| Fortnightly

Affordability Is a System Design Question

The Defining Issue in Energy Policy Today

“But if affordability is the defining issue in energy policy today, we must recognize that it is not simply about temporary bill credits or short-term assistance programs. Affordability is fundamentally a system design question.”

Byline:

Sheri Givens

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2026 Veterans in Energy Leadership Forum

Energy Scenes

The 2026 Veterans in Energy Leadership Forum was held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at National Harbor, Maryland from February 17-19. There was an exhibit hall, panels, networking receptions, and camaraderie in celebration of U.S. veterans and those veterans in the energy industry. Opening remarks were made by Veterans in Energy President Iliana Rentz.

Byline:

PUF

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AI Transforming the Water Industry

Good or Bad, the Possibilities are Endless

“AI can enhance optimizing water treatment, monitoring system performance, and improving customer engagement. For instance, early warnings could be established to flag affordability challenges of high-risk customers, thereby spotting trends before they are shut off.”

Byline:

Mary-Anna Holden and Butch Howard

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Mitigating the Impact of Electrification on Rates with Flexible Connection

Avoiding Grid Constraints

“New strategies are emerging that provide temporary or long-term pathways for DERs to avoid grid constraints that can lead to costly and time-intensive utility infrastructure upgrades. These strategies typically fall under the banner of flexible interconnection or flexible connection.”

Byline:

Brian Lydic

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Designing the Grid's Digital Memory: Learning from the Past to Prepare for the Future

Baltimore G&E, Exelon

“What is often missing is not data, but memory. Utilities generate enormous amounts of operational information during major events, yet much of the reasoning behind decisions on what was tried, what worked, and what failed, fades quickly once the event passes.”

Byline:

Neha Dave and Anirudh Paduru

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Valuing Grid Intelligence

Breaking Down Utility Silos

“Efficiency and customer experience benefits are hard to quantify, and regulators are increasingly wary of qualitative arguments as affordability becomes a dominant concern.”

Byline:

Alexina Jackson and Molly Podolefsky

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Power, Water, and Change: AI's Impacts on Energy and Environmental Strategy

Balch & Bingham

“Until a solution is determined and implemented, dramatically increasing demand leads to dramatically increasing wholesale prices for capacity, energy, and transmission, which is generally passed through to retail customers.”

Byline:

Steven Burns, Jesse Unkenholz, Grace Hembree

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Utility Scale Energy Storage

Underutilized and Overlooked

“How much remaining stored energy is available at any moment – known as State of Charge (SoC) – is not transparent to grid operators and planners. Achieving greater visibility into SoC is an overlooked means to unlock greater capacity and reliability for the grid at lower cost.”

Byline:

Charles Yeung, Todd Strauss, David Owens

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Proposed FCC Policy Change Threatens Utility Services, Affordability

Regulators Should Weigh In

“If the FCC were to grant NextNav preemptive rights to the 900 MHz spectrum, the resulting need to revert to manual meter reading, coupled with subsequent deployment of replacement solutions, could increase costs for ratepayers by an estimated $100 billion.”

Byline:

Dan Pfeiffer

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Line Extension Policies: Regulatory Compact and Economics of Affordable Utility Rates

AGA

“By severing the traditional safeguards for reasonable system growth, these policies create inappropriate cross subsidies and erode one of the core mechanisms through which utility rates have historically been kept affordable.”

Byline:

Juan Alvarado

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