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One year ago, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decided to vacate FERC Order 745, holding that demand response could not be traded in wholesale energy markets. Now that the Supreme Court has held oral arguments in the appeal of the case and a final resolution is imminent, we contemplate how DR will fare and how the market might evolve.
If Charles Dickens were an energy analyst, he’d probably say the past ten years have been the best of times and the worst of times for wind power in America. Yet comparing the two regions with similar total installed wind capacity adds another twist to the story: the importance of good transmission planning.
A new report from America’s Power Plan investigates the question, “who should own and operate distributed energy resources?” It turns out there there are many options for who can own and operate DERs—and any of them can work, as long as the revenue streams are designed or adjusted appropriately.
Energy Innovation’s latest report, Moving California Forward, co-authored with Calthorpe Analytics, assesses the impact of smart growth on meeting California’s climate goals. The study finds that smart land use policy, combined with advances in energy technologies, can help California meet its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 40% below 1990 levels by 2030.
Oftentimes, more can be learned about utilities’ top priorities by listening to shareholder earnings calls than regulatory proceedings. As with any investor-owned company, managers of investor-owned utilities are obligated to maximize shareholder value. So it pays when regulators can find ways to align shareholder value creation with the public interest. Enter performance-based regulation.
Renewable integration in the West has forced reconsideration of system operations, planning, and markets. In order to develop a bulk electric grid that will be resilient in a dynamic future, the manner in which the system is planned and operated and the means by which entities are compensated for the energy, power, ancillary services, and emissions reductions they provide will need to evolve.
A new report from the Global Commission on the Economy and the Climate makes 10 recommendations that could result in up to 96% of the emissions mitigation needed to limit global warming to 2°C. “A goal we once thought of as distant is within our reach,” said former Mexican President Felipe Calderón, chair of the commission.
Like other distributed energy resources (DERs), customer-owned distributed storage puts competitive pressure on utilities by reducing customers’ reliance on the grid. As costs of DERs come down, customers can afford to rely less and less on the grid for electricity service.
Though serious challenges remain, America has already come a long way in its transition toward a cleaner, more affordable, and more reliable grid. We see strong evidence that several of America’s Power Plan’s recommendations from 2013 have contributed to the modernization of the U.S. electricity system.
Energy Innovation CEO Hal Harvey was selected as one of The Weather Channel’s “Climate 25,” a group comprising 25 of the leading voices on how climate change impacts human security. The Climate 25 includes a variety of voices, each with their own perspective on the challenges humans face due to increased climate change, and the opportunities ahead for creating a sustainable future.
