The GRID Act, introduced in the House and Senate, would authorize FERC to effectively address electricity grid security issues. On March 26, 2014, Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) introduced the Grid Reliability and Infrastructure Defense (GRID) Act (H.R. 4298) aimed to amend the Federal Power Act to protect the bulk-power system and defense-critical electric infrastructure… Keep reading →
The electric power industry stands on the brink of transformational, perhaps revolutionary, change. For much of its history, the industry has been based on a fundamental operating model: electricity, produced at large central power plants, is carried by long-distance transmission lines and local distribution lines to customers. Thanks to advances in technology and cost reductions… Keep reading →
In this series on Myanmar’s power sector, Breaking Energy takes a look at the dynamics of the sector, what’s driving change, how foreign investors are getting involved, and the challenges facing the government. In Part I below, we examine the state of the sector. Last November, residents of the new, more democratic Myanmar took to… Keep reading →
Utility Dive takes a look at the new study making headlines – and getting its author on the David Letterman Show – that says the US could generate all its power from renewable sources by 2050. Not to spoil it, but the answer – predictably – is 100% renewables is possible, if not very challenging.… Keep reading →
New York City’s government found out just how complex the challenges to its resilience can become when Superstorm Sandy hit in late 2012, as lives, homes and power supply were lost and the scale of not just recovering but preparing for future challenges in the largest US city became evident. While the work to fix… Keep reading →
Without power, the wheels of a city’s economy would quickly grind to a halt. Reliable energy underpins every aspect of modern business, and yet we see its full importance only when things go wrong. When Hurricane Sandy’s flood waters reached New York City in 2012, first responders, citizens and businesses alike faced the challenges of… Keep reading →
Big data isn’t much use if you don’t know what to do with it. Utilities are collecting unprecedented amounts of information from millions of smart meters installed in recent years, but the capacity to collect data seems largely to have overwhelmed companies and regulators. Processes designed for a world run on paper billing and planned… Keep reading →
Only six years ago humanity crossed a remarkable threshold: more than half of us live in cities for the first time in history. According to United Nations statistic, fifty years ago it was 30% and a century ago it was 10%. Urbanization as the central framework for human experience and work has been driven by… Keep reading →
The changing utility business model in the face of distributed generation market acceptance is a major theme so far in 2014, and Google’s Nest acquisition is a clear signpost on this transitional landscape. It’s becoming increasingly clear that to lead the way in the new power generation and delivery space, utilities need to decide whether… Keep reading →
Conservative republicans are not known for favoring renewable energy, but some of them are speaking out against plans to charge customers for putting solar panels on their houses. Utilities argue that as more people generate their own electricity – often with solar – utilities have less money to maintain power grid reliability. This issue is… Keep reading →
