A grid modeling firm proposes an underground high-voltage DC transmission overlay for the continental U.S. that, along with increased solar deployment and even greater wind deployment, would help reduce climate pollutants and electricity costs.

Governors-elect in Maryland and Massachusetts aim to speed deployment of solar and wind power, while in Minnesota and Michigan, re-elected governors could submit their clean energy goals to legislatures with new Democratic majorities. Arizona might join the club.

As cyber risks rise with increasing deployment of distributed energy resources, the government and industry are defining the steps needed to ensure cybersecurity.

A net-zero power grid with electrification is a priority area for research and development, says an interagency assessment, with R&D needed to advance distribution systems, transmission planning, long duration energy storage, and use of highways for transmission.

100% clean power plus electrification in Wisconsin would cost the same, when counting health benefits, as continuing “business as usual,” and would achieve four times the emissions reductions as 100% clean power alone, found a study sponsored by two Wisconsin groups.

With more than 250 GW of renewables and storage capacity waiting in the PJM interconnection queue, states served by PJM unanimously called for the grid operator to speed up its processing of interconnection requests and its transition to a “cluster study” process.

Hourly pricing is intended to shift some load to periods of high renewables generation, when wholesale power prices are lower. Some customers are expected to opt in to hourly rates with the support of automated demand-shifting technology.

Utility-scale batteries are being pursued by many utilities, the generation and transmission co-op utility said in explaining its decision, while aggregated distributed resources “can be counted on as predictable generation capacity.”

ERCOT’s pilot project, designed in less than a year, will support grid reliability and is expected to be ongoing. Some other grid operators have already launched or announced similar programs.

With access to grid models, Tesla said it could estimate a project’s interconnection costs with an informational study in less than two weeks. Trade groups SEIA and AEE renewed their call to allow third-party interconnection studies.