Business

The support of energy savings performance contracts helps customers achieve goals.

The federal government is the largest single user of energy in the United States. Energy efficiency is the cleanest, cheapest and fastest source of energy. Put the two together and you have the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP).

The U.S. isn’t producing the workforce it needs for the future of energy generation. And forget about “green jobs,” an undefined concept.

“Cloud” computing has become the latest buzz in the information technology world. What does it mean? Is it real? And how can it affect your business world?

It’s the little stuff that can lead to big stuff, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission tells FirstEnergy in relation to its Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Ohio.

A number of factors are coalescing to create the most hospitable climate for smart grid development activities that has yet been seen in the U.S. Here’s a look at those elements and at the different models and motivations for smart grid project development across the country.

Power traders need to get faster, more accurate information on how markets are working and how they are swinging. They should look to telecommunications and manufacturing markets for solutions.

Xcel Energy’s SmartGridCity enterprise in Boulder, Colo., is one of the most talked-about smart grid projects. Here’s what some Boulder utility customers are saying about it.

The U.S. isn’t the only country evaluating and implementing elements of smart grid technology. In fact, it could be argued that other nations are much farther along the path to a comprehensive, technically advanced system for integrating renewables, managing load, and creating a more flexible power grid.

"It’s déjà vu all over again," said Yogi Berra. The Hall of Fame catcher could easily have been predicting the coming resurgence of natural gas – fired generation. Yes, a few more coal plants will be completed this year, but don’t expect any new plant announcements. A couple of nuclear plants may actually break ground, but don’t hold your breath. Many more wind turbines will dot the landscape as renewable portfolio standards dictate resource planning, but their peak generation contribution will be small. The dash for gas in the U.S. has begun, again.

There will be no shortage of important issues to keep utility executives and their staffs busy throughout 2010. Few of these will be surprises, although a number will emerge quickly and assume larger-than-life significance. The confluence of the great recession and the sturm und drang of environmental legislation will create the liveliest of the debates, but more subtle trends will drive additional stressors. The results of Black & Veatch’s 2009 fourth annual industry strategic directions survey can offer guidance as to how these issues will affect the industry in the coming year.