With Left Sidebar

Utilities Warn of Threat to U.S. Power Grid

Via The Farmington Daily Times: What’s more valuable: a brand new sports car or an old sedan? Obviously, the sports car. But what if that sports car has an empty gas tank? Suddenly, the perspective changes. Yes, the car may be “valuable,” but it’s not “useful.” It’s a simple analogy. But what if we extend […]

Subsidizing Grid Unreliability

As the share of coal power on the Texas grid continues to decline and as greater reliance is placed on renewable sources of generation, Texans are crossing their fingers that they don’t face rolling outages this summer. There’s ample reason for concern. ERCOT, the state’s grid operator, is working with a razor-thin reserve margin of generating […]

Rhode Island Aces High Costs, Energy Disruption

Via The Providence Journal: Two competing trends have been roiling energy markets in Rhode Island and other states in recent years. Utilities have been moving toward a greater reliance on natural gas and renewable energy. But they’re now facing concerns over volatile energy prices and reliable “baseload power.” Rhode Island is becoming particularly familiar with […]

Clean Energy Plan Would Test Limits of Illinois Power Grid

Via The Journal Standard:  After the Green New Deal was introduced in Congress, critics quickly focused on its wide-ranging agenda and potentially massive costs. But many overlooked a more pressing concern: Is a future built solely on wind and solar power a realistic possibility? It’s a question that should preoccupy Illinois, noting the Clean Energy […]

Wyoming Governor Criticizes Consideration of Coal Plant Closures in State

Via The Casper Star-Tribune: Gov. Mark Gordon said he was “deeply concerned” Friday by Rocky Mountain Power’s serious consideration of shuttering some coal-fired power plant units in Wyoