Opinion: Page 2
The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders
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The 10 most valuable insights from Accenture's SMB New Energy Consumer Report
The report shows how utilities can become trusted advisors to small and medium-size business, with the next steps including a focus on digital engagement and personalized energy management insights.
Indran Ratnathicam • Feb. 06, 2019 -
Moving beyond business as usual to a resilient power system for California
PG&E's bankruptcy provides an opportunity for new legislation that would shift our energy system to one that doesn't rely on remote power generation requiring thousands of miles of expensive, inefficient and dangerous transmission lines.
John Sarter • Feb. 04, 2019 -
Is 100% renewable energy for the US possible? Yes
Naysayers argue we'll continue to need nuclear power and natural gas plants, and an all-renewables grid will be too expensive. But none of their arguments stand up, writes the Environmental Working Group.
Grant Smith and Bill Walker • Jan. 30, 2019 -
CPUC Commissioner: 'Creating a new risk evaluation paradigm' in the face of California's wildfires
"Utilities will now be required to evaluate risks in a much more transparent, uniform and quantitatively rigorous way," writes Clifford Rechtschaffen, a commissioner at the California Public Utilities Commission.
Clifford Rechtschaffen • Jan. 29, 2019 -
Behavioral demand response gives Baltimore Gas and Electric a business reason to reduce peak usage
Rocky Mountain Institute, America's Power Plan and Advanced Energy Economy Institute provide insight on the results of the largest dynamic pricing program in the nation, as of 2017.
Coley Girouard • Jan. 28, 2019 -
Don't confuse energy favoritism with energy resilience
The Department of Energy has cited cyber and national security in a proposal to subsidize uneconomical power plants. Major General Bob Dees writes that this assertion is "dubious."
Bob Dees • Jan. 24, 2019 -
Navigating utility business model reform: A practical guide
Rocky Mountain Institute, America's Power Plan and Advanced Energy Economy Institute provide a guide to modernizing the electric utility business model.
Dan Cross-Call, Cara Goldenberg and Mike O’Boyle • Jan. 22, 2019 -
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
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