At Tuesday’s New York Energy Week Smart Grid Roundtable discussion, experts from various perspectives talked about how smart metering and new data sources are changing power grid operations, customer engagement and revenue structures. Price signals are key to altering customer behavior with regard to energy consumption, but a smart meter alone may not be enough… Keep reading →
Pushing forward on what some are calling “Utility 2.0,” New York on Thursday adopted a regulatory reform framework aimed in large part at paving the way for more cleaner, distributed energy on the grid. A whole host of factors is driving the state here: A post-Sandy desire to address climate-change risks, increasingly cheaper renewables, smart… Keep reading →
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 →
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 →
Tesla and SolarCity’s Elon Musk told utility executives at the Detroit auto show that utilities and solar power can get along just fine. “Rive’s cousin and SolarCity investor Elon Musk sought to assuage such fears further at the Detroit auto show. Speaking about utilities’ role in the future of the energy mix, he said: ‘Long-term,… Keep reading →
Across the US, the historic relationship between GDP and electricity demand growth is projected to drastically change. At the same time, utilities’ average capital and operational and maintenance (O&M) expenses are increasing due to aging infrastructure, integration of smart grid technologies and increased need for cyber security. Conflicting market forces such as these can be… Keep reading →
Former founding CEO of SunEdison, Jigar Shah, started a new company based on what’s being called the “infrastructure as a service” model. The idea is an extension of the financing strategy that dominates the rooftop solar PV business today. “Here’s how it works: Generate Capital will put up funds — between $2 million to $20… Keep reading →
On Tuesday, November 18, 2014, the Guarini Center at NYU Law convened a roundtable discussion on utility regulation in the United Kingdom, focusing on its new “RIIO” model. The event brought together American regulators, NGOs, utilities, and academics to exchange thoughts and ideas with presenters from the analogous spheres in Britain. A roundtable report will follow in… Keep reading →
The knock-on economic opportunities associated with developing, transporting and consuming energy are widespread and have drawn eye-popping amounts of private equity investment in the past few years. “That opportunity has the private equity industry salivating. PE funds have raised $157 billion since 2009 to invest in energy, according to data from intelligence firm Preqin. And… Keep reading →
Energy Storage Is Going Primetime in 2015
By Bill RadvakThe electricity grid is set for a major transformation – arguably one of its biggest since the inception of the grid – and energy storage is going to play a center stage role. The radical pace of innovation is driven by governments, utilities and energy companies whose understanding and acceptance that the way energy is… Keep reading →