Rent the Rooftop
A new front opens in the solar wars.
Has Arizona Public Service found a way to cheat the death spiral?
ISO
Digest (July 2014)
Austin Energy awards Recurrent Energy a contract for Texas' largest solar power plant; Indianapolis Power & Light receives approval from IURC to invest $600 million in gas turbine power station; Tucson Electric Power to purchase solar power from Avalon Solar Project; Xcel Energy and SunPower sign a PPA for a 50-MW solar plant in Colorado; American Electric Power plans to replace existing wire on transmission line running from Ohio to West Virginia; Midcontinent ISO amends its tariff to allow for short-term variations in net load requirements; FERC approves ISO New England's "Pay-for-Performance" plan.
FERC Actions Support Expansion of Real-Time Market in the West
Submitted by aburr on Tue, 2014-06-24 13:19The California Independent System Operator (ISO) and PacifiCorp announced that tariff amendments to expand the ISO's real-time energy scheduling market across multiple states in the West was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The new market, known as the energy imbalance market (EIM), is expected to increase resource efficiency, reduce costs and more effectively use renewable and conventional resources.
From ISO to DSO
Imagining a new construct – an independent system operator for the distribution network.
A new utility industry construct – the Distribution System Operator (DSO) – could help maximize the benefits of distributed energy resources.
The Powhatan Matter
Market manipulation versus the right to make a profit.
Harvard professor Bill Hogan claims FERC is wrong to find market manipulation where traders simply make profits on market defects known to all.
NV Energy Files for Approval to Participate in the California ISO Energy Imbalance Market
Submitted by aburr on Tue, 2014-04-22 11:42NV Energy filed a request with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) seeking approval to participate in the California Independent System Operator Corporation's (ISO) energy imbalance market (EIM). Meanwhile, the California grid operator separately is asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve the implementation agreement with NV Energy.
Scare Tactics
New England’s proposed capacity market reform would force generators to ‘Be There or Else.’
Facing worries about resource adequacy, ISO New England proposes changes that would penalize generators that fail to perform when needed -- for any reason. Market players say it can only work if the system operator allows for reasonable exceptions.
Tranche Warfare
The experts do battle over capacity market design.
A FERC conference this fall aired new major policy options for capacity markets. Amid the battle, ISOs are making tactical adjustments.
Dodd-Frank and Electric Utilities
Understanding the new mosaic of commodities trading regulations.
Compliance with Dodd-Frank might not be as complicated as feared; however, companies must be vigilant in order to maintain the relevant exemptions.
Innovation Mandate
Meeting the just-and-reasonable standard in a time of change.
Who can say for sure if markets are working? The landscape keeps shifting.