Sunverge sees a future in building and managing customer energy-storage systems as utility assets. Ken Munson, CEO of Stockton, Calif.-based startup Sunverge Energy, doesn’t want you to think of his company’s product as a “battery in a box,” backing up a roof full of solar panels — even if that’s one very accurate way to describe… Keep reading →
Users of critical infrastructure – for example, the electrical grid – are not really known for being blessed with outstanding customer service from their respective providers. Instead, for operators/providers – i.e. utilities – of a public good such as electricity, customers seem not to be the primary consideration given that utilities have a legal “obligation… Keep reading →
Coal consumption has been increasing in past months as natural gas prices pushed upwards and coal stocks dipped lower. With natural gas the peak-load fuel of choice for many utilities, base load summer cooling could be powered by lots of comparatively cheaper coal – with gas peaker plants firing up when demand surges and thus… Keep reading →
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said he will deposit his salary in a shady bank targeted by western sanctions. The bank deals a lot with the Kremlin and Russian energy businesses, including Gazprom. “Little has been known about Bank Rossiya, which has risen to become the country’s 15th largest bank by assets last year from 54th… Keep reading →
It’s no secret that the rise of distributed generation is fundamentally altering the traditional centralized power generation, transmission and delivery system, but utilities are dealing with these changes in different ways and NRG appears to be embracing new models instead of fighting to preserve the status quo. In this letter originally printed on the company’s… Keep reading →
Clean fresh water is essential for human life. Beyond its ability to quench our thirst, without water we also cannot grow the food we eat. Yet, many people do not realize that without water, we also cannot effectively produce power. In light of this relationship, the 21st observance of UN World Water Day March 22nd… Keep reading →
A Marquette political science teacher is taking a year off to focus on a business that allows smart phone users to pool water, power and natural gas usage data so as to more effectively manage consumption. It’s interesting because the application does the job smart meters promise without waiting for their truncated deployment or relying… Keep reading →
Last month, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel called “Utilities 2.0: The Role of Distributed Generation and Demand Response in Evolving Utility Business Models.” The topic may sound esoteric, but to the more than sixty people in attendance, and at least fifty more watching online, the event, which was sponsored by clean energy… Keep reading →
Quick Take: CNBC is out with a loooooonnnnnngggg article about the “dirty clean energy battle.” In it, NRG Energy CEO David Crane calls utilities “shockingly stupid.” Now you could certainly call utility CEOs (as a group) conservative or slow-to-react or even timid. But they’re not stupid. Crane and others like him often complain bitterly about… Keep reading →
Across the globe, a number of dynamics, such as new technology, financial pressures and changing community outlooks, are impacting businesses large and small. The demand to do more with less has never been greater. This new operating reality also holds true for water utilities around much of the world. To balance these competing forces, water… Keep reading →
