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Jeff Ihnen

Jun 02
Love31
Image shows skyline of a city.

Pains & Risks Utilities Will Face If They Don’t Think At Scale and Down Range

By Carbon Reduction, Cost, Grid Capacity No Comments
This document includes pains and risks utilities face if they don’t think at scale and down range – what would “that” look like? Innovation and Pricing This aligns with a slide in my electrification presentation. Utilities must understand in the energy transition that their foothold as a monopoly isn’t going to last forever. This is a threat NOW. Consider microgrids. Microgrids can stand on their own and by definition, if the macrogrid goes down, they keep running. What happens when microgrids start linking together? Who needs a utility? Right now, there are a lot of bad ideas that will fail,...
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Jun 02
Love31
Image shows graphic of a construction crane working on office buildings.

Risks Faced by Power Utility Companies

By Grid Capacity No Comments
Unprecedented transformation and rising threats are a top focus for power and utilities. Meanwhile, the cleaner energy transition poses unique opportunities to move the industry forward. Leaders know that taking a panoramic view of risk is no longer nice to have. It’s a must. Power utility companies are facing significant risks due to the latest technologies available. The advancements in technologies have led to a change in the power generation and distribution system, and thus, power utility companies must adapt to these changes to stay relevant in the industry. However, with these changes, there come a lot of uncertainties and...
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Jun 01
Love31
Image shows a graphic of a bag of money next to an up arrow.

Record High Electricity Rates Still Not Enough to Get Customers Thinking About Sustainability

By Cost No Comments
Utilities Intelligence Report March 2023 Electricity bills in the United States rose 13.1% on average in 2022, higher than the overall rate of inflation. Concurrent with this trend, utilities have introduced aggressive carbon reduction goals and sustainability initiatives that rely on customers reducing their energy consumption through a combination of time-of-use rates, energy-saving appliance rebate programs and more. In fact, 81% of electric utility customers are now served by a utility with a stated carbon reduction target. Despite this decade-long push to change emissions by spurring customer participation in these programs, many customers are completely unaware that energy conservation and...
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Jun 01
Love31
Image shows graphic of rechargeable electric plug and title of article.

Construction Begins on Idaho Power’s First Energy Storage Projects as it Faces Growing Capacity Shortfall

By Storage No Comments
Dive Brief: Construction has begun on Idaho’s first utility-scale energy storage installations, which are expected to start to come online this summer, Idaho Power announced March 3. An 80-MW battery energy storage system is being installed at the company’s Hemingway substation in Owyhee County and a 40-MW system is being built adjacent to the 40-MW Black Mesa solar project in Elmore County. Idaho Power told state regulators it identified in May 2021 a capacity deficit of 78 MW by this June, growing each year through 2026. The expected deficit soon grew to 101 MW. Idaho Power cited transmission availability, an increasing population and rising...
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Jun 01
Love31
Image shows graphic of C02 and text "North Carolina's Carbon Plan Criticized for Lack of Specifics, Energy Reliability and Possible Higher Bills."

North Carolina’s Carbon Plan Criticized for Lack of Specifics, Energy Reliability and Possible Higher Bills

By Carbon Reduction No Comments
A plan to significantly reduce carbon emissions in North Carolina is receiving widespread criticism. Environmental groups believe the state’s first Carbon Plan lacks specifics while other critics are concerned that too much reliance on renewable energy will be costly to the state. Some customers believe increasing renewables will mean a less reliable grid. The passing of House Bill 951 requires Duke Energy and other electric utility providers to reduce carbon emissions by 70% from 2005 levels by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The Carbon Plan released on Dec. 30, one day ahead of the state deadline, essentially serves...
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Jun 01
Love31
Image shows graphic of a dollar sign and lightning bolt with text "CenterPoint Customers to See Rate Hike as Utility Recovers $200M Spent on Emergency Generation."

CenterPoint Customers to See Rate Hike as Utility Recovers $200M Spent on Emergency Generation

By Grid Capacity No Comments
CenterPoint used one of Life Cycle Power's mobile generation units, shown here, to provide power to a community center in Lake Jackson after Hurricane Nicholas. CenterPoint has leased 500 megawatts of mobile generation, which will cost ratepayers about $200 million. Critics argue CenterPoint rushed the contracting process. Electricity customers in Houston are about to see their bills increase after the state Public Utility Commission gave a green light for CenterPoint to increase its rates. The increase comes as CenterPoint seeks to recoup $200 million in costs it incurred to to lease mobile generators which could produce 500 megawatts of emergency power during peak periods...
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Jun 01
Love31
Image shows electricity with text "America is being hit by a surge of blackouts - and it's only going to get worse!"

America is Being Hit by a Huge Surge in Blackouts- And it’s Only Going to Get Worse

By Grid Capacity No Comments
Normally, Scott Gann's air conditioning kept his house in Columbus, Ohio, cool during the Midwest's increasingly hot summer days. But in June, as the heat index climbed to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, Gann — along with more than 600,000 Ohioans — suddenly lost power, leaving him sweltering in his home. "It's just a different kind of experience when you're at your house trying to sleep and it's literally 95 degrees," he told me. Many who could afford it decided to flee to hotels in unaffected areas, but Gann and the vast majority of affected Columbus residents were stuck in unbearable heat...
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May 30
Love31
Image shows a wind farm with text "Energy Transition - Four Factors to Watch."

Energy Transition – Four Factors to Watch

By Energy Rant No Comments
We open this week’s Energy Rant with a called shot. Michael and Chantell Sackett are enjoying fresh mulch provided by the SCOTUS as they sent the EPA’s interpretation of “navigable waterways” to the woodchipper as predicted here last October. The energy transition is having problems, as this blog has often predicted. The message is hitting the mainstream. For example, last Friday, The Wall Street Journal featured three articles on the sputtering and wheezing transition in one edition. The first was global with the headline, Your Coming Summer of Blackouts. Faulty Power Markets Some things are working in reliability’s favor. The...
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May 25
Love31

Appalachian Power Updates its Annual Clean Energy Plan

By Storage No Comments
AEP Appalachian Power Appalachian Power updates its annual clean energy plan. March 20, 2023 Clean energy projects that deliver affordable, reliable power while creating jobs and tax base are integral parts of Appalachian Power's plan to meet its renewable energy obligations in Virginia. The information is included in the company's annual update filed this week to comply with the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA). The VCEA is a law that requires the company provide its 542,000 Virginia customers with carbon-free energy by 2050. With its passage, Appalachian Power must file a yearly update with the Virginia State Corporation Commission detailing...
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May 24
Love31
Image shows electricity wires with text "Four Steps for Energy Transition"

Four Steps for Energy Transition

By Energy Rant No Comments
I spent last week in California, where the energy transition is being jammed at a breakneck pace like a square peg in a round hole. I’ll set the stage with just a few things. First, the duck curve, a feature of excessive solar generation that began overgenerating a year or two ago, is now the “canyon” curve. Overgeneration occurs around 10 GW of net load – the amount needed to keep hot resources spinning in case of a fault in the system[1]. The image below shows the current and forecast net loads on CAISO as of Saturday, May 20, 2023....
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All things energy. That’s our jam.

We talk a lot about energy – from the serious to the satirical.

All things energy. That’s our jam.

We talk a lot about energy – from the serious to the satirical.

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