June 05, 2009

Summer weather will soon arrive. But the demand for power this year will be less than usual. And while the economic slump will hit power producers, they are expected in the near future to crank back up.

That's why policymakers along with industry officials are touting a regional transmission system that can span across state lines. Many systems are overburdened and are therefore putting reliability at risk. More capacity is needed to shore up the system. Investment in new modern networks would not only alleviate the congestion but it would also promote the intelligent use of electricity by allowing two-way communications between utilities and their customers as well as allow access to more alternative energies.

by Doug Russell of Michigan Green, and Gary Zaplitny of MTI Lighting Specialists

Michigan GREEN (Group for a Renewable Energy Efficient Nation), a non-profit energy organization, recently completed an energy audit for Pinckney Community Public Library (PCPL) through a grant from the state energy office. This energy audit, which included a utility bill analysis of electric and natural gas consumption, identified opportunities for energy conservation. Based on the audit, Michigan GREEN recommended that the Pinckney Library move forward with an energy efficiency upgrade.

June 03, 2009

The spillage of 5 million cubic yards of coal ash is testing the Tennessee Valley Authority like never before. Its immediate response and ultimate resolution will determine just how its neighbors and its wholesale customers interact with the nation's largest provider of electricity.

The prescription for remedying any disaster is to demonstrate empathy and to communicate those concerns from those at the top of the organization. Companies may wrestle with whether to limit their legal liabilities or to respond to the public interest. But working to ensure the safety and well-being of neighbors and customers is always the correct response. The stakeholders, in turn, will likely respond in kind. The goal of entities in the hot seat is to generate more goodwill than legal ramifications.

May 29, 2009

Political science teaches compromise as art form. And nowhere is that tenet clearer than with the carbon constraint bill now debated by Congress.

It's one thing to have principles. It's another to pass legislation representative of those ideas -- especially in a body comprised of 536 strong-willed individuals. With control of the White House and a majority in both chambers, the Democrats undoubtedly rule. But the party is certainly not homogeneous as its members represent varied interests throughout geographically diverse areas. As such, they rally behind their leaders only after they serve their constituents.

May 27, 2009 

It's 5 a.m. on a Monday and operations at the Puget Sound Energy trading desk are heating up. Actually, like utilities everywhere, the Bellevue, Washington, operation is never quiet. This flurry of activity is repeated from coast-to-coast as the desks gear up for that day's trades, and in this case, as the company's power generation bids are prepared for the day-ahead market.

Expected production from thermal and hydro units are calculated along with the crucial weather forecast and its projected impact on the anticipated load. And one other thing has arrived, a piece of the puzzle that wasn't needed a decade ago: a detailed model of the expected production from well over 200 wind turbines spread over two separate wind farms PSE operates scores of miles from its load centers on the outskirts of Seattle. When bids are awarded, wind is part of the equation. The real-time market then operates as it does on any other given day, with generation sources, not just wind, falling on and off the system for unplanned outages.