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Fortnightly Magazine - July 2015

Utilities Cutting Cord to Coal

It’s not personal. It’s just business.

With coal’s troubles piling up, so too are stories about the industry’s “bleak” future in the United States – a casualty of cheap natural gas, thinning coal seams, and the pursuit of lower-carbon alternatives. Just as conspicuous: utilities, which have long allied themselves with the coal developers, are retiring their older coal units in droves.
Byline: 

Ken Silverstein

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People (July 2015)

OGE Energy chairman and CEO Pete Delaney stepped down from the CEO position to become the interim CEO of Enable Midstream Partners. In response, OGE named current president Sean Trauschke, as CEO. PJM Interconnection elected Terry Blackwell to the PJM board. Chesapeake Utilities appointed John R. Schimkaitis to serve as chairman of the board. Paul D. Koonce adds the role of president-Dominion Virginia Power to his responsibilities. And others...

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New York Takes the Lead

No proposal is as radical – or as well thought out – as REV.

If the New York Rev is fully implemented, utility earnings would depend more on creating value for customers and achieving policy objectives.
Byline: 

James N. Broder

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Smart Gas Investment

As a bridge to a low-carbon future, natural gas can’t – and shouldn’t – meet every need.

Some describe natural gas generation as the “Swiss army knife” of technologies, as it can meet a variety of electric system needs. Yet while a Swiss army knife can prove handy, we don’t often use it when we have access to a well-equipped toolbox. It can introduce unnecessary costs and unacceptable risks.
Byline: 

Dr. Carl Linvill

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EPA's Clean Power Plan

Charting a Path Forward

With respect to the Clean Power Plan, the question is whether EPA will address the major issues and reinforce its positions in advance of the anticipated legal challenges.
Byline: 

Steven A. Weiler

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Piggybacking on the Grid

Why net energy metering is unfair and inefficient.

While customers may have reached a “net zero” threshold on energy, they are a large net negative on very expensive grid services.
Byline: 

Charles E. Bayless

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Distribution Optimization: Ready for Takeoff

Part 2: Key choices on the way forward.

Integrated Distribution Planning (IDP) – much like its bulk power system cousin, Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) – provides a useful starting point for regulators and utilities to begin thinking about how to optimize the distribution system.
Byline: 

Sonia Aggarwal, Robbie Orvis and Michael O’Boyle

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Wind of Change Challenging Utilities

Elon Musk’s appearance at the Edison Electric Institute’s annual convention was a “wind of change” moment.

The industry is coming to terms, or trying to come to terms, with new forces that are challenging it as a business proposition in a way that it hasn’t been challenged in a history of more than 100 years.
Byline: 

Llewellyn King

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