Utilities: Page 8

  • Close-up of a pipeline in a trench dug in the ground
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    The movement to get neighborhoods off natural gas gains momentum

    For years, cities have pursued ways to get buildings off fossil fuels, one structure at a time. Now, some leaders and advocates are eyeing a newer approach: neighborhood-scale decarbonization.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • July 10, 2024
  • Header image for "CFOs: 9.3% Jump in Prices Will Wipe Out Real Revenue Growth"
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    US electricity prices rise again as AI, onshoring may mean decades of power demand growth: BofA

    The year-over-year inflation rate for electricity prices reached 5.9% in May, up from 3.8% in January, according to Bank of America Institute.

    By Robert Walton • July 8, 2024
  • A detailed landscape design plan showing topographic contour lines, orange building illustrations, green trees, and directional arrows. The layout includes winding paths and clustered vegetation. A triangular scale ruler lies on the left, and three colored pencils, colored blue, green, and yellow, rest on the lower right corner of the page.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Government officials determine the best way to electrify fleets and meet clean fleet regulations

    Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.Bradley No...

    By Michael Keating • July 3, 2024
  • A worker inspects a 2023 Acura Integra as comes off of the assembly line at Honda's Marysville Auto Plant.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of American Honda Motor Co., Inc
    Image attribution tooltip

    Lack of affordable electric vehicles will limit widespread US adoption until at least 2028: BofA

    Analysts at Bank of America and Bloomberg say U.S. EV penetration rates are slowing and are unlikely to reach 30% by 2030.

    By Robert Walton • June 27, 2024
  • People in coats and masks stand in line against a building behind a metal fence. Many have large backpacks and bags.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Spencer Platt/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    What US mayors want from the next president, Congress

    The creation of a first-ever city mental health block grant, affordable housing investments and gun safety legislation are among the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ requests.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • June 27, 2024
  • An HVAC worker is seen to perform heat pump maintenance
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Electrifying neighborhoods could save California billions on gas line replacements

    Utilities could save around $20 billion in gas pipeline replacement costs by 2045 while only affecting about 3% of current gas customers, says a new analysis prepared for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • June 20, 2024
  • Offshore wind turbines in the ocean.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Local opposition to renewable energy projects ‘widespread and growing’: Columbia University report

    The report tracks 395 local restrictions on renewable energy development, with 55 of those emerging in the last year.

    By Diana DiGangi • June 14, 2024
  • A detailed landscape design plan showing topographic contour lines, orange building illustrations, green trees, and directional arrows. The layout includes winding paths and clustered vegetation. A triangular scale ruler lies on the left, and three colored pencils, colored blue, green, and yellow, rest on the lower right corner of the page.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Opinion

    WIFIA funding helps communities address the impacts of climate change

    Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.Changes in...

    By Dallas Shattuck • June 14, 2024
  • Aerial shot of buildings in a downtown. A tree-covered hill sits in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Tax on gas-powered large buildings will go to voters in Berkeley, California

    A 2023 court decision that struck down Berkeley’s first-in-the-nation ban on gas hookups in new construction is part of what led to the ballot measure, an organizer said. 

    By Ysabelle Kempe • June 10, 2024
  • A facade of a Department of Energy building
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    5 states, DC get $45M to finance energy efficiency retrofits

    The revolving loan funds established with the federal awards can unlock millions in private capital for energy efficiency improvements, says the U.S. Department of Energy.

    By Nish Amarnath • June 10, 2024
  • U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm holds a news conference at the Department of Energy headquarters to announce a breakthrough in fusion research on December 13, 2022 in Washington, DC.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    DOE releases zero-emissions building definition, part 1

    The definition will bring clarity to the public and private sectors, supporting their efforts to decarbonize buildings and ramp up clean energy, said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm.

    By Nish Amarnath • June 7, 2024
  • A detailed landscape design plan showing topographic contour lines, orange building illustrations, green trees, and directional arrows. The layout includes winding paths and clustered vegetation. A triangular scale ruler lies on the left, and three colored pencils, colored blue, green, and yellow, rest on the lower right corner of the page.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Column

    How to let your assets tell their story

    Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.Justifying...

