Opinion
The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders
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Bad for the military, bad for the public: A retired Vice Admiral on Trump's power plant bailout plan
"I will leave detailed economic and political analysis to others. What worries me is the real damage this plan could do to our national security," writes former Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Dennis McGinn.
Dennis McGinn • Sept. 18, 2018 -
Want to boost EV sales in the US? Look to China and Norway
While EV deployment is rising, the U.S. could start achieving carbon reduction goals while boosting the economy by mirroring other countries' strategies.
Anastasia Palivos, Shandice Sluch, Emily Brumit and Ritta Merza • Sept. 14, 2018 -
Let's bring back utility preferred stock... Sort of
The former senior director of S&P Global Ratings and founder of Utility Credit Consultancy makes a modest proposal to fundamentally change utility capital structures by adopting hybrid securities.
Todd Shipman • Sept. 10, 2018 -
APS' irrational war against renewable energy policy creates big risks for investors
Arizona Public Service's unabashed effort to dominate Arizona's politics has put it squarely in the crosshairs, and the company continues to favor gas over renewable energy, unlike many industry peers.
David Pomerantz • Sept. 05, 2018 -
A dangerous tipping point for New England's wholesale electricity market
The ISO, policymakers and other regulators need to develop a durable market that provides competitively-priced reliability in the region and enables states to meet their mandates, according to NEPGA president Dan Dolan.
Dan Dolan • Sept. 05, 2018 -
Cyberthreats require strengthened standards, increased government collaboration
Illinois Commerce Commission Chairman Brien Sheahan and former FERC Commissioner Robert Powelson wrote about the importance of establishing cybersecurity compliance standards at the distribution level.
Brien J. Sheahan and Robert F. Powelson • Sept. 04, 2018 -
Get ready for sticker shock on California's last-minute clean energy proposals
The state's well-intentioned ideas aiming to advance renewable energy would unfortunately commit Californians to resource decisions for the next 10 years and limit investment in lower-cost technologies.
Barry Moline • Aug. 31, 2018 -
Interactive: Wind turbines are getting more powerful as 'specific power' declines
The new 2017 Wind Technologies Market Report, prepared by Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and released by the U.S. Department of Energy, shows a trend in turbines that do better in lower wind speeds.
Ryan Wiser, Mark Bolinger, Ben Hoen and Bentham Paulos • Aug. 23, 2018 -
Does your utility have a survival strategy?
Faced with a changing competitive landscape and an uncertain regulatory environment, utility organizations are increasingly employing new cloud and digital strategies to ensure not only success, but survival.
Michael O’Donnell • Aug. 22, 2018 -
Powering California's future: What role does natural gas play as we move toward nearly GHG-free electricity?
The core issue is that natural gas is present in the state's 2030 electric portfolio, even in the most aggressive emissions reduction scenarios, CPUC Commissioner Liane M. Randolph says.
Liane M. Randolph • Aug. 16, 2018 -
Environmental regulatory rollbacks are no time for utilities to relax
Power plant operations and infrastructure are caught in the crossfire as NGOs and other parties challenge federal agency action through citizen suits, according to Schiff Hardin environmental attorneys.
J. Michael Showalter and Ryan Granholm • Aug. 15, 2018 -
Four steps for utilities to improve engagement with small and medium businesses
Small and medium businesses are often underserved as energy customers, and utilities can find it challenging to engage them. However, four research-based steps outline how utilities and their partners can improve that engagement.
Patty Durand, Austin Whitman • Aug. 09, 2018 -
Eligibility questions for new tax exclusions breed uncertainty for US power sector
Determining whether a particular company qualifies for these exemptions will be a necessity — not just for tax return accuracy, but also in determining the value and viability of pending and future M&A activity.
Brian Murphy • Aug. 08, 2018 -
Broadband access: A regulatory call to action to protect utilities against cyber threats
Modernizing utility communications infrastructure to the advanced broadband available today will pay off for decades to come, according to Jack Markell, former Democratic governor of Delaware.
Jack Markell • Aug. 06, 2018 -
The shift to renewables can't wait until 2035
Cities and universities play an important role in reducing carbon emissions through sustainable energy practices. But many are baking unreasonable timelines into their plans for carbon neutrality.
Bryce Smith • July 31, 2018 -
Can a 'DER Authority' fix the utility information problem to boost clean energy?
Energy Innovation's Mike O'Boyle says utility ratemaking lags behind the technological potential for a cleaner, cheaper, more reliable grid as regulators have insufficient information to compare utility proposals against alternatives.
Mike O'Boyle • July 30, 2018 -
Utilities embrace data-driven, intelligent enterprise approach
As technology options grow, utility companies can use services such as the cloud to optimize efficiency, improve safety and develop new business models, according to SAP utilities director James McClelland.
James McClelland • July 25, 2018 -
Borrowing from Europe to reinvent co-ops' business model
Power sector transition is often dominated by 'shiny new objects' like solar + storage, and the chance to serve customers more comprehensively can be overlooked. One way to change this is the European "chauffage" contract.
Peter Kelly-Detwiler and Ken Colburn • July 19, 2018 -
Make or buy for utilities: Putting services and capital investments on a level playing field
While the performance of regulatory options can vary, if a service solution is more cost-effective to meet a need, regulators should ensure that customers can benefit without punishing utility investors, AEE's Danny Waggoner writes.
Danny Waggoner • July 16, 2018 -
Utilities: Time to sharpen your product management skills
As they diversify into distributed energy, blockchain, online marketplaces and other innovative energy solutions, utilities will want to expand their product management competencies, writes Austin Whitman of FirstFuel Software.
Austin Whitman • July 13, 2018 -
Energy & utility leaders: How to transform with little to no room for error
From repairing and replacing decades-old infrastructure, to innovating new ways of providing clean energy, the utility industry is facing a powerful set of circumstances with high risk, writes David Carder of Kotter.
David Carder • July 09, 2018 -
Exploding transmission costs are the missing story in California's regionalization debate
A debate is raging in California about whether the risks of a new western RTO outweigh the benefits claimed by transmission proponents. The answer is a resounding no, Clean Coalition's Doug Karpa writes.
Doug Karpa • July 05, 2018 -
Assuring grid reliability in California — a view from Commissioner Randolph
A decade and a half after the energy crisis, market behavior and a changing portfolio have triggered new moves to ensure California has enough affordable generation to meet demand.
Liane M. Randolph • June 28, 2018 -
New grid transparency tools improve distributed generation siting
Two tools can help customers and project developers more quickly and cheaply identify grid locations for distribution generation projects, according to Mari Hernandez, regulatory program manager at the Interstate Renewable Energy Council.
Mari Hernandez • June 26, 2018 -
'Restructured' by any other name would smell as sweet
On the subject of energy markets and their functioning, there's no free market electricity competition, with or without the Trump administration's baseload power supply subsidy plan, former FERC Commissioner Tony Clark writes.
Tony Clark • June 21, 2018