Opinion
The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders
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Utility identity fraud is a bigger problem than people think
Stolen and synthetic identities are flowing through utility systems not just for free electricity or gas, but to fuel broader schemes that ripple across the financial sector, writes David Maimon, head of fraud insights at SentiLink.
David Maimon • Oct. 21, 2025 -
To keep power affordable, regulators must rethink who pays — and when
A growing body of evidence shows that widespread residential electrification can actually reduce average rates, but only under the right conditions, write Becky Li and Joe Daniel of RMI.
Becky Li and Joe Daniel • Oct. 20, 2025 -
A customer-centric vision for meeting future demand growth
As data center growth pressures the electric grid, customer relationships will be critical for utilities, write Nathan Shannon of the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative and Sharon Talbott of Salesforce.
Nathan Shannon and Sharon Talbott • Oct. 17, 2025 -
PJM customers will benefit from cooperation, not conflict, within the electric industry
Distribution utilities and generators in the PJM region have come to blows over a potential generation shortage, writes Terry Fitzpatrick, a former chairman of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
Terry Fitzpatrick • Oct. 16, 2025 -
How community benefits agreements can reduce project delivery risk
Working with communities to develop energy or other projects can help developers deliver on-time and on-budget, and with a strong foundation of local support.
Sameera Fazili, Pronita Gupta and Doug Bloch • Oct. 15, 2025 -
Losing power, losing billions: How offshoring grid materials weakens America
Critical materials are the United States’ Achilles’ heel in the race to expand, modernize and intelligently manage the electric grid, writes Peak Nano CEO Jim Welsh.
Jim Welsh • Oct. 14, 2025 -
Why data center operators should pay for residential electrification upgrades
Upgrading households is the fastest way for hyperscalers to obtain all the electricity they need, writes Ari Matusiak, founder and CEO of Rewiring America.
Ari Matusiak • Oct. 10, 2025 -
To keep energy affordable, Virginia must embrace power line innovation
Regulators should ensure electric utilities pursue transmission innovations rather than simply reinvesting in older technologies, writes Jeff Dennis, executive director of the Electricity Customers Alliance.
Jeff Dennis • Oct. 9, 2025 -
Navigating the One Big Beautiful Bill era in US power markets
In today’s volatile climate, success will hinge less on predicting the future and more on preparing for it, say the authors from energy consulting firm E3 in this detailed original analysis of federal policy.
Kushal Patel, Gregory Gangelhoff, Tali Perelman and Amber Mahone • Oct. 8, 2025 -
Bridging the skills gap and preparing tomorrow’s utility workforce
When veteran field techs understand how their data feeds analytics platforms or how remote inspections can save time, they don’t just adapt — they help optimize those systems, writes Dan Helman, CEO of Think Power Solutions.
Dan Helman • Oct. 7, 2025 -
Distributed energy resources can accelerate data center interconnection
Solutions that help local utilities find or create spare grid capacity by harnessing distributed energy resources could help bring more AI compute capacity online faster.
Jen Downing • Oct. 6, 2025 -
Is nuclear the key to powering the data center boom?
To fulfill the promise of an energy renaissance, nuclear resources must overcome complex operational, financial and workforce challenges, writes POWWR Director Nainish Gupta.
Nainish Gupta • Oct. 3, 2025 -
State frameworks are critical to addressing PJM affordability
Affordability concerns have risen in the PJM sphere due to “tightening supply and demand,” writes Senior Vice President Asim Haque. Supply has left the system due primarily to state policy and federal rules, he says.
Asim Haque • Oct. 2, 2025 -
DOE’s reactor pilot: A turning point for US nuclear energy?
The Department of Energy’s nuclear program could be transformational for the energy sector if even one reactor demonstrates commercial operation safely, writes Foley & Lardner partner Jocelyn Lavallo.
Jocelyn Lavallo • Oct. 1, 2025 -
Why utility-scale solar requires a smarter approach to predictive modeling
By augmenting manual energy forecasting processes with state-of-the-art digital tools, utilities can make better decisions faster, writes Tigo Energy Vice President of Software Archie Roboostoff.
Archie Roboostoff • Sept. 30, 2025 -
Á la carte energy market will give Western states choice, flexibility and reliability
The new Regional Organization for Western Energy will offer affordable, reliable energy services, and states can take what they need, writes Advanced Energy United’s Brian Turner.
Brian Turner • Sept. 26, 2025 -
Retrieved from Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
It’s all one system: Integrate transmission and interconnection planning to support load growth
Maintaining disparate planning processes for the wires needed to deliver power increases costs and delays, writes FERC Commissioner Judy Chang.
Judy W. Chang, Steven Wellner and Kathleen Ratcliff • Sept. 26, 2025 -
Heat pumps could be affordable for most — if rates were fair
Massachusetts is making a good start by offering seasonal discounts for heat pumps. But it could do more, write authors from Green Energy Consumers Alliance and the Acadia Center.
Larry Chretien and Kyle Murray • Sept. 25, 2025 -
GHG Protocol prioritizes looking good over doing good
The focus of the GHG Protocol should not be to back usage claims about what power a company is consuming, but to measure carbon emissions as accurately as possible, writes Lee Taylor, CEO of REsurety.
Lee Taylor • Sept. 24, 2025 -
Carbon markets are incomplete without nuclear
Major carbon standards do not allow nuclear projects to generate credits, distorting the market, writes Guido Núñez-Mujica, director of data science at the Anthropocene Institute.
Guido Núñez-Mujica • Sept. 23, 2025 -
AI’s electricity demand is a challenge utilities can’t ignore, but subsidies aren’t the solution
Utilities need portfolios that balance renewables and natural gas with long-duration storage, writes Stefan Pastine, CEO of semiconductor materials company Thintronics.
Stefan Pastine • Sept. 22, 2025 -
The future of virtual power plants is technology agnostic
Interoperability is crucial for deploying certain consumer technologies efficiently at scale, writes Molly Podolefsky, a managing director at Clarum Advisors.
Molly Podolefsky • Sept. 19, 2025 -
Keeping America’s lights on: a pragmatic path forward
Policymakers have a vital role in ensuring that a lack of energy does not become America’s Achilles’ heel.
Brigham McCown • Sept. 18, 2025 -
Preparing for regulatory audits in an era of affordability scrutiny
For electric utilities, audits are about more than just compliance. They are reputational moments that can influence rate outcomes, regulatory relationships and public trust.
Jim McMahon • Sept. 16, 2025 -
The hidden cost of ambiguous energy software terminology
Adapting the electric grid to load growth and DER adoption will require a mutual understanding of software requirements, capabilities and outcomes among stakeholders.
Sneha Vasudevan • Sept. 15, 2025