By Jim Vess Pacific Gas & Electric just announced it will no longer seek extension of the operating licenses for[…]
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Where are the Drones?
By Jim Vess When I first posted about the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs), more commonly known as drones,[…]
Read moreCan a Wall of Ice Save Fukushima?
By Jim Vess No, I’m not talking about the giant ice wall to keep out marauding bands of wildlings in[…]
Read moreCanadian Companies See Opportunities South of the Border
By Jim Vess Canadian power companies looking to expand are seeing opportunities for growth in the U.S. market due to[…]
Read moreWhy did SolarCity and Sunrun jump ship?
By Jim Vess In the last few weeks, SolarCity, one of the largest providers of rooftop solar in the nation,[…]
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How Much Does Reliability Cost?
By Jim Vess Just this month the MISO Transmission Expansion Plan 2015 (MTEP15) was approved by the Midcontinent Independent System[…]
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Is Carbon Capture and Storage Technology Really Necessary?
By Jim Vess Today, electric generation from coal makes up about 35% of the total electric generation in the United[…]
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Getting Serious About Cybersecurity
By Jim Vess Threats to the nation’s electric grid will never go away. In the first half of this year,[…]
Read moreGridLiance: Helping Out the Little Guy
By Jim Vess Most public power utilities – such as municipal utilities and cooperatives – have not been able to[…]
Read moreSolar-Plus-Battery: The Future is Now
25 cents. Enough to interpret divine will or start a game of Pac-Man, this simple, easy to remember figure is[…]
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Utilities Take Different Approach to Grid Reliability and Peak Demand
By Jim Vess Traditionally when demand for power rises, to maintain system reliability utilities respond by adding generation capacity from[…]
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Residential Solar: How One Company is Helping Utilities Navigate the Distributed Energy Revolution
For years now, energy industry followers have been inundated with news articles, blog posts, reports, and predictions about the future[…]
Read moreCalifornia utilities propose net-metering reforms
Energize Weekly, August 5, 2015 California’s two biggest utilities urged state regulators to make sweeping changes to the way residential[…]
Read moreSPP bows out of Tres Amigas interconnection project
Energize Weekly, August 5, 2015 Tres Amigas, a $1.6 billion “SuperStation” project connecting three regional U.S. grids lost a key[…]
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Synthetic Fuel from Wind and Solar Power? Audi Thinks So.
Tesla claims the future of car travel is all about electric motors and batteries. Toyota believes that electric cars aren’t[…]
Read moreReport: Cyber attack on power grid could cost $1 trillion
Energize Weekly, July 22, 2015 The damage from a hack on the U.S. power grid could cost the nation’s economy[…]
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Why Xcel Energy Wants to Change Utility Business Models in Minnesota
Earlier this year, Minneapolis-based utility Xcel Energy won a significant victory when it lobbied for, and then received, permission to[…]
Read moreNatural gas finally surpasses coal as biggest U.S. electricity source
Energize Weekly, July 15, 2015 Natural gas has overtaken coal as the top source of electric power generation for the[…]
Read moreReport: Ratemaking subsidies could imperil grid reliability
Energize Weekly, July 15, 2015 A new study released by the Electric Markets Research Foundation says that the concept of[…]
Read moreDynegy to exit California, eyes Ohio for future growth
Energize Weekly, July 15, 2015 Power plant behemoth Dynegy Inc says that it will likely exit renewable-heavy California in favor[…]
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Yieldcos: How an Alternative Investment Vehicle became the Darling of Renewable Energy Finance
By Russell B. Cohen, Esq. Renewable energy financing has long been an obstacle for project developers. In the past, project[…]
Read moreMissouri regulators block Grain Belt Express
Energize Weekly, July 8, 2015 Missouri utility regulators voted to reject the route of a $2.2 billion multistate high-voltage transmission[…]
Read moreAustin Energy bids reveal new frontier for solar growth
Energize Weekly, July 8, 2015 Austin Energy’s recent call for solar power contract solicitations, which saw offers for almost 1,300[…]
Read moreSolar being undervalued by utilities: report
Energize Weekly, July 1, 2015 Rooftop solar owners may be getting under-compensated for the benefits their systems provide to the[…]
Read moreSupreme Court blocks EPA MATS regulations on coal, oil-fired power plants
Energize Weekly, July 1, 2015 A narrowly divided U.S. Supreme Court blocked a landmark air quality rule this week, ruling[…]
Read moreNew York utilities embrace REV
Energize Weekly, July 1, 2015 A slew of New York utilities, including National Grid, Central Hudson Gas & Electric, and[…]
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How Can You Get a Spare Transformer Yesterday?
