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Jan 21
Love116

Lithium-Ion Lessons

By Energy Rant No Comments
I bet you didn’t see or hear on your favorite news platform, whether it’s NPR, MSNBC, CNN, FNC, Axios, Facebook 🙄, the big three networks, or some dying newspaper platforms, that one of the largest lithium-ion electricity storage plants in the world caught fire and burned uncontrollably at Vistra’s Moss Landing, California site. I have often visited Moss Landing Harbor, where honking, slobbering, rude, and amusing sea lions took over the public fishing pier (Figure 1). This local natural attraction features a profuse abundance of wildlife species and activity. It is a kayaking destination. The fiery Vistra plant, spewing a…
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Jan 13
Love116

Rumblings of Utility Reregulation

By Energy Rant No Comments
Eight and a half years ago in Betting with Deregulation – A Risky Proposition, I wrote the following in this blog, “Companies who want deregulation of anything must be prepared for eventual pain – just ask the major airlines and a bunch of telecom companies, many of which no longer exist. There will be pluses and minuses for producers and customers alike. For example, the industry is now flooding into natural gas and renewables because they’re cheap. The market is de-diversifying, and at some point, probably within a decade, that will not end well for consumers. Deregulated markets don’t care…
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Jan 07
Love115

2025 In One Word: Dowzh

By Energy Rant No Comments
These are quite the times in which we live, energy and otherwise. It makes predictions tricky, especially when business titans Vivek Ramaswami and Elon Musk hone their meat axes for the federal government. The administrative branch doesn’t pass budgets and write tax law, but… there is a lot it can do, and I suspect it will chop and cleave while stretching up against legal precedents. Impoundment Will See Court Testing For instance, the word impoundment and its connected legal implications will become familiar as cable news networks invite guest attorneys to haggle over impoundment’s Constitutionality. Impoundment refers to the administrative…
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Dec 30
Love114

Seven Chicken Bones Scorecard

By Energy Rant No Comments
Here is my annual scorecard against energy predictions I made 51 weeks ago in Seven Chicken Bones for 2024. Chicken Bone One There would be at least five clean energy curtailments of at least $100 million apiece in 2024. On December 2, 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that General Motors is backing out of a nearly completed battery plant in Lansing, MI, and offloading its stake to Korea's LG Energy Solution. The facility covers 30 football fields worth $2.6 billion, or $1,500 per square foot. On April 22, 2024, Utility Dive reported the New York State Energy Research and…
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Dec 17
Love113

A Better Value of Economic Dispatch

By Energy Rant No Comments
Last week and many other times, I've written about soaring electricity loads and prices climbing even faster. The reality is prices are rising much quicker than load. For example, grid loads in Oregon have increased at a compounded rate of a modest 2%, while prices have risen by a compounded rate of nearly 9% in the same period. Why is that? Wholesale Electricity Supply Curve A year ago, I demonstrated using a typical generation supply stack from PJM, reposted in Figure 1. Each dot shown represents a generator. Refer to one of my concluding questions last week, "Will stakeholders increase,…
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Dec 09
Love113

Two Questions for Electric Utility Stakeholders

By Energy Rant No Comments
Remember the theory that deregulation in the late 1990s would waive the need for energy efficiency programs? If not, you can read up on the Great Depression in Energy Efficiency, the origins of which began with the 1992 Energy Policy Act. I believe the theory at the time was that electricity prices would be so low that energy efficiency couldn't possibly compete. Or maybe the theory was, "We're deregulating; efficiency programs are a regulatory thing, so we no longer need them." I've written this blog for over 15 years, producing roughly 700 posts. I can't say that I've written a…
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Dec 02
Love1

SMPS Award of Excellence – 2024 Holiday Calendar

By Awards No Comments
Michaels Energy's 2024 Holiday Calendar earned an Award of Excellence from the Society of Marketing Professional Services - Wisconsin Chapter. The SMPS Wisconsin Red Granite & Marketing Communications Awards reinforce the Chapter’s mission to support the advancement and achievements of marketing and business development professionals in the AEC industry. As the official state rock of Wisconsin, red granite was selected because of its vibrant hues and significant presence in Wisconsin's geological formations and economy. Much like the red granite, the program celebrates the industry's brightest trailblazers who raise the bar on performance and excellence. This bi-annual competition is the longest-standing,…
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Dec 02
Love110

Tire Shopping for Christmas

By Energy Rant No Comments
This week, we capitalize on last week's basics of tire rolling resistance, how it translates to passenger vehicle fuel economy, and non-Newtonian and non-linear nuances. Tires by the Numbers Figure 1 shows the nameplate for one of my tires. Left to right: M+S indicates the tire is suitable for mud and snow. Mud? Don't try it. 225 is the tire width in millimeters, sidewall to sidewall. 225 millimeters is about nine inches. 40 is the sidewall height, from rim to tread, divided by the tire width. 40 means this ratio is 0.4, so that height is 0.4x225 = 90 millimeters.…
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Nov 25
Love109

Energy Efficiency and Tires 101

By Energy Rant No Comments
Back in the day, when I interviewed engineers for potential employment, I would ask what they've done in their lives to study and reduce energy consumption. As an example, this week, I nerded out on tires. As an efficiency nut and passionate driver of our curvy paved roads through beautiful Western Wisconsin, I have a thing for tires. They must have decent handling in snow, low rolling resistance for efficiency, and preferably ride like rails. My foray began with an article from Wired.com titled "The Race to Create the Perfect EV Tire." That article propelled me into numerous rabbit holes,…
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Nov 19
Love108

Electricity Price Drivers

By Energy Rant No Comments
The race is on to decarbonize the grid, and those states that are forcing it too quickly are seeing soaring electricity prices. This is fabulous for our industry because energy efficiency and load management have become much more cost-effective. But are higher prices good for customers, industry, and local economies? Probably not. Last week, I attended the Peak Load Management Alliance’s 50th Conference in Brooklyn. In sessions on decarbonization and electrification, practitioners described how the cost-effectiveness of heating with cold-climate heat pumps is already a challenge. Not only are there no savings, but electricity costs are increasing rapidly and are…
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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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