Commentary

President Biden’s signature infrastructure law aims to, among other objectives, propel America forward in transitioning to a clean energy economy. If its proposals are executed properly, I’m confident that it will succeed in that goal. The new law will help the U.S. catch up to countries like China, who have been beating America in the race […]

“Energy transition,” “energy evolution,” “energy reimagined,” and a host of similar terms have dominated the energy market headlines this year. While these terms can have varied meanings, they

On the U.S. Department of Commerce’s (DOC’s) Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (REEEAC), the silo between industry and regulators is breaking down. The committee, which is populated

We hear calls for the “elimination of fossil fuels” as the primary solution to climate change, those calls coming from investors, institutions, governments—and from many world leaders and others gathered at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. COMMENTARY As we begin to experience the outcome of recent energy policies that focus on the buildout of renewables capacity, […]

Just as Jerry Brown did before him, California Gov. Gavin Newsom had plans to travel overseas to talk about fighting global warming. And like Brown’s venture before him, the trip would have been a waste. COMMENTARY Four years ago, Brown, in his next-to-last year as governor, made a trip to Hamburg, Germany. There he addressed […]

There’s a lot going on in the energy world right now. The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) is happening in Glasgow, Scotland. Congress recently passed major new energy legislation in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. And as consumers soon will find out if they don’t already know: much higher energy costs and heating bills are […]

We cannot begin to count the number of unsung heroes that have come out of this pandemic. From frontline healthcare workers to grocery store clerks, package carriers, manufacturers, and all the other essential workers who stayed on the job, often at the risk of their own health, to enable our lives to go on with […]

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in September released a study detailing the significant role solar power could play in decarbonizing the nation’s power grid, and reducing the country’s reliance on

Arguing whether or not climate change is “a thing” seems like it’s (thankfully) in our past. Climate change is part of our lexicon and our everyday habits are positively changing to reflect a new sense

Increasing demands on the energy sector are driving a handful of serious workforce challenges. One of the most concerning is an aging workforce with high levels of retirement, colliding with a shortage of skilled workers to fill the gaps. Case in point—the average age of U.S. utility workers is more than 50 years old, several […]

The federal government’s Council on Environmental Quality  (CEQ) on Oct. 7 issued a proposed rulemaking to rescind several Trump-era regulatory amendments that limit the scope of environmental reviews completed by federal agencies under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).  If finalized, the proposed rule would restore agencies’ discretion to broaden the scope of NEPA reviews. […]

The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, next month. The roughly two-week-long event will bring together delegates from around the world with a goal

Burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation is by far the largest contributor to greenhouse gases, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Renewable power generation is taking off, but more than 60% of North American energy generation is still carbon-based. The percentage is even higher in other parts of the world. Optimizing the […]

Cyberattacks on the U.S. energy system threaten our national security and way of life. While the sources of such risks may be debatable, the threats are real and the potential consequences are grave. Former

In March 2021, we reached an important milestone in the push for carbon neutrality across industries. A report by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), a UK-based non-profit, found more than 21% of

There is an adage in the cooperative electric business that “if you have seen one cooperative, you have seen one cooperative.” And we think that holds true. But in today’s rapidly transitioning energy supply space—due to the continued proliferation of low-cost and clean energy generation—there is commonality across cooperatives and regions of the country on […]

I think it’s fairly common for people to reflect on the meaning of life from time to time. Often, those thoughts arise following the death of a loved one or the passing of some particularly influential person. Recently, POWER received an obituary for Ronald Stanley Redfield. Mr. Redfield was said to have been a lifelong […]

America’s energy system has entered a new era where companies are competing against one another to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Customers—large and small—are concerned about climate change, forcing business models to adapt beyond keeping the lights on. Today, 75% of households in the U.S. are served by a utility with a carbon or emissions reduction goal—to […]

Clean firm power, which refers to carbon capture and storage (CCS)-enabled, baseload, dispatchable electricity, is critical to achieving emission reduction goals and meeting energy demands affordably and reliably. New plant designs and retrofitting of existing power plants should be advanced rapidly, while at the same time building jobs and wealth creation across many parts of […]

As a professional power analyst and former hydrologist who literally got my feet wet scheduling hydropower -generation on the Columbia River, the emergence of rolling blackouts in the Pacific Northwest, especially as an expense of a changing climate, is the last thing I want to see happen. COMMENTARY This year’s record-breaking heat wave is a […]

The benefits of smart grid technologies and data-driven management are well understood. Using open protocols to control energy resources, extract information, and optimize responses can enable enormous productivity and stimulate new services. Similarly, the accumulation of data can inform better planning for a more resilient grid. But, as explained in “The Dark Side of the […]

At the urging of the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) and the California Energy Commission (CEC), on July 1, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) announced its intent to procure

President Biden in March of this year announced plans to “jumpstart” offshore wind projects, making that renewable energy resource a focal point of his administration’s energy and environmental policies

Now is the time for oil and gas companies to get involved in renewable energy. Fossil fuels provide the bulk of energy consumed in the U.S., but oil and gas (O&G) companies saw declining energy consumption in recent years and face a negative, long-term economic outlook. According to Wood Mackenzie, wind and solar will make […]

Some stories in the world of energy are perennial. Pretty much every year, we read new advances in energy production or use that are going to revolutionize the world. And every year, that prediction doesn’t pan out. COMMENTARY Other stories are decadal. Every 10 years or so, we hear about radical breakthroughs in electric cars, […]

The American Jobs Plan was announced by the White House earlier this year to much fanfare. It describes sweeping action, using bold words like “reimagine” and “rebuild.” And while the Jobs Plan is not

The way we generate and distribute electricity has become a Rubik’s cube for power companies, regulators, and consumers. The need to reduce carbon emissions linked to climate change by investing in renewables is acknowledged by most experts. At the same time, recent unusual weather events have demonstrated that there is also an urgent need to […]

The extreme freeze in Texas and ensuing power outages in February were the latest reminders that energy is the backbone of our society. From wildfires in the west to hurricanes on the Atlantic seaboard, climate related events are increasing in severity and frequency, illuminating the vulnerability of our power grid across the nation. COMMENTARY Nationwide, […]

For a century our country has relied on fossil fuels to power our economy. But that is beginning to change with wind, solar, renewable fuels, hydrogen, advanced nuclear options, and more. The effort to decarbonize our economy and protect the planet from greenhouse gas emissions is now aggressively underway in the U.S. and other parts […]

The Biden administration in February announced that for the remainder of 2021, federal agencies will conduct regulatory and environmental analyses assuming that the global “social cost” of emitting carbon