Sonoma Clean Power will build the largest floating solar array in the U.S., scheduled to be completed in 2016 and will create enough energy to power 3,000 houses; GE announced the construction of two service centers focused on the operation and maintenance of wind turbines in Brazil; Open Systems International was awarded a contract by Seattle City Light to implement a new energy management system; FirstEnergy expects to invest about $225 million on distribution and transmission infrastructure projects in north-central West Virginia; APR Energy commissioned an expansion of its power plant in Myanmar; The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved Westinghouse Electric’s testing approach for the Westinghouse small modular reactor design; FuelCell Energy agreed to sell a 1.4-MW fuel cell power plant project to NRG Energy; ABB and Samsung SDI signed a memorandum of understanding to promote microgrid solutions globally; And others ...

Technological progress can be function of productive public-private partnerships that help shoulder risks and raise capital.

New Research into energy efficiency, smart grid technologies and renewables will have utilities and regulators pleasantly surprised.

We hear a lot about dry natural gas used to fuel electric generators. But we hear less about wet natural gas, or so-called natural gas liquids that are the underpinnings of everyday consumer products. Both are building a new American economy.

The shale gas boom isn’t just for drillers and power generators. It’s also for manufacturers and chemical makers, which now have access to an inexpensive and abundant fuel to use as both power and a feedstock.

The newfound abundance of shale gas is not just benefiting utilities using it fuel electric generators. It’s also benefiting manufacturers, which are tapping into basins to fuel their onsite generators.

Natural gas used for electric generation is running headfirst into the lack of sufficient pipeline capacity. The magnitude of these changes demands a fresh look at business practices, especially in New England, which is suffering while neighboring regions benefit from the Marcellus Shale bonanza.

A decentralized form of electricity generation and delivery is becoming commonplace – and the question is whether utilities are doing all they can to prepare.