Leaders in the energy and utilities industry took center stage at RE+ in Las Vegas, September 9-12, 2025, the nation’s largest clean energy gathering. More than forty thousand attendees filled the Venetian Expo and Convention Center, where several panels explored the most pressing issues at the intersection of utilities, industry, and regulation.

“While the nation has been focused on an energy crisis triggered by unprecedented new additional load being added to the electrical grid from data center demand, scarcely anyone is focused on the related competition for water.”

“The new Utility Policy Fellows Program, supported by funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, provides early career scholars the opportunity to engage with regulators, consumer advocates, and industry leaders on regulated energy and water issues.”

“The electrification of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles – delivery vans, school buses, and long-haul trucks – presents both a challenge and an enormous opportunity for rural co-ops.”

“Combined benefits translate to financial savings and environmental advantages. Every kilowatt-hour saved through reduced line losses represents avoided generation costs and reduced emissions. Improved efficiency helps utilities maximize grid assets while minimizing costs that flow through to customers.”

“Unlike policy-driven incentives of the past, today’s growth is market-driven – anchored in the real needs of hyperscalers, utilities, and consumers. This provides a stronger and more sustainable foundation for long-term investment.”

“The value of natural gas storage lies in its ability to bolster reliability and resiliency. It serves as a critical safeguard, allowing the energy system to function efficiently under pressure and enabling grid operators and consumers to withstand peak demand, extreme weather, and unexpected disruptions.”

“CIP-015 acknowledges that adversaries can infiltrate trusted zones and highlights the importance of continuous internal visibility. By implementing Internal Network Security Monitoring, entities will be better equipped to detect an adversary during initial stages of an intrusion and reduce the risk of an adversary establishing a foothold.”

“While state procurement could be a useful price hedge for customers, it’s an open question how much it helps reliability if PJM is still in the role of meeting the reserve margin through its capacity auction.”

“Our new resource stack includes power purchase agreements, solar projects of our own, and what I believe is the largest distributed battery array in the country. We have deployed batteries across nine substations, ranging from 8 MW up to 33 MW.”