renewable energy

29May

The Real Energy Story in the U.K.

From the tone of the coverage announcing that the U.K. has gone more than 10 days without generating any electricity using coal, one would think Britain had singlehandedly turned the tide against rising global emissions. Renewable boosters and climate hawks have fallen over themselves in praise of this “accomplishment.” But what this fawning coverage has […]
08May

Affordability and Reliability First

In a nation that holds polarizing views on nearly everything, it’s telling when a poll returns decisive, bipartisan consensus on an issue. That’s precisely the case in a new poll from Morning Consult which asked Americans how they believe the current transformation of the grid should be approached. Asked if they would like to transition […]
24Apr

Mandating Higher Electricity Prices

The suspicion for some time has been that renewable portfolio standards are an incredibly costly and inefficient energy policy. Yet, they have grown in popularity and ambition with 29 states and the District of Columbia employing these mandates and policymakers from time to time flirting with a national standard. Suspicion has now been replaced by […]
17Apr

Batteries: Great Promise, Even Greater Hype

Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere. From our smartphones, computers and tablets to electric vehicles, we are in the midst of a battery revolution. But for all the promise of batteries, there are limitations. There are physics problems that dictate how batteries can be used, or should be used, that need to inform our energy policy. Unfortunately, […]
27Mar

New Report Reaffirms Electricity Markets Aren’t Adequately Valuing Reliability

A new study being pushed by renewables advocates deserves note – but not for the reason its backers claim. It is noteworthy in that it is the perfect example of just how dysfunctional our electricity markets actually are and how uninformed the energy debate has become. The study, titled “The Coal Cost Crossover,” suggests that […]
20Mar

A “Very Scary” Situation in Texas

Texas got a taste of cooler than expected weather this week and it sent shockwaves across the state’s electricity market. The Lone Star State learned a valuable lesson about putting too much faith in intermittent renewables. Temperatures dipped Monday morning, increasing heating demand, and that cooler weather was accompanied by calmer than expected winds. Calm […]
14Mar

A Solution in Search of a Problem

It’s not uncommon to hear calls for rebuilding and transforming the electricity grid. In fact, renewable energy boosters say transforming the grid is an imperative if the nation is to reach their goal of 100 percent wind and solar power. But this call for transformation exposes some of the underlying problems with the proposed wind […]
01Mar

A Warning Not to be Ignored

How valuable is a balanced, diverse mix of energy sources? Just ask the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), the grid operator that manages the electricity grid for much of the U.S. Midwest and parts of Canada. When the polar vortex hammered the Midwest at the end of January, the grid weathered the storm, but it […]
30Jan

The German Misstep

Strong voter support for an all-of-the-above energy strategy in the U.S. – as identified in recent Morning Consult polling – is undoubtedly informed by experience. Just ask Xcel Energy customers dealing with record subzero temperatures this week who were asked to turn their thermostats down to 55 degrees to prevent widespread natural gas outages in the area. […]