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 →
Adam Stein (left) and Tom Arnold (right) became friends at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and together co-founded TerraPass, a pioneering greenhouse gas management company. This business partnership continues today at Gridium, where Adam is President and VP of Product, and Tom is CEO. Buildings use Gridium software to operate more efficiently,… Keep reading →
Power utilities are starting to get into the EV charging business. Utilities are motivated to make electric cars viable and in doing so shore up demand for the power they sell. Growth of EVs has been hampered by a lack of charging infrastructure. Despite efforts by the EV industry and numerous partners, the development of… Keep reading →
Drilling contracts are at the core of upstream operational agreements. They come in many forms and are negotiated to varying degrees depending on the value of the contract, level of risk involved, and existence of regional forms that may dictate terms. This article focuses primarily on general terms of a typical long term, high-dollar, day-rate, offshore contract; however, many terms discussed apply to the entire spectrum of drilling agreements.
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 →
This is the latest installment in our Energy Executive Insight Series that gives executives at major energy companies an opportunity to share knowledge and experiences about the energy industry, their careers and their organizations. What has been the biggest positive energy industry change since the start of your career? Most notably the expansion and awareness… Keep reading →
Analysts and economists are trying to figure out how falling oil prices impact various economic sectors. Many 401ks and pension funds invest in oil companies, but as long as funds are diversified they should not be hit too badly by the oil price decline. “But this is precisely why investment advisers tell us to diversify,… 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 →
The smart grid has been slow to materialize for a combination of factors including investment challenges, but 2014 featured some important advances. “But these challenges also helped define the opportunities for companies, utilities and regulators working on building the next stage of smart grid — a “smart grid 2.0,” if you will. From building on… 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 →
