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Otto Blathy, Bern Dibner, Rene Thury, Philip Torchio, Travis Kavulla

August Birthdays

On August 11, 1860, Otto Blathy was born in Tata, Hungary. He was the co-inventor of the transformer at age twenty-five.

Indeed, Otto literally came up with the name transformer. Not only did the term transformer stick in our industry...

Transformers ultimately became the name of Hasbro's robots in disguise, Bumblebee and his team of heroic autobots, on the hunt for the evil Decepticons loose on earth. Their motto, "Rev up and roll out."

Byline: 

Steve Mitnick

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POPS Is Here to Stay

Reports of Plain Old Power Service’s death greatly exaggerated

The vast majority of electric consumers want reliable, clean, reasonably priced electricity, and little else.
Byline: 

Steve Huntoon

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Regulators Can Win the Trifecta with Residential Demand Charges

Advanced metering and demand charges give efficient and equitable price signals to customers.

The wide deployment of smart meters gives regulatory policy-makers a rare opportunity to change residential rate design. This can be done in a way that improves economic efficiency, and utility consumer and shareholder equity. Here we provide ten questions that should be asked by policy-makers, as well as some guidance in deriving the answers.
Byline: 

Ross C. Hemphill and Kenneth W. Costello

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Tale of Two Grids

What a review of PUC cases tells us about the future of consumer technology and grid modernization.

There may be a more fundamental schism that raises fundamental questions about the role of the distribution utility and footprint of the natural monopoly.
Byline: 

Cameron Brooks

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Today's NASUCA

To ensure reliable and affordable service remains a primary focus.

NASUCA continues to bring the consumer advocate message to Washington D.C. Most recently it filed a letter in opposition to a U.S. Senate energy bill (S. 2012) amendment, King-Reid #3120. The letter voiced concerns about a move to federally institutionalize full net metering.
Byline: 

Sheri Givens

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We, the Regulators

The way forward, amidst new markets, technologies, and environmental imperatives.

NARUC’s incoming President – from the Montana PSC – shares his vision on how utility regulators should navigate today’s industry disruptions.
Byline: 

Travis Kavulla

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Parsing Poles and Towers

Customer cost allocations using the Minimum Distribution System method.

Accounting and Rate Design: How to use the Minimum Distribution Method to allocate local grid costs to end-use customers.
Byline: 

Michael T. O’Sheasy and Joshua Rogers

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Rhode Island: The Challenge of an Aging Infrastructure

2015 Regulators Forum

Clearly, one of the most significant issues we face today is aging infrastructure. It’s akin to a marathon – a race we absolutely have to finish. Since 1990 we’ve replaced more than 65,000 miles of cast iron and bare steel pipe, but we still have a long way to go.
Byline: 

Paul J. Roberti, Rhode Island PUC

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Georgia: On Becoming a Social Media Junkie

2015 Regulators Forum

Being in the “energy” business as a commissioner, staff, lobbyist or industry leader is hard enough without social media, right? When you add Twitter and Facebook to the mix, it is enough to drive one crazy. Who needs it? Well, we all do, really.
Byline: 

Tim Echols, Georgia PSC

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