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Benchmarks: Coal Prices

Steady again, as new paradigm takes hold.

New coal price levels are down, but above the prices realized in the 1990s. Perhaps it can be demonstrated that the supply of coal is much more in line with its demand, and that coal mines are producing at levels much closer to aggregate mine capacity.
Byline: 

Andy Roberts

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Vote Yes on Yucca Mountain

Congress needs to uphold the president's designation for a nuclear waste disposal site.

In the interest of security, economics, and common sense, it is important that Congress votes to uphold Yucca Mountain as the nation's central nuclear waste disposal facility.
Byline: 

William T. McCormick, Jr.

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A Dynamic Mission: Protecting Utility Assets

State public service commissions are insisting that utilities adopt risk management programs, and are allowing less pass-through for those that don't.

Many electric utilities have been on high alert since Sept. 11 to protect the assets within their systems from cyber and physical attack. For instance, 21 U.S. nuclear reactors are located within five miles of an airport, but 96 percent of all U.S. reactors were designed without regard for the potential for impact from even a small aircraft.
Byline: 

Charles W. Thurston

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Distributed Generation: Hype vs. Hope

Separating myth from reality in identifying DG applications.

Technological breakthroughs in distributed generation have not materialized as quickly as expected. Furthermore, manufacturers have continued to improve traditional generation technologies. So what role can DG play?
Byline: 

Jonathan A. Lesser, Ph.D. and Charles D. Feinstein, Ph.D.

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Standby Generation: A New Proposition

A cost/benefit analysis of full interconnection of customer-owned standby generators.

Investigating the economic impact of interconnecting a backup generator with a utility-owned power system.
Byline: 

Joshua Meyer, John Farls, and Dennis Troester

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CEO Power Forum: Leadership and Credibility in Uncertain Times

The leaders of the electric power industry greatly want to put a positive spin on the current state of affairs in their business.

Enron’s bankruptcy and California’s failed restructuring experience, as well as credit and shareholder concerns, are preventing senior executives from spending adequate time on developing new growth opportunities for their companies and lobbying for electric industry competition.
Byline: 

Mark Hand

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