Beneficial Electrification for All Incomes
Perspective from Cooperative Power
There is a better way to reduce energy costs for low-income households while making progress towards environmental goals.
Pricing
Why Regulators Should Replace Electric Utility Rate Base
Challenging Choices
If rate base no longer works, consider alternatives. In competitive markets, if retailers are to stay in business, they must recover a profit margin.
Rate Design 3.0
Future of Rate Design
The best rate is going to be a modern three-part rate for all customers.
Forging a Path to the Modern Grid
Energy Efficiency Solutions
It's not news that power systems across the United States are experiencing an upheaval. With the greater deployment of energy efficiency, renewable energy and distributed resources, as well as different usage patterns and customer demands, today's grid is struggling to perform to our expectations.
Transitioning to a more modern electrical grid will require changes to the pricing structures used by electric utilities, moving beyond the traditional two-part rate with its roots in the nineteenth century.
Price Responsive Demand
Economic Experiments
It is little wonder why so many commissions prefer a regulatory model that shields most consumers (especially residential) from real time market volatility.
Electricity or Natural Gas
Which Holds the Real Price Advantage?
The price of electricity per Btu based on marginal costs may be considerably lower than the price of natural gas when the grid is primarily supplied by wind and solar.
Finding Common Ground on TOU Rates
Consumer, Clean Energy Advocates
Cooperation has produced concrete guidance on time of use rates, described in a new joint paper.
Dynamic Pricing Works in a Hot, Humid Climate
Evidence from Florida
We examine the impacts of dynamic pricing on conservation and load shifting in the hot and humid climate of Florida. We then compare the results to those from dynamic pricing experiments across the world. Our evaluation is based on the Energy Smart Florida pilot study, which was run by Florida Power and Light, the third-largest electric utility in the United States.
Arizona on Value of Solar
Turning Point for Distributed Energy
In December 2016, Arizona's utility regulators set in motion a new policy many believe is likely to undermine investment in solar and other distributed technologies in the state. We urge advocates and regulators looking for sustainable models of state DER policy to think carefully before following Arizona's example.
Why Are We Still Arguing About NEM?
Competitive Market Will Take Care of Next Burning Issue
I do not understand why we are still distracted by Net Energy Metering (NEM). It worked well when we had not-so-smart meters and were trying to encourage rooftop solar penetration. People in general and students of regulation in particular are left confused and can easily find some support for both sides. This results in conflicts and proposed compromises that keep the debate going at full tilt. Two things are missing or mostly overlooked in all this regulatory discourse.