Hydrogen Power
A New Initiative, a New Fuel Cell Car
General Motors unveiled its Autonomy fuel cell car, which it says is the first vehicle designed exclusively for the fuel cell.
Integration
Microgrids: Where's the Beef?
Integration beats islanding, anyway you slice it.
A microgrid is a throwback. It’s anathema to what we know about economies of scale. Integration is what maximizes the ability of least-cost resources to reach load. By interfering with least-cost dispatch, microgrids can only raise energy costs.
Business Model Mashup
Three ‘power plays’ for utilities seeking growth.
Threats to the utility business model mean that it’s time to make choices about future growth to protect cash flows while investing in new ventures.
The Death of the Grid?
As Mark Twain would say, the reports are exaggerated.
Contrary to rumor, the grid won’t die, but in fact must grow exponentially, in function, complexity, and usefulness.
Reliability vs. Resiliency
Prevent problems, or wait and respond when something happens?
FERC holds conference on electric reliability, asks about standards for resiliency – not just to prevent problems, but how to respond once they occur.
Results-Based Regulation
A more dynamic approach to grid modernization.
The utility’s role is changing, and regulation must change along with it – to spur innovation and respond to evolving customer needs. Modernizing the industry will require a dynamic approach.
MISO Completes Largest-Ever Power Grid Integration
Submitted by aburr on Tue, 2013-12-31 13:24After more than two years of planning and training, MISO integrated a four-state region of the electric grid across the South into its existing footprint in the Midwest. The change in control, or "cutover," extends MISO's operational and market footprints from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to Manitoba, Canada.
Entergy Utilities Complete MISO Integration
Submitted by aburr on Tue, 2013-12-31 13:18Entergy utility operating companies completed the integration of their transmission system into the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO). Entergy's utility operating companies — Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy Texas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, and Entergy New Orleans — have been working for more than two years to plan and prepare for the transition. With the integration into MISO, these functions will now be managed by MISO across its newly-expanded regional footprint.
SGIP, New and Improved
Making the case for collaboration on interoperability standards
The mission of harmonizing industry standards moves forward in the work of the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel 2.0, Inc.
Energy Storage Solutions
Barriers and breakthroughs to a smarter grid.
Technology is quickly making energy storage more economical and effective than ever before. But companies that wish to invest in storage capacity face a journey through a frustrating regulatory no-man’s land. Opening the gateway for storage to deliver smart grid benefits will require a more streamlined and coherent approach to regulating storage as utility infrastructure.