Calendar of Events

DNV KEMA's 6th Annual Utility of the Future Leadership Forum
Jun 17, 2013 to Jun 19, 2013 | Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland
Intersolar Europe
Jun 19, 2013 to Jun 21, 2013 | Munich, Germany
Energy Management Congress West
Jun 19, 2013 to Jun 20, 2013 | Las Vegas, Nevada
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Public Utilities Reports

PUR Guide 2012 Fully Updated Version

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San Diego Gas & Electric

SDG&E Signs Five Solar and Wind PPAs

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) signed five new renewable power purchase agreements for a total of nearly 62 MW of solar and wind energy. Two of these contracts, for a total of 27 MW, will be located in San Diego County.

Ocotillo 265-MW wind project begins commercial operation

Pattern Energy’s Ocotillo wind project in Southern California began commercial operation, transmitting energy to the Sunrise Powerlink, a newly constructed 117-mile 500-kv transmission line connecting San Diego and the Imperial Valley. The 265-MW Ocotillo project in Imperial Valley has 94 turbines now operational. An additional 18 turbines are expected to be installed in the spring of 2013.

Smart Grid at a Crossroads

Refining the business case for advanced  distribution investments.

Michael T. Burr

As utilities plan their capital budgets for the next few years, investments in advanced distribution systems face an uncertain future. Customers question the value—and propriety—of some programs, while long-term strategic goals depend on seamless integration. What will be the path forward for smart grid technology?

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Digest

(January 2013) Dominion Virginia Power contracts Alstom for HRSGs at 1,300-MW Brunswick County station; Entergy acquires KGen plants; San Diego Gas & Electric installs new outage management system; ChargePoint enters reseller agreement with Service Solutions; Saft to install battery storage project at High Wind project in Saskatchewan; NRG’s eVgo finalizes plans for California charging network; plus contracts and announcements from ABB, ADT, Elster, Itron, ElectroIndustries, Opower, Panasonic, FirstEnergy, PacifiCorp, and others.

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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.

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Rooftop Tsunami

Utilities sound the alarm as PV nears grid parity.

Michael T. Burr, Editor-in-Chief

A growing wave of rooftop PV projects is starting to look ominous to some utilities. Will lawmakers accept utilities’ warnings at face value—or will they suspect they’re crying wolf?

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CPUC Targets Privacy Worries

The California Public Utility Commission’s recent proposed rule aims to protect customer privacy while also facilitating third-party access to smart meter data for energy management, demand response and other customer service applications. But does it go far enough?

The ruling applies to any services that keep collecting and using data without any active role on the customers’ part.

In response to direction from the state legislature to protect customer data privacy as smart meters are installed, California Public Utility Commission President Michael Peevey issued a notice of proposed decision in Rulemaking 08-12-009(“Decision Adopting Rules

CFOs Speak Out: Looking Beyond Power

Chief financial officers discuss new strategies and the possibility of further convergence inside and outside the energy industry.

Richard Stavros

A whole new cast of characters is expected to enter the energy industry—overseas ventures, telecom firms, insurance companies, and financial-services groups. But even as the future seems to hold boundless opportunity, utility executives and industry experts continue to disagree on what sort of consolidation is right.

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The Fortnightly 40 Financial Ratings

Which is the best energy company?

Richard Stavros

(September 2005) Top honors in our first annual financial ranking go to those staying with the basics and to those dealing with soaring commodity prices.

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Power Measurements

An improved definition of heating and cooling degree-days for power markets.
Aaron Brasket

Power Measurement

An improved definition of heating and cooling degree-days for power markets.

Anyone who owns an air conditioner and pays an electric bill knows that weather drives demand for electricity, but quantifying the relationship between weather and electricity demand isn't easy. Was last winter severely cold? Winters are always cold. If it really was cold, exactly how cold was it?

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