Assistant Energy Secretary Bruce Walker said the Department of Energy is planning a megawatt-scale “Storage Launchpad” that he predicted will cut the cost of energy storage dramatically.

Speakers at NERC’s biennial Reliability Leadership Summit talked about the impact of the new U.S. resource mix and distributed generation on the grid.

Brian Harrell, assistant director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, lamented the federal government’s tardy response to the security threat drones pose to utilities.

After 12 years as the FERC-delegated ERO, it’s time for NERC to reconsider its approach, GC Berardesco told the Compliance & Certification Committee.

CAISO’s RC West Oversight Committee held its monthly meeting as the grid operator prepares to assume the reliability coordinator role for most of the West.

NERC CEO Jim Robb said he sees no “appetite” among policymakers for expanding the organization’s authority despite concerns over the visibility of distributed energy resources.

Cal. officials expressed concern that the state’s push toward 100% clean energy and the rapid growth of community choice could imperil grid reliability.

The Western Electricity Coordinating Council continued to deal with issues related to this year’s reliability coordinator transition at its board of directors meeting.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee worries FERC and NERC are not treating cyberattack threats on energy infrastructure with enough urgency.

The NERC Board of Trustees authorized management to terminate the agreement between the organization and the Florida Reliability Coordinating Council.