One Size Doesn't Fit All!
Offer Choices
Offer end uses as the product, and not therms or watts. The utility becomes a true energy service company.
Law & Lawyers
To 2016's Authors, Interviewees Who Impacted the Debate
PUF 2016 Index of Articles, Interviews and Columns
From Paul Afonso to Audrey Zibelman, In 2016, 190 chief execs, commissioners and experts debated competition, cyber, climate change and more in PUF.
Moral Economics and Power
Neo-Liberalism's Consequences
Adam Smith's first book, “The Theory of Moral Sentiments,” argued that people acted not just for money, but also out of professional pride, fairness, patriotism, altruism and other non-economic reasons. Maybe the time has come to revisit Adam Smith and his important first book.
Why Innovation?
Also, What, Who, Where, When?
Why is innovation all the rage? Yes, continual improvement always makes sense. But the dramatic changes being talked about, are they that urgent? Let's recognize how much customers vary in their electricity wants and needs, within service territories, between territories, and between states.
The Electric Utility in 2030
Fat or Skinny?
Debates over utility business and regulatory models have sidestepped a fundamental question: What do state legislators and regulators want the electricity utility of the future to do? Do they want "fat" utilities that play a larger role in implementing public policy and delivering energy services to customers? Or "skinny" utilities that are more narrowly focused on the ownership and upkeep of the grid?
Letter: Response to Cicchetti Re: Residential Demand Charges
A response to the article by Charles Cicchetti in our December 2016 issue
Charles Cicchetti's December 2016 article asserts TOU rates are a preferable alternative to demand charges for distributed energy resources (DER) customers. But TOU rates are not enough to maximize the benefits of DER.
Arizona on Value of Solar
Turning Point for Distributed Energy
In December 2016, Arizona's utility regulators set in motion a new policy many believe is likely to undermine investment in solar and other distributed technologies in the state. We urge advocates and regulators looking for sustainable models of state DER policy to think carefully before following Arizona's example.
Energy People: Rob Powelson
We talked with NARUC President, Commissioner Rob Powelson
Commissioner Powelson was installed as the 128th president of NARUC in November 2016.
The Jetsons and Our Future
"The Jetsons" TV series offered remarkably accurate predictions of today's technology 55 years ago.
Utility's Role in Electricity's Future, Part II
Utility Execs Roundtable: We continued the conversation with execs from seven utilities in the Northeast who help lead their companies on future strategies
In part II of our roundtable, we discuss how new products and services are expected to create new revenue streams for utilities, augmenting the (slowly) declining traditional revenue.