Letters to the Editor
A holistic, new approach to cost/benefit analysis.
The still-fresh memories of last year's Northeast blackout coupled with rising congestion nationwide have increased awareness of the electric transmission investment shortfall in the United States. Such investment, in the right locations, would have a highly positive benefit-cost ratio. But how much should be spent?
The Future of Fuel Diversity
The fragmented electric industry structure poses an obstacle to a more stable, diverse, and secure power supply.
Daily news headlines have drawn attention to concerns about fuels, especially the rising prices of oil and natural gas. Fears of interruptions of oil exports from Iraq, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela (take your pick) roil the energy market. But coal is not exempt from bad news, as production declines reduce output from Eastern U.S.
Combining real-time usage data with the newest technology can earn benefits for utilities.
The conclusions made by the NPC gas study raise more questions than they answer.
Pipeline and LNG terminal developments may arrive too late to prevent a natural gas disaster.
People for September 2004
Commission Watch
IOUs, RTOs duke it out over standardization.
Have regional transmission operators (RTOs) and independent system operators (ISOs) asked for excessive levels of credit from customers, to the extent that the burdensome requirements foreclose full market participation by competitive entities? The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) must face that difficult question as it investigates whether to institute a rulemaking on credit-related issues for service provided by ISOs, RTOs, and transmission providers.
Perspective
A Year After the Blackout:
Grid reliability is still at risk unless the industry quickly takes action.
Commission Watch
Assimilating the best of the regulated-utility and merchant models.
Vertically integrated utilities (VIUs) have served us well and do not need to be dismantled in the name of competition.