Become a PUF Member Organization

storage

Energy Trading: What's Your Position?

Obtaining a position measurement in energy markets has become more complex and has increased financial risks for integrated utilities.

"What's your position?" The answer to that simple question in today's energy markets is anything but simple. In fact, answering this question may be the single most difficult challenge faced by a fully integrated energy firm in its efforts to manage risk.
Byline: 

Peter Armstrong

Read Entire Article

Energy Tech's Quantum Leap

Tomorrow's utility technology may be revolutionized at the molecular level.

Carbon could revolutionize the electricity industry, thanks to developments in nanotechnology. The Fortnightly looks at how the technology will expand industry possibilities through cables, photovoltaics, and fuel cells.
Byline: 

Jennifer Alvey & Michael T. Burr

Read Entire Article

Letters to the Editor

Two letters, one correction

Jonathan Jacobs, Managing Consultant at PA Consulting Group, responds to a letter to the editor in the Oct. 1, 2003 issue from Lewis Evans and Kevin Counsell. And former FERC commissioner Matthew Holden Jr. disagrees with John Sillin's commentary in "The Blackout of 2003: Why We Fell Into the Heart of Darkness" in the Sept. 15, 2003 issue.
Byline: 

PUF

Read Entire Article

The Smart Grid

Has the Aug. 14 blackout finally made it more than a pipe dream?

While debate continues about the causes of the Northeast blackout, there’s no arguing that the majority of transmission and distribution in this country is controlled via mechanical technology largely developed in the 1950s.
Byline: 

Jennifer Alvey

Read Entire Article

Energy Technology: Winner Take All

A review of which technologies and companies stand to win and lose as a result of the 2003 blackout.

After the blackout, the electric industry once again finds itself at a crossroads, confronting it with three basic choices. The authors observe which technologies and companies will win and lose as a result.
Byline: 

E. Kyle Datta and Dan Gabaldon

Read Entire Article

Electric Gridlock: A National Solution

FERC should consider a two-part tariff to boost transmission investment.

The existing transmission system was built to connect a utility’s power plants to its customers. It was never designed for getting power from any generator to any customer in a competitive generation market.
Byline: 

Jay Apt and Lester B. Lave

Read Entire Article

The Northeast: Facing Grid Meltdown

Four factors could lead to further shockwaves.

The Northeast transmission grid has suffered a right cross to the jaw, but it could be followed by an uppercut of price spikes and volatility in generation markets by next summer. A review of market conditions suggest that a hotter than normal summer in the Northeast may well challenge both generation and transmission infrastructures.
Byline: 

Steve Piper

Read Entire Article

Water Heaters to the Rescue: Demand Bidding in Electric Reserve Markets

With just a few changes in reliability rules, regulators could call on consumer loads to boost power reserves for outages and contingencies.

By accommodating loads with limited storage and deploying resources in a more sophisticated manner, grid operators could expand the range of reliability resources. Consider the electric water heater.
Byline: 

Eric Hirst and Brendan Kirby

Read Entire Article

Gas Crisis Forum: Is It Real, or Is It Hype?

Chicken Little has cornered the market on gas price doom and gloom, but the data is inconsistent on whether high gas prices are here to stay.

“Crisis” makes for good business to an interesting assortment of players in the energy industry, but such talk could lead to unnecessary and untimely legislative and regulatory intercession. Investment, not government intervention, could be the answer.
Byline: 

Robert S. Linden

Read Entire Article

Gas Crisis Forum: Prices Pointing Skyward!

Gas prices are likely to remain high in the near term.

The prospects aren’t good for a dip in natural gas prices. An overview of Canadian imports, Mexican exports, LNG, the Rockies, and the overall demand for gas points to higher prices for gas in the near term.
Byline: 

John H. Herbert

Read Entire Article