-
SUDDENLY, SOLAR LOOMS LARGE. THE Obama administration would like to boost solar spending 83 percent to energize the economy and retool the power sector.There is a lot to like about solar. I have been watching the technology slowly evolve over the past decade. Some say that it is a few years behind wind power on the economic viability scale. Get it built and the cost of generation is free;...
-
THE TRANSMISSION QUESTION
THERE WILL BE NO MAGIC INVOLVED IN adding new renewable energy to the electricity mix. It will involve long-distance transmission lines – lines that, in some instances, have yet to be built.While the infusion of federal stimulus funds earmarked for building new transmission is seen as a boon to the industry, it is not a quick fix. The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act appropriated $6 billion...
-
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
THE NEED FOR A RESOURCEFUL WORKFORCE is a very real issue facing the energy industry. We lament that our colleges and universities aren't producing enough science, technology, energy and math (STEM) graduates. Just as critical, too few people coming out of high schools, community colleges, and technical schools possess the strong math, science and analytical skills key to being successful skilled...
-
LIPA TEAMS UP WITH CON EDISON
AMERICANS DEMONSTRATE YEAR AFTER YEAR AN INSATIABLE appetite for energy. As our collective electricity needs continue to grow, the need for more power plants also increases. While generating facilities built today are much cleaner and more efficient than the fossil-fuel-burning plants built more than 50 years ago, as with the majority of Long Island's generation fleet, their emissions contribute...
-
MAYORS TAUGHT ENERGY EFFICIENCY
CHINA HAS EMBARKED ON A PATH-breaking effort to engage local officials on efforts to reduce energy use around the country. Mayors are an important tier of government in China, with strong local planning powers. In many cases, cities are part-owners of the local electricity or district energy system, so they are well positioned to set policy or make operational changes designed to reduce energy...
-
ARE ENERGY GRIDS SMART ENOUGH?
ACROSS THE COUNTRY, ENERGY PROVIDERS ARE prepping for dramatic changes to their distribution networks. Traditionally, dumb and supporting only one-way communications, these networks are now being outfitted with smart meters, so intelligence will be pushed all the way to refrigerators and light bulbs. No longer will utilities need small armies of technicians driving around collecting usage...
-
Industry Steps Up
TODAY’S NATURAL GAS TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION systems depend on computer technology and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems to operate safely and efficiently. In the United States alone, there are nearly 300,000 miles of transmission pipe and 1.2 million miles of distribution mains, 814,000 miles of service lines and about 65 million services.The need to provide effective...
-
Cyber-Terrorism Implications
IN THE NOT-TOO-DISTANT FUTURE, STATE AND REGIONAL electric transmission and distribution grids will be integrated with two-way communications systems and sensors. This technology will enable utilities to optimize grid performance in real time and provide incentives to consumers to reduce energy consumption through demand response. This is the smart grid.The federal government is playing a key...
-
UTILITIES TURN TO MANY AGENCIES
ONE TIME WHEN YOU CAN REALLY APPRECIATE A well-oiled bureaucratic machine is when it’s pumping out money.The administration’s $787 billion economic stimulus package provides some $65 billion in grants and tax credits for an array of energy projects. These funds turn the Department of Energy, other federal agencies and state governments into an ATM machine for the industry—if they know which...
-
THE BIG FREEZE
TIMES ARE TOUGH INSIDE UTILITY BOARDROOMS. A biting recession and volatile energy prices are creating a backlash among the various constituencies, forcing those members to generally stifle pay raises and especially those for top managers.Executives must be concerned about the messages that their compensation deals are sending to employees and shareholders. It’s particularly true in a difficult...