By Jim Vess In its Quadrennial Energy Review just released in April, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) stressed the[…]
Read moreMinnesota OKs industrial customer rate changes, net-metering fees
Energize Weekly, June 24, 2015 Large industrial customers in Minnesota will soon get a rate break while municipal utilities and[…]
Read moreMISO: No shortfall after all
Energize Weekly, June 24, 2015 The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) is no longer predicting an energy shortfall next year,[…]
Read moreNRG Energy building 20MW solar facility for Cisco Systems
Energize Weekly, June 24, 2015 NRG Renew, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NRG Energy, will build a 20 megawatt (MW) solar[…]
Read moreIs demand response the key to integrating DER?
There’s no way to sugarcoat it: distributed energy resources (DER) are moving into the mainstream. Not only is the proliferation[…]
Read moreResidential solar market grew 76 percent in first quarter 2015: report
Energize Weekly, June 17, 2015 The U.S. residential solar market had its best quarter ever during the first three months[…]
Read moreSenate subcommittee chairman blasts Clean Line as comment period is extended
Energize Weekly, June 17, 2015 The chairman of a key U.S. Senate Energy subcommittee blasted the $2 billion Clean Line[…]
Read moreAPS completes massive Yuma transmission project
Energize Weekly, June 10, 2015 Arizona Public Service (APS) recently completed its largest transmission project in nearly three decades –[…]
Read moreRooftop solar could generate 5,000 MW: Report
Energize Weekly, June 10, 2015 Mid-sized cities could install as much as 5,000 megawatts (MW) of solar on municipal property[…]
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Will Renewables Kill Baseload Power Generation?
By Michael Drost As if the coal and nuclear industries haven’t been through enough, last week the Independent System Operator[…]
Read moreITC completes Thumb Loop transmission project
Energize Weekly, May 20, 2015 ITC Transmission says it has finished the final section of its $510 million “Thumb Loop”[…]
Read moreKansas set to repeal state RPS
Energize Weekly, May 20, 2015 A compromise bill to officially lift a renewable energy mandate has passed the Kansas state[…]
Read moreSupreme Court to review FERC demand response rule
Energize Weekly, March 13, 2015 The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to the Federal Energy Regulatory[…]
Read moreHawaii legislature wants 100 precent renewable energy by 2045
Energize Weekly, May 13, 2015 In a first-of-its-kind move, the Hawaii legislature passed a bill last week requiring that 100[…]
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Tech Companies Banking on Green Data Centers
By Russell B. Cohen, Esq Data centers, those enormous hubs of computer processing power that support the explosive growth of[…]
Read moreDOE report: U.S. energy grid needs major updates
Energize Weekly, May 6, 2015 The nation’s energy grid is old, too old, and will need some major policy and[…]
Read moreTesla rolls out new solar energy batteries for homes and businesses
Energize Weekly, May 6, 2015 Tesla Motors, the Silicon Valley-based electric car manufacturer, has announced that it will be selling[…]
Read moreWhat’s the Big Deal with Smart Meters?
By Jim Vess ComEd recently announced the installation of its one millionth smart meter in its service territory. The utility[…]
Read moreWinter efficiency programs saved New England ratepayers $1.5 billion: Report
Energize Weekly, April 22, 2015 Energy efficiency programs lowered New England electricity bills by 24 percent this past winter, saving[…]
Read moreVirginia court says major Dominion transmission line needs local approval
Energize Weekly, April 22, 2015 The Virginia Supreme Court has ruled that local approval is required over a key element[…]
Read moreMicrogrids Take Utilities by Storm
By Russell B. Cohen, Esq. Energize Weekly, April 22, 2015 Driven by the desire to cut costs, ensure reliability, and[…]
Read moreDoes Net-Metering Belong in the Utility Business Model?
This week, Mississippi regulators voted unanimously to develop net-metering and interconnection rules for solar generation. The proposal would mandate that[…]
Read moreRegulators say EPA carbon reduction plan could threaten reliability
Energize Weekly, April 8, 2015 State regulators and utility executives told federal officials last week that the Environmental Protection Agency’s[…]
Read moreCan the Distribution System Be Operated Like an RTO?
The distribution grid is in a state of change with the increased use of smart grid technologies, the expansion of[…]
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