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Article Archive

Transmission Developer Holding Breath That Undersea Cable Will Meet Market Needs

Submitted by meacott on Mon, 2014-11-10 08:52
Independent transmission owners are known for buying well-established networks from utilities, until now. For the first time, a third party grid operator is purchasing the rights to build such a system on spec – and one would traverse from Canada into the United States.

Independent transmission owners are known for buying well-established networks from utilities, until now. For the first time, a third party grid operator is purchasing the rights to build such a system on spec – and one would traverse from Canada into the United States. 

Energy Storage Surges Ahead

Submitted by meacott on Thu, 2014-10-16 11:37
Energy storage is charging ahead, thanks in no small part to the work of Duke Energy and Southern California Edison, with each optimistic that its investment will pay off.

Energy storage is charging ahead, thanks in no small part to the work of two utilities, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy. Duke Energy and Southern California Edison are now operating two of the biggest such projects in North America, with each optimistic that its investment will pay off.  

Obama and Climate Marchers Meet in NY but Take Divergent Paths

Submitted by meacott on Wed, 2014-09-24 12:04
President Obama and the climate marchers now in New York City have one major thing in common – that they are fighting to mitigate global warming. But the soulmates are also departing on one major issue – the role of natural gas in that effort. Many of the marchers see natural gas as an obstacle to progress whereas the president views the energy source as a bridge fuel until green power is able to provide most of our electricity.

President Obama’s trip to the United Nations is infusing the People’s Climate March with new energy. While the president is now encumbered with defeating the Islamic State, the cause of mitigating global warming is still gathering steam. 

Will President Obama's Clean Power Plan Fly?

Submitted by meacott on Tue, 2014-09-09 19:09
President Obama and his EPA are now taking public comments on the Clean Power Plan – the proposal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions on existing coal-fired power plants by motivating investments in new technologies or entering into regional cap-and-trade programs. It's a rule-making that has raised the ire of Republicans, who feel the Democratic administration has gone too far. But it's one that raises the hopes of others, who say that it will spur utilities to build or invest in cleaner alternatives. Just what fuels benefit from this? Natural gas is obvious winner, although nuclear and renewables are also fighting for a greater slice of the electric generation pie.

President Obama’s Clean Power Plan won’t exactly move at the speed of light. But it may jumpstart demand for more alternative fuels that are more ecologically beneficial than the older coal-fired technologies.

Geotargeting: More Analytics, Less Infrastructure

Submitted by meacott on Tue, 2014-07-22 19:48
To relieve pressure from a stressed power grid, owners of commercial buildings should turn first to analytics to boost energy efficiency.

With an aging infrastructure stressed by a variety of factors from inclement weather to a decreasing number of operational power plants to heightened electric consumption levels, today's grid often struggles to achieve its core function – keeping the lights on and the power flowing.

Grid constraint refers to a scenario in which power demand exceeds transmission and distribution (T&D) capacity in a given area. Constraints have a negative impact on the grid's ability to deliver power reliably, as it is supposed to.