The wind energy industry was abuzz last week with the release of a map from the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory showing the extent of wind resources in the US.
The map represents the result of the first comprehensive update of potential wind power resources since the early 1990s, with the important addition of new technology and scale in the wind sector making the potential even greater. Keep reading →
Vermont’s electricity grid is learning to talk back, thanks to a partnership between technology giant IBM and the state’s VELCO transmission company that the firms say is a model for smart grid efforts across the US.
A new communications and control network will be stung along more than 1000 miles connecting transmission substations to Vermont’s distribution utilities as part of efforts to improve power grid reliability and security, the companies said in announcing their partnership at the DistribuTECH conference this week. Keep reading →
New England’s policies supporting building increased renewable generation is underpinning pressure to invest in new transmission infrastructure in the region, with advocates for new power lines saying the projects will boost employment and alleviate existing high regional electricity costs.
Each of the six states in the New England region has “some form” of renewable energy portfolio standard, the organizers of the New England Clean Energy Transmission Summit held this week in Boston, said. Those state policies align with federal policies that enable strategic planning and cost-allocation of new transmission ensuring renewable generation access to power markets. Keep reading →
The massive size and daunting complexity of the US electricity sector means companies often have trouble proving their contributions to their customers’ lives; benefits for the consumer are often counted in things that don’t happen, whether that be price increases or blackouts.
The regional transmission organization that operates one of the world’s largest energy markets across the US Midwest and in the Canadian province of Manitoba is working to quantify those contributions in the form of a 2011 Value Proposition study. Keep reading →
People are asking: Can I choose my electricity supplier? http://go.usa.gov/RvR #energy #efficiency EIAgov
Earlier this month the journal Electricity Policy reported a regulatory victory for wind power owners: the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has decided that the Bonneville Power Administration cannot force wind producers to curtail production in favor of hydroelectric plants.
The new FERC order emphasizes that BPA, which operates in the Pacific Northwest, cannot discriminate against wind energy. Keep reading →
1. Significant smart meter growth in emerging markets in South America, Eastern Europe and elsewhere. $50 billion smart meter and smart grid opportunity by 2020. Leading countries include Brazil, Poland, and Singapore.
2. Prepayment service will become a major topic of discussion now that smart meters make it possible to implement at no extra cost; the hope is that this will help solve our national scandal of cutting off power to over 6 million poor households per year. This is over 1,000 times as many disconnections as the UK, which, at one-fifth the US population, has fewer than 5,000 disconnections per year. Keep reading →
PJM pleased EPA #MATS rule docs include key elements of our proposal to preserve reliability bit.ly/vhB4uP @EPAgov pjminterconnect
Power utilities are beginning to focus more attention on transmission as the aging system tries to keep up with increasing renewable energy generation as well forecasts for increased overall demand for electricity.
Giant power company American Electric Power announced last week that it was restructuring some of its executive leadership to reflect a renewed commitment to transmission projects both within and outside its power generation region. Among the changes, AEP’s SVP of Transmission, Michael Heyeck, will also become president of Electric Transmission America, a joint venture of AEP and MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, effective January 1, 2012. Keep reading →
The theory of capacity markets is simple: in a competitive market, electricity prices for future supply will rise as shortages loom, drawing in competitors to profit by building new generating capacity.
In practice, it may not be working out that way, and simmering discontent over how much consumers are paying for future reliability, and what they’re getting for it, may become open, and bipartisan, rebellion in 2012. Keep reading →
