Opinion: Page 10

The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders


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  • Electrical power substation in rural Texas.
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    fstop123 via Getty Images
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    How US grid operators can defend against the unprecedented surge in power system attacks

    Undertaking random security measures, better information-sharing with law enforcement, and enlisting public support are among the steps grid operators can take to address the increase in attacks.

    Ben Joelson • Jan. 24, 2023
  • A beautifully lit scene with sunbeams on an offshore wind farm turbine.
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    glegorly via Getty Images
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    The US can go much bigger on offshore wind: 3 lessons from the UK and Denmark

    While 30 GW by 2030 is a good start, the U.K., Denmark, and other nations should inspire us to set our sights orders of magnitude higher.

    Mike O’Boyle • Jan. 19, 2023
  • Pittsburgh International Airport microgrid solar farm
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    Permission granted by Pittsburgh International Airport
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    California PUC’s delay of microgrids program harms disadvantaged communities

    This delay in community microgrid development means more vulnerability to heat waves, wildfires, power shutoffs and pollution, especially in frontline communities.

    Stephanie Doyle and Shina Robinson • Jan. 18, 2023
  • solar energy farm renwables close up.
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    Sven Loeffler via Getty Images
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    Busting the solar myth: A call to embrace the circular renewable economy

    While there are significant global environmental and social incentives to using solar energy, its resource intensity calls into question whether solar is truly “green”. The bad news is it’s not — at least not yet.

    Zoe Gossett • Jan. 12, 2023
  • Transportation electrification and EVs: Who pays for grid upgrades?

    As more utilities file detailed transportation electrification plans, modifications to service upgrade policies will become essential to avoid financial and inequitable EV adoption roadblocks.

    Michael Hartnack and Jesse Hitchcock • Jan. 11, 2023
  • An adult and a child looking at a field with wind turbines
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    iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
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    President Biden, creating a resilience corps will maximize our investments in climate and clean energy

    We must leverage effective strategies to engage the next, more diverse, generation and put them on pathways to good-paying jobs in our rapidly growing clean energy and resilience sectors.

    Emily Andrews, Kristen Bennett, Kevin J. Coyle, Trevor Dolan, Kaira Esgate, Karishma Merchant and Mary Ellen Sprenkel • Jan. 10, 2023
  • Smoke streaming from the smokestacks of the TECO Big Bend coal-fired power plant in Apollo Beach, Florida
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    donm60 via Getty Images
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    Solving the other half of the climate equation: Removing carbon

    Net zero is not just a number; it is an equation. On one side is cutting emissions; on the other is removing carbon altogether.

    Emma Gibbs, Mark Patel and Giulia Siccardo • Jan. 9, 2023
  • Electricity from solar panels, dams, and wind turbines. Environmentally-friendly renewable energy concept.
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    bombermoon via Getty Images
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    Clean energy tax credit transferability: Hero of the Inflation Reduction Act?

    Now that transferability exists for federal tax credits, financiers can unlock the tax equity portion of the capital stack to further fuel early-stage project development.

    Eric Rubinstein • Jan. 5, 2023
  • A row of electric vehicle chargers in a parking lot.
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    Aranga87/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
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    The hidden barrier to V2X: How states and utilities can open the floodgates for bidirectional EV charging

    Avoid reinventing the wheel, minimize unnecessary review, and provide flexible service connection and interconnection options.

    Ed Burgess and Dan Bowerson • Dec. 22, 2022
  • Electricity from solar panels, dams, and wind turbines. Environmentally-friendly renewable energy concept.
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    bombermoon via Getty Images
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    All I want for Christmas is my PTCs

    We have made a choice as a country that our federal energy policy will be brought to you through the Internal Revenue Code as opposed to through other means.

    Raymond L. Gifford and Matthew S. Larson • Dec. 21, 2022
  • Person in a house holding an energy efficiency mobile app on screen
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    simpson33 via Getty Images
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    Prioritizing energy efficiency to combat the climate crisis

    The lack of focus on energy efficiency as a solution is not new but is becoming increasingly problematic, writes Metrus Energy CEO Bob Hinkle.

    Bob Hinkle • Dec. 20, 2022
  • Solar panels in a field surrounded by colourful trees at the peak of autumn foliage
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    Albert Pego via Getty Images
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    For energy transition equity, communities must run community solar

    Not just community solar, but community-owned community solar, provides an example of what a more equitable, decentralized clean energy transition could look like.

    Eric Sippert • Dec. 19, 2022
  • An offshore wind turbine.
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    MR1805 via Getty Images
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    What would it take for the US to be the leader in floating offshore wind?

    The U.S. would need to construct upland port facilities on a scale not seen since the massive ramp-up in ship manufacturing for World War II and speed up processes for leasing, permitting, transmission and interconnection.

