German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWI) Sigmar Gabriel recently touted another step towards enhancing EU energy security via regional cooperation. The Minister and 11 of his colleagues from neighboring European countries signed a political declaration meant to ensure the reliable and secure supply of electricity among those countries. Dubbed “12 electrical neighbors”… Keep reading →
“What would our energy system look like if the move to a low-carbon society wasn’t left to governments and big energy companies but was instead led by civil society?” – asks Dr. Stephen Hall, a Research Fellow in energy economics and policy at the University of Leeds (UK). Hall is co-author of a new report… Keep reading →
Electric utility company business model which took off in 1880s with the first power station in lower Manhattan providing electricity to 59 customers has not much changed since. This is indeed unique as very few other businesses have shown strong resistance to change. Over the last few years though, the electric industry is witnessing certain… Keep reading →
Former FERC Chairman, Jon Wellinghoff spoke in an interview about the need to harden the electric grid from security threats by expanding the use of microgrids and distributed generation. “People are beginning to understand that they need their own onsite capabilities to island themselves from the grid. That’s because the grid’s external vulnerabilities will continue… Keep reading →
Kinder Morgan is submitting a revised route for a proposed natural gas pipeline designed to bring additional supplies of natural gas into Massachusetts where gas and power prices spiked last winter due to a combination of physical supply issues and market factors. The company changed the route in response to public opposition. This is another… Keep reading →
According to EIA, the first half of 2014 showed the highest year-over-year growth in residential electricity prices since 2009, with the largest price increases recorded in New England. On September 2, 2014, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released a report highlighting that U.S. retail residential electricity prices from January-June 2014 showed the highest year-over-year growth… Keep reading →
On August 11, 2014, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto enacted secondary energy reform legislation, thus concluding a legislative process to overhaul Mexico’s energy sector that stems from a December 20, 2013 decree modifying several energy-related provisions contemplated under the Mexican constitution, a topic about which Nexant has blogged in the past. While the press has focused its… Keep reading →
Social media can be a fun way to keep up with friends, play games and kill time, but it can also be a source of real-time news and a platform used to disseminate critical information during emergencies. You’d be hard pressed to read an online news article or watch a news broadcast on television without… Keep reading →
The changing utility business model has been a major theme in the news and industry circles this year, with many bemoaning that fact that as distributed generation and energy efficiency proliferate, utilities sell less of their product. The trend has even been dramatically called the “utility death spiral.” Scary. But while these are certainly challenges… Keep reading →
Renewable Energy Transmission: Giving Landowners the Power
By Johnathan HladikHigh-voltage transmission lines are needed to meet evolving energy needs. Engineers estimate that seven billion dollars of investment is required to properly maintain and update the electric grid. But building lines isn’t easy. Developers will need to acquire thousands of acres of land from landowners across the country. Typically developers attempt to purchase easements through… Keep reading →