San Diego

People (November 2015)

Steven D. Davis was elected to succeed Jessie J. Knight, Jr. as executive v.p. of external affairs and corporate strategy for Sempra Energy. Georgia Power named Dr. Mark Berry as v.p. of environmental affairs. FirstEnergy made management changes in customer service and utility operations areas of the company. GE appointed Stephan Reimelt as president and CEO of GE's power conversion business. Atlantic Power named Joseph E. Cofelice as executive v.p. of commercial development. The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) named Bradley C. Jones as president and CEO. Entergy elected Philip L. Frederickson to its board of directors. And others...

The Fortnightly 40 Best Energy Companies

A reshuffling of the rankings. Is nuclear the cause?

Of the top ten movers in this year’s Fortnightly 40, seven utilities rose in the rankings and three went down. But the utilities moving the most from 2013 to 2014 went down hard.

Energy Storage: Out of the Lab and Onto the Grid

As deployments take hold, real-world challenges abound.

Energy storage has advanced rapidly, leaving the lab and entering a phase of deployment on the grid. Storage's advancements are a result of its promise as well as the tireless support of industry stakeholders who modeled, tested, evaluated and demonstrated the technology.

Creative Disruption

Today’s technologies are causing utilities to rethink their business models.

Fifteen years into the 21st Century, the utility industry is being asked to think forward, beyond 2050. To some, that's a bit of a stretch for a mostly regulated enterprise that has been producing power and sending the electrons reliably for the last 150 years or so. To many others, though, it's past time for an evolution.

Electric Vehicle Charging: Tariffs and Tradeoffs

We examine various types of charging strategies and infrastructure available today and report on the experience gained from rate structures for electric vehicle charging now being offered at four different utilities. These findings lead us to provide recommendations to achieve more productive use of the electric grid.

Microgrids: Friend or Foe for Utilities?

For many, it’s the next logical step for smart grid technology.

A small, but growing, number of utilities are embracing these technologies. Microgrids offer a networking platform that the utility can both aggregate and optimize.

Digest (December 2014)

NRG Energy and MGM Resorts International completed installation of the world's largest rooftop solar array on a convention center;

Southern California Edison on November 5 announced the largest purchase of grid-connected energy storage in U.S. history. NRG Energy acquired Pure Energies Group; Duke Energy Progress filed with FERC for approval to purchase $1.2 billion in generating assets;

The U.S. Department of Energy authorized Bechtel to resume engineering work at a facility that will treat some of the nation's liquid radioactive waste; Burns & McDonnell plans to develop a grid stability awareness system;

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the launch of New York's first energy management network operations center. And others...

NRG Home Solar Expands Operations in California

NRG Home Solar opened two new California offices in Merced and San Diego, adding to the NRG footprint in the state. These offices will add to existing presence and further build on the company’s energy operations around the state including the recent expansion of the NRG eVgo electric vehicle charging network. NRG Home Solar is offering solar loans for the first time to homeowners starting in California and expanding to other states.

2014 Utility Regulators' Forum

Diversifying Utility Regulation: State regulators voice opinions as mixed as the nation’s geography.

Interviews with public utility commissioners from key states – New York, California, Maryland, and Georgia – on coal carbon, climate, and the revolution in retail. What they’re thinking. What they’re planning.