Opinion: Page 5
The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders
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Utilities must come clean about the full value of community solar
Utilities often oppose customer-driven, third-party-owned energy projects like community solar because they threaten to supplant utility investments and utility shareholder profits.
Jeff Cramer and John Farrell • March 28, 2024 -
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Election year opportunities — and pitfalls — for emerging energy companies
Whether you are a renewable energy firm, energy manufacturing group, private investor in the space or other stakeholder, there are many ways you can become politically active and effective.
Steve Roberts and Nicole Kelly • March 27, 2024 -
"U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission headquarters" by AgnosticPreachersKid is licensed under CC BY 3.0
The SEC makes the call: Climate risk equals financial risk
When the SEC’s climate disclosure rule is paired with other climate reporting directives, the shift within the financial landscape will be monumental.
Bob Hinkle • March 26, 2024 -
YinYang via Getty Images
Grid technology could save billions but for a policy vacuum
Separate studies by Quanta Technologies and the Brattle Group found that using grid-enhancing technologies in generator interconnection could reduce wholesale energy costs nationwide by over $5 billion per year.
Neil Chatterjee • March 25, 2024 -
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Nuclear boosterism has gotten reckless
Today's misguided focus on nuclear power is diverting us from renewables, storage and efficiency, hobbling us in our race against climate chaos.
Kevin Kamps • March 22, 2024 -
Vanit Janthra via Getty Images
Unlocking the power of green hydrogen requires a workable tax credit
The Treasury Department’s draft rules for the 45V clean hydrogen tax credit will slow things to a crawl, doing the opposite of what the Inflation Reduction Act intended, which was to encourage domestic hydrogen production.
Andy Vesey • March 21, 2024 -
Permission granted by Esme Howland
FERC needs a quorum to function. Tomorrow’s Senate hearing puts that work on the line.
If FERC loses its quorum, vital natural gas projects may be delayed, stalling economic growth and hindering U.S. producers’ ability to meet energy demands.
Amy Andryszak • March 20, 2024 -
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Companies are missing opportunities with the IRA’s clean energy tax credit incentives
Washington is offering a gift that could be worth billions to corporate America.
Akshat Kasliwal, Jesse Gilbert and Vy Manthripragada • March 19, 2024 -
onurdongel via Getty Images
How targeted electrification can support a managed transition for the gas system
Regulatory and policy changes will be necessary for targeted electrification and gas decommissioning to achieve a scale that would support meaningful cost savings for gas ratepayers.
Ari Gold-Parker, Dan Aas, Arne Olson and Amber Mahone • March 15, 2024 -
Andrei Ksenzhuk via Getty Images
Permitting reform budget request should push Congress to negotiate a bipartisan deal
Our domestic energy supply cannot be secured until the United States’ burdensome approval process is overhauled so that we can begin to get major energy infrastructure projects underway.
Liam deClive-Lowe and Paolo Mastrangelo • March 14, 2024 -
Permission granted by XCharge North America
Republicans say Biden’s EV charging program goes too far. It really doesn’t go far enough.
We need a federal program that incentivizes the buildout of EV charging infrastructure in cities by covering both a part of the capital cost and the operating cost.
Jake Potent • March 13, 2024 -
vlastas via Getty Images
Nuclear energy finance bans prevent the world from buying American
Securing financing for commercially-oriented nuclear energy projects is critical for American suppliers to compete against adversarial state-owned entities.
Kenneth Petersen • March 12, 2024 -
Fleem via Getty Images
Setting the record straight on Western market options: It’s not just about footprint
Instead of coercing the entire West into a single market, we should turn our attention to facilitating trade among multiple markets as a better use of our time and energy.
Libby Calnon, Clay Fitchis, Mark Hayden, Bear Prairie, Chris Robinson and Jim Webb • March 11, 2024 -
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The fate of the hydrogen tax credit is now in Treasury’s hands
Where the final rules land regarding how producers qualify for the credit will dictate whether it serves as a catalyst to jump-start a nascent clean energy industry, or if it falls short of the promise of the Inflation Reduction Act.
Zane McDonald • March 8, 2024 -
Sara Samora/Utility Dive
Why EPA can cut carbon pollution from power plants without sacrificing grid reliability
Entities that focus on reliability have a toolkit to manage the energy transition, and EPA has incorporated key flexibilities into its GHG pollution-reduction rules to support their efforts.
Dena Adler and Jennifer Danis • March 7, 2024 -
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Let’s be realistic about green hydrogen
Like any new technology, green hydrogen must meet three related challenges: production, distribution and adoption. But it faces far higher-than-advertised hurdles at every stage.
Robin Gaster • March 6, 2024 -
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To expand EV charging, merge the gas station and electrify-everything models
The equity imbalance in residential charging and the public good associated with electrified long-haul trucking are situations ripe for policy intervention.
Will Sierzchula • March 5, 2024 -
FotoCuisinette via Getty Images
Gas utility planning processes should be more like their electric utility counterparts
It is not in the best interest of captive utility customers to let long-lived gas delivery infrastructure spending go unvetted, especially if that infrastructure may no longer be fully utilized in the near future.
Sarah Steinberg & Brad Cebulko • March 4, 2024 -
Permission granted by sonnen, Inc.
How utilities can unleash the power of orchestration through virtual power plants
VPPs offer utilities a powerful tool to grapple with the parallel challenges of enabling electrification and equitable decarbonization while maintaining grid reliability and resilience.
Patty Cook and Steve Fine • Feb. 29, 2024 -
Pump the brakes on big transmission
Our current policy enthusiasm for transmission has moved from a responsible cocktail before dinner to a bacchanalia of Roman proportions.
Vincent Duane • Feb. 28, 2024 -
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Advancing energy justice: A new paradigm in grid equity and reliability analysis
The Michigan Public Service Commission’s decision ordering DTE Electric to run regression analyses and understand energy reliability in diverse communities sets a valuable precedent for other Midwestern states.
Will Kenworthy and Boratha Tan • Feb. 26, 2024 -
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Smart electric panels are not a smart bet
A recent analysis of the product and commercial landscape, value proposition and alternatives to smart panels concluded that their long-term prospects are dim unless they are significantly stripped of cost and functionality.
Ben Hertz-Shargel • Feb. 23, 2024 -
EXTREME-PHOTOGRAPHER via Getty Images
Removing demand charge utility tariffs for EV charging will raise CO2 emissions
To reduce transportation emissions, and fully transition to EVs, the deployment of batteries and battery storage systems is an essential lever that must be incentivized at every level of governance.
Michael Spurr • Feb. 21, 2024 -
SweetBunFactory via Getty Images
Incentivizing domestic battery machines manufacturing for economic and national security
By concentrating on homegrown solutions, the U.S. can drive advancements in battery technology, setting new standards for efficiency, sustainability and reliability.
Bennett Resnik • Feb. 16, 2024 -
Fleem via Getty Images
The hidden costs of competition over new transmission infrastructure
A right of first refusal is not a reward for any utilities or builders at the expense of others. It merely recognizes the need for new infrastructure and provides a first opportunity to those already operating existing infrastructure.
Benjamin Dierker • Feb. 14, 2024
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