It might the hottest issue in solar, but a leading analyst says not to worry – for now, at least. We’re talking about the debate over net metering – NEM, for net energy metering, by the industry’s nomenclature. Utilities have been pushing back against NEM policies that often reward solar power system owners at the… Keep reading →
Freezing weather throughout much of the US is sending spot energy prices soaring. “Natural gas for next-day delivery on the Transco pipeline into New York rose to a record $90 per million British thermal units on Monday, up 660 per cent from last week’s close and 20 times more than benchmark futures prices, according to… Keep reading →
Last year, the US wind industry Production Tax Credit was scheduled to expire at the end of December and the news media was all over it. The PTC is also scheduled to expire that the end of this year, but the issue is getting much less attention, why is that? Senator Don Nickles, who served… Keep reading →
SolarCity has unveiled an energy storage system for businesses. The system includes software that determines when to charge and when to discharge so as to minimize the utility bill. They use batteries from sister company Tesla motors. Although SolarCity has previously teamed batteries with rooftop solar, the new DemandLogic systems are meant for peak shaving.… Keep reading →
Natural gas inflows to the US northeast region are changing significantly due to massive indigenous production increases from the Marcellus Shale. In fact, according to the EIA, there have been days in 2013 when the northeast was a net-gas exporter to Eastern Canada. “Natural gas production in the northeastern United States rose from 2.1 billion… Keep reading →
Early indications of the direction the newly activist Federal Energy Regulatory Commission are deeply worrying, not just for the power industry but for the entire economy, as well as for the future of the agency’s own necessary and important work in overseeing the evolving US electricity sector. Not many people cry for banks when regulators… Keep reading →
Intense heat up and down the East Coast has air conditioning cranking and power generators pushing it to the limit. With electricity demand in places like New York City flirting with all-time highs, power prices are reaching staggering levels. “System demand in New York is expected to top out today at 99% of its all-time… Keep reading →
Utility customers often don’t know how their power is priced and who makes the decisions that impact price, delivery, reliability and other important factors. “Decisions made by PUCs [Public Utility Commissions] will influence the $100 billion in utility infrastructure investments expected each year between now and 2020, ranging from smart meters to transmission lines to… Keep reading →
By: Javier E. David – Special to CNBC.com Once touted as a successor, or at least a competitor, to carbon-based power, the nuclear sector has taken a beating as the momentum behind new projects stalls and enthusiasm for domestic fossil fuel production grows. Across the country, plans to build nuclear plants have hit roadblocks recently—a… Keep reading →
Power prices are too low. That’s what utility executives believe. They need prices to increase for their generators to return healthy earnings. Otherwise, they will have to retire plants and exit the market.
Dominion Resources decided not to wait. They recently announced plans to retire their Wisconsin-based Kewaunee Nuclear Power Station 21 years early. Dominion concluded they would not be able to achieve any earnings for their 556-megawatt unit, they might even lose money and they could not find anyone to buy it. They had no choice but to shutter and decommission Kewaunee. Keep reading →
