Last week Barclays downgraded the high-grade bond market for the entire electric utility sector because “we believe that a confluence of declining cost trends in distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation and residential-scale power storage is likely to disrupt the status quo.” While this is not the first statement about vulnerability of electric utilities to competition from new technology… Keep reading →
The nimble startup company behind New York Energy Week is rapidly growing alongside the innovative event series it launched last year. New York Energy Week creators, Energy Solutions Forum, just completed a corporate rebranding, taking the new name EnerKnol (for energy knowledge) that better reflects their core mission and flagship offering. Breaking Energy recently interviewed… Keep reading →
On June 16th, I’m joining Con Edison Chairman and CEO John McAvoy, NY Public Service Commission Chair Audrey Zibelman, President and CEO of NYSERDA, John Rhodes, NY Green Bank President Alfred Griffin and Ken Daly, President of National Grid to discuss New York’s energy policies and challenges and opportunities facing electric utilities at New York… Keep reading →
For those of us (and all of you) who’ve been urging the government to implement meaningful climate policy, the release last Monday of a plan to cut carbon emissions from power plants has been a long time coming. But it finally came. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed carbon pollution rule for existing fossil-fueled power plants –… Keep reading →
FERC has been shifting the terminology used to describe electricity consumers from “ratepayers” to “customers,” which better reflects current realities in the evolving utility industry. “The journey away from “ratepayer” starts when thinking about the utility as a provider of energy efficiency, demand response and other demand-side management techniques. When the utility is partly in… Keep reading →
In the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008-2009 the public learned that using a so-called “bad bank” concept can indeed work ‘nicely’ if a clear line between good and bad assets can be drawn. In this way, the severely impacted financial institutions were able to improve their financial strength – with toxic assets off… Keep reading →
The utility industry, legal community, environmental organizations, analysts and other stakeholders are eagerly awaiting the EPA’s new guidelines for reducing carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act for existing power plants. The rule is scheduled to be announced June 2nd. President Obama has acted aggressively to bypass congress on climate change legislation by using the… Keep reading →
The energy-water nexus has been gaining traction around the globe, including serving as the theme to this year’s World Water Day, and now we are finally seeing some movement on Capitol Hill. In January, Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) introduced S. 1971, the Nexus of Energy and Water for Sustainability Act of 2014, or… Keep reading →
Energy companies including those operating in various stages of oil and gas development, utilities and other energy-related businesses face an imminent wave of retirements that have many working hard to smooth the transition into a new generation of employees. In additional to science-based fields like geology and engineering, large companies need people to fill financial… Keep reading →
North Carolina says it wants to be in the energy business and has been drafting industry-friendly legislation to help its cause. “Womack and MEC members have spent close to two years creating regulations to govern the drilling industry. Members feel a bill filed during the first week of session supports their efforts but will require… Keep reading →
