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Law & Lawyers

Nuclear Life Extension

Deciding whether to go forward with a second license renewal.

A majority of nuclear power plant operators already have received operating license renewals – to operate their plants for 20 years beyond the 40 years outlined in their initial operating licenses. As utilities decide whether or not to invest in license renewal, they must consider three key questions.
Byline: 

Lee Williams

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Going Smart at Scale

Your smart grid rollout should go live everywhere, right from the start.

Distribution Management: Any smart grid rollout will gain the greatest benefits if applied at scale right from the start, to the maximum number of feeders, if not all of them.
Byline: 

Gary Ockwell

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Parsing Poles and Towers

Customer cost allocations using the Minimum Distribution System method.

Accounting and Rate Design: How to use the Minimum Distribution Method to allocate local grid costs to end-use customers.
Byline: 

Michael T. O’Sheasy and Joshua Rogers

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We, the Regulators

The way forward, amidst new markets, technologies, and environmental imperatives.

NARUC’s incoming President – from the Montana PSC – shares his vision on how utility regulators should navigate today’s industry disruptions.
Byline: 

Travis Kavulla

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Microgrids and Battery Storage

In search of enlightened policy to build a solid business case.

A smart grid expert searches for a solid business case – and tells how to create enlightened policy to make it happen.
Byline: 

Massoud Amin

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Four Utilities, Four Strategies

Installing utility-scale, grid-connected battery storage.

Stories on installing grid-connected battery storage from AEP, Green Mountain Power, Imperial Irrigation District, and Kauai Island (Hawaii) Utility Co-op.
Byline: 

William Atkinson

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Response to Cicchetti/Wellinghoff Re: Net Metering

Letters to the Editor: A response to the article by Charles Cicchetti and Jon Wellinghoff in our December 2015 issue

A major mistake is the claim, under net metering, customers who generate power with rooftop solar simply “bank” or “park” their extra electricity with their utility, retaining ownership rights.
Byline: 

Ashley Brown

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Response to Huntoon Re: Big Transmission

Letter to the Editor: A response to the article by Steve Huntoon in our September 2015 issue

Public/regulatory policy, economic viability and non-negotiable need to sustain near-100-percent system reliability could soon push building more “big transmission.”
Byline: 

Michael Beehler

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Rate Structure Philosophy

Rate design will need to become more flexible, more duly discriminatory, more tailored to the diversity of consumers

Not many know fixed charges are there to cover utilities’ invariant costs for keeping up the grid, and can be half of all costs.
Byline: 

Steve Mitnick

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