Become a PUF Member Organization

Law & Lawyers

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.
Byline: 

Brent Gale

Read Entire Article

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.
Byline: 

Briana Kobor

Read Entire Article

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.
Byline: 

Commissioner Rob Powelson, with Steve Mitnick

Read Entire Article

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.
Byline: 

Navigant and Public Utilities Fortnightly

Read Entire Article

Energy People: Arshad Mansoor

We talked with Arshad Mansoor, Senior Vice President, Research and Development for the Electric Power Research Institute

Arshad Mansoor is responsible for EPRI's portfolio of R&D and demonstration programs. He is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and is a member of the board of The Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at UNC Charlotte.
Byline: 

Arshad Mansoor, with Steve Mitnick

Read Entire Article

Perpetuating the California Dream

Leadership Lyceum Podcast: A conversation with Edison International CEO Pedro Pizarro

Edison International is the publicly traded holding company for Southern California Edison, the regulated utility, and a small array of non-regulated investments, plus Edison Energy. At $11.5 billion in annual revenue, and serving 15 million customers, the company is one of the largest utilities in the country.
Byline: 

Pedro Pizarro, with Tom Linquist

Read Entire Article

Nuclear Innovation Is Not an Oxymoron

EPRI Podcast: Advanced Nuclear Looks Promising

Advanced nuclear technologies are closer to reality than you might think. To make a breakthrough, they'll need to provide significant advantages over current technologies, such as operating at low pressures and very high temperatures, and including inherent safety features.
Byline: 

Aimee Mills with Tina Taylor, Andrew Sowder, and Shane Johnson

Read Entire Article

Surprising Energy Requirements of the Cannabis Industry

Part I: Implications for Utilities, Regulators

The legal cannabis industry in the U.S. is experiencing rapid growth. That growth and its commensurate energy demands are placing strains on some individual utilities and local grids. In Part I, we forecast electricity demands, analyze problems resulting from the immense energy requirements, and assess some potential implications for the cannabis industry and for utilities.
Byline: 

Roger Bezdek, Michael Harshfield, Sean Tegart, Ujjval Vyas

Read Entire Article

Nuclear Energy's Critical Illness

Continue With Failed Treatments or Pursue the Cure?

Many supporters of nuclear technology have tried to correct significant challenges on assorted issues from the public, the media, and the scientific, regulatory and political sectors. But these efforts failed; they could not acknowledge the true illness and pursue the cure. This discussion focuses on what that illness is, how the industry has treated it, how to cure it, and one way to achieve a new political and regulatory environment that can save the patient.
Byline: 

Charles Pennington and Jeffry Siegel

Read Entire Article