Opinion
The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders
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To catalyze transmission development, end the utility protection racket
Current policies reinforce an anachronistic approach that fails to spur the regional projects needed to decarbonize the power sector and mitigate extreme weather impacts, writes Harvard Electricity Law Initiative's Ari Peskoe.
Ari Peskoe • Feb. 25, 2021 -
The real problem in Texas: Deregulation
In a deregulated market, one where one company generates power, another delivers it, and another sells it, there’s little incentive not to cut corners, the author writes.
Paul Griffin • Feb. 24, 2021 -
(2015). "Burbank media district from Griffith Park" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.
Get a sportscar or become one? One power plant's mid-life crisis
Burbank Water and Power's unique retrofit transformed its gas plant from baseload generator to renewable integration machine, the author writes.
Lincoln Bleveans • Feb. 23, 2021 -
The Texas electricity crisis and the energy transition
Although the political and national debate is turning into a proxy debate on energy resources, the most immediate concern is that the current failure threatens public health and safety, the authors write.
Alex Gilbert and Morgan Bazilian • Feb. 19, 2021 -
No state is an island — Transmission keeps the lights on
DOE and FERC could work together with states on inter-regional transmission plans, ultimately leading to a Macro Grid to share power across the country, Americans for a Clean Energy Grid's Rob Gramlich writes.
Rob Gramlich • Feb. 18, 2021 -
Yujin Kim, Industry Dive
Questioning 'artificial' electrification
Should we hurry electrification through governmental actions with incentives and subsidies, or instead, allow the market by itself to determine the speed and magnitude of electrification, the author asks.
Kenneth W. Costello • Feb. 17, 2021 -
Capacity as a commodity: A new (but familiar) way of rethinking capacity markets for a clean energy future
RTOs should consider this new approach as an alternative to centralized capacity market designs, as it would help to meet clean energy goals and maintain overall system reliability, among other benefits, the authors write.
Steve Shparber and Michael Borgatti • Feb. 09, 2021 -
Cleaning up the power grid requires a federal-state partnership
The federal government can take several actions that would enable and empower states to reach their 100% clean energy goals, the authors write.
Bentham Paulos and Warren Leon • Feb. 08, 2021 -
Collaboration, not confrontation: Setting the stage for success between FERC and the states
Concrete, achievable wins are within grasp, but only if FERC learns the lessons of the past, writes former Commissioner Tony Clark.
Feb. 02, 2021 -
Organized regional power markets: A rich source of benefits
The case is compelling for expanding the reach of organized regional markets, and exploring expansion has bipartisan support in Congress, former FERC Commissioner William Massey writes.
William Massey • Jan. 28, 2021 -
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America's investor-owned utilities: We can achieve a 100% clean energy future
With the right policies and the right technologies, a 100% clean energy future can be more than a goal. It can be a reality, Edison Electric Institute President Tom Kuhn writes.
Tom Kuhn • Jan. 26, 2021 -
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FERC needs to know that 'investor confidence' matters
An economy-wide carbon price, paired with truly competitive power markets, is the right way to deliver the necessary combination of cost-effective electric reliability and decarbonization, a Calpine executive writes.
Steven Schleimer • Jan. 22, 2021 -
10 state utility commission chairs to FERC: Let's strengthen federal-state electricity regulatory relationships
"We call on federal and state electricity regulators to explore a forum where pressing policy issues can be discussed in a way that improves coordination and understanding across the jurisdictional lines," the commissioners write.
Jason Stanek, Philip L. Bartlett II, Joseph L. Fiordaliso, Marissa Paslick Gillet, Willie L. Phillips, Ted J. Thomas, Rebecca Cameron Valcq, Hayley Williamson, Dallas Winslow and Carrie K. Zalewski • Jan. 20, 2021 -
Microgrids are coming — will they increase inequities?
The resources must not be deployed mainly for the benefit of higher-wealth communities, the author writes.
Ed Smeloff • Jan. 11, 2021 -
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission needs a reboot
The need for a new approach is especially evident with gas pipeline approvals as FERC continues to rely on a flawed assumption that the existence of a contract to supply gas implies "public need" for a pipeline, the author writes.
Ashish Solanki • Jan. 08, 2021 -
To build a zero-carbon grid, we first need to model it accurately
Many of the planning models used by utilities and their regulators are not well-suited to consider the role of long-duration energy storage and multi-day load flexibility as a complement to variable renewable generation, the authors write.
Scott Burger, Marco Ferrara, Roderick Go, and Arne Olson • Dec. 23, 2020 -
What a corporate tax rate increase could mean for utility ratemaking
Utility executives and regulators need to use this time of uncertainty to evaluate the impact of potential tax rate changes, especially considering COVID-19 financial pressures, disconnect moratoriums, and collectibility risks, the authors write.
Kimberly Johnston and Michael J. Reno • Dec. 16, 2020 -
Utilities should be required to disclose their climate-related financial risks
New York regulators are calling on utilities to disclose such risks, which could help the financial sector interpret what the companies are doing and adjust accordingly, the authors write.
Justin Gundlach, Michael Panfil and Romany Webb • Dec. 15, 2020 -
Photo illustration by Brian Tucker/Utility Dive; photograph by thinkreaction via Getty Images
Renewable portfolio standards are propelling the US to a clean-energy future. But data practices are lagging
Because RPS policies are such powerful tools for expanding renewable energy adoption, those in decision-making positions need to be able to easily understand these policies’ effects, the authors write.
Ingrid Behrsin, Francesca Disano, and Hannah Safford • Dec. 10, 2020 -
Retrieved from PXHere.
Utility regulators wake up to the long-term risks of gas
Regulators are open to changing the status quo and pushing for building electrification, writes Rocky Mountain Institute Principal Mike Henchen.
Mike Henchen • Dec. 09, 2020 -
Out with the old, in with the new: Why regionalized grid coordination is inevitable
Clearly, the traditional energy regulatory structures are an outdated solution to a modern problem, write Colorado State Senator Chris Hansen and former New Mexico utility commissioner Doug Howe.
Chris Hansen and Doug Howe • Dec. 08, 2020 -
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4 strategies to rapidly scale clean energy in the next decade
To fully realize our shared climate goals and rebuild our economy, we must prioritize and enact policies to accelerate the national transition from fossil fuels to clean energy, the author writes.
Cameron Bard • Nov. 30, 2020 -
Everything old is new again: Why Big Tech is wrong about utility restructuring
Large electricity buyers push for restructuring to gain direct access to real-time wholesale prices through their buying power, not due to altruism or constructive climate policy, former FERC Commissioner Tony Clark writes.
Tony Clark • Nov. 17, 2020 -
Photography by Gage Skidmore / Photo Illustration by Kendall Davis / Industry Dive
Environmental policy and regulation: Potential consequences of the 2020 election
Joe Biden plans to end subsidies on fossil fuels, strengthen oil and gas regulations, increase investment in clean energy, and recommit the U.S. to the Paris Climate Accord — the questions are how and when, the authors write.
Boyd Bryan and Alex Prochaska • Nov. 16, 2020 -
Photo illustration by Brian Tucker/Utility Dive; photograph by thinkreaction via Getty Images
The clean energy benefits slipping through states' fingers
Transmission projects take many years to complete, so the window is about to close on our ability to set states up for success even on 2025 and 2030 clean energy goals, the author writes.
John Moore • Nov. 11, 2020
