risk

The fog of uncertainty that hangs over the global power industry is getting larger and denser as generating companies and utilities navigate ever more complex challenges.

New restrictions on international trade have become near-daily headlines. Sanctions, export controls, restrictions on foreign investment in the U.S., and actions prohibiting the importation of goods produced using forced labor affect all U.S. companies including those in the clean energy sector. Keeping up with these ever-evolving regulations is a difficult task, but getting smart about […]

Managing a nationwide system of assets providing power generation, transmission, and distribution, which underpin the energy sector, can be a challenging endeavor. Particularly when you take into account the vast array of modern and legacy technologies that may not work in harmony together. For energy professionals, the stakes could not be higher. Prolonged outages as […]

Electric-power and gas companies are especially vulnerable to cyberattacks, but a structured approach that applies communication, organizational, and process frameworks can significantly reduce cyber-related risks. In our experience working with utility companies, we have observed three characteristics that make the sector especially vulnerable to contemporary cyberthreats. First is an increased number of threats and actors […]

America’s energy systems are being led by renewables development, both now and in the foreseeable future. There should be no real argument about what the future of our energy economy looks like. Not just because renewables bolster needed decarbonization efforts, but because renewables are a better economic solution and embody core principles of American entrepreneurism. […]

The COVID-19 outbreak has forced many companies to change the way they conduct operations. Leaders have had to divide employees into essential and non-essential categories. Essential employees must report to

Catastrophic wildfires have devastated California in recent years. This article seeks to outline a plan wherein neighboring utilities can send energy to support a utility that has shut down critical paths during wildfire mitigation efforts. On the morning of Nov. 8, 2018, the Camp Fire erupted 90 miles north of Sacramento, California (Figure 1). This fire […]

Power companies are turning to external suppliers and contractors now more than ever. Utilities are getting help with tasks ranging from the relatively simple, such as vegetation management and the handling of customer calls, to the complex, including turbine repair and large infrastructure projects. Although the benefits of utilizing contractors are often obvious, the dangers, […]

For the first time in the 15-year history of the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report, environmental perils filled the top five positions on the list of long-term risks in terms of likelihood of occurrence over the next 10 years. The report, which is a qualitative and quantitative study of global risks, conducted in partnership […]

Purse-string holders are pretty easily swayed to approve funding to upgrade transmission and distribution systems following major events like Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Irene. However, it is becoming