25May

Don’t write off coal. We need it to ensure power grid reliability

Via The Hill: Weather forecasters predict a long, hot summer for most of the United States, with significant implications for the nation’s electric power grids. For example, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the regulatory authority that oversees grid operations in the U.S. and Canada, recently warned that the entire West and many areas of the […]
18May

As Natural Gas Prices Soar, a Plea for Energy Pragmatism

In the wake of stunning blackouts in California in August of 2020, California Assemblyman Jim Patterson said, “today we have a grid that is increasingly expensive, unreliable and unavailable when the people of California need it the most.” What Mr. Patterson didn’t know at the time is that his remark would soon describe nearly the […]
17May

America’s power grid is facing real trouble

Via The Salem News: There are two reasons why consumers experience a power outage. The first is obvious: a storm comes along and knocks down trees and power lines. That’s what typically happens. But there’s now a second reason for power outages in the United States–there simply isn’t enough electricity to go around. Power generation […]
12May

Does America Have a Secret Energy Source? Yes, It’s Coal

Via RealClearEnergy: The quick rise in the price of natural gas to levels not seen since 2008 has made one thing clear: The idea that gas was an economical bridge to a renewable energy future was flawed. The price of natural gas, which accounts for about 40% of electricity used by Americans and half of […]
11May

The Transition to Crisis

The grid reliability crisis continues to deepen and spread. Warnings about capacity shortfalls and blackouts are so frequent and ubiquitous they are as regular as a utility bill. Just this week, The Wall Street Journal found that, “from California to Texas to Indiana, electric-grid operators are warning that power-generating capacity is struggling to keep up with […]
05May

Soaring Natural Gas Prices Require an Energy Policy Rethink

Via Inside Sources: There’s a slow-motion train wreck unfolding for U.S. consumers. Inflation is on the rise — and is now hitting a four-decade high. If consumers aren’t yet feeling the full effects, they will soon. What’s driving these price hikes? A number of issues are converging, including pandemic recovery, supply chain disruptions and Russia’s invasion of […]
04May

The End of Flat Power Demand: Electrification, Big Data and Crypto

A new energy era is here. The shale gas glut and years of flat power demand have come to an abrupt end. Those two constants of the past decade have been replaced by soaring gas prices and the return of rising power demand driven by the data revolution and electrification. Natural gas prices are four […]
02May

America’s power grid facing real trouble

Via The Times Record News: There are two reasons why consumers experience a power outage. The first is obvious: a storm comes along and knocks down trees and power lines. That’s what typically happens. But there’s now a second reason for power outages in the United States—there simply isn’t enough electricity to go around. Power […]
27Apr

The Grid Reliability Crisis Spreads to the Midwest

Just a few months ago, the North American Electricity Reliability Corporation (NERC) warned that capacity retirements and the rapid remaking of the grid will pose tremendous challenges to reliability over the next decade. It was a warning coming on the heels of the grid catastrophe in Texas and startling blackouts in California that some tried […]
20Apr

Price Spikes and Renewed Urgency to Maintain Fuel Optionality

On Monday, U.S. natural gas prices surged above $8 per million British thermal units, four times what they were before the pandemic, and a level not seen since 2008. With energy-driven inflation front-of-mind for voters and a deepening risk to the economy, the arrival of a painfully expensive new natural gas normal is only heightening […]