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Law & Lawyers

Helping Legislators Understand and Manage Utility Risks

Performance, Political, Customer Expectation, and Fiscal Risk

It is important to help legislators and regulators understand the utility's risk management decisions so that they can approve of the company's risk management strategies. Legislators and regulators are accustomed to thinking in terms of insuring against failures.
Byline: 

Kansas Representative Tom Sloan

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Why Are We Still Arguing About NEM?

Competitive Market Will Take Care of Next Burning Issue

I do not understand why we are still distracted by Net Energy Metering (NEM). It worked well when we had not-so-smart meters and were trying to encourage rooftop solar penetration. People in general and students of regulation in particular are left confused and can easily find some support for both sides. This results in conflicts and proposed compromises that keep the debate going at full tilt. Two things are missing or mostly overlooked in all this regulatory discourse.
Byline: 

Charles Cicchetti

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What if Elasticity is Changing?

New Risk for Electricity Sellers and Investors

A downward shift in peak usage may mean a beginning change in elasticity of demand. A more rapid and pronounced downshift in peak demand might suggest a less robust utility franchise value.
Byline: 

Leonard Hyman and William Tilles

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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?
Byline: 

Ren Orans, Fredrich Kahrl, Dan Aas

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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

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'Markets' Test

We Called Them 'Markets.' Now We're Testing Them.

We're enamored of free markets, particularly in the nineties. But power markets cannot come close to emulating authentic competition. Why? They cannot satisfy the basic conditions of competition taught in microeconomics 101.
Byline: 

Steve Mitnick

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The Lincoln Leader

Leadership Lyceum Podcast: A Conversation with WEC Energy Group President and CEO Allen Leverett

Allen Leverett was appointed President and CEO of WEC Energy Group in May 2016. As one of the youngest CEOs of investor-owned utilities, Leverett brings verve to industry leadership, but also a deep respect for the past. WEC Energy Group is one of the nation's premier energy companies, serving 4.4 million customers in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota.
Byline: 

Allen Leverett, with Tom Linquist

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Energy People: Julia Hamm

We talked with Julia Hamm, CEO of SEPA

Julia Hamm started at SEPA soon after college, finding the organization a natural fit for her talents. She is the brains behind one of the largest trade shows in the industry, and has emerged as one of the foremost experts on the nexus between utilities and distributed energy resources.

Byline: 

Julia Hamm, with Steve Mitnick

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