Off Peak
California high school students put their education to work.<b> </b>
Off Peak
February 15, 2001
Deregulation 101
California high school students put their education to work.
Jan. 11, 2001
Dear Secretary of Energy Richardson:
Economics
Let's Get Physical
To manage congestion on the power grid, most traders would rather book a firm path than risk a loss on a financial hedge.
To manage congestion on the power grid, most traders would rather book a firm path than risk a loss on a financial hedge.
News Digest
News Digest
State PUCs
Restructuring Plans. The Ohio PUC denied rehearing of its restructuring order for FirstEnergy issued two months earlier, rejecting arguments by all petitioners-utility, marketers, and consumer watchdog groups.
Frontlines
DC power makes a comeback in this vision of neighborhood grids and fuel cells on wheels.
Frontlines
Engineers Have Their Day
EPA's Emissions Rule: Reliability at Stake?
SIP Call in a Nutshell
Some fear NOx controls will spawn outages and higher power prices.
Utility executives say the EPA's plan to reduce ground-level ozone in the nation's eastern half by controlling emissions of nitrogen oxides in upwind states could undermine electric reliability and force power prices higher.
East vs. West: Comparing Electric Markets in California and PJM
While neither is perfect, the former has done better than its critics would admit.
News Digest
Transmission & ISOs
News Digest
Gas-on-Gas Discounting: Still a Zero-Sum Game
The Policy: Blind Faith in Supply-Side Subsidy
Gas-on-Gas Discounting: Still a Zero-Sum Game
A Subtle but Clear Preference for ISOs
Do not mistake the FERC's professed neutrality on what works best for regional transmission organizations.
In its final rule on regional transmission organizations, known as Order 2000,[Fn.1] the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said it would not dictate to the electric utility industry whether and how to form RTOs. Don't be misled. The FERC claims to be agnostic,[Fn.2] but it still has a vision. And that vision leads inexorably to one conclusion. The preferred form for an RTO is the independent system operator, or ISO.
Collaring the Risk of Real-Time Prices: A Merchant Strategy for Utilities
Options and insurance each has a niche, but price collars are cheaper and more adaptable to market risk and customer behavior.
During the summers of 1998 and 1999, wholesale prices in the Midwest soared to $7,000 or more per megawatt, in comparison to a more typical summer price of $30 to $50 per megawatt. In a competitive environment, electricity suppliers - that is generators, utilities, marketers, etc. - will offer a variety of pricing products ranging from flat rates to real-time pricing (RTP). By varying degrees, price risk will be passed to the end-user.