In This Issue
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STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH M&A
THERE HAS BEEN AN UPTICK in M&A activity within the sector over the past few months, and it will continue. Some of it is rumor; some is real, but will never come to fruition. this kind of talk and potential activity provides some nervous days and nights for employees of those companies whose names are mentioned - especially for those at the executive level.If your company's name has been... -
ENGINEERING THE SMART GRID
AS WE ENGINEER THE SMART electric power grid, it may be tempting to look at grid security and reliability as an end-goal rather than a process. However, history is replete with examples suggesting that few things are truly secure or constant. We can count on the fact that today's electric grid is going to age, vegetation is going to encroach on the right of way, storms are going to pass through... -
FAST AND SLOW BUT FORWARD
THE COMPETITIVE RETAIL ENERGY MARKET is either speeding toward record growth or rolling down a winding road, headed toward a stop sign. How you see it depends in part on whom you talk to. "Retail electric services is an emerging high-growth industry," says Craig Goodman, president of the National Energy Marketers Association. "The short version is, there are no new deregulatory efforts going on... -
WHAT’S NEXT?
THE SLOW, SOMETIME TEDIOUS, build up of the nation's smart grid is nearing a key transition point. The number of smart meters deployed in the United States is reaching a critical mass: Pike Research, a clean energy market research firm, estimates that 21 million were deployed in 2010, and that number is expected to swell to 57.9 million in the coming years as more than 90 U.S. utilities have... -
ADDRESSING NUCLEAR FUEL STORAGE
THE STATUS QUO IS not acceptable - that is a sentiment we in the nuclear industry widely acknowledge today. Not only must we look at our plant systems and communications protocols to ensure that we never face a situation in the United States similar to Fukushima, but we must also address the long-term management and storage of used nuclear fuel in this country. Although we can manage used...2 -
MIT EXPLORES INNOVATION
WHEN IT COMES TO windows and energy, most efforts have focused on two areas. Either they tried to eliminate drafts to reduce energy loss or they blocked sunlight from entering a building to reduce air conditioning demands of summertime heating.Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed technology that could support another, lesser-known approach. They have fashioned...1 -
ENERGY REVOLUTION UNDER WAY
FROM MY NEW PERSPECTIVE as president of the American Council On Renewable Energy, it is clear that although the United States' energy posture constitutes a serious and urgent threat to our national and economic security, that challenge also represents a great opportunity. It is well past time for us to take threats to our energy security seriously and to begin to overhaul how we've been going...3 -
COL. BOB CHARETTE LEADS MARINES’ ENERGY CHARGEMARINES TRUDGING through hot, dusty Afghanistan are replacing heavy batteries in their backpacks with rolled-up solar sheets. It is part of an initiative by the Marine Corps to use new energy technologies to make the military more effective. One Marine Corps goal is to cut per-soldier fuel use in half by 2025.Major technological advances through the ages were developed first for military use and...
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HOT PACE CONTINUES
THE NEED FOR UTILITIES TO REPLACE AGING BASELOAD CAPACITY IS DRIVING THE NEW WAVE OF CONSOLIDATION IN THE INDUSTRY, EXPERTS SAY, WITH THE ACTUAL DEALS DEPENDING ON HOW WELL THE COMPANIES FIT IN TERMS OF EXISTING PEAK CAPACITY AND JURISDICTIONS."These things tend to come in waves," says John McConomy, utility leader for transactions at PricewaterhouseCoopers. "In this industry, it is very cyclical...2 -
DEALING WITH RISING COSTS AND CONVERGENCE
AS REGULATORS GATHER in Los Angeles for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) summer committee meetings, we will be focusing on the unprecedented challenges ahead. Two key themes are emerging: rising costs and converging industries.The rising cost environment has been on the minds of regulators, industry and consumer groups for some time, but this year seems to be...
