Enforcement Times Two
FERC and CFTC begin sharing information to target market manipulation in the energy industry.
Closer coordination between FERC and CFTC (and perhaps also with DOJ) will increase enforcement risk for energy industry traders.
Law & Lawyers
Nuclear At a Crossroads
Wind, nuclear, and gas resources must work together – not at cross-purposes.
Why the U.S. must maintain current levels of nuclear energy production to achieve carbon reduction goals.
Peril at Home
We could see 11-22GW of nuclear facing early retirement in the next 10 years.
The existing U.S. nuclear fleet, representing 100GW or 20% of our electric generation, is in economic peril and in danger of declining even more rapidly than expected.
China's Leap Forward
China has invested billions in developing reactor prototypes.
China is currently the world leader in investment in and development of new nuclear power facilities.
Intelligent Protection
Local network security in the age of microgrids and distributed generation.
With the local grid infused with distributed generation, static relay settings must yield to a more dynamic approach to ensure network security.
A Call for Consolidation
Electric utility mergers loom as the next step in restructuring.
The electric utility industry is inefficient: the firms are too small, lacking economies of scale achievable through mergers and acquisitions.
Hedging Your Bet on Cheap Gas
Portfolio theory points to energy efficiency as invaluable in resource planning.
Overlooked in planning, and undervalued by today’s low natural gas prices, energy efficiency offers a valuable hedge against fuel price volatility.
Wireless Sensor Technology
Equipment health monitoring for the modern utility.
Wireless sensors open new, novel applications for utilities, replacing expensive cabling network options to sense incipient equipment failures.
Digest (July 2014)
Austin Energy awards Recurrent Energy a contract for Texas' largest solar power plant; Indianapolis Power & Light receives approval from IURC to invest $600 million in gas turbine power station; Tucson Electric Power to purchase solar power from Avalon Solar Project; Xcel Energy and SunPower sign a PPA for a 50-MW solar plant in Colorado; American Electric Power plans to replace existing wire on transmission line running from Ohio to West Virginia; Midcontinent ISO amends its tariff to allow for short-term variations in net load requirements; FERC approves ISO New England's "Pay-for-Performance" plan.
Reliability vs. Resiliency
Prevent problems, or wait and respond when something happens?
FERC holds conference on electric reliability, asks about standards for resiliency – not just to prevent problems, but how to respond once they occur.