ComEd and Nicor Gas have selected Whisker Labs' "Connected Savings" platform for a residential smart thermostat pilot program. The program will save customers money, but the objective of the pilot program is research: Utilities want to learn how connected thermostats can be improved with advanced analytics. The pilot program will enroll 3,000 ComEd and Nicor Gas customers who already have a Honeywell Wi-Fi thermostat installed in their home.

With the REV strategy, the State of New York has established itself as a leader in re-thinking how electric utilities can transform to better serve customers now and in the future. In 2015, when the New York PSC initiated its REV proceeding, the primary focus was on fundamental changes to the ways that utilities provide distribution services.

Several public power utilities are included on top 10 lists compiled by NREL for utility green pricing programs. The recently released rankings are for 2016. NREL noted that utility green pricing programs allow homes and businesses to procure green power through their electric utility. Since 2000, NREL has compiled data on these utility green pricing programs and released annual top 10 lists to recognize outstanding programs.

Tesla announced delivery of the first 30 production units of its Model 3 electric vehicle. EV technology has generated plenty of buzz in the electric utility industry over the past decade and, with last week’s announcement, it would appear that projections of a significant market presence for EVs could give way to rapid growth. Tesla’s announcement could not have come at a more critical time for utilities, which face unprecedented challenges.

More than 750 Salt River Project customers are participating in the Advanced Inverter study to investigate how solar and other types of customer-generated energy sources impact the grid. The purpose of the pilot study, which is being conducted in conjunction with EPRI, is to better understand how advanced inverters can help maintain grid reliability as solar installations increase.

Want to know how the coming solar eclipse will affect your local solar farm? The U.S. EIA has the data. The solar eclipse coming on August 21 will cast a pathway of shadow across the United States, with the moon shading at least half of the sunlight reaching Earth across all 48 continental states. A path of “totality,” or complete obscuration, will stretch from Oregon to South Carolina.