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People (August 2015)

Rick Riley was named group v.p. of customer service and operations for Entergy Arkansas Inc. and will replace Hugh McDonald as president and CEO when McDonald retires in 2016; Edison Electric Institute chose Nicholas K. "Nick" Akins, chairman, president and CEO of American Electric Power, and also elected four vice chairmen; Appointments by American Electric Power, Con Edison, Georgia Power, Dominion Resources, American Transmission Co. and Pacific Gas and Electric; and others...
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Searching for Equilibrium

How to achieve it in the era of distributed energy

In the emerging era of distributed energy resources, we will find the distribution utility increasingly in the role of an integrator and enabler – more than their longstanding role as energy provider. Accordingly, the regulatory approach must go through its own structural shift to keep pace and restore the system to regulatory equilibrium.
Byline: 

David J. O’Brien

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Distributed Generation

Disruptive Technology or Regulatory Challenge?

Distributed generation marks a set of emerging technologies requiring creativity from utilities and regulators in introducing laws, policies, and economic incentives – to ensure that revenue streams are captured and that cost recovery reflects market reality.
Byline: 

Rob Neumann and Ralph Zarumba

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Preparing for NERC CIP Version 5

A look at Its new guidelines for secure remote access

Several utility regulatory bodies have initiatives tailored to help secure remote access to the electric power grid from cybercrime. The most notable of these efforts comes from the North American Energy Reliability Corporation (NERC), with the realization of Version 5 of its Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) standard, which goes into effect on April 1, 2016.
Byline: 

Lila Kee

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Regional Economic Benefits

Why are they ignored in transmission planning?

Why is there is there so much controversy about investments in transmission and distribution? We suggest it’s because the benefits are poorly understood – or even ignored.
Byline: 

Sam Flaim and Loren Toole

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Open-Access Chronicles: The Backstory Behind Electric Restructuring

Part 3: When Competition Turns to War

By September 1997, Philadelphia Electric Co. had outflanked key opponents and filed a proposed partial settlement with the Penn. PUC to allow the company to recover costs that might become stranded under a new law (enacted a year before) that had brought a measure of competition to the state’s electric utility industry. Then Enron went to work.
Byline: 

William Pentland

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The CO2 Opportunity

Converting emissions from coal-fired plants to gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel.

An economical commercial process is needed to provide an incentive for the utility industries to engender win-win support for governmental regulations on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The current approach is carbon capture and sequestration. Recently, however, an alternative has emerged: a proprietary process that converts CO2 into syngas (CO & H2). Thereafter, the syngas can be converted to fuels such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, methanol, and/or ethanol with the use of established mature technologies.
Byline: 

Gary C. Young, Ph.D., P.E.

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Wanted: Senior Analyst, Electricity Markets

Avant Energy seeks to hire a Senior Analyst to join our company as a key advisor to senior management on electricity markets, including economics, structure and the regulatory environment. This is a unique opportunity for an individual with 2 to 5 years of energy market experience and an advanced degree to make important contributions to the formulation of tactics and strategy for Avant Energy and its clients.

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The Economics of Clean Power

And how the market has outmaneuvered the political forces, so far.

While former CEO Charles Bayless says that economics remains the driving factor behind the shifting sands, there are plenty who would put the blame on the Obama administration and its “War on Coal.”
Byline: 

Ken Silverstein

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People (September 2015)

Xcel Energy named George E. Tyson II as senior v.p. for corporate development. Southern Company hired Michael Britt as v.p. for the company’s Energy Innovation Center. Southern Company Services named Martin B. Davis as executive v.p. and CIO. Pacific Gas and Electric promoted Geisha Williams to president, electric operations, Nick Stavropoulos to president, gas operations and John Simon to executive v.p. of corporate services and human resources. And others...
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