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utilities

Aug 05
Love144

Defending Utilities and RTOs

By Energy Rant No Comments
This week, I'm providing the other side of last week's Less for More Train. From my 30 years of observation in and around the utility industry, utilities were driven into the oncoming mess of less reliability for higher electricity costs. I use the word bizarre to describe the utility industry to people who are new to it. Utility executives must position and finagle their companies within the boundaries of state and federal rules and mandates, quasi and typically poorly-functioning, half-pregnant competitive markets, turning a profit to attract capital from investors, and trying to keep prices reasonable for customers. Oh, and…
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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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Nov 20
Love57

Case Studies in Decarbed Electricity

By Energy Rant No Comments
A colleague recommended a podcast, The Diary of a CEO, with Steven Bartlett. I especially resonated with the message from the “Savings Expert” episode dated November 6, 2023. The guest is an author who said, “I write for an audience of one, and that is me.” He calls it selfish writing. “I don’t write for this person or that person or group. I write what I’m interested in and in a way that I think is interesting. I try to solve my own problems. If it will help me, maybe it will help somebody else.” He said the traditional writing…
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Nov 14
Love54

Freeze on Nuclear Power is Thawing

By Energy Rant No Comments
It seems the laggards are finally realizing the planned energy transition to renewables and battery storage – maybe even throwing in a few million miles of 345 kV transmission lines – will not deliver reliable, affordable power. Miami Herald headline: Half of US at risk of losing power in winter due to strains on power grid. The article notes that “half” is up from a quarter just a year ago. It also reports that during last year’s Christmas Cliffhanger known as Elliot, natural gas generators (the bridge to nowhere) broke down or couldn’t get fuel. I called this shot reverse…
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Oct 17
Love50

Iowa: Case Study in Major Renewable Supply

By Energy Rant No Comments
It seems like someone coined the line, “what others are saying,” but I can’t find it. So, maybe I’ll coin “what others are saying” with that; here is what others are saying: lawmakers and policymakers should read the Rant. Here is why, starting with this PR Newswire: “Recent studies indicate that as of this year, 99% of all coal plants in the U.S. were more expensive just to operate compared to building new wind and solar. This is especially true for Iowa, where all coal used in power plants must be imported, costing ratepayers both the cost of coal and its transport.…
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Aug 21
Love42

The TRC Is Calling – Has Anyone Seen 1979?

By Energy Rant No Comments
Last week Michaels Energy delivered a webinar, Achieving Grid Resiliency with Thermal Energy Storage. There are about 70 gigawatts of refrigeration load in the United States frozen storage and chilled-water HVAC systems alone. That 70 GW does not include distributors like Sysco or U.S. Foods, grocery distribution centers like Walmart or Kroger, food manufacturers like Tyson or Nestle, grocery stores, convenience stores, or restaurants. Add it all up, and well over 10% of the total peak load in the U.S. is sitting there in bags, boxes, and buckets of food, waiting to be used as a flexible load-shifting and management…
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Jul 18
Love38
Image shows graphic of electric vehicle with buildings behind it.

Stay In Your Lane of Strength, or Pay

By Energy Rant No Comments
My top “strength,” as scientifically assessed by Gallup CliftonStrengths®, is context, which may also be defined as a historian. My other top strengths include attention deficit, information hoarder, and rabbit hole aficionado. Orwell’s famous 1984 quote says, who controls the past, controls the future, and who controls the present controls the past. Well, I’m not controlling anything; I’m hoarding it. Those who study the past can more accurately forecast the future because human nature never changes. History Lessons from Utilities There are limitless examples of companies leaving their lane to pursue bad ideas and things their customers don’t want. Examples…
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Jun 14
Love33
Image shows graphic of a portfolio and text "Reorganize Portfolios and Redirect Incentives for 10X Impacts."

Reorganize Portfolios and Redirect Incentives for 10X Impacts

By Energy Rant No Comments
A couple weeks ago, I quickly read this article, Cracking the Code - Aligned Incentives, on EnergyCentral.com. It concerns incentives for high-performance employees, but my read was about incentives for efficiency programs. It applies to that too.  Myopic Focus I wrote about short-term focus many times, including last week – if your lips are chapped, stop licking them – short-term gain for longer-term pain. Efficiency portfolio administrators, typically utilities, want long-lived measures, deep energy savings, and instant savings. The demand for instant savings is like harvesting the carrots at day 30 rather than at day 70 maturity. SEM Myopathy As…
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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
Original Source: Risks Faced by Power Utility Companies | Energy Central 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.…
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Jun 01
Love31
Image shows a graphic of a bag of money next to an up arrow.

Record High Electricity Prices Not Enough to Increase Consumer Awareness of Sustainability Initiatives

By Cost No Comments
Original Source: Record-high electricity prices fail to boost residential energy management programs: JD Power | Utility Dive 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…
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