Duke Energy: The New King?
With the bankruptcy of Enron, the industry is now looking for a new leader and role model. Could Duke Energy be that leader?
Conoco Rising: A Gas Trader's Vision
Take a look at a list of the top gas marketers in North America and you won't find many names associated with the upstream end of the business. Most of the high-volume trading companies are the market-maker types who don't have production assets to back up their futures and swap contracts.
PG&E's Bankruptcy: A Power Trader's Trial by Fire
Lyn Maddox, the head of PGE’s energy trading subsidiary, has had to maintain a trading business as his company’s utility slipped into bankruptcy in 2001. Maddox says he has learned some very valuable lessons from the event.
A Soul's Like Electricity (Ray Charles)
Our February 3 newsletter quoted David Bowie, Boz Skaggs, Ray Charles, Laurie Anderson, Dolly Parton, Damian Marley and Jimi Hendrix about electricity. Readers sent lyrics from many more songs.
How much do combined cycle natural gas plants really need to be paid?
One has to decide if a CCGT is a pure energy resource paid off through maximum sales of its electricity, or a flexible resource that holds back on production to support the grid.
There appears to be confusion on the amount of generation produced by CCGTs and types of services they can offer.
March Birthdays: Kirchhoff to Kaiulani
Gustav Kirchhoff, Albert Einstein, Reddy Kilowatt, George Ohm, Robert Millikan, and the light bulb patent.
Gustav Kirchhoff, who you can blame for the miserable complexity of electrical transmission and distribution systems, was born on March 12, 1824. Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879. And others ...
Fate of Conservation Mandates
Many states allow private opt-outs, but Florida bucks the trend.
Should regulators allow customers opt-out, on the theory they know best? Or should all customers be made to participate?
The Long and Short of Grid Congestion
FTRs make hedging possible, but can PJM ensure full funding without playing favorites?
Financial traders believe PJM’s proposal discriminates since they are more likely to hold counter-flow FTRs.
Musk and Me
I signed up for a free quote on line.
With all the talk of the “existential threat” to traditional utilities from solar and other disruptive technologies (and the blowback against net metering in various states), I thought I’d check out SolarCity first hand.
Technological Innovation and Public Policy-Making
The new grid will be driven by opportunities for electric utilities and customers to monetize their economic opportunities.
Policy-maker’s perspective: It's important to permit utilities to become more efficient and develop alternative revenue streams.