Almost a year and a half has passed since FERC issued Order 745, declaring demand response to equal to power supplies in wholesale markets. Yet uncertainty surrounds the order’s implementation, and third-party aggregators are struggling to define their role.

Yet another sweltering summer is causing its share of outages and supply problems, with predictable backlash from customers and policy makers. And with the advances we’ve seen in recent years, perhaps again we should be asking whether we’re adequately focused on our most critical mission: keeping the power on.

El Paso Electric announced that Thomas V. Shockley was appointed the company’s permanent CEO. Hector R. Puente was promoted to senior v.p. and COO. Duke Energy named Clark Gillespy president of the company’s South Carolina service region. Gillespy replaces Catherine Heigel who became vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at American Transmission Co. Ameren promoted Richard J. Mark to chairman, president, and CEO of Ameren Illinois. And others...

(August 2012)

New Jersey’s bid to force prices downward in PJM’s capacity market not only raises the alarm about market manipulation. It also reveals a dilemma that’s preventing new generation from being built. Incumbent interests and political motivations make PJM less attractive to investment than it should be.

Idaho Power has more wind power than it can use—so much that it’s costing its ratepayers a bundle. It wants out, so it won’t have to buy from all the small wind farms that claim “QF” status under the 1978 PURPA law.