A new set of leaders today entered the White House. As they consider measures to enhance roads and bridges, they also should focus on America’s electricity infrastructure. By focusing on investment, efficiency, and markets as their policy foundation, the U.S. will have a world-class electricity system that will advance our economy into the 21st century.… Keep reading →
California’s booming solar industry had a record day last week when the state’s largest utilities generated more power than ever from the sun.
Throughout the United States, utilities earn a profit through a tried and true regulatory model that has worked well for over 100 years. This model was built on the assumption that customers would use ever increasing amounts of electricity, and it worked for some time. But, as the need to save power and make electric systems… Keep reading →
Utilities are entering a new era of customer engagement, spawned by the growing connected device market. To be successful and sustainable, utilities should focus on creating a simple and personalized dialogue with each customer – a concept that could be described as the “Customer of One.” Technology plays a pivotal role in this manner and… Keep reading →
The vast majority of natural gas local distribution companies (LDCs) are optimistic about the industry’s growth prospects between now and 2020. This confidence is displayed in their expansion activities across the United States – 42 percent of LDC survey respondents said their company had an active expansion program that had either received regulatory approval, is… Keep reading →
This month the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is making a series of announcements to support its Grid Modernization Initiative. As we do so, we realize many of you may be wondering: what does “grid modernization” mean? Let’s start at the beginning. The electric power grid has been rightly celebrated as the single most important… Keep reading →
On December 3, 2015, the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) voted to approve the continuation of the state’s investor-owned utilities’ (IOUs) natural gas financial hedging activities. The decision is a setback for consumer groups, which requested that hedging be abandoned in view of prolonged periods of losses. Florida’s natural gas hedging programs have cost ratepayers… Keep reading →
A survey released this month by a top management consulting firm found that 80 percent of the companies polled – including Apple, Google and Tesla – rank innovation among their top three strategic priorities. Unfortunately, the nation’s utility sector seems to be behind the curve when it comes to embracing this idea. Utility companies invested… Keep reading →
The U.S. Department of Energy today announced historic new efficiency standards for commercial air conditioners and furnaces. Developed with industry, utilities, and environmental groups, these standards will save more energy than any other standard issued by the Department to date. Over the lifetime of the products, businesses will save $167 billion on their utility bills… Keep reading →
When the Environmental Protection Agency issued the final rules for the Clean Power Plan in August 2015, it delayed the start of the interim compliance period by two years, to 2022. This reportedly was done to allow additional time to build the power and gas pipeline infrastructure that the energy industry says is needed to… Keep reading →
