07Mar

America’s Emerging Energy Crisis

Via RealClearEnergy: The warning signs are everywhere.  We are stumbling toward an energy crisis that is likely to be far more severe and long-lasting than the upheavals of the 1970s.  And no, this isn’t about Russia or Ukraine. This is about the perilous state of the U.S. electricity grid.  If action isn’t taken soon to address the […]
02Mar

Reembrace American Energy Abundance

It has taken the rumble of Russian tanks to remind us of the importance of energy security. While economic sanctions have touched nearly every dimension of the Russian economy, Russia’s energy sector remains largely a bridge too far, a testament to the importance of Russian oil, gas, uranium and coal to global energy markets, and […]
23Feb

The Reliability Crisis Reaches a New Gear

A new consensus is building that electricity grid reliability problems are in fact very real and very serious. That may not be news to anyone who has been paying attention. There have been countless warnings that something is very wrong but, for years, many of the warnings and some of the loudest voices making them […]
16Feb

Creating Our Own Energy Crisis

Perhaps the greatest challenge of the energy transition is timing the installation of the infrastructure and generating capacity required for our energy future in parallel with – or more quickly – than we are dismantling our current electricity mix and the affordability and reliability it underpins. Unfortunately, it’s a challenge policymakers either seem not to […]
02Feb

Power Grid Roulette

Another February storm has Texans wondering if they’re in for a repeat of the catastrophic grid failure of a year ago. While this storm isn’t expected to be nearly as severe, there’s an uneasy recognition from regulators and policymakers that given the right circumstances the Texas grid could go over the edge once again. Despite […]
26Jan

Europe’s Self-Made Energy Crisis

The European energy crisis is poised to go from very bad to unimaginably worse. While all eyes are on Ukraine and Russia, Europe’s energy woes are largely self-made, not due to outside forces. Europe has made its own bed, disassembling dispatchable fuel diversity by closing well-operating coal and nuclear power plants. In doing so it […]
24Jan

Inflation, rising energy prices could squeeze US families

Via The Casper Star Tribune: Americans have their hands full right now. The COVID pandemic has made a major resurgence. And at the same time, inflation just hit 7% — the highest rate in 40 years. Some of the toughest increases are happening in energy costs. In December, gasoline prices were up roughly 50% from […]
19Jan

Did We Learn Anything from Texas?

On December 30th, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued a press release declaring that 322 power generating and transmission facilities had undergone stringent inspections indicating the Texas grid was ready for winter. Implied was that the grid disaster of the previous February, which left hundreds dead and millions without power or heat for […]
19Jan

Guest column: Inflation, rising energy prices could squeeze U.S. families

Via The Pottstown Mercury: Americans have their hands full right now. The COVID pandemic has made a major resurgence. And at the same time, inflation just hit 7 percent — the highest rate in 40 years. Some of the toughest increases are happening in energy costs. In December, gasoline prices were up roughly 50 percent from a […]