13Nov

No Solution at All

Questions continue to arise about the cost and technical feasibility of moving to an emissions-free grid by 2050. Or, in the case of the Green New Dealers, making that jump even sooner. At a recent hearing on the subject, House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.) said, “a solution that is unaffordable […]

On November 13, 2019
Bernie Sanders, electricity grid, Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), Frank Pallone Jr., ISO New England, Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), National Renewable Energy Lab, renewable energy, renewables, Wood Mackenzie

06Nov

Fuel (In)Security

“A group of well-resourced hackers have been combing through the networks of the gas pipeline operator for almost a year, harvesting crucial information. Now the hackers know the network better than the pipeline company does: every piece of equipment, the company’s entire workforce, usernames and passwords. They have the privileges needed to access both the […]

On November 6, 2019
all-of-the-above, cyber security, electricity grid, grid reliability, MIT Technology Review, Secretary Rick Perry

30Oct

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

What’s scarier than a Stephen Strasburg curveball? Ask the Houston Astros and they’d probably say, “not much.” But Halloween’s imminent arrival means a different kind of scary. If there’s a constant about what scares us, it’s the dark. Watch most – if not all – scary or post-apocalyptic films and the first thing to go […]

On October 30, 2019
coal-fired power plants, energy security, grid reliability, PJM, polar vortex, wind

23Oct

Commonsense Reform to Ensure an Affordable, Reliable Supply of Power

Does anyone, anywhere have anything good to say about red tape? As is so often the case, once well-intentioned regulations can become albatrosses around the neck of industry, placing obstacles in the way of progress. That’s certainly the case with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) New Source Review (NSR) program. Thankfully, Senator John Barrasso has […]

On October 23, 2019
all-of-the-above, Growing American Innovation Now (GAIN) Act, New Source Review program, Rich Nolan, Senator John Barrasso

17Oct

A Symbolic Vote Against Voter Preference

Remember the Clean Power Plan (CPP)? Designed to shutter coal plants and with the potential for economic destruction, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed it and this administration wisely replaced it with a legal alternative: the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule. But just when we thought reason might prevail, enter the Senate democrats who earlier today […]

On October 17, 2019
ACE rule, Clean Air Act, clean power plan, Morning Consult, Rich Nolan

09Oct

Think Innovation, Not Fuel Targeting

For the better part of a decade, U.S. emissions reduction efforts have largely consisted of fuel switching from coal to natural gas. Driven by regulatory policies that singled out coal-based electricity generation as the target, the natural gas industry seized the opportunity for a PR push to brand gas generation as “clean” power. Despite […]

On October 9, 2019
Bill Gates, coal, emissions, innovation, natural gas, Rhodium, technology

02Oct

The Case for Carbon Capture Has Never Been Stronger

The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s 2019 International Energy Outlook projects that global energy consumption will increase 50 percent by 2050. Electricity consumption is expected to jump an even more staggering 79 percent. Should electrification take off – as many experts expect it will – and there is a decisive shift to electric vehicles, as well as […]

On October 2, 2019
carbon capture, electric vehicles, Fatih Birol, innovation, renewable energy, renewables, Secretary Rick Perry, U.S. Energy Information Administration

26Sep

Charting a Replicable Path Forward

U.N. Climate Week has delivered no shortage of rhetoric and theatrics, but not nearly enough focus on energy reality and replicable solutions. Amid the summit, the U.S. Energy Information Administration released its International Energy Outlook, projecting that global energy consumption is expected to increase 50 percent by midcentury as the global population surges towards 10 billion. […]

On September 26, 2019
coal, Fatih Birol, oil, U.N. Climate Week, U.S. Energy Information Administration

19Sep

Addressing the Epidemic

Wholesale electricity markets are coming undone. They have been compromised by an ever-expanding accumulation of state mandates and subsidies that have turned any semblance of traditional competition on its head. What began as modest state policies initially intended to give emerging variable resources a jumpstart have now become an epidemic. Instead of just a nudge […]

On September 19, 2019
Brian Murray, Neil Chatterjee, renewables subsidies, solar, transmission lines, wind

11Sep

Restore Competition to Electricity Markets

Are renewable sources of power ready to stand on their own two feet? Ask wind and solar boosters and the answer would seemingly be yes. The story we’re being told is that after decades of government support, wind and solar projects are now cost-competitive with traditional sources of power. Except when they’re not. Curiously, these […]

On September 11, 2019
baseload power, coal, grid reliability, renewable energy, renewables subsidies, University of Chicago

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