    Greg Matzat • Dec. 16, 2022
  • First Solar's Series 6 modules deployed in a project in Kern County, California
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    Permission granted by First Solar
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    How states and utilities can lower consumer bills and accelerate the clean energy transition

    By acting now, state policymakers and utility regulators can put more consumers and communities on a path to long-term energy affordability and mitigate the impact of future energy price spikes.

    Sara Baldwin and Hadley Tallackson • Dec. 15, 2022
  • High voltage power lines in the winter.
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    Polina-Petrenko via Getty Images
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    The ‘unprecedented’ risks facing our power grid this winter should be a wake-up call for government

    It’s imperative the Biden administration nominates a FERC commissioner who can set our power grid up for success by prioritizing its safety, reliability and affordability.

    Todd Snitchler • Dec. 14, 2022
  • GE Renewable Energy's wind turbine generator, Haliade-X
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    Courtesy of GE Renewable Energy
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    Federal legislation completely changed the energy landscape. How do states take advantage of it?

    Implementing recent federal and state legislation will require Illinois and other states to modernize regulation of their energy systems to accommodate the anticipated rapid growth of clean energy.

    Carrie Zalewski, Tetyana Rabczak and Robert Haggart • Dec. 9, 2022
  • Electricity from solar panels, dams, and wind turbines. Environmentally-friendly renewable energy concept.
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    bombermoon via Getty Images
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    As abuse allegations proliferate, we must advance human rights across the renewable energy value chain

    It’s imperative that renewable energy developers, investors, buyers and producers don’t make things worse for the very communities already enduring the brunt of climate disasters.

    Malayah Redmond • Dec. 8, 2022
  • An electric truck charges at a charging station.
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    Scharfsinn86 via Getty Images
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    Electrifying US long haul trucks will require 504 TWh a year. But that won’t be the hardest part.

    The energy needed to support electric semis is enormous, from a generation perspective. However, it is the transmission and distribution angle that makes this challenge truly daunting for utility planning and investment.

    Will Sierzchula • Dec. 1, 2022
  • Close-up of a tokamak fusion power reactor, generating fusion power
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    Aranga87 via Getty Images
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    As private investment in nuclear fusion rises, what key milestones will bring it from hype to reality?

    Skeptics point out that practical fusion energy has been “20 years away for the past 50 years.” Recently, though, fusion has begun to catch up to the hype.

    Bill Lacivita and Geoff Olynyk • Nov. 29, 2022
  • Construction of Vogtle Nuclear Plant Unit 4
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    Courtesy of Bechtel
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    Small modular reactors will not save the day. The US can get to 100% clean power without new nuclear.

    We can create a renewable electricity system that is much more resilient to weather extremes and more reliable than what we have today.

    Arjun Makhijani • Nov. 28, 2022
  • Close-up View Of Electric Meters On Wall With Blurred Background
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    istockphoto.com/onurdongel

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    Today’s rate designs are defective. How can utilities better recover their fixed costs, and from whom?

    Volumetric rates, which place much of a utility’s fixed costs in the usage (KWh) charge of a tariff, have created a number of social problems as they relate to economic efficiency and equity.

    Kenneth W. Costello • Nov. 22, 2022
  • A Hyliion hybrid battery
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    Courtesy of Hyliion
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    Second-life EV batteries can bolster the energy storage market — if major challenges can be overcome

    With 80% of a battery’s capacity left at the end of its useful life in a vehicle and current constraints on supply chains for new batteries, repurposing electric vehicle batteries seems like a no-brainer. 

    Emily Goldfield • Nov. 21, 2022
  • Electrical power grid and power line towers at sunset.
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    YinYang via Getty Images
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    Cross-border power trade can help leaders at COP27 facilitate emissions reductions

    Enhancing cross-border power trade can help achieve global greenhouse gas reduction goals by efficiently integrating low-cost renewable resources while improving electricity affordability and security.

    Jennifer Chen, Edmund Downie and Noah Kittner • Nov. 16, 2022
  • Overhead view of a suburb in Utah.
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    RichLegg via Getty Images
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    The Inflation Reduction Act leaves low-income homeowners out of the clean energy transition. Or does it?

    The IRA has a major flaw in one of its most popular provisions – the residential tax credit for solar and battery storage. Low-income homeowners often do not have a tax liability and cannot access this 30% tax credit.

    Shelley Robbins • Nov. 15, 2022
  • Northeast's Largest Public Electric Vehicle Fast-Charging Station Opens At JFK Airport.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    The clock is ticking: Urgent steps New York must take to achieve its climate targets

    New York needs to act now to improve climate resilience, electrify the transportation system, decarbonize the gas system, and identify equitable economy-wide solutions to cut carbon emissions.

    Mary Barber • Nov. 11, 2022