Opinion
The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders
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Alamy
Will FERC stand up for competitive power markets? Our grid depends on it.
With hundreds of billions of dollars expected to be spent on grid projects, it’s time for FERC to reaffirm its commitment to market competition — and prevent utility self-dealing.
Andrew Waranch • July 14, 2025 -
onurdongel via Getty Images
Ignoring customers is unsustainable and bad policy
Enabling flexible customer demand can drive significant system-wide benefits while mitigating the cost or timing of expensive system upgrades.
Kent Chandler, Chris Villarreal and Michael Giberson • July 11, 2025 -
Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
Avoid the ‘standing’ land mine in FERC appeals
The Entergy Arkansas case involving a Midcontinent Independent System Operator proposal highlights how standing works — and the risk of failing to prepare to meet its threshold requirements.
Jackson A. Myers and Zakary Kadish • July 10, 2025 -
Courtesy of Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania
PHMSA grants work for America. Let’s keep them funded.
By repairing and replacing gas pipelines, the federal program helps municipal and community-owned utilities lower energy costs, create jobs and cut emissions, but its funding expires next year.
Dave Schryver • July 9, 2025 -
Felbaba Volodymyr via Getty Images
How retail energy suppliers can navigate the new federal energy policies
Key strategies include buying renewable energy certificates now, leveraging data and predictive analytics and growing market share.
Nainish Gupta • July 8, 2025 -
John M. Chase via Getty Images
How AI can improve utility storm response with increased reliability, lower ratepayer costs
With extreme weather increasing, AI can make storm response more efficient and effective for utilities, ratepayers, vendors, regulators and the various governments involved.
Hari Vasudevan • July 7, 2025 -
audioundwerbung via Getty Images
How regulators can protect hydrogen customers while enabling innovation
By asking key questions, regulators can distinguish between fruitful and wasteful hydrogen projects. And by taking a holistic view and engaging with others, they can bring stability to the industry.
Dan Esposito and Mike O’Boyle • July 2, 2025 -
The Desert Photo via Getty Images
Whatever happens with the IRA, energy storage is here to stay
The electric grid needs flexibility, speed and stability. Energy storage offers all three.
Arun Muthukrishnan • July 1, 2025 -
Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
Trump attacks on NRC independence pose health, safety risks
The exodus of key personnel at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will jeopardize its ability to oversee the nuclear power fleet and slow the licensing of new facilities to a crawl.
Edwin Lyman • June 30, 2025 -
luza studios via Getty Images
Can oil and gas solve the AI power dilemma?
The convergence between oil, technology and utilities reflects a profound structural shift — energy and computing are no longer parallel industries but mutually dependent pillars of modern innovation.
Joe Brettell • June 27, 2025 -
RiverNorthPhotography via Getty Images
How risk-spend efficiency puts AI at the center of utility investment strategy
As risks grow in both intensity and complexity, utilities that adopt this approach can shift from reactive planning to proactive strategy and face the future with greater confidence.
Adam Cornille • June 26, 2025 -
adamkaz via Getty Images
As the GHG Protocol eyes the homestretch in its Scope 2 revisions, are the right voices being heard?
A requirement for hourly matching and the dramatic narrowing of the geographies in which companies can make clean energy investments could stifle the voluntary market.
Roger S. Ballentine • June 25, 2025 -
My Photo Buddy via Getty Images
How electric companies can reduce liability risks from climate change
Upgrading infrastructure, embracing renewables and collaborating with governments and communities are no longer optional if companies want to ease legal risks and maintain social license to operate.
Aaron Rokstad • June 24, 2025 -
Bilanol via Getty Images
Behind-the-meter flexibility is the best response to investment uncertainty
Utilities investing in behind-the-meter flexibility are positioning themselves to continue delivering clean, affordable and reliable energy to ratepayers in the long run.
Molly Podolefsky • June 23, 2025 -
RyanJLane via Getty Images
From backup to backbone: Why utility-led DERs must drive MISO’s resource adequacy plans
Jigar Shah says MISO states can use distributed energy resources to meet key goals: cost stabilization, faster time to power, community development and a reliable, resilient grid.
Jigar Shah • June 20, 2025 -
NicoElNino via Getty Images
AI is coming for grid-decision making. Here’s why governance can’t be an afterthought.
In the 20th century, infrastructure decisions — where to put highways, site power plants or make upgrades — often reinforced inequities. AI threatens to replicate that pattern — at scale and at speed.
Brandon N. Owens • June 18, 2025 -
adamkaz via Getty Images
Senate: Don’t fumble the energy future
Ending clean energy tax deductions would limit power supply and raise electricity prices. It would be like sending a great football team to compete in the Super Bowl without cleats.
Dean Granoff • June 17, 2025 -
Uladzimir Zuyeu via Getty Images
Meeting the challenge of FERC Order 881: Why open source matters for AAR implementation
With ambient-adjusted ratings compliance deadlines set for mid-July, TROLIE offers an open, vendor-neutral standard for the secure, efficient exchange of transmission line rating data.
Tory McKeag • June 13, 2025 -
Xiaoke Chen via Getty Images
Supercharging America’s power grid from the demand side
Microgrids with continuous AI-powered monitoring can significantly reduce the need for costly grid upgrades and lower the risk of power failures.
James Richmond • June 11, 2025 -
alacatr via Getty Images
A collaborative approach for meeting data center power needs and protecting ratepayers
By working together, sharing risk and embracing innovative solutions, we can foster long-term growth, strengthen the grid and ensure a more equitable distribution of costs and benefits.
Chris Crosby • June 10, 2025 -
drnadig via Getty Images
Baseload blind spot? Senate should unleash 24/7 clean-energy workhorses
As the U.S. Senate drafts a budget bill, it should value geothermal and hydropower appropriately to secure a stronger, more resilient and more dominant energy future.
Malcolm Woolf and Bryant Jones • June 9, 2025 -
Gerville via Getty Images
Large load tariffs have a problem. Clean transition tariffs are the solution.
These tariffs were designed to offer large loads access to renewable energy, but they could be expanded to baseload generation to remove at-risk generation from the utility’s books.
Ben Hertz-Shargel • June 5, 2025 -
Loradao via Getty Images
Data center growth and the imperative of economic discipline
Grid access must be treated as a scarce, priced product. That means building markets for interconnection capacity, avoiding socialized costs and ensuring that those who impose system costs bear them.
Terry Harvill and August Ankum • June 5, 2025 -
iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
Think small: Why America should bet on small modular reactors
To reach their potential, SMRs will require effective support across the entire development cycle — and a sustained commitment based on bipartisan, long-term political backing.
Robin Gaster • June 4, 2025 -
Polina-Petrenko via Getty Images
FERC skimps on winter storm details as staffing cuts threaten future reporting
While FERC’s recent report includes data on generator failures, there’s essentially no discussion or data regarding which types of resources failed — a crucial question in need of answers.
Paul Arbaje • June 3, 2025
