Energize Weekly, June 24, 2020 Energy jobs – from oil and gas rigs to rooftop solar installations – continue to plummet under the weight of low oil prices and the novel coronavirus pandemic. In May, 27,000 additional clean energy workers filed unemployment claims, bringing the total job loss in the sector to 621,000 since March, according to an analysis done
Energize Weekly, May 13, 2020 A new front was opened last week in the battle between Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and some of its electric cooperatives, as United Power, its largest member, filed a complaint in a Colorado district court charging subterfuge and breach of contract. Meanwhile on May 18, hearings will open at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission
Energize Weekly, May 6, 2020 In the face of the novel coronavirus pandemic, utilities and utility regulators are moving to postpone rate increases and guard against service shutdowns for customers as most states continue to impose stay-at-home orders for their residents. The moves are also creating some financial risk and uncertainties for utilities, according to industry analysts. Regulatory commissions in
Energize Weekly, April 1, 2020 The closing of businesses and sheltering-in-place of millions of citizens to tamp down the novel coronavirus pandemic is dampening demand for electricity, even as utilities across the country put in place emergency plans to keep electrons flowing through the grid. Between March 14 and March 24, daily peak demand was down between 2.2 percent to
Energize Weekly, March 4, 2020 Time-of-use electricity rates are increasingly being seen as a valuable tool in reducing peak demand and managing renewable energy generation – but concerns are being voiced over their impact on low-income and elderly customers. Xcel Energy is seeking to shift all of its 1.2 million Colorado residential customers to summer time-of-use rates and the move
Energize Weekly, February 5, 2020 Corporations purchased a record 19.5 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy contracts in 2019, a 40 percent increase over 2019, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). Contracts, primarily power purchase agreements (PPAs), were signed by more than 100 companies in 23 different countries, marking a three-fold increase from 2017. “Corporations have purchased over 50 GW
Energize Weekly, January 8, 2020 Global coal demand in 2019 dropped, driven by coal-fired plant retirements in Europe and the U.S., but should be stable over the next five years due to growth in China and Asia, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The outlook for coal in the U.S. over the next five years is of continued reductions
Energize Weekly, November 27, 2019 Debt instruments fostering sustainable projects and development reached $1 trillion in 2019 – with more than 30 percent of those loans coming this year, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). “Reaching the trillion dollar milestone is a key moment for the sustainable debt market – if this market wasn’t already on the radar of
Energize Weekly, November 13, 2019 Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association continues to face pressure from some of its members as two of its largest electric cooperatives last week filed complaints with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) seeking reasonable exit fees from the association. Brighton, Colo.-based United Power, the largest of Tri-State members, and Durango-based La Plata Electric Association (LPEA),
Energize Weekly, September 11, 2019 Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association has added energy services company MIECO Inc. as its first non-rural electric cooperative member, clearing the way for the association to be regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). In July, Tri-State, which serves 43 electric cooperatives in four states – Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming and New Mexico – filed
Energize Weekly, September 4, 2019 Average electricity prices in the U.S. edged up three-tenths of a percent in the most recent 12-month rolling period, which ended in May 2019, compared to the previous 12-month span, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). There were, however, sharp regional and state differences with falling rates in some areas and sharp rate
Energize Weekly, August 21, 2019 The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has filed an unprecedented protest with federal regulators seeking to block the bid by Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association to move from state to federal rate regulation. Tri-State, which wants to shift rate regulation to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), provides wholesale power to 43 rural electric cooperatives
Energize Weekly, July 31, 2019 Almost half of the major U.S. electric utilities filed rate cases with state regulators in 2018 – the highest number since 1983 – with nearly 90 percent seeking rate increases, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). The rate increase requests were driven mainly by increased spending on electricity transmission and delivery. In the
Energize Weekly, July 31, 2019 After more than two years of sometimes acrimonious negotiations, fights before a state utilities commission and lawsuits, the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association has agreed to terms allowing one of its rural Colorado cooperatives to leave next year. Four days after filing the agreement with Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), Tri-State moved to have its
Energize Weekly, July 10, 2019 Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association is going ahead with its deliberations on moving from state to federal regulatory oversight even as one of its rural Colorado electric cooperatives has gone to court to block the action. Tri-State’s decision to seek regulation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has also sparked concern from Colorado legislative
Energize Weekly, May 29, 2019 After a three-year slide, global energy investment stabilized in 2018 at just more than $1.8 trillion dollars—as spending on oil, natural gas and coal increased, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said. Investments in renewable generation and energy efficiency, however, stalled in 2018, according to the IEA’s World Energy Investment 2019 report. There was a 4
