Opinion: Page 2
The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders
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The maxim of the SEC’s climate rule: What you don’t know can hurt you
The standardized disclosures of climate risks will effectively lay bare companies’ readiness to transition to low-carbon operating models and the mounting physical hazards they face, the authors write.
Bob Hinkle and Lisa Jacobson • Sept. 22, 2022 -
Ron Jenkins via Getty Images
Secretive committee of utility insiders could undermine Texas energy leadership and affordability
The Texas Legislature needs to ensure that self-interested electric generation actors are not sacrificing Texas families and businesses to protect their market share, the author writes.
Landon Stevens • Sept. 20, 2022 -
Eloi Omella via Getty Images
Taking the utility monopoly door down to put more solar up
A proposal by Sunnova would end nearly a century of guaranteed monopoly for California utilities by letting other companies not just sell power but use an alternative delivery system to the utility's platform, the author writes.
John Farrell • Sept. 15, 2022 -
Denis Tangney Jr via Getty Images
Fixing California’s resource adequacy woes
The real questions are what level of bulk reliability we want and whether we are willing to invest in the institutional change needed to support it, the author writes.
Fredrich Kahrl • Sept. 14, 2022 -
Permission granted by Esme Howland
FERC’s duty of candor expansion would pose tough challenges for energy industry communication
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s proposed duty of candor expansion is not ready for prime time, the authors write.
Zach Terwilliger, John Decker and Ryan Hoeffner • Sept. 9, 2022 -
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To boost clean energy, incentivize innovation in existing natural gas infrastructure
Eliminating access to affordable energy options like the direct use of natural gas — particularly at a time when solar and wind are not able to meet energy demand — is not a wise path forward, the author writes.
Dave Schryver • Sept. 8, 2022 -
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How states and utilities can capitalize on the biggest clean energy legislation in US history
Utilities should use the IRA’s tax credits and reinvestment financing to accelerate their clean power ambitions, replacing risky fossil plants with renewables to boost profits and cut consumer costs, the authors write.
Dan Esposito and Kimani Jeffrey • Aug. 31, 2022 -
bombermoon via Getty Images
Wind and solar power aren’t enough to combat climate change. We need to incentivize firm renewables, too.
For too long, federal U.S. policy has taken a siloed perspective and focused almost exclusively on developing popular intermittent renewable solutions, like wind and solar — and it’s not enough, the author writes.
George Sakellaris • Aug. 26, 2022 -
lovelyday12 via Getty Images
Liberty never looked so green: Policy implications of private carbon-free energy commitments
Our struggling climate, economy and public finances face a triple reckoning. Enabling private capital to voluntarily flow to its most productive uses benefits all three, the author writes.
Devin Hartman • Aug. 17, 2022 -
VISION4RY-L4NGU4GE via Getty Images
MISO can improve reliability before building transmission
Well before MISO builds out its recently approved $10 billion transmission portfolio, it can avoid blackouts by boosting its operating reserves rather than keeping a singular focus on planning reserves, the authors write.
Rao Konidena and Allison Bates Wannop • Aug. 15, 2022 -
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Coordination between utilities and crypto miners — when does it make sense?
Some, but not too much, demand response can be a win-win for utilities and crypto miners, the authors contend.
Steve Wright and Hassan Shaban • Aug. 11, 2022 -
Permission granted by First Solar
Diving into the Inflation Reduction Act’s tax credits and the ambitious plan to reshape the US energy sector
Tax incentives in the plan would stabilize federal energy policy, incentivize domestic manufacturing, and benefit communities impacted most by the changing energy landscape, the author writes.
Mona Dajani • Aug. 9, 2022 -
YinYang via Getty Images
Why electricity is more expensive and less reliable
After a quarter century, the evidence is accumulating that our experiment with electricity restructuring is failing, former chairman and CEO of the Illinois Commerce Commission Brien Sheahan writes.
Brien J. Sheahan • Aug. 3, 2022 -
Lack of policy to broaden regional transmission investment opportunity is holding development back
The industry needs policies in place to incentivize those who host regional transmission facilities by providing them with an opportunity to invest in this infrastructure – and earn a profit, the author writes.
Matt Lacey • July 25, 2022 -
glegorly via Getty Images
Unleashing the economic power and reliability potential of West Coast offshore wind
Offshore wind can have significant reliability, economic and climate benefits, but policy action is needed now, the authors write.
Mike O’Boyle and Michelle Solomon • July 19, 2022 -
Courtesy of Entergy
Lack of investment and innovation adds to worries of grid failure and outages
If we want to get off this endless loop of seasonal failure warnings, outages, and crises, a major effort needs to be made to invest in this grid of the future, the author writes.
Landon Stevens • July 18, 2022 -
Maudib via Getty Images
Bay staters are choosing clean energy. Why are lawmakers favoring utility monopolies?
Now is the time to expand choice, not to shut down a market that is saving ratepayers money while enabling a transition to a clean energy future, the author writes.
Christopher Ercoli • July 14, 2022 -
Eloi Omella via Getty Images
The end is near for monopolies: We must liberate the US power consumer
We must give Americans a choice when it comes to how and where they source their energy and at what price, the author writes.
William J. (John) Berger • July 8, 2022 -
Puerto Ricans have built the largest renewable peaker plant in the world. Let's use it.
It’s not too late for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to see the obvious economic and societal value of virtual power plants to mitigate blackouts, the author says.
Javier Rúa-Jovet • June 28, 2022 -
Adeline Kon/Utility Dive
How utilities can harness green hydrogen production's flexibility in balancing a high-renewables grid
As green hydrogen gains momentum, understanding its role as a demand-side resource will help achieve reliability in a high-renewables grid, writes Energy Innovation’s Eric Gimon.
Eric Gimon • June 27, 2022 -
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Why President Biden's order to increase production of energy-saving technologies isn't enough
Our existing energy systems, gas or electric, are collective solutions to our community’s needs. Our transition to cleaner buildings must be collective as well, the author writes.
John Farrell • June 23, 2022 -
Adeline Kon/Utility Dive
'All hands on deck' for the energy storage industry
A greater sense of urgency is needed to support markets for energy storage, a proven technology that provides the transformational pathway to wean ourselves off fossil fuels, the author writes.
Kelly Sarber • June 21, 2022 -
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President Biden's commitment to energy security needs certainty on natural gas
The Biden administration can keep its pledge to fund renewable energy development while also addressing the need for more natural gas today, the author writes.
Richard D. Kauzlarich • June 16, 2022 -
One cooperative should not be allowed to derail our collective clean energy efforts
If that is allowed to happen, the clean energy transition will be much like it is today — primarily enjoyed by customers of large investor-owned and municipal utilities that serve urban areas, the CEOs of three Colorado co-ops write.
Jessica Matlock, Jeff Wadsworth, and Brad Zaporski • June 8, 2022 -
Lott, Keith. (2011). "Timber Road II Wind Farm" [photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
FERC's acceptance of 2 capacity accreditation methods will complicate renewables development
The stakes are high: As more intermittent resources enter markets, the quantity procured and capacity payments will depend on each market’s specific capacity accreditation rules, the authors write.
Joseph Cavicchi and Charles Wu • June 6, 2022
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