks; staff cited state net-metering rules, IEEE and UL standards and said about 1 megawatt of storage is installed locally, recommending further study and pilot data.

Chinese "kill switches" found in US solar equipment could let Beijing remotely disable power grids in a conflict.

Battery Energy Storage Systems Face Growing Opposition as Towns Implement Bans Across the United States, the rapid expansion of battery energy storage systems (BESS) is encountering resistance, with more than 50 towns, cities, and counties enacting bans or moratoriums on their construction. The U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts that over 80% of new electric generation

Innovations in Utilities: Aiming to Tackle Rising Wildfire Risks Avangrid, a leading utility company, boasts an impressive installed energy generating capacity of 10.5 GW. However, the increasing risks posed by wildfires have prompted utilities to explore innovative solutions. A recent whitepaper by the Developers Advocating Transmission Advancements (DATA) Coalition sheds light on the inefficiencies and costs associated with competitive bidding for transmission projects. The group argues that this process introduces unnecessary delays and drives up costs for energy customers. According to the report, competitively developed projects rarely bring cost savings and may even cause costs to rise due to the resulting tumult. The DATA Coalition highlights several concerns regarding competitive bidding, including "bait and switch" tactics, illusory cost caps, and delays in critical infrastructure development. The group also notes that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) Order No. 1000 policy has created an incentive for developers to engage in relentless arguments over project development rights, fostering uncertainty that hinders actual infrastructure development. In contrast, some utilities support the FERC's legislation, arguing that it encourages innovation and potentially lowers costs by allowing multiple companies to compete for project development rights. However, a coalition of Wisconsin utilities and stakeholders emphasizes the importance of retaining control over grid safety and reliability, highlighting the need for a Right of First Refusal (ROFR) law. This law has already protected consumers and businesses in seven Midwestern states, preventing predatory practices and costly delays. The Wisconsin Economic Development Association notes that adopting a ROFR reform would allow the state to retain control over its grid, avoiding billions of dollars in avoidable energy costs.