Last week, our team had the privilege of attending two outstanding events: the 48th American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, and the 4th Annual U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) Energy Summit in Santa Fe, New Mexico. At both events, our staff and members proudly represented the advanced energy industry, highlighting its role in shaping an inclusive and forward-looking energy future. These events reinforce the essential role that a diversity of voices and communities play in our nation’s energy transition. On our blog, my colleague, Kate Johnson, reflects on the meaningful discussions and welcoming atmosphere at both events. We’re grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the AABE and USHCC business communities to strengthen the advanced energy economy and gain deeper insights into the challenges and opportunities facing underrepresented groups in the sector. Intentional partnerships with these communities help our industry expand market opportunities, foster innovation, and drive us towards better solutions for an energy transition that lifts all communities.
This week, the Colorado Legislature passed the NextGen Highways bill (HB 25-1292), marking a major step forward in modernizing Colorado’s electric transmission infrastructure by directing the Colorado Department of Transportation to establish a standardized process for transmission line co-location across all state highways. United’s Emilie Olson spoke to the benefits of the bill in speeding up project timelines, reducing costs, and providing reliable power to residents and businesses statewide in the face of growing energy demand. Read more.>
Virginia Governor Youngkin recently signed the Community Energy Act (HB 2346/SB 1100) into law. The new law directs Dominion Energy to launch a 450 MW Virtual Power Plant (VPP) pilot, allowing homes and businesses to aggregate solar panels, batteries, EV chargers, and smart devices into a flexible grid resource that can reduce peak demand, lower electricity costs, and improve grid reliability. United’s Jim Purekal highlighted the benefits of VPPs in creating a more affordable, resilient, and secure grid for both homeowners and businesses across the Commonwealth. Read more.>
Last week was an exciting and inspiring time for United as our team and members, including NRG, GoodLeap, Utilidata, Monarch Strategic Ventures, LS Power, DNV Energy Services, Sunrun, Pattern Energy, and CTC Global, proudly engaged at two important national convenings: the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, and the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) Energy Summit in Santa Fe, New Mexico. On our blog, Kate Johnson, United’s Managing Director of Member Engagement, reflects on our takeaways from both events and our commitment to building a more inclusive, resilient, and clean energy economy. Read more.>
The need for new advanced energy generation in Pennsylvania has never been more urgent. The state has a choice: act now to bring down electricity costs and build a stronger, more resilient grid, or stay stuck in a system that is failing consumers and stalling progress. On our blog, United's Chris D'Agostino discusses two key bills from Governor Shapiro's Lightning Plan: The Renewable Energy Standards and Energy Transition (RESET) Act, and the Promoting Renewable Energy, Storage, and Sustainability (PRESS) Act, which have the potential to open markets in Pennsylvania. Read more.>
Distributed energy resources (DERs)—like rooftop solar, battery storage, electric vehicles (EVs), and heat pumps—are transforming the grid from the bottom up. But while adoption surges, too many projects are stuck in limbo, unable to get energized due to systemic delays, unpredictable costs, and fragmented interconnection processes. In United’s upcoming webinar, we will explore barriers across the full DER landscape, with a special focus on transportation electrification and EV charging infrastructure. United’s Elizabeth (Lizzy) Stears and expert panelists will take a deep dive into Breaking the Bottleneck, a new report based on interviews with 24 experts across the DER ecosystem. Register here.>
Inside Climate News reports on President Trump's proposed cuts to the 2026 fiscal year budget, which includes deep cuts to renewable energy research, low-income heating assistance, and environmental justice programs, reflecting a broader rollback of energy and infrastructure spending. United’s Harry Godfrey advocated that advanced energy technologies are essential for an economy with abundant and affordable energy and criticized the budget request for seemingly defunding programs based on keywords, such as 'renewable energy.' Read more.>
Canary Media reports on Massachusetts advocates urging Governor Maura Healey to stay the course on enforcement of the state's long-established ACCII standards, amid concerns that the administration may backtrack on those commitments. United’s Kat Burnham observed that the pressure to roll back these standards is not coming from consumers and noted that the state already has incentives and infrastructure in place to support the transition to electrified transportation.
Mark your calendars for the 2025 California Demand Flexibility Summit in Davis, CA! This event will bring together industry leaders, policymakers, and researchers to share insights, evaluate progress, and identify strategies needed to advance demand flexibility in California. Don’t miss United’s Brian Turner and Edson Perez, who will be among the speakers at the conference. Register here.>
United is facilitating a forum and workshop in partnership with DTECH Events at the May 2025 DTECH Data Centers & AI in San Jose, CA. This three-hour forum and workshop will showcase AI-powered automation and advanced tools that are helping drive improvements to an increasingly complex grid along with a solutions-oriented discussion about the policy and regulatory mechanisms needed to ensure that utilities can take advantage of such tools. To attend this workshop, you must register for the event and add the Grid Edge Innovation Workshop as an add-on to your registration when checking out. Save 20% on your registration with code: DPARTNER1. Register here.>
United is proud to be the signature sponsor for Canary Live, Washington D.C. Attendees will get to hear from industry experts, lawmakers, and key stakeholders, discussing the current energy landscape and actions states can take to continue the momentum of the clean energy transition amidst political uncertainty. Register here.>
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