Segment and Conquer
To measure efficiency, you needn’t count every customer.
True believers don’t respond much to urging – they will save energy regardless. So why not just ignore them in measuring the success of energy efficiency programs?
Law & Lawyers
Keeping a Lid on Coal Ash
EPA’s rule said to favor repurposing and recycling – over landfills or disposal ponds.
The EPA’s new final rule marks a turning point in the handling of coal fly ash. EPA has tried to balance the needs of utilities with existing coal ash deposits and the needs of communities that are worried that such ponds will leak into waterways, or even worse, burst open and wreak havoc. In the process, it’s pleased few.
Have Mandatory Standards Improved Reliability?
Evidence, findings and raison d’etre.
The benefits don’t nearly justify the costs, and may even provoke unintended adverse consequences.
Coal to the Rescue
A proposal to enhance European energy security.
A proposal to enhance European energy security by lessening dependence on Russian fuel imports – via coal-based production of synthetic natural gas, plus injection of captured CO2 for enhanced recovery of North Sea oil.
Gas to the Rescue
Shale revolution catches fire, surpassing coal – in America, and soon around the world.
The shale revolution now fueling the American economy appears poised for expansion overseas.
Demand Disruption Ahead
Utilities should think hard about business models.
Death spiral? Maybe not. But retail load – as served by utilities – will surely fall.
In New York's Distributed Energy Future, Will Co-Generation Still Reign?
Distributed energy has a long history in the state – with co-generation, or combined heat and power, playing the dominant role. How is that portfolio changing today?
Combined heat and power still leads the Empire State in market penetration by distributed resources, but costs are not falling as fast as for storage or solar PV.
Digest (January 2015)
FERC approved the proposed merger of Exelon and Pepco Holdings; SunEdison and TerraForm Power agreed to acquire First Wind for $2.4 billion; NorthWestern Energy closed on its $900 million purchase of facilities from PPL Montana; Siemens Energy Management partnered with Microsoft and FuelCell Energy to develop the nation's first zero-carbon, waste-to-energy data center; ABB commissioned a power solution that will control power flow and enhance grid stability in Michigan; AES Southland was awarded a 20-year PPA by Southern California Edison to provide 100 MW of interconnected battery-based energy storage; Renewable Energy Systems Americas developed what will be the largest, fully commercial energy storage projects in North America; Westinghouse Electric, China's State Nuclear Power Technology Corp., and Electricity Generation Co. agreed to develop and construct a four-unit nuclear power plant site in the Republic of Turkey. And others ...
The View from Here
What an editor learns about human nature.
For me, editing has always been about sharing the joy of learning with others.
People (February 2015)
Xcel Energy named Christopher Clark president of Northern States Power Co. Minnesota; Bill Way became president of Southwestern Energy; FirstEnergy elected Anthony J. Alexander executive chairman; The U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of Colette Honorable to join FERC; Virginia Lodge and Ronald Walter became members of the Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors; Changes at Mississippi Power; AES Corp., and CMS Energy. And others...