Innovation in Competitive Power Markets
Our nation’s energy landscape is changing rapidly with exciting new potential for cleaner, more reliable and affordable power. Competitive power suppliers are uniquely positioned to lead investment in new technology and innovative approaches to electricity generation.
Competitive wholesale electricity markets improve access for new entrants and technologies—while lowering prices and keeping pressure on power generators to improve efficiency. That’s because markets allow grid operators and investors to respond nimbly to changes like declining natural gas and renewable prices or shifts in demand.
EPSA member companies have followed market signals to improve operations and efficiency, as well as to retire older power generation technology and invest in newer, more cost-effective and cleaner approaches. Today, competitive power suppliers own more than 6,000 MW of renewable electricity capacity, along with state-of-the-art efficient and flexible natural gas generation technology that has slashed emissions and delivered significant cost savings.
By the Numbers
- 80%: The share of utility-scale renewable generation capacity deployed in ISO regions, despite only accounting for about 67% of all existing power plant capacity, of all types.
- 214%: The growth in distributed solar PV in ISO regions versus non-ISO regions at 199%, since the U.S. Energy Information Administration began keeping track in 2014.
Recent Competitive Power Project News
PJM Market Continues to Signal Need for More Generation: Breaking Down the 2028/2029 BRA ResultsÂ
PJM’s latest capacity auction highlights growing electricity demand driven by data center growth, reinforcing the need for additional power generation as competitive suppliers continue investing in new projects to support future reliability.
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Powering Growth While Protecting Ratepayers: What State Utility Regulators Need to Know
State utility regulators can support reliable, affordable electricity by preserving competitive markets, removing barriers to new generation, improving demand forecasting, and ensuring investment risk remains with private investors rather than ratepayers.
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What to Watch in PJM’s Capacity Auction
As PJM prepares to release its latest capacity auction results, competitive power supplier investments in new generation demonstrate a robust response to rising electricity demand.
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America at 250: How Competitive Power Markets Keep America’s Innovative Spirit Alive
As America approaches its 250th anniversary, competitive power markets continue to fuel innovation, private investment, reliable electricity, and consumer savings—helping power the nation’s next era of economic growth.
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Adding Power Without Building New Power Plants: How Power Plant Owners Can Optimize Existing Capacity
Rising U.S. electricity demand is driving competitive power suppliers to rapidly expand capacity by upgrading existing power plants through uprates, fuel conversions, reactivations, and hybridization, enabling faster and more cost-effective grid reliability improvements than building new generation.
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In Focus: Hydropower’s Reliable Role in America’s Energy MixÂ
Hydropower is one of America’s most reliable renewable energy sources, providing flexible, on-demand electricity that supports grid reliability and emissions reduction. With facilities of many sizes across nearly every state, hydropower plays a key role in the nation’s energy mix.
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