Advanced Metering: Policymakers Have the Ball
Demand response could help solve some energy problems, but not without state regulators pushing for it.
Studying Apples and Oranges
RTO cost/benefit studies are difficult to reconcile.
RTO cost/benefit studies are difficult to reconcile.
The premise behind the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) push for regional transmission organizations (RTOs)-that they will provide positive economic benefits to society- increasingly is being challenged.
Gen Interconnection: Lessons From New England
How rules muted price signals and did not ensure efficient siting.
How rules muted price signals and did not ensure efficient siting.
Of the new rules proposed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for interconnecting new power plants to the transmission grid, the most controversial (for transmission providers and generators alike) is FERC's choice of who should pay to construct the various categories of required new facilities.
Gen Interconnection: Comparability or Common Sense?
Why power plants should pay for grid upgrades.
Why power plants should pay for grid upgrades.
Do we make all generators equal-using affirmative action to give rights to merchants that are "comparable" to utility-owned plants?
Or, do we let the locational price signals shine through-trusting all plant developers, whether regulated or not, to act in self-interest?
Grading Pat Wood
Reviewing the FERC chairman's first year, and what he might do next.
This September, Pat Wood III completed his first year as chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Some long-time FERC watchers gave Fortnightly some insights into how this chairman has performed so far, and what we might expect from him in the future.
Perspective
The ISO takes on critics of its new market design.
People
Glenn P. Barba has been elected vice president and controller of Consumers Energy. He joined the utility in 2001 as controller. Previously, he served as controller for CMS Generation. Before joining CMS Generation in 1997, Barba spent nine years in public accounting, with a focus on the energy industry. Consumers Energy also named Kim D. Morris, a 20-year human resources veteran at the company, as human resources director for Consumers Energy's generating plants.
Benchmarks
Some benefits slow to come, but the future still looks profitable.
Benchmarks
By
Off Peak
AGA Issues its Dog Bite Prevention Booklet.<font color="990000">
Off Peak
September 15 , 2002
Changing the Fuel Mix: Time for a Nuclear Rescue?
Gas-fired power is king today, but fuel diversity needs and new technologies may open the door for nuclear and coal.
By Lori A. Burkhart
Gas-fired power is king today, but fuel diversity needs and new technologies may open the door for nuclear and coal.
The nation's demand for electricity is expected to grow by over 40 percent in the next 20 years, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Meeting that need will require a great number of new generating plants. The burning question is, what will fuel these new plants?