Government (EIA) forecasts suffer in credibility when compared with geologic assessments.
Any plan to reduce energy consumption should rest on economics — not ideology.
A Twenty-Fold Increase?
Former coal lobbyist Glenn Schleede plays Don Quixote, crusading against the DOE's 20-year initiative to boost investment in windmills.
Weighing the outlook for new plant investment in gas-fired power and related infrastructure.
The jury is still out on the type and size of additional energy infrastructure desirable in the Northeast United States, but enough data is in to make a few guarded observations.
The situation is fluid.
An industry booster looks at the forecasts for price and technology and sees some big "ifs" for modular, on-site and distributed applications.
I'm a believer from way back in using natural gas for modular, on-site and distributed generation. But I worry that we might be overselling it.
Certainly, the idea of a natural gas fuel cell in every home basement needs careful examination. Add to that the notion that we can replace much of our commercial power demand with gas-fired systems such as fuel cells and microturbines.
DEREGULATION PRESENTS WHAT IS PERHAPS THE BEST opportunity yet for renewables to stake a lasting claim in the electricity market.
Since most energy from renewable sources still isn't priced competitively with fossil-fueled technologies, many restructuring proposals at state and federal levels include various support mechanisms intended to drive down the renewable generation costs. The initial added expense is a necessary trade-off, advocates say, for the resulting reductions in emissions and energy price volatility.
USE OF U.S. ECONOMY UPHELD FOR EQUITY CALCULATIONS
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, in seven rate cases involving interstate natural gas pipelines, has upheld a new policy on the appropriate long-term growth rate to be used in computing their return on equity. Five of the pipelines contested FERC's new policy, as announced in Opinion 396-b.
The Commission defended the rate-setting method, but decided to allow the pipelines a chance to prove why the rules should not apply to them. The contesting pipelines are: Trailblazer Pipeline Co. (Docket No.
Average electricity prices are expected to remain virtually unchanged through 2010, rising a scant 0.4 cents per kilowatt-hour, according to the Energy Information Administration's (EIA's) "Annual Energy Outlook 1995" (DOE/EIA-0383(95)). If the forecast holds true, the average household electric bill should increase by only $3 to $4 per month. Good news for residential consumers; more pressure for utilities. The flat forecast reflects low projections for major fuel prices, which break with previous EIA forecasts. EIA administrator Jay E.