fuel diversity

28Jul

Just How Unreliable Can the Grid Become?

As the inclusion of a potential clean electricity standard continues to be linked to infrastructure talks, context is important. The United States is already living on the grid reliability edge and, without thoughtful planning, could be poised to lunge towards the chasm. With the energy transition accelerating, and proposed timelines becoming shorter, just how much […]
26May

The Grid Reliability Warnings Keep Coming

Back in the summer of 2019, Jim Robb, the president and CEO of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), said that when most engineers look at the Texas grid, they conclude that “there’s no way in hell they can keep the lights on. And yet they do.” Robb, speaking to the Federal Energy Regulatory […]
03Mar

Dispatchable Fuel Diversity is Invaluable 

Does fuel diversity matter? Or, to put a finer point on it, does dispatchable fuel diversity matter? If February taught us anything, the answer is a resounding yes. Along with the Texas grid disaster, there were two neighboring grids pushed to the brink by the same unrelenting cold but both fared much better. The Southwest […]
24Sep

Balance is Good! Dispatchable Fuel Diversity to the Rescue this Winter

Just imagine the outcry if there was an energy price spike during this unprecedented economic crisis. What if the price at the pump jumped to $5 per gallon or electricity prices suddenly jumped by 50%? With the nation already reeling and tens-of-millions of families barely staying afloat, spiking energy prices would likely be the straw […]
26Aug

The More Expensive, Less Reliable Solution

In the wake of California’s rolling blackouts, there has been a deluge of explanations, excuses and suggested remedies for what went wrong and what needs to happen to ensure there isn’t a repeat. There are calls for demand response, a nationally integrated super grid, an over-build of renewables and energy storage on an unprecedented scale. […]
12Aug

Electricity Affordability is Underpinned by Dispatchable Fuel Diversity

With the economy still reeling from the pandemic, U.S. electricity demand is down this summer. And while coal generation continues to play an essential role in meeting demand across the country, especially on scorching summer days, coal generation has borne the brunt of unique near-term market conditions. However, analysts are already predicting a bounce back […]
14Feb

Evaluating Grid Reliability Requires Examining What’s to Come, Not What’s Been

It was the study energy wonks were sure was going to be a deal maker or breaker in the ongoing debate about fuel-secure sources of generation and the reliability and resilience of the grid. It turns out, the study is neither of those things. E&E News obtained the unpublished draft study, and, if anything, it […]