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Public EV charging operator ChargePoint has partnered with Florida-based Optimus Energy Solutions to expand its charging network in the southeastern United States, adding 200 new charging ports. ChargePoint will provide exclusive charging hardware, software, and services, while Optimus will act as the site owner and operator. This initiative aims to fill critical charging gaps and support long-term growth in electric vehicle demand.

The Illinois Commerce Commission has approved Commonwealth Edison Company's (ComEd) proposed battery-based "Schedulable Dispatchable Virtual Power Plant" (SDVPP) initiative. This program replaces the previous VPP proposal that was withdrawn due to the new legislation, aiming to utilize distributed energy storage resources to alleviate peak grid pressure and provide additional benefits to participating customers.

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill signed a series of bills aimed at reducing residential electricity costs, covering state-level review of transmission projects, eliminating the additional rate of return for voluntary PJM membership, and establishing a dedicated rate structure for large data centers.

Three major utility companies in Massachusetts have submitted long-term contracts to advance three large-scale energy storage projects with a total capacity of 1,068 MW/4,472 MWh, supporting the state's 5 GW energy storage goal by 2030.

A Texas district judge issued a final judgment requiring CPS Energy to pay nearly $400 million to midstream energy company Energy Transfer to settle a contract dispute over natural gas procurement during Winter Storm Uri in 2021.

When utilities advance customer interaction digitalization, poor experiences often result from unclear data and fragmented systems. Andreya Shaak, Senior Vice President of Product Strategy, and Christina Schueneman, Senior Vice President of Implementation and Services at VertexOne, propose six key areas and improvement methods, including upfront goal definition, ecosystem collaboration, data readiness, human-centered design, feedback loops, and phased rollout, accompanied by real-world success cases.

Eversource, an investor-owned utility in New England, announced on June 25 that it will expand its ConnectedSolutions demand response program by launching two targeted pilots in the Boston area and southeastern Massachusetts. The pilots aim to use customer-side resources such as batteries, electric vehicles, and smart thermostats to alleviate local grid overloads during summer heat waves and encourage charging during midday periods of solar surplus.

Officials from the International Zinc Association (IZA) told Utility Dive this week that as energy storage demand surges and lithium supply may face shortages in the coming years, zinc-based batteries are expected to gain broader deployment. However, U.S. zinc battery production is constrained by high scaling costs and safety standards designed for more flammable lithium-ion batteries. IZA Executive Director Andrew Green stated that awareness and acceptance of zinc batteries among end users such as utilities need to be improved. According to U.S. Department of Energy data, there are currently few grid-scale zinc battery installations in the U.S., with most capacities not exceeding 1 MW.

The U.S. faces an electricity affordability crisis, with surging power demand from AI data centers. FERC's June 18 order requiring system operators to provide transmission service for flexible large loads highlights the urgency of implementing data center load flexibility. Duke University research shows that a 1%-2% reduction in peak demand can lower electricity prices by 0.5%-2.8%. EPRI's FlexMosaic framework proposes five flexibility categories, and pilots such as Emerald AI demonstrate that flexibility can accelerate grid interconnection while ensuring reliability. However, the disagreement between utilities and data centers over control remains a key challenge.

The ASHRAE 2026 Annual Conference will take place from June 27 to July 5 in Austin, featuring parallel technical sessions and educational seminars. The conference will explore cutting-edge topics such as data center HVAC design, thermal energy networks, and variable refrigerant flow optimization, and will unveil the new theme 'Changing the Game: Retrofitting for Resilience.'