Load Management
Santee Cooper announced on Thursday a partnership with Google to drive its financial planning and load forecasting toward an AI-driven transformation. The utility's Chief Financial Officer, Tami Wilson, stated in a Wednesday conference call that Google's WeatherNext 2 model is expected to significantly improve load forecasting, while the Gemini enterprise agent platform will accelerate the financial forecasting process. Wilson emphasized that this "major digital transformation" aims to move away from traditional cumbersome processes, but accountability and risk management remain under human control.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) proposed a rule in July to revise the processes for setting and testing appliance energy efficiency standards, aiming to "permanently end mandatory requirements for appliances and equipment." Fifteen industry groups, including manufacturers and appliance trade associations, generally supported the proposal in joint comments submitted on August 21, arguing that converting procedural rules into binding documents would enhance the process's "robustness, transparency, and predictability," but recommended that actions to relax established standards should not be applied retroactively. Energy efficiency advocacy groups opposed fixed energy savings thresholds, arguing that they would abandon the incremental savings envisioned by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, and contended that procedural rules should remain guidance rather than binding. The comment period ended on August 21.
The Nevada Public Utilities Commission approved NV Energy to launch two performance-based distributed energy resource credit programs on August 11, but did not allow third-party aggregators to participate, sparking industry controversy. Supporters argue that this move limits customer choice and the development of virtual power plants, while NV Energy responded that the proceeding was not the appropriate venue to determine the aggregator role.
Utility portals are not just customer self-service platforms; they can also become employee support systems. The article proposes four key capabilities: an accurate view of CIS data, true automation, consistent cross-channel processes, and shared views with guidance tools, citing VertexOne experts and the KUA case to illustrate their value.
Officials at Texas grid operator ERCOT said they plan to complete an audit of about 300 large data center proposals by December 10, in response to Governor Greg Abbott's moratorium. Audit delays could affect planning efforts such as the state's long-term load forecast and reliability assessments.
During a Regulatory Assistance Project webinar, experts discussed how virtual power plants (VPPs) are expanding their value proposition to include affordability, reliability, and resilience. Speakers from RMI, Sunrun, National Grid, and Xcel Energy shared insights on program design, customer participation, and emerging models like vehicle-to-grid integration.
Evergy executives said on Thursday's second-quarter earnings call that the company has signed 2.5 GW of power service agreements with data centers under its large load power supply tariff, plus an additional 500 MW of smaller large load agreements not covered by that tariff. The company plans to build over 5 GW of generation capacity by 2032, including 3.9 GW of natural gas, nearly 800 MW of solar, and 450 MW of battery storage.
Home Energy Reports (HERs) have been used as a utility energy-saving strategy for over 15 years. PG&E Senior Manager Michael Burger shared how the company expanded the program starting in 2019 to cover approximately 3.2 million households, developing behavioral tools such as a continuous energy feedback platform, bill forecast alerts, and peak day alerts, while also exploring support for electrification education.
Last week, the Texas Public Utility Commission approved a net metering arrangement allowing a 260 MW AI data center to co-locate with a wind farm of roughly equivalent capacity, but denied the developer's request for exemption from load curtailment requirements. The decision requires the data center to curtail its full load within 30 minutes during grid emergencies and prohibits it from participating in paid demand response. This case is seen as one of the first major tests of Texas's SB 6 law and may set a precedent for future co-location projects.