Opinion

The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders

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The Supreme Court should reject requests for a do-over on state clean energy programs

Ruling against zero emission credit programs for nuclear plants could jeopardize renewable energy credits, too, and threaten to overturn policies in nearly thirty states, according to Harvard's Ari Peskoe.
Ari Peskoe • Jan. 17, 2019
4 common missteps to derail a utility's digital transformation effort

There are compelling reasons for utilities to transform their operations and systems with digital technologies, which can produce significant gains in safety, reliability, customer satisfaction and regulatory compliance.
James McClelland • Jan. 16, 2019
Networking and communications for smart grids and utility applications: A $100B opportunity

The connectivity needs of — and options available to — power utilities are rapidly expanding, writes Navigant's Richelle Elberg.
Richelle Elberg • Jan. 14, 2019
EPSA: State subsidies threaten PJM's Capacity Market

Well functioning energy and capacity markers go hand in hand with climate reduction. But state subsidies will make future investment on a competitive, merchant basis in PJM less likely, writes EPSA CEO John Shelk.
John Shelk • Jan. 10, 2019
Ensuring fuel security for the electricity system: New England and the role of LNG

Promoting a competitive market structure shields consumers from costly risks and provides continued opportunities to quickly accommodate to a low carbon future, the authors write.
Joseph Cavicchi and Kenneth Grant • Jan. 07, 2019
6 utility trends to look out for in 2019

From changes in the resource mix to federal shakeups, here are six electricity trends to keep an eye on in 2019.
Joseph Daniel • Jan. 04, 2019
Unlocking next-level consumer engagement and energy savings with the latest smart technology

Offering a central home energy platform with device control and interoperability will expand the engagement trend and deliver even better efficiency results, writes Google's global director of energy and enterprise partnerships.
Jeff Hamel • Jan. 02, 2019
Staring down tariffs and rollbacks, US renewables rang in a record year

Building on the ever-more-favorable clean energy economics and the resulting increases in corporate clean energy uptake, three main factors suggest 2019 has the potential to be a game changer, writes CERES' Winston Vaughan.
Winston Vaughan • Jan. 02, 2019
Letting the market, not MOPR, decide in PJM's capacity mechanism

A letter from gas generators to FERC says the American Way is to rely on the market; we agree, we're just not convinced that's what the generators actually want, says Mike Hogan of The Regulatory Assistance Project.
Mike Hogan • Dec. 20, 2018
California's energy efficiency path: Rebates, third party programs, market transformation

The state is revamping its energy efficiency portfolio, but what’s really exciting are the opportunities for the next generation of programs, Navigant's Kristin Landry writes.
Kristin Landry • Dec. 19, 2018
As the impacts of power outages rise, the US must embrace smart grids

Without a transformation, the negative impacts of modern-day demands on the grid, and therefore negative impacts on commerce, will only continue to grow, writes Metal Toad's Sasha Friedman.
Sasha Friedman • Dec. 18, 2018
Long-duration energy storage R&D: An opportunity for American climate leadership

A U.S.-led international initiative to accelerate progress on this storage technology would bend the curve of carbon pollution downward toward zero.
David M. Hart and Spencer Nelson • Dec. 14, 2018
Moving beyond 'good enough' in utility customer experience

From digitizing core services and engaging with customers, to innovating at the forefront of customer experience, utilities are coming to terms with this necessary transformation in different ways, writes Navigant's Michael Kelly.
Michael Kelly • Dec. 10, 2018
Offshore Wind Prices Have Fallen 75% Since 2014 – Here's How To De-Risk Projects Even Further

Offshore wind could be America's biggest bipartisan clean energy success story in the next two years. But how policymakers design related policies will determine how fast project costs fall, writes Energy Innovation's Mike O'Boyle.
Mike O’Boyle • Dec. 03, 2018
Reducing property taxes a key to profitability of renewables

Traditional property tax models are wrong for most renewable energy assets, but assessors have largely failed to keep pace with this shift — and aren't incentivized to do so, write Ernst & Young's Tom Bernard and Trevor Mason.
Tom Bernard & Trevor Mason • Nov. 29, 2018
Brown mandates a 'greener' Golden State

As California inches closer to a renewable-only grid, S&P Global Ratings Director of Sustainable Finance Michael Ferguson assesses which assets from a credit perspective could stand to either benefit or face heightened risks.
Michael Ferguson • Nov. 26, 2018
Leaving the Nest: 'Bring your own' efficiency programs grow beyond thermostats

The shift from Bring Your Own Thermostat programs to include more devices suggests the BYO model will continue to grow, securing energy and cost savings for customers and energy providers, Navigant's Brett Feldman writes.
Brett Feldman • Nov. 15, 2018
Distribution system planning: Proactively planning for more distributed assets at the grid edge

The distribution grid is the backbone of a reliable electric system and proper planning will make it more flexible, reliable, resilient, cost-effective and clean, AEE's Coley Girouard and Ryan Katofsky write.
Coley Girouard and Ryan Katofsky • Nov. 14, 2018
South Carolina tackles unprecedented interstate interconnection issues

Duke Energy sought to waive the state's rules to allow renewable projects to participate in a renewables program initiated by North Carolina, opening a can of worms, writes IREC Regulatory Director Sara Baldwin Auck.
Sara Baldwin Auck • Nov. 13, 2018
For RTOs & ISOs: 'Don't call it a market' (props to LL Cool J)

The term "market" for the fully restructured RTOs/ISOs was brilliant PR, but a category error in describing what amounts to an alternative regulatory model, write attorneys Ray Gifford and Matthew Larson.
Raymond L. Gifford and Matthew S. Larson • Nov. 12, 2018
Don't believe all the blockchain hype

Blockchain may change some aspects of energy markets, but don't expect the revolution evangelists are promising.
Benjamin L. Gerber • Nov. 09, 2018
A PJM carbon pricing approach to bridge the state-federal energy policy divide

A carbon charge in PJM could be designed to eliminate the need for out of market ZEC payments to nuclear generation and significantly reduce state payments for renewable energy credits.
Kevin B. Jones • Nov. 08, 2018
PJM CEO: Powering a resilient grid through competitive markets

Federal action to protect specific power plants is not only unnecessary, PJM CEO Andy Ott writes, it would raise consumer costs and discourage investment in newer, more efficient technologies.
Andrew L. Ott • Nov. 06, 2018
Emerging best practices for utility grid hardening

The impacts of extreme weather on utility infrastructure are forcing utilities and regulators to take a more proactive approach to storm preparation, risk mitigation and budgeting than they have been accustomed to.
Jeremy Clark • Nov. 05, 2018
How utility demand-side management strategies must evolve to address a dynamic resource mix

The path to realizing an efficient and flexible grid capable of supporting new value will — by necessity — require the participation of customer-sided resources and technology to effectively interface with the grid of tomorrow.
Patty Cook • Oct. 31, 2018