Opinion: Page 6
The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders
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Battery storage boost to Texas reliability is an example for the whole country
The rapid buildout of energy storage in Texas — increasing roughly tenfold in three years — played a key role in helping the state avoid power shortages and brownouts this past summer amid record power demand.
Patrick Meyer • Oct. 23, 2023 -
Biogas can fuel the EV industry, if the EPA allows it
EVs and biogas are at the intersection of renewable energy, vehicle electrification, recycling and carbon policy. One decision by the EPA can help them all.
Heather Dziedzic • Oct. 20, 2023 -
Let’s get hydrogen right from the start: We need a tax credit that is practical and workable
DOE’s recent hydrogen hub awards represent tens of thousands of clean energy jobs across the U.S., which could be at risk if upcoming tax credit guidance limits the ability to scale hydrogen quickly.
Katrina Fritz • Oct. 19, 2023 -
As EV cyber risks rise, careful procurement planning can prevent headaches
Companies need to take a hard look at the cybersecurity risks in their supply chains, contract for the right protections and build their facilities securely from the ground up.
Arjun Ramadevanahalli • Oct. 12, 2023 -
Don’t be fooled: Transmission benefits are clearer than they appear
Federal regulators can advance transmission planning by developing a rule that “clarifies and requires evaluation of commonly accepted benefits,” writes Christina Hayes, executive director of Americans for a Clean Energy Grid.
Christina Hayes • Oct. 12, 2023 -
No more delays or excuses: California must build clean energy now to replace fossil fuels
We need Gov. Newsom to sign SB 619 so that 2023 is the last year state agencies can point to insufficient clean energy generation as a reason for delaying the closure of outdated fossil fuel plants.
Ed Smeloff • Oct. 6, 2023 -
Skepticism persists around clean energy and grid reliability. Here’s how to fix that.
The imminent retirement of dozens of coal plants is prompting new questions about the ability of renewables and storage to provide essential reliability services.
Sara Baldwin • Oct. 5, 2023 -
What the EV industry can learn from the explosive growth of data centers
Previous concerns about the amount of power that would be dedicated to data centers have been assuaged as the demand spread across markets and efficiency and technology improved.
Neha Palmer • Sept. 29, 2023 -
Community solar is hot. Why not community wind?
Perhaps the biggest difference between yesterday’s community wind and today’s community solar markets is in their business models, which reflect their respective market and policy environments.
Mark Bolinger and Bentham Paulos • Sept. 27, 2023 -
Customer-driven clean energy procurement, not regulation, is driving decarbonization
In 2022, voluntary renewable energy procurement deals by corporate and institutional customers were equivalent to 70% of the carbon-free energy capacity added to the grid.
Kevin Hagen • Sept. 25, 2023 -
Retail ‘choice’: A bad deal for consumers and the planet
Data from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Illinois and several other states confirm that families pay far too much when they sign up for alternative electric supply instead of sticking with their utility companies.
Jenifer Bosco • Sept. 22, 2023 -
We’re asking the wrong question about EVs and grid resiliency
The U.S. has already passed the tipping point for mass electric vehicle adoption. Grid modernization must quickly follow, writes Chris Baker, the head of Enel X Way North America.
Chris Baker • Sept. 19, 2023 -
When it comes to government funding for clean energy, money isn’t everything
The rush to secure billions in clean energy and infrastructure funding has the potential to be disastrous if it goes wrong.
Anne Clawson • Sept. 18, 2023 -
Competitive power markets are cleaner, cheaper and safer
Competitive market systems have proven more effective at driving cost-effective decarbonization than single-utility markets, all while fostering reliability and long-term planning.
Jon Wellinghoff and Pat Wood • Sept. 15, 2023 -
The grid needs to get together
To transform the grid to meet the reliability and resilience needs of consumers, we must have meaningful interregional transmission policy in this country.
Kelly Speakes-Backman • Sept. 14, 2023 -
FERC’s Christie raises issues that need raising about the RTO state of mind
Recent remarks by Commissioner Mark Christie raise a valid question: What is the state of mind of RTO/ISO constructs, and can they drive an affordable, reliable and decarbonized future?
Raymond L. Gifford and Matthew S. Larson • Sept. 13, 2023 -
EPA’s proposed carbon rules omit both the peaker problem and the peaker solution
The EPA completely overlooked co-located battery storage as a “best system of emissions reduction” in its latest proposal to reduce carbon emissions from fossil-fueled power plants.
Shelley Robbins • Sept. 12, 2023 -
Patterson, Richard. Retrieved from Flickr.
Security by design’s shining moment: Cybersecurity for the energy transformation
Strategic imperatives for today’s DER ecosystem — vendors, operators, integrators and utilities — could introduce a more secure and resilient grid tomorrow.
Danielle Jablanski • Sept. 11, 2023 -
Price over performance: Why green energy is different from previous technology revolutions
The green energy revolution won't provide the massive performance advantages seen in previous technology revolutions. Instead, it must be driven by price.
Robin Gaster • Sept. 8, 2023 -
The elusive ‘value of resilience’: Why every utility is asking for it and why it’s so hard to pin down
A cost-benefit analysis is crucial to most utility investment filings.Without the “value of resilience” metric, such analysis falls woefully short of giving regulators the insights to make a determination.
Mishal Thadani • Sept. 7, 2023 -
DOE’s error-ridden analysis on coal CCS project threatens climate and engagement goals
Evaluating whether technologies like hydrogen and carbon capture provide more benefit than harm is a critical activity for the U.S. on our decarbonization journey.
Emily Grubert • Sept. 5, 2023 -
How EPA truck emissions standards can help move EV charging forward
The agency’s draft Phase 3 rule for heavy-duty vehicle emissions sets ambitious and tangible targets, helping utility regulators get more comfortable with the compelling need for electric vehicle infrastructure.
David Farnsworth • Sept. 1, 2023 -
Clean energy investment is surging, but success is far from guaranteed
The newfound ambition to build a clean energy economy by mid-century has exposed foundational flaws in approving and connecting energy projects that, if not addressed soon, will make this goal impossible.
Jason Grumet • Aug. 31, 2023 -
Amid record heat, CAISO’s day-ahead market is proving the value of a regional grid
Establishing the Extended Day-Ahead Market is a significant milestone, but we need to get to a true regional grid, a Western Regional Transmission Organization, to achieve maximum benefits.
Mona Tierney-Lloyd and Jack Wadleigh • Aug. 30, 2023 -
Every load an island: Requiring hourly matching of clean electricity purchases would raise emissions
Mandating it widely would stifle the development of the clean hydrogen industry, smother the voluntary market for clean electricity purchases and needlessly increase costs in compliance markets.
Arne Olson, Nick Schlag, Greg Gangelhoff, and Anthony Fratto • Aug. 29, 2023