Power Grid

Grid Operator Calls for Two-Year Pause on Solar Projects, Citing Massive Backlog
The largest grid operator in the U.S. is asking for a new approvals process and two-year delay on current applications to ease the logjam of primarily solar projects in its queue.

Smart Power Grid Technologies for Smart Cities
Smart power grid solutions are becoming increasingly important for the development of smart cities. Here's what you need to know.

California Could Drastically Cut Solar Incentives
Rooftop solar customers in California could face higher costs and reduced incentives if a proposed overhaul of the state's solar program is approved by the Public Utilities Commission.

How to Make the Texas Electric Grid More Resilient
This year's winter storm and the subsequent damages highlight the urgent need for more resilient energy systems that can outlast increasingly powerful weather events.

Watch: Electric Cars and the Grid
The YouTube channel Engineering Explained takes on one of the big questions in a post-fossil-fuel transportation future.

California-Style Rolling Blackouts Come to Texas
As bad as the power outages are in Texas, they would be much worse if the independent energy grid operator hadn't initiated rolling blackouts. In an extensive interview with CBS Austin, Bill Magness, the head of ERCOT, explains what went wrong.

Five Key Energy Bills the California Legislature May Decide this Week
Energy stakeholders in California are watching five important bills to see which go forward with three weeks remaining in the legislative season. One would require the state to generate all electricity from renewable sources by 2045.

Trump Rebuffed by Federal Energy Commissioners on Coal and Nuclear Power Bailout
Last month the Trump administration directed Energy Secretary Rick Perry to require grid operators to purchase power from aging coal and nuclear power plants, enabling them to keep operating as a matter of "national security." Regulators disagree.

Keeping Old Coal Plants Operating Just Became a Matter of National Security
The president hopes to revitalize the nation's sagging coal industry by forcing utilities to purchase power from aging coal and nuclear power plants in the name of national defense. The news is already paying dividends for coal companies.

Details of the Golden State's Residential Solar Requirement
San Francisco Chronicle energy reporter David R. Baker sheds some light on the nation's first state building code requiring that solar panels be included in new home construction, adopted by the California Energy Commission on May 9.
Grand Valley Metropolitan Council
City of Bothell
Town of San Anselmo
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
City of Apache Junction
City of Helena
Gallatin County, Montana
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.