Electric power utilities are facing growing financial pressures as traditional power usage evolves through a combination of increased use of renewable power, system efficiencies, and anemic demand. Since 2004, average residential electric prices have risen 39% to 12.5 cents per kilowatt hour, while sales remain lower than they were in 2007 before the recession. If… Keep reading →
Who would have thought even just a few years ago that one could use a smart phone to check the ‘status’ of electricity availability in the area in real-time. No worries, I am not talking about the US or Germany. Though it’s possible those countries could face power supply issues in certain regions if decommissioning… Keep reading →
The Canadian Gas Association, a leading industry trade group, issued a report in December 2014 promoting renewable natural gas in Canada. Titled, “Renewable Natural Gas Technology Roadmap for Canada,” the report offers very aggressive support for biomethane production as a means to both reduce waste and greenhouse gases while developing an underutilized renewable resource. According… Keep reading →
U.S. renewable power continued to grow in 2014, with preliminary federal data showing almost exactly half of the year’s new installed capacity coming from renewable sources. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission reported on Thursday that 15,384 megawatts of new generation went into service in 2014, and 49.9 percent of that came from wind, solar and… Keep reading →
The electricity sector and its incumbent electricity companies are undergoing an unprecedented, challenging but nevertheless critical transformation – a transition towards a more climate-resilient, less carbon-intensive power system which ends up “closer to the customer”. The widespread penetration of renewable energy sources into the electricity supply mix along with a constant push for more innovative… Keep reading →
The U.S. wind power industry said on Wednesday that it had a solid 2014, with 2,500 turbines capable of producing 4,850 megawatts put into operation, a big jump from 2013’s piddling gain of 1,098 MW. Plus, as the year drew to a close, nearly 100 projects totaling 12,700 MW were under construction. Pretty picture, right?… Keep reading →
The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System had a good November, and by the end of the month the controversial “power tower” plant in the Mojave Desert had topped 400,000 megawatt-hours of electricity generation since beginning operation in January 2014. New data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that the three ISEGS units pumped out… Keep reading →
The Saudis have stated that their goal in maintaining current oil output and export volumes has been to protect market share against foreign rivals. The Saudi’s rivals are not limited to other oil producers though, they are also striving to undermine clean energy technologies and climate change policies. “Lower oil prices are going to make… Keep reading →
The first and probably the most relevant constraint to electricity markets is transmission grid capacity. Despite the liberalization of the sector, in many countries congestion continues to be a hindrance for competitive prices. Italy is one such country. Data on day-ahead market prices show a decrease in the last few years which has been principally driven… Keep reading →
Gov. Jerry Brown of California has proposed ambitious new targets for increasing the quantity of renewable energy in state’s electric grid to 50% by 2030 from the current target of 33% by 2020. California is a leader in renewable power production and is already running into technical challenges managing the overproduction of renewable power. Four… Keep reading →
