Opinion
The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders
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The power industry must oppose Trump’s coal bailout ... again
The executive order threatens to conflict with existing methods for accrediting generators, assessing resource adequacy, securing sufficient generation and setting wholesale prices. It’s also illegal.
Ari Peskoe • April 11, 2025 -
Gerville via Getty Images
The AI infrastructure race hits a political reality check
The AI-driven data center boom has created demand for land, electricity and water, a dynamic that has spawned growing opposition from communities, utility grid operators and regulators.
Joe Brettell and Jeff Berkowitz • April 10, 2025 -
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Hydrogen hubs are a bipartisan effort that supports US energy dominance
These projects are a cost-effective way to leverage existing energy resources, and they support efforts to increase U.S. energy production and enhance our energy independence.
Mark Menezes and Frank Wolak • April 8, 2025 -
Blackbeck via Getty Images
How FERC is working to boost power supplies while managing the price tag
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has focused on reforms to transmission planning and grid interconnection rules while approving market expansions.
Amy Akers • April 4, 2025 -
NanoStockk via Getty Images
A market-based path to unlocking interconnection queues
When a scarce resource like grid access is given away administratively rather than allocated based on economic value, the result is always the same: inefficiency, congestion and delays.
Terry Harvill and August Ankum • April 2, 2025 -
imagedepotpro via Getty Images
We asked 100 utility program leaders for their top challenges and opportunities. Here’s what they said.
Grid modernization, growing demand and artificial intelligence are among the top issues facing electric utility leaders, according to an ICF survey.
Justin Mackovyak • March 31, 2025 -
Алексей Кравчук via Getty Images
Outsmarting outages: AI predicts disruptions before they happen
As the energy landscape evolves with renewable resources and electric vehicles, the predictive outage model equips utilities with the agility needed to prioritize maintenance based on real-time data.
Michael Juchno and Zaki Arifulla • March 27, 2025 -
The Desert Photo via Getty Images
Why rolling blackouts are a thing of the past — and why President Trump is wrong on green energy
California and Texas show how energy storage can bridge the political divide to bolster grid reliability and lower costs.
Tam Hunt • March 25, 2025 -
RiverNorthPhotography via Getty Images
Labor-industry collaboration is key to US energy security, dominance and job growth
The power grid requires a workforce equipped to design, install and maintain a system that integrates increased energy production, new energy sources, smart grid technologies and energy storage.
Calvin Butler and Kenneth Cooper • March 20, 2025 -
halbergman via Getty Images
‘Purchaser-caused’ certificates are key to driving renewable energy growth
Market leaders — clean energy buyers, sellers and standard-setters alike — must acknowledge which renewable energy procurement approaches directly cause new capacity.
Jim Boyle • March 19, 2025 -
Funtay via Getty Images
How thermal batteries unlock a more flexible, reliable and efficient grid
In addition to providing clean energy for nearly every industrial sector, thermal batteries have the potential to serve as a linchpin for a reliable low-emissions grid.
Noah Long • March 17, 2025 -
Courtesy of Google
Growing demand for electricity requires new policy solutions
We need forward-thinking policies that allow public power utilities to finance and build critical infrastructure projects faster without raising costs for the communities they serve.
Tom Falcone • March 12, 2025 -
luza studios via Getty Images
Beating China on AI requires all available grid solutions
We will need all available transmission tools — including grid-enhancing technologies and high-performance conductors — to meet the growing demand for power from data centers.
Neil Chatterjee • March 12, 2025 -
BackyardProduction via Getty Images
Proposed FERC price cap settlement will intensify looming electric capacity crisis
Artificially deflating PJM's capacity prices by lowering the price cap does nothing to fix the grid operator’s power-supply problems and could lead to blackouts.
Anthony “Tony” Campbell • March 10, 2025 -
SEYLUL06 via Getty Images
For transmission planning, FERC Order 1920 is our dragon
Instead of repealing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Order 100 to improve transmission planning, the focus should be on making Order 1920 as strong as possible.
Claire Wayner • March 4, 2025 -
Permission granted by Esme Howland
Striking true or overreaching? How a new executive order clouds FERC’s decisional authority
The agency's independence and credibility depend on careful adherence to the law, not alignment with shifting executive priorities, according to Lyle Larson, a partner at Balch & Bingham.
Lyle Larson • March 4, 2025 -
Petra Richli via Getty Images
10 years of grid modernization: Major progress, stubborn challenges
Improving energy affordability and grid reliability can guide the way on modernizing the grid for tomorrow’s challenges, according to Grid Forward’s Bryce Yonker.
Bryce Yonker • Feb. 28, 2025 -
Alexander Farnsworth via Getty Images
What if Bruce Lee had set federal transmission policy?
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission could help unlock transmission development in three steps, including by repealing its Order 1000 on transmission planning. Enter the Dragon!
Vincent Duane and Caitlin Shields • Feb. 25, 2025 -
Kat72 via Getty Images
Trump’s National Energy Dominance Council should appoint a ‘hydropower czar’
Federal hydropower can help meet load growth, onshore manufacturing of key defense components and help address burdensome regulations.
Charles Yang • Feb. 25, 2025 -
Cebolla4 via Getty Images
Are utility demand response program costs outstripping their benefits in California?
California Public Utilities Commission policy has been pushing customers to choose utility-run supply-side DR programs over third-party options that face pressure to keep costs low.
Collin Smith • Feb. 24, 2025 -
marekuliasz via Getty Images
Leveraging surplus interconnection could unleash 800 GW of energy the US needs today
By using existing interconnection sites to plug in low-cost clean energy sources, energy planners can increase grid reliability and lower costs.
Cassady Craighill • Feb. 21, 2025 -
luza studios via Getty Images
The AI energy challenge is coming to a head
There must be a seismic shift in how the industry defines and measures AI advancement, pivoting our idea of technological evolution from raw computing power to energy efficiency.
Krishna Rangasayee • Feb. 20, 2025 -
Gerville via Getty Images
How to reduce large load speculation? Standardize the interconnection process.
We can haphazardly continue down the path of a fragmented and increasingly untenable approach to large load-side interconnection, or we can introduce rational standardization to the process.
Peter Freed and Allison Clements • Feb. 19, 2025 -
Alex Potemkin via Getty Images
Achieving energy dominance without leaving small customers behind
Addressing load growth must be done in a way that ensures rate stability for all and avoids an energy system that houses haves and have nots.
Ray Gifford and Matt Larson • Feb. 18, 2025 -
Dudbrain via Getty Images
Using energy storage to bridge gaps in gas-electric coordination
Energy storage offers a powerful solution for harmonizing gas and electric systems, providing flexibility and reliability for the grid.
Carrie Zalewski • Feb. 10, 2025
