Raskin v Wellinghoff/Cicchetti, Faruqui v King/Datta, Hogan v FERC pricing, Huntoon v Musk.
Received your March issue of Public Utilities Fortnightly? Then you saw the blood on the pages.
It starts on pages 8. Ahmad Faruqui takes on Chris King and Bonnie Datta, authors of an article in last December's issue. King and Datta want customers to have the freedom to opt-in for time-varying rates. That way the participants are the most enthusiastic about shifting demand.
Not so fast says Faruqui. We get too few participants. Better to begin all customers on time-varying rates, forcing the ticked off ones to opt-out.
Yes, the participants will be a mix of varying levels of enthusiasm about shifting demand. But that's offset by having so many more customers involved.
Then, on page 16, David Raskin picks a fight with Jon Wellinghoff and Charles Cicchetti, who also penned an article last December. Wellinghoff and Cicchetti savaged utilities for trying to diminish the net metering incentive and so the rights of participating customers.
Raskin fiercely disagrees. He's particularly provoked by the discrimination favoring these customers (and their solar roof vendors) over other power generators including utility-scale solar farms. It's unlawful and uneconomic, he believes.
In the next bout, on page 20, Bill Hogan is none too happy with FERC's pricing of demand response. Sure, the Supremes ruled FERC could price demand response in organized markets. But that doesn't give FERC the liberty to compensate suppliers as if they are providing a product, as opposed to an option to a product. Perverse incentives will result.
Skip to page 58, where Steve Huntoon goes mano a mano with Elon Musk. Despite the long odds against the contender, contesting the famous entrepreneur, Huntoon lands some punches. He figures Solar City "is driving growth by spending tons of money on sales and marketing (and losing tons of it in the process)."
Fight Night at PUF is a series of hard-fought battles. The March issue was for sure. But, you ain't seen nothin' yet.
As the magazine for commentary, opinion and debate on utility regulation and policy, Public Utilities Fortnightly fosters vigorous arguments on the hottest issues of our day, albeit with civility and mutual respect.
Steve Mitnick, Editor-in-Chief, Public Utilities Fortnightly
E-mail me: mitnick@fortnightly.com
