Calendar of Events

May 21, 2013 to May 23, 2013 | Atlanta, GA
May 29, 2013 to May 30, 2013 | Chicago, IL
Jun 09, 2013 to Jun 12, 2013 | San Francisco, CA

Keywords

Public Utilities Reports

PUR Guide 2012 Fully Updated Version

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PUR Guide

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Economy of Small

How DG and microgrids change the game for utilities.

Michael T. Burr

Energy microgrids have emerged as more than just a curiosity. The technology is improving, costs are falling, and developers are lining up to build projects. How will microgrids overcome the substantial challenges that stand in their way?

Energy Efficiency's False Hope

Only behavioral change will reduce energy consumption.

Andrew Rudin

Standards and technology don't reduce energy consumption, despite the claims of efficiency zealots. Real energy savings only come through behavioral change.

Scratching the Surface

A 2013 retrospective on ‘Saving Gigabucks with Negawatts’ (1985)

Amory B. Lovins

The basic conclusion of “Saving Gigabucks with Negawatts”—that big thermal plants are obsolete—has proven true, as has its call for flexibility and strategic risk management. But the big issues now are no longer about marginal costs; they’re about the very nature of the electricity enterprise.

Demand Growth and the New Normal

Five forces are putting the squeeze on electricity consumption.

Ahmad Faruqui and Eric Shultz

It’s tempting to attribute the recent slowdown in electricity demand growth entirely to the Great Recession, but consumption growth rates have been declining for at least 50 years. The new normal rate of demand growth likely will be about half of its historic value, with demand rising by less than 1 percent per year. This market plateau calls for a new utility strategy.