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Law & Lawyers

FERC's Market Design: The End of a 'Noble Dream'

How state opposition cowed the feds and turned a powerful rule into just a set of talking points.

How state opposition cowed the feds and turned a powerful rule into just a set of talking points.

A funny thing happened on the way to a standard market design (SMD). What began as a full-fledged rulemaking-with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) giving instructions and imposing deadlines on the electric utility industry-now has degenerated into little more than a set of talking points.

Talk about cold feet.

Byline: 
Bruce W. Radford
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Technology Corridor

Communications platforms, ruggedness, software, and other factors all play a part in your purchase choice.

Field Service Computers: Consider the Variables-and the Benefits

 

 

Communications platforms, ruggedness, software, and other factors all play a part in your purchase choice.

When a utility considers equipping its field service work force with computers, the decision-making process often starts with software-not with questions about the ruggedness of the utility's field device, or whether the company should go with a Panasonic or an Itronix laptop.

Byline: 
Carl J. Levesque
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Off Peak

A One-Sided Conversation with Ken Lay of Enron

By (with thanks and apologies to Bob Newhart)

"Ken Lay, please... Oh, Ken, hello, you answer your own phone these days? ... No, I'm not a telemarketer, or a creditor... OR a reporter. Please don't insult me, Ken. This is Bob, your attorney.

Byline: 
Arthur O'Donnell
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Technology Corridor

The next big trend is to make network resources more interchangeable and less expensive.


The next big trend is to make network resources more interchangeable and less expensive.

Information technology (IT) infrastructure should be more like the infrastructure that generates electricity, IT consultants say, and at least one Texas utility is listening.

Forrester Research labels its vision for IT infrastructure "Organic IT" and promises that this new kind of infrastructure will save companies big bucks in the long run, without requiring a rip and replace of existing hardware and software.

Byline: 
Jennifer Alvey
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Off Peak

Can cream cheese bring together California lawmakers, or will the state's power crisis spread?

The Bagel Politic

Can cream cheese bring together California lawmakers, or will the state's power crisis spread?

At Fortnightly, we care about what you care about. And we know you care about solving the problems that bedevil the California power market. So we sent a crack investigative team to discover what the stumbling blocks to creating a vibrant, liquid, manipulation-free California market really are.

Byline: 
Our thanks to Gary Ackerman at the Western Power Trading Forum and his merry band of anonymous contributors.
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Business & Money

Some big utilities are looking to get bigger.


Some big utilities are looking to get bigger.

When Morgan Stanley last October asked 30 of the top 50 utility chiefs whether they expected to merge with another company in the next two years, two-thirds of them said they did. Asked whether they expected to merge within the next five years, the utility chiefs unanimously said yes.

Byline: 
Richard Stavros
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Commission Watch

PUCs could face rate shock if feds push plans for an RTO signup bonus.


PUCs could face rate shock if feds push plans for an RTO signup bonus.

State PUCs will surely weigh in on the latest move by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to work its will on the nation's electric transmission grid. In this case, the item in question concerns a policy statement proposed by FERC that would reward electric utilities for investing in new transmission upgrades and-more importantly-for joining up with a regional transmission organization (RTO).

Byline: 
Phillip S. Cross
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The Merchant Asset Fire Sale: Deal of the 21st Century?

Companies that were on a buying spree before 2001 are putting assets worth billions n the block


Companies that were on a buying spree before 2001 are putting assets worth billions n the block

A casual observer might expect that the industry's economic condition would produce a cornucopia of cheap assets for acquisitive companies . Eventually it might, but so far, it generally has not.

Byline: 
Michael T. Burr
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