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Benchmarking Storm Restoration

Submitted by mburr on Tue, 2013-06-25 15:45
There's no such thing as an average superstorm, and every situation requires a unique strategy. But data on utilities' performance in response to major storms helps identify best practices -- and lessons learned.
There's no such thing as an average superstorm, and every situation requires a unique strategy. But data on utilities' performance in response to major storms helps identify best practices -- and lessons learned.

Digest

DOE funds B&W to develop and license small modular reactor technology; Panda awards 758-MW combined cycle contract to Bechtel; AEP picks Open Systems International to manage SPP and PJM generation assets; GDF Suez teams up with Viridity Energy for DR services; NRG and PJM go live with University of Delaware V2G project; Minnesota Power energizes new substation serving taconite mine; FP&L completes 4.5-million smart meter rollout; plus contracts and announcements from Duke, FirstSolar, Iberdrola, SRP, ABB, Elster, Siemens, and others.
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Cost-Recovery for Pre-Approved Projects

Uncertainties remain, but recent cases provide guidance.

Levelized rates can serve customers’ interests, while also accelerating capital investment and providing an economic stimulus to the economy.

Byline: 

Patricia D. Galloway and David L. Cousineau

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Reducing Rate Shocks

Original-cost ratemaking doesn’t suit the challenges facing utilities today.

Levelized rates can serve customers’ interests, while also accelerating capital investment and providing an economic stimulus to the economy.

Byline: 

A. Lawrence Kolbe, Philip Q Hanser, Bin Zhou

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Profit and the New Normal

Delivering value in a zero-growth market.

Disruptive technologies and resource shifts are changing the utility business model. Market factors are driving companies toward four possible paths.

Byline: 

Kelly P. Gallant, Timothy P. Porter, Jack Azagury

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Industry in Transition

Utility CEOs face disruptive trends.

Top executives at AEP, the California ISO, and El Paso Electric address key challenges and opportunities.

Byline: 

Michael T. Burr

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Investor Sequester

State complaints over FERC-granted equity returns could dry up funding for transmission expansion.

Perhaps sensing the weight of evidence allayed against them, transmission owners have thrown caution to the wind by openly and admittedly submitting an ROE analysis that doesn’t comport with FERC precedent.

Byline: 

Bruce W. Radford

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Transactions (June 2013)

Atlantic Power sells 800 MW of generating capacity in Florida and Texas; Goldman Sachs buys Imperial Valley project from FirstSolar; Duke acquires two solar plants in California; Southern Company and Turner Renewable Energy buy Campo Verde project; plus other deals and issues totaling more than $2 billion.

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Minnesota PUC Adds PV Capacity Credit in Xcel Standby Tariff

Submitted by aburr on Sat, 2013-06-01 14:01

Upon review of a load profile study submitted by Xcel Energy, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) found that “it is clear … that solar PV facilities contribute to Xcel’s capacity requirements and that the existing Standby Service tariff does not reflect that contribution.” The commission ruled that $5.15 per kW per month would be a reasonable, conservative interim rate to be paid to sellers in the form of a capacity credit.