Article Archive

States' Rights, Gamed Markets

Submitted by meacott on Tue, 2011-04-19 18:03
FERC OK's PJM's capacity price floor, but questions remain about 'legitimate interests.'

FERC seems to say that states remain free to interfere with RTO markets.

Citing what it called “mounting evidence of risk” that PJM’s RPM capacity market could indeed “be gamed,” the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) last week OK’d most of the tariff amendments PJM had proposed to correct flaws in its Minimum Offer Price Rule (MOPR), which allows the grid operator to mitigate or predatory, below-cost bids by suppliers who would sell generating capacity into the region.

EVs and the Smart Grid

Submitted by meacott on Thu, 2011-08-04 18:03
Better batteries, renewables and more intelligent electricity networks are converging to deliver efficiency and environmental improvements. Electric vehicle (EV) batteries are both the stumbling block and the catalyst for transformative change.

A century or so ago, Thomas Edison’s commercialization of electricity unleashed an unprecedented cascade of change, altering the way humanity worked, lived and interacted. Today, with the convergent rise of the smart grid, renewable energy and electric vehicles (EVs), the power sector is embarking on a second era of transformation that promises to deliver a smarter, greener and more efficient 21st century.

Making Solar Grid-Friendly

Submitted by meacott on Tue, 2011-04-05 18:03
If made fully “grid-friendly,” utility-scale solar ought to be able to act like a traditional power plant — aiding voltage stability and supporting grid integrity during transmission system disturbances.

The world’s power generation systems continue to transition to cleaner, more renewable and sustainable sources. That effort will be greatly aided by integrated and comprehensive grid interconnection solutions. Utility-scale, grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV), as well as wind, has become increasingly attractive as a generation resource, both in terms of economics and operational fl exibility. The technology needed to interconnect these renewable power sources is now well proven in the field.

 

Chat Grows Up

Submitted by meacott on Mon, 2011-01-31 17:03
Given the consumer push-back against smart metering, utilities can get ahead of the learning curve and provide both customer service and education through proactive online chat technology. But telephone agents aren’t the same as chat agents, and online chat must be properly implemented to maintain the ‘human element.’

The utility industry is in a state of customer service transformation. Many utilities are being forced to reassess their customer service options as they learn to manage the volumes of new smart meter data, while at the same time, responding to customer inquiries about all of the changes.