Chelan County PUD commissioners on June 15 heard proposals from PUD staff to bring the utility to the top quartile of reliable electrical service, in line with other high-performing U.S. public power providers.

Leaders of public power utilities across the U.S. recently detailed how their utilities were prepared to successfully respond and adapt to a myriad of challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. solar market installed 3.6 gigawatts (GW) of new solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in the first quarter of 2020, representing its largest first quarter ever in the U.S.

Working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a lifesaver, but it has also brought new threats. Working from home allows people to minimize social interaction, which limits and slows the spread of COVID-19. But, as highlighted in a recent alert from NERC, the power industry “is in a period of heightened cyber risk due to a large contingent of industry employees working remotely.”

The California Community Choice Association expressed disappointment in a California Public Utilities Commission decision that designates Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison as central buyers to procure local, multi-year resource adequacy.

Independent power producer Broad Reach Power plans to build 15 utility-scale battery storage plants totaling 150 megawatts (MW) in areas near Houston and Odessa, Texas.