News & Updates

U.S. space scientists are monitoring a series of high-energy eruptions from the sun to determine if they will threaten power grids as Hurricane Irma bears down on the Eastern Seaboard. Read more.

Ninety minutes before the arrival of the solar eclipse on Aug. 21, a large, thick cloud drifted in to obscure the sun, curdling the hopes of Tom Petray, a retired Texas State University professor who had lugged a vacuum-cleaner-sized telescope to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Melton Hill on the Clinch River outside Knoxville to see…Read more

New and better power lines can help integrate clean energy resources, but insiders say longstanding planning issues are blocking expansion. Read more. 

WIRES published a new white paper by London Economics International (LEI) that debunks myths and misconceptions about the benefits and costs of expanding and upgrading the high-voltage transmission system. Read the full Wires press release.

Ahead of this month’s anticipated release of the Department of Energy’s analysis of grid reliability under current market and policy conditions, stakeholders are weighing in on the role of baseload power and the impact policy shifts could have on technology investments. Read more.

Energy storage, smart meters and microgrids, among other energy technology, were on full display at an expo in Washington hosted by the Edison Electric Institute, GridWise Alliance and National Electrical Manufacturers Association. Read more about the expo.

Grid operators told lawmakers that regulatory certainty, not congressional reform efforts, would have the greatest benefit for electricity markets. Executives from the seven regional transmission organizations and independent system operators told a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing that competitive markets are working well. Read more.

While transmissions lines aren’t the most glamorous subject, they are arguably one of the most important when it comes to power. Investment in lines can lead to better power, a better economy and cleaner air and water. Building transmission lines is a win-win, see for yourself here.

The power mix in the U.S. is changing, and while it is forcing the coal industry out, the development of a cleaner mix of fuels is a positive for the power grid. For more information, see this report about the additions that support the diversity and reliability of power systems.

The Department of Energy announces a 30 million dollar US-India consortium to increase efforts for more reliable energy in both countries. This partnership allows for a more advanced distribution grid, as well as the collaboration of resources, laboratories and industries. Read more about the project here.