Opinion

The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders


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  • An array of solar panels stands on a farm
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    Robert Nickelsberg via Getty Images
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    Energy meets urgency: Solving the data center power problem with solar

    For years, data center developers built with confidence that the grid would keep up. That’s no longer the case.

    Jared Burden • Sept. 4, 2025
  • Electric power lines cross a body of water.
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    Ed Williams via Getty Images
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    It’s time for customer-oriented approaches to generator interconnection

    The electric power system requires seminal reform. Open access should remain a vital principle of grid regulation.

    Travis Kavulla and Eric Blank • Sept. 3, 2025
  • A view of high voltage transmission towers
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Rethinking transmission policy for an energy emergency

    While a bidding process is often presumed to deliver consumer benefits, bidding efforts for transmission have not followed that pattern.

    Benjamin Dierker • Sept. 2, 2025
  • Kousisis, racial preferences, supreme court
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    Douglas Rissing via Getty Images
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    Unconstitutional: Utilities are funding political speech with captive ratepayer funds

    When ratepayers are forced to subsidize utility political activity through state-set rates, utilities and the state compel objecting ratepayers to fund a private company's political speech.

    Eliza Martin • Aug. 28, 2025
  • A high-voltage transmission line runs through barren woods.
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    Permission granted by Minnesota Power
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    Minnesota’s energy future deserves better than BlackRock’s empty promises

    What happens in Minnesota will send a signal to other states about whether regulators are willing to put public interest ahead of Wall Street profit, writes Alissa Jean Schafer of the Private Equity Stakeholder Project.

    Alissa Jean Schafer • Aug. 27, 2025
  • Oil Or Gas Transportation With Blue Gas Or Pipe Line Valves On Soil And Sunrise Background
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    onurdongel via Getty Images
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    Southeast utilities are signing gas capacity contracts that will burden customers for decades

    “Adding even one more dekatherm of gas commitment to the Southeast is senseless,” writes SACE senior decarbonization manager Shelley Hudson Robbins.

    Shelley Hudson Robbins • Aug. 26, 2025
  • A worker repairs an air conditioning unit
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    The cheapest power plant is in your home

    Households can help prevent blackouts and lower energy bills if we plan smarter and reward people for using power at the right time.

    Paul Hines • Aug. 25, 2025
  • Power line towers crossing a scrubby field.
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    Cavan Images via Getty Images
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    How grid-enhancing technologies are shaping New York’s planning and protecting ratepayers

    New technologies and planning approaches can help speed the energy transition while ensuring power system reliability and affordability.

    Schuyler Matteson • Aug. 22, 2025
  • People cool off in the shade of a bridge along Chicago's Riverwalk
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    30 years after Chicago’s deadly heatwave, cooling should be recognized as a right

    The 1995 heatwave that killed more than 700 people made clear that access to reliable, affordable energy is not a luxury, the authors write. 

    Qëndresa Krasniqi, Diana Hernández, Vivek Shastry and Rachel Scheu • Aug. 21, 2025
  • A panel of electric smart meters.
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    Petra Richli via Getty Images
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    Utilities: Don’t lose out on advanced metering infrastructure with a short-term vision

    There is a revolution of grid-connected devices in the making, writes Laura Sherman, president of the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council.

    Laura Sherman • Aug. 20, 2025
  • To reduce electricity bills, repeal the complexity tax on energy savings

    Energy waste can be cut and customer outcomes improved by consolidating and expanding efficiency and housing repair programs, writes L. Michelle Moore, the CEO of Groundswell.

    Michelle Moore • Aug. 19, 2025
  • A wind turbine in a field at dawn on June 28, 2024 in Nolan, Texas.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Gone with the Wind: Ordinances in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi discourage renewable investments

    When counties adopt smart, balanced rules, they protect property rights, attract investment and avoid costly legal fights. Blanket bans just stall economic growth and limit local control.

    Simon Mahan and Jamie Moody • Aug. 18, 2025
  • In an aerial view, high voltage power lines run through a sub-station
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    FERC paved the way for smart grid solutions. States must take the next step.

