Electricity's Price, Really, Redux
The real price of electricity has significantly fallen in recent decades.
Electricity's Price, Really, Regionally
The real price of electricity has significantly fallen in recent decades, particularly in the Northeast and South.
Thomas Edison Encourages a Young Henry Ford
Edison to Ford: 'Young man, that's the thing; you have it. Keep at it.' From the Archives of the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies
It came at the end of the main banquet at the 1896 annual meeting of the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies, AEIC. The setting was the stately Oriental Hotel in Manhattan Beach, in Brooklyn, New York. A group of the nation's technical and business leaders remained at their table to smoke cigars and talk of the events of the day.
AEIC was founded in 1885 at the dawn of the Age of Electricity. At the 1896 meeting, forty-four power men from eighteen illuminating companies were in attendance.
American Public Power Association Legislative Rally
PUF attended the American Public Power Association legislative rally in Washington DC on March 1. Photographer: Dennis Brack
Vogtle Tour
Picture Energy
PUF toured the Vogtle 3 - 4 nuclear power construction site near Augusta GA on March 1, 2017. At four times the size of New York's Central Park, this place is huge.
Reporting That Seeks to Empower
The Energy Action Project investigates why energy poverty exists, and who is doing what to address it.
Jointly developed by journalists and energy experts, The Energy Action Project (EnAct) aims to address two social issues: high levels of energy poverty and low levels of energy literacy, even in energy-rich areas.
Is Good Utility Regulation in Jeopardy?
Balance and Adaptability are Critical
The three mortal sins of utility regulation are ideology, ignorance and inertia (the three I's). Acting on political beliefs, inadequate information, and past conditions that no longer exist is a recipe for poor regulation.
Water Dreaming
Risk vs. Advantage
The water utility industry was featured at the recent NARUC meeting in Washington. It reminded me of a period in the 1990s when interest in investment in the water utility industry was high globally and in the U.S.
Open, Standard, Direct-Access Communications Interfaces
Why They Matter
There is impressive growth in the types of devices that could play a part in utility and aggregator programs to provide grid support. But there are stranded investment risks if utilities, manufacturers, and consumers make communications interface choices that are not open, standard, and supportive of direct access.
Energy Efficiency: Where We Are Now
Building the Infrastructure
With its roots in the 1970s conservation movement, energy efficiency has grown into a thriving industry today - one that employs many and provides benefits to utilities, consumers, the economy and society in general. According to a recently released report, energy efficiency accounts for about three out of every four American clean energy jobs.