    By Jennifer Perkins • June 6, 2024
  • A worker in a hard hat and yellow vest lays a large pipe in the ground. On the side of the pipe, the word "geothermal" is written three times.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Ania Camargo
    Image attribution tooltip

    Geothermal system is a US first

    A networked, utility-owned system in a Massachusetts community's pilot could replace fossil fuel for heating and cooling across entire neighborhoods.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • June 5, 2024
  • Charging port on the Volvo C40 recharge SUV.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Volvo Cars
    Image attribution tooltip

    $1.3B available for EV charging network expansion in US

    Government entities nationwide can apply for federal funding to build charging infrastructure in their communities. 

    By Haley Cawthon • June 4, 2024
  • A person wearing a ponytail and purple tank top raches up to touch cardboard around a window AC unit on the outside of a building. A plastic water bottle sits on the windowsill.
    Image attribution tooltip
    David Ryder/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    How US summer cooling costs are rising in 2 charts

    The average U.S. electric bill this summer is projected to set a 10-year record, finds a June 3 report from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association and Center for Energy Poverty and Climate.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • June 4, 2024
  • Fermata Energy has partnered with the City of Boulder on a vehicle-to-grid charging project
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Fermata Energy
    Image attribution tooltip

    EVs will power buildings in Colorado city’s ‘transformative’ pilot

    The pilot will inform how vehicle-to-everything charging technology can be used in areas at high risk of prolonged outages due to natural disaster or emergency events, a utility partner said.

    By Robert Walton • May 31, 2024
  • A Ford Pro electric vehicle charger with a F-150 Lightning pickup truck parked in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Ford Motor Co.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Dallas signs EV charging agreement with Ford Pro

    As the city aims to electrify all its fleet vehicles by 2040, Ford will scale up the necessary EV charging infrastructure.

    By Eric Walz • May 30, 2024
  • A detailed landscape design plan showing topographic contour lines, orange building illustrations, green trees, and directional arrows. The layout includes winding paths and clustered vegetation. A triangular scale ruler lies on the left, and three colored pencils, colored blue, green, and yellow, rest on the lower right corner of the page.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    The latest threat to drinking water systems? Cyberattacks, EPA says

    Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.Muleshoe i...

    By • May 29, 2024
  • Looking up at skyscrapers against a blue sky
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Top cities for certified energy-efficient buildings announced by EPA

    Los Angeles has dominated the rankings for Energy Star-certified buildings year after year. The U.S. EPA has some ideas on why. 

    By Ysabelle Kempe • May 24, 2024
  • Overhead view of brick, multistory buildings along a one-way street.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Legal battle over NYC’s building emissions law resurfaces in appellate court

    A panel of New York State Supreme Court judges said the defendants, including New York City, have failed to show that the state’s existing climate legislation does not preempt Local Law 97. 

    By Nish Amarnath • May 20, 2024
  • The hallway of a home with white walls, with a thermostat that reads "70" on the wall. Above it is a panel that reads "Year-Round Comfort & Savings."
    Image attribution tooltip

    Dylan Slagle, BGE

    Image attribution tooltip

    EPA launches new Energy Star residential standard

    Requirements for certification include heat pumps, resident electric vehicle charging stations, electric cooking appliances and highly energy-efficient construction.

    By Mary Salmonsen • May 17, 2024
  • A city skyline behind a waterway lined by trees. A boat is in the waterway.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Clean energy fund surplus sparks tension in Pacific Northwest city

    The Portland, Oregon, program has brought in millions of dollars more than originally anticipated, putting some city leaders and climate advocates at odds over how to proceed.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • May 16, 2024
  • A wide-angle side view of a man in business dress stood at an electric charging station
    Image attribution tooltip

    istockphoto.com/SolStock

    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by Franklin Electric EV Systems

    Investigating the uptime challenges facing charge point operators

    Explore the common causes of DC fast charger uptime issues.

    May 13, 2024
  • The outside of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit during the day
    Image attribution tooltip
    Retrieved from U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
    Image attribution tooltip

    23 states, rural co-ops sue EPA over ‘unlawful, unreasonable’ power plant rules

    “This rule intentionally sets impossible standards to destroy the coal industry,” North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said Thursday.

    By Robert Walton • May 10, 2024
  • Apartment building with three cars parked in front
    Image attribution tooltip
    Retrieved from Bauer House on Facebook on May 09, 2024
    Image attribution tooltip

    HUD’s $4.8B green retrofit program announces first construction project deal

    A new heat pump system will replace the existing gas-powered system at an apartment community housing low-income older adults.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • May 9, 2024