Illinois sets 3-GW energy storage target, requires utilities to develop virtual power plants

Electricity bills in Illinois rose 15% last year. A new law aims to reduce energy costs by incentivizing new resources, expanding solar and growing efficiency programs.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 9, 2026

Utilities under pressure: 6 power sector trends to watch in 2026

Facing rising demand and aggressive load growth projections, utilities are rolling out massive spending plans. Now they'll have to walk a fine line with regulators and ratepayers.

By Meris Lutz , Robert Walton , Ethan Howland , Diana DiGangi • Jan. 8, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

AI in the Power Sector

Artificial intelligence is uniquely positioned to impact the electricity industry from both ends: as the technology driving large load demand growth and as a tool with the potential to make the power system more efficient. 

By Utility Dive staff

How VPPs can help data centers connect to the grid faster

Virtual power plants can be developed quickly to satisfy data center demand, but reaching the scale required to meet soaring load growth will require new commercial models, according to RMI.

By Jesse Cohen, Mark Dyson and Lauren Shwisberg • Jan. 8, 2026

Modern rate design needed to meet Northeast, Mid-Atlantic grid challenges: NEEP

Seasonal rates and opt-out time-of-use plans are among the reforms that can find success without major technology or infrastructure upgrades, the energy-efficiency group said.

By Brian Martucci • Jan. 7, 2026

Federal agencies look to performance contracts as energy efficiency aid shrinks

Agencies are authorized by statute to use energy performance contracts to make efficiency upgrades with little up-front cost, the National Lab of the Rockies says.

By Joe Burns • Jan. 7, 2026

Programmatic alignment is key to scaling residential battery demand response

Utilities, battery manufacturers, technology providers and customers all operate under different incentive structures, writes Uplight’s Sneha Vasudevan.

By Sneha Vasudevan • Jan. 6, 2026

Home efficiency upgrades could offset data center loads while creating jobs: report

A report from AnnDyl shows significant potential benefits for local grids, employment and utility ratepayers when data center companies invest in residential energy efficiency.

By Brian Martucci • Dec. 23, 2025

Turing test-inspired tool compares virtual power plants to gas peakers

EnergyHub’s “Huels test” asks whether a grid operator can distinguish between a gas peaker plant and a VPP based on their operational characteristics. To pass, the VPP must match the visibility, “schedulability” and availability of a peaker.

By Brian Martucci • Dec. 17, 2025

Grid operators, ratepayers shouldn’t fear flexible data centers: GridCARE

The startup says its analysis shows that if a 1-GW data center incorporates “just modest amounts of flexibility,” it could reduce costs by 5% across all customer classes or unlock more than $1.35 billion in capital for the utility.

By Brian Martucci • Dec. 16, 2025

To power the AI revolution, we need a grid built for speed

Advancing AI requires utility incentive reforms that value digital upgrades like advanced metering and distributed energy resource management systems, Schneider Electric’s Jeannie Salo writes.

By Jeannie Salo • Dec. 11, 2025

Bill to expand weatherization programs passes through House committee

The bill would raise the average subsidy per housing unit from $6,500 to $12,000 for low-income households. It comes as the federal government and some states cut back on efficiency programs. 

By Brian Martucci • Dec. 10, 2025

Amazon to scale AI-enabled efficiency tool after pilot shaves 15% from energy use

The e-commerce giant plans to deploy Trane Technologies’ BrainBox AI platform across more than 30 sites within its grocery fulfillment and distribution network in the U.S.

By Philip Neuffer • Dec. 10, 2025

U.S. data center power demand could reach 106 GW by 2035: BloombergNEF

The forecast is 36% higher than its April estimate. Other experts warn that an AI bubble or speculative data center proposals could be fueling excessive load growth projections.

By Brian Martucci • Dec. 3, 2025

National Petroleum Council urges permitting reform

A new report from the council says the deepening interdependence of the gas and electric sectors necessitates more coordination between them, along with permitting reform from the government.

By Diana DiGangi • Dec. 3, 2025

Solving PJM’s data center problem

The grid operator must stop buying capacity for new data centers. Instead, it can provide them with only interruptible service until they bring their own capacity, write Tom Rutigliano and Claire Lang-Ree of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

By Tom Rutigliano and Claire Lang-Ree • Dec. 2, 2025

Utilities, regulators look to accelerate pilots to achieve speed-to-innovation

Stakeholders say clear cost limits, timelines and parameters for scaling can overcome the inertia of a traditionally risk-averse industry.

By Herman K. Trabish • Dec. 1, 2025

[Podcast] How Utilities Are Planning for Demand

This podcast explores how utilities are meeting rising power demand with smart planning and strategies for the grid of tomorrow.

By Utility Dive's studioID • Updated Dec. 1, 2025

New York faces ‘significant reliability shortfalls’: NYISO

The report doesn’t identify actionable reliability needs, but NYISO warned that this doesn’t guarantee long-term system adequacy and suggested changing its procedures for identifying reliability needs.

By Diana DiGangi • Nov. 26, 2025

University of Rhode Island to use geothermal system after test success

The university used a grant from its utility to drill a test well that showed a geothermal system could potentially cut heating and cooling costs in half or more.

By Joe Burns • Nov. 24, 2025

Bills to weaken DOE efficiency programs advance

Republican lawmakers say the proposals will make housing and appliances more affordable and improve consumer choice. Energy efficiency advocates say they will raise consumer energy costs.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 20, 2025

PJM stakeholders fail to agree on data center interconnection rules

The PJM Interconnection’s board may develop a proposal for new rules to interconnect large loads to the grid, but the timing is unclear.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 20, 2025

Some load forecasts using ‘unrealistically high load factors’: Grid Strategies VP

“It's very challenging, at this point in time, for load forecasts to be accurate,” said Grid Strategies Vice President John Wilson.

By Diana DiGangi • Nov. 19, 2025

Winter peak demand is rising faster than resource additions: NERC

Batteries and demand response make up the bulk of new resources heading into this winter, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. said Tuesday. Following capacity changes in some markets, wind resources declined.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 19, 2025

How engineered building solutions support data center technologies to deliver AI workloads

Modular control buildings drive scalable growth for AI-ready data centers.

By Damian Mannino • Nov. 17, 2025

Constellation Energy looks to demand response to accommodate load growth

A lot of Constellation’s customers have shown interest in demand response products, and the pipeline for that “looks really strong right now,” said Chief Commercial Officer Jim McHugh.

By Diana DiGangi • Nov. 12, 2025