Considerations for New Utility Business Model
Public Interest Comes First
A business model should maximize the long-term welfare of utility customers.
Finance
Joining the Fortis Family
Leadership Lyceum Podcast: A Conversation with Paul Bonavia
Paul Bonavia is Retired Chairman and CEO of UNS Energy (Tucson Electric Power). The company was sold to Fortis in August 2014.
Looming Risks of Regulated Assets
History May Not Predict Future
Maximizing exposure to regulated assets may not be an optimal long-term investment strategy, despite its present popularity. The factors considered here include lower allowed returns on equity, the law of diminishing returns, declining demand for the product, price increases, and a possible death spiral.
The Power of Innovation, Part II
Utility Execs' Roundtable: We sat down with five utility execs who lead their companies on innovation
Migrating to a model that focuses on product and service volume to produce margins is a fundamental shift. But the challenge these executives acknowledge is learning how to blend several unique business models as the scope of their business expands.
Innovation and Capital Recovery
A History of Public Utility Regulation
The electric power industry is the key industry in our society. Nothing can function without adequate, reliable, fairly-priced produced and delivered electric service. Getting the capital recovery or depreciation right is not optional.
Local Financing Benefits U.S. Utilities
Banks, Utilities Find Natural Fit
Local banks are still an under-utilized resource for electric utilities, despite the role these banks played historically. Regional and local banks are often healthier than big banks, according to the Federal Reserve.
Incubating the Technologies of Tomorrow
An important conduit from entrepreneurship to commercialization.
A need became apparent to bridge a gap between incubators and a successful product launch in a crowded energy marketplace.
Radical Candor
Making ‘Clean Coal’ More than an Oxymoron.
Are clean coal efforts likely to fail? Yes. Does that mean investing is foolish? No. Here are eight ways I think the industry should change its clean coal messaging if it wants to win over the people who matter most.
Fueling America's Economic Engine
New energy economy also relies on some old fossil friends.
It has not been public investments in sustainable fuels and modern tools that have led to the re-awakening of the U.S. economy. Rather, it’s been mostly private investment in shale gas development that has led to new capital formation, infrastructure development and jobs galore.
The Fortnightly 40 Best Energy Companies
The industry’s transformation has begun. Should the F40 transform too?
(September 2014) Our annual ranking of shareholder performance tracks the long-term returns of leading utilities. But can it predict success in a transformed energy market?