    Grid planners can quickly squeeze more out of existing assets using grid-enhancing technology. State regulators should evaluate these options for local upgrades and longer-term regional planning.

    Rich Glick and Neil Chatterjee • Aug. 15, 2025
  • An aerial view of a construction site with cranes and construction vehicles.
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    Permission granted by Rosendin
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    Why Texas’ backup plan is a warning sign for grid operations nationwide

    We need new power lines and generators, but they won’t arrive in time to handle surging demand. What we can do now is operate smarter with software-based operational intelligence to reduce curtailment, ease congestion and lower consumer costs.

    Georg Rute • Aug. 14, 2025
  • Four people sit at a table.
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    Courtesy of ISO New England
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    ISO-NE should make its governance transparent, accessible and accountable

    With a leadership change coming in January, ISO New England has a chance to launch a new era of governance that engages with the communities it serves.

    Mireille Bejjani and Steven Botkin • Aug. 13, 2025
  • Wind turbines rise above a farm with green fields.
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    Alena Mozhjer via Getty Images
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    Allete sale would help fund clean energy investment for Minnesota

    The proposed sale would inject a massive infusion of private capital into Minnesota Power, capital guided by a long-term perspective rather than short-term market pressures.

    Jigar Shah • Aug. 12, 2025
  • Wind turbines spin with solar panels in the foreground.
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    4kodiak via Getty Images
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    Managing new political risk for renewable energy projects

    Clean energy developers face multiple risks from the Trump administration — but there are pathways for easing them.

    Jason Kosek and Peja Breuler • Aug. 11, 2025
  • Two men install solar panels on a roof.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Solutions to the energy talent gap are hiding in plain sight

    To meet clean energy hiring challenges, employers will benefit from working toward a strategic, industrywide vision for attracting talent.

    Janell Hills-Thomas and Courtney Haynes • Aug. 8, 2025
  • A large building next to power lines.
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    George Frey via Getty Images
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    Why utilities should bring water into the data center energy conversation

    For utilities, this is not only about supporting customer growth but also about protecting grid integrity and infrastructure investments in an increasingly resource-constrained environment.

    Pete Elliott and Richard Tribble • Aug. 7, 2025
  • Men sit at desks with computer screens.
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    Permission granted by PJM Interconnection
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    We at PJM need realistic solutions, not politics, to take on energy challenges

    Some public narratives have presented an inaccurate picture of the PJM Interconnection’s role in cost-effectively keeping the lights on. Here are the facts.

    Aftab Khan • Aug. 6, 2025
  • Two technicians work on a solar panel as a drone flies overhead.
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    whyframestudio via Getty Images
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    An FAA rule will revolutionize energy infrastructure inspections. It just got a big boost.

    A new executive order accelerates the timeline for beyond visual line of sight regulations for commercial drone operations, which will give utilities improved inspection capabilities.

    Ulrich Amberg • Aug. 5, 2025
  • An array of solar panels in a field.
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    Bruce Bennett via Getty Images
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    Move fast, adapt faster: A distributed generation playbook for turbulent times

    Distributed generation can go from development to construction to operation in months, not years, even under compressed timelines.

    Goksenin “Goksi” Ozturkeri • Aug. 4, 2025
  • A man walks on a street with downed power lines.
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    The weather is changing. Here’s how utilities can adapt.

    The Climate READi framework can help energy companies prioritize investments and adapt the evolving electric system to the climate of the future.

    Morgan Scott • Aug. 1, 2025
  • data center construction, CBRE, Virtiv, Tecogen
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    halbergman via Getty Images
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    Aggregations and data centers: If a resource shows up when the grid is straining, make it count.

    Allow AI data centers to participate in grid stress management, and the capital will flow to the solutions that enable flexible, grid-supportive outcomes.

    Arushi Sharma Frank • July 31, 2025
  • A field of solar panels.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Want abundant energy? Ask who benefits from scarcity.

    Achieving energy abundance requires reforming electricity markets, refreshing electric utility regulation and rethinking the way we pay for grid infrastructure.

    Arjun Krishnaswami • July 30, 2025