Opinion
The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders
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La Plata Electric CEO: Why Western utilities are moving toward regional markets
Following its transition into the Southwest Power Pool, LPEA expects an immediate reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of roughly 20%, along with reduced wholesale power costs, writes Chris Hansen.
Chris Hansen • April 20, 2026 -
Courtesy of Georgia Power
After 2 years, ratepayer pain and political fallout from Georgia’s nuclear plant Vogtle
Texas built 36 GW of solar and storage in four years, for about $36 billion. Georgia built 2 GW of nuclear in 15 years at the same cost, writes Patty Durand, founder of Georgians for Affordable Energy.
Patty Durand • April 17, 2026 -
Alamy
Why reforming rooftop solar and battery permitting belongs on every state affordability agenda
The hurdles that stop families from installing home energy upgrades are firmly within the control of state governments, writes Permit Power founder Nick Josefowitz.
Nick Josefowitz • April 16, 2026 -
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An outdated FERC policy is undermining the White House’s ratepayer protection pledge
FERC should revisit its transmission pricing policy and require utilities to assign the full costs of service to power-hungry data centers, writes Harvard’s Ari Peskoe.
Ari Peskoe • April 15, 2026 -
The need for speed: FERC must exempt transmission projects from regulatory bottlenecks
Order 1000 has failed to deliver savings and has instead driven higher costs for customers, writes Purvi Patel at ITC Holdings.
Purvi Patel • April 14, 2026 -
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Utilities are failing to connect with customers on affordability. Data can help bridge the gap.
There are five ways utilities can leverage payment history, usage and other data to hone their customer outreach to improve trust and outcomes, writes Richard Yost, a principal at YSG.
Richard Yost • April 13, 2026 -
Retrieved from Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
States are already working on solutions to large-load challenges
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has never regulated retail load interconnections before and should leave it to the states, who have done it for decades, writes former FERC Chairman Mark Christie.
Mark Christie • April 9, 2026 -
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Recalibrating the social license for AI infrastructure in the United States
To counter a public backlash, data center developers must embrace economic reciprocity while utilities and regulators must design rates that penalize grid stress and reward flexibility, write Fred Bailey of Gideon Arktos and Frank Willey at the Atlantic Council.
Fred Bailey and Frank Willey • April 8, 2026 -
Turning the AC-DC switch: A legacy technology has reached its limits.
AC is no longer the preferred current for many applications. A transition is underway, but it calls for new technology to be deliberately deployed, writes Shaun Walsh at Peak Nano.
Shaun Walsh • April 7, 2026 -
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Greenhouse Gas Protocol changes can bring trust back to climate accounting
Common claims of 100% reliance on wind and solar are clearly at odds with the physical reality of companies’ electricity supply, writes Wilson Ricks at the Clean Air Task Force.
Wilson Ricks • April 6, 2026 -
Win McNamee via Getty Images
State utility laws are the primary barrier to Trump’s AI ratepayer protection pledge
The best way to leverage the pledge’s supply commitment is to accelerate the nationwide momentum to give business customers retail choice, write Devin Hartman and Kent Chandler of the R Street Institute.
Devin Hartman and Kent Chandler • April 3, 2026 -
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California approved a gas pipeline solution. Now comes the hard part.
SB 1221 offers a rare opportunity to align climate action with lower bills and prudent spending of ratepayer dollars, writes Jalal Awan at The Utility Reform Network.
Jalal Awan • April 2, 2026 -
Jon Cherry via Getty Images
Rebuttal: Coal plants are reliable and cost-competitive
Michelle Bloodworth, president and CEO of America's Power, which represents the U.S. coal fleet and its supply chain, pushes back on assertions that coal power should be replaced by renewables.
Michelle Bloodworth • April 1, 2026 -
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AI data centers are stressing power infrastructure. Storage is the answer.
No one wants to admit that a power system designed for normal data center behavior is struggling under AI behavior, writes TerraFlow Energy Chief Marketing Officer Amanda Simonian.
Amanda Simonian • March 31, 2026 -
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Before we build more gas pipelines, we need better data
Building energy infrastructure takes years, billions of dollars and massive political capital. Better data costs a fraction of that, write researchers at three universities.
Burçin Ünel, Anamika Dubey and Chiara Lo Prete • March 30, 2026 -
Courtesy of Volvo Trucks
Fleet electrification is running into the grid. Planning and operations need to catch up.
Thoughtfully planned, flexible load offers one answer to the grid’s present challenges, write experts from Synop and the Electric Power Research Institute.
Shana Patadia and Britta Gross • March 27, 2026 -
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Southeast, lower-cost PJM states offer model for affordable grid expansion
The vertically integrated utility model shows it is possible to build new generation and protect customers from steep rate increases, writes former FERC Commissioner Bernard McNamee.
Bernard L. McNamee • March 26, 2026 -
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PJM’s crisis has a simple solution: Copy what works in regulated states
The competitive market was supposed to produce lower prices, but when faced with the first big demand shock in decades, it delivered chaos, writes Power for Tomorrow President Brad Viator.
Brad Viator • March 25, 2026 -
Emil Lippe via Getty Images
Utilities must ask AI vendors these questions to meet critical infrastructure protection standards
Utilities deploying AI tools may be creating a compliance gap that will become visible only when auditors start asking questions, writes Eric Swidey, founder of Thirty Seven Inc.
Eric Swidey • March 24, 2026 -
Courtesy of GE Vernova
5-year waits and rising costs: How demand is redefining the gas turbine market
Lengthy lead times are likely to continue for now, and reliability in that environment depends on early, informed decisions, writes Electric Power Research Institute Senior Program Manager Bobby Noble.
Bobby Noble • March 23, 2026 -
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Why data centers will need a ‘bring your own power’ strategy
If the AI boom is not handled correctly, we will put grid stability and public trust at odds with tech-led growth, writes Ameresco CEO George Sakellaris.
George Sakellaris • March 20, 2026 -
Brett Carlsen/Getty Images via Getty Images
Winter storms underscore data center threats to grid reliability, affordability
Demand from the data center boom, combined with worsening extreme weather events, put our electric system at heightened risk, writes Union of Concerned Scientists Senior Manager Mike Jacobs.
Mike Jacobs • March 19, 2026 -
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To strengthen power reliability in extreme weather, diversify grid resources
More expensive, less reliable power need not be our unavoidable fate, writes NextGen Energy CEO Kimberly Johnston.
Kimberly Johnston • March 18, 2026 -
Nathan Howard via Getty Images
As data centers go off-grid, utilities face new cost and planning risks
Industry disclosures suggest that by the end of the decade, a meaningful share of new data center capacity could be partially or fully self-supplied, write Brandon Owens and Morgan Bazilian.
Brandon Owens and Morgan Bazilian • March 17, 2026 -
Drew Angerer via Getty Images
What technology, policy and energy-finance leaders all agree on
Risk, return and credible deployment pathways are key factors that infrastructure investors evaluate. Solar and storage meet these requirements, writes Brendan Bell of Aligned Climate Capital.
Brendan Bell • March 16, 2026