Energize Weekly, April 3, 2019 Nearly three-quarters of the nation’s coal-fired electric generation could be matched or undercut on cost by local wind and solar installations, according to analysis by Energy Innovation and Vibrant Clean Energy. The report projects that the portion of the coal-fired fleet economically challenged by renewable generation will grow from 211 gigawatts (GW) in 2018 to
Energize Weekly, March 20, 2019 Faced with a growing number of coal plant closures, some states are looking at the use of securitized bonds to soften the financial impact. New Mexico and Colorado already have legislation to create such bonds. “Securitized bonds are a way to avoid a rate shock and benefit from lower rates from cheaper generation,” said by
Energize Weekly, January 23, 2019 Utility companies need to redefine how they interact with their customers to deal with emerging issues, such as time-of-use rates, electric vehicles (EVs) and rooftop solar, according to an analysis by marketing research company J.D Power. “There is a need for traditional utilities to engage with their customers as things are happening,” Andrew Heath, senior
Energize Weekly, September 12, 2018 Utility and power sector deals globally hit a record $180 billion in the first half of 2018, spurred by industry consolidation and renewable energy investments, according to a report by Ernst & Young (EY). The accounting and consulting firm’s second quarter “Power Transactions and Trends” report shows record investment even as deals cooled in the
Energize Weekly, August 8, 2018 Community banks and regional financial institutions are becoming a bigger force in the financing of residential and small commercial solar installations, according to a study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). These community banks and credit unions represent a new source of capital for small-scale photovoltaic (PV) projects, and they are “experiencing positive early
Energize Weekly, July 25, 2018 Blockchain—the decentralized digital ledger most often linked to cryptocurrencies—could have a major impact in managing rooftop solar, electric vehicle charging and energy trading, according to an analysis by the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI). The EFI study estimates there has already been $100 million to $300 million invested in more than 100 energy sector blockchain applications.
Energize Weekly, July 25, 2018 Global energy investment dropped 2 percent in 2017 to $1.8 trillion in 2017—a sign it is “failing to keep up with energy security and sustainability goals,” according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). It was the third consecutive year of declines in global investment with the power sector accounting for most of the drop, as
Energize Weekly, July 11, 2018 Swiss Re, the world’s largest reinsurer, said that it will no longer provide services to companies with a more than 30 percent exposure to thermal coal. The thermal coal policy applies to existing and new thermal coal mines and power plants, and will be implemented across all lines of business, the insurer said. These companies
Energize Weekly, June 27, 2018 Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded the U.S. regulated utility sector to negative from stable due to lower cash flows and the highest debt leverage since 2008 as a result of changes to the federal tax laws. While steps are being taken by some regulators and companies to deal with the challenge, Moody’s said it could
Energize Weekly, June 6, 2018 Wallace L. Barron, President, Barron & Associates, Corporate Solutions, LLC. The utility industry, along with other major industries, is undergoing never before experienced and rapid changes to their marketplaces. Those changes are driven by such things as technology and changing customer demographics along with changing customer needs, wants and expectations about doing business with your
Energize Weekly, May 16, 2018 Nuclear power plants under pressure from market forces are facing closures, but states with high concentrations of nuclear power are stepping in to bolster these generators, and there may be additional policy initiatives that can be taken, according to new studies. “Nuclear power is responsible for around 20 percent of U.S. electricity generation and more
Energize Weekly, May 4, 2016 Federal regulators have rejected power purchase agreements that would force Ohio customers to pay extra charges on their utility bills to guarantee profits at failing AEP and FirstEnergy power plants. Last week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) rescinded waivers it had granted to the two companies that would allow them to purchase power from
Energize Weekly, April 20, 2016 Georgia utility regulators gave its blessing last week to a proposed $12 billion merger between Southern Co. and AGL Resources, a deal which would create the second largest utility in the country once approved by all parties. In a 5-0 vote, members of the Georgia Public Services Commission approved a settlement agreement which would cap
Energize Weekly, April 20, 2016 The U.S. Senate is making progress on a long-stalled energy bill after lawmakers agreed to drop fights over offshore drilling and aid for residents affected by the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. The bipartisan energy bill, the first such legislation since 2007, includes titles on efficiency, grid infrastructure, energy supply and conservation. The bill was
Energize Weekly, April 13, 2016 A diverse range of investors have expressed interest in acquiring Kansas utility Westar Energy, including rival utility Ameren Corp., a Canadian investor consortium, and the Warren Buffet-led conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, among others. Westar is considering a sale amidst a flurry of merger and acquisition activity in the U.S. power sector this year. To offset lackluster
Energize Weekly, April 6, 2016 Solar energy giant SunEdison says it plans to file for bankruptcy in the next few weeks, a shocking revelation for a company that was valued at just under $10 billion as recently as last summer. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company is preparing to file chapter 11 and is in talks with creditor
Energize Weekly, April 6, 2016 Xcel Energy has asked the Wisconsin Public Service Commission to approve $22.2 million in natural gas and electric rate increases, the 12th straight year Xcel has requested to increase electricity revenue in the Badger State. The utility says it needs an additional $17.4 million for infrastructure investments, including a $294 million wind farm in North Dakota,
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