Young experts in the Georgetown University class on the energy sector at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service debated electric vehicles, battery storage, and the move away from the traditional utility model. PUF’s Pat McMurray was one of the judges at an energy debate on March 30.

PUF attended the Energy Bar Association’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C. on April 3 and 4, 2017.

PUF attended the historic Africa Utility Power Sector Exchange kick-off conference at the Edison Electric Institute on April 6.

Recently adopted state programs to foster existing nuclear generation are being challenged in the courts for potentially infringing on FERC’s wholesale market jurisdiction. 2017 could prove to be the year when state policy priorities began to elbow aside voluntary regional market constructs.

One of President Trump’s major campaign promises was to improve Amer­ica’s infrastructure. There currently are plans to move forward with a proposal later this year.

It’s tempting to idealize how market forces shape the outcome of energy transitions. The truth is that many factors affect what happens and how fast. Notably, government policies play a greater role in shaping energy than most care to admit.

The utility industry’s focus on innovation is only a few years old and already its champions are finding that addressing increasing business demands is all-consuming.

How Distributed Energy Resources affect the reliability of the bulk power system is an area that needs more study and analysis for the industry and policy makers.

Most public officials do not understand or consider risks associated with the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity to the end user. Neither does the public at large. Lost or ignored is the fact that the health and welfare value of electricity far outweighs the slight increase in cost.