by Jeff Ihnen | Jul 28, 2025 | Energy Rant
Michaels Energy was founded in 1984 in the wake of the 1970s energy crises when fear of energy starvation gripped the nation and world. Forecasts indicated natural gas and crude oil reserves would soon be depleted. Policymakers were so freaked out that, for a short...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jun 17, 2025 | Energy Rant
Since the One Big Beautiful Bill (a meme from the 80s comes to mind – gag me with a spoon! ????) has passed, interest groups from every angle have mobilized to steer it in their direction as Senators take it up for handouts to their favorite funding organizations, led...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jun 10, 2025 | Energy Rant
If you haven’t seen my recent conversation on The False [unrealistic] Promises of Electrification with Katherine Johnson on The KJ Show with Dr. KJ, check it out. I received a lot of great feedback from folks. I don’t grade my work except for my objective,...
by Jeff Ihnen | Mar 31, 2025 | Energy Rant
Some readers may recall headlines last fall stating that the PJM Interconnection would stop accepting energy efficiency resources for its forward capacity auctions. Capacity auctions work in the following simplified process: Local distribution companies, aka...
by Jeff Ihnen | Dec 17, 2024 | Energy Rant
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...