There and Back Again
Why a residential demand rate developed 40 years ago is increasingly relevant today.
Why not design a rate that allocates the higher system cost to customers based on their actual energy demand?
Before the Death Spiral, a Black Hole
How rooftop solar picks off the utility’s largest and most lucrative customers.
Let's make it clear also that affixing solar panels to your roof won't take you off-grid. Indeed it takes you to even greater dependence.
Bidding to Win: The Economics of Renewable RFPs
How project developers form their bidding strategies – and what it means for prices and the industry.
Want to find out what utilities seek when collecting bids for wind and solar projects? Read on.
Rhode Island: The Challenge of an Aging Infrastructure
2015 Regulators Forum
Clearly, one of the most significant issues we face today is aging infrastructure. It’s akin to a marathon – a race we absolutely have to finish. Since 1990 we’ve replaced more than 65,000 miles of cast iron and bare steel pipe, but we still have a long way to go.
Georgia: On Becoming a Social Media Junkie
2015 Regulators Forum
Being in the “energy” business as a commissioner, staff, lobbyist or industry leader is hard enough without social media, right? When you add Twitter and Facebook to the mix, it is enough to drive one crazy. Who needs it? Well, we all do, really.
South Dakota: A Unique Fuel Mix
Chris Nelson, vice-chairman, South Dakota Pub. Utils. Comm’n
Seventy-three percent of our generation is carbon-free, yet the EPA’s 111(d) rules require a 48 percent reduction in our CO2 emission rate. That steep reduction will be very difficult to achieve and will be costly for our electric customers. The commission’s chief concern is keeping a lid on consumer prices, especially given the pressure exerted by EPA.
Oregon: Situated Quite Well
2015 Regulators Forum
States that have coal-dependent economies will likely have more difficulty complying with the Clean Power Plan than states like Oregon. There will be rate impacts to be sure. The trick will be compliance at the most reasonable cost that that can be assured.
2015 Regulators Forum
State Utility Commissioners in Their Own Words
Susan Ackerman, chair, Oregon PUC; Chris Nelson, vice-chairman, South Dakota PUC; Tim G. Echols, Georgia PSC; Paul J. Roberti, Rhode Island PUC
Equity Returns: ‘Allowed’ vs. Earned
Understanding how PUC rate case findings differ from a utility’s financial reports.
(November 2015) Setting an allowed return on equity has consistently proven to be the most contentious and subjective part of a rate case proceeding.
Growth Through Productivity
Enterprise Management: Taking a wider view of asset management.
Utility executives today see few choices if they wish to achieve growth. Better scheduling can improve overall productivity by 10-15 percent, offering the potential for growth. Yet it is not sufficient simply to focus narrowly on work execution in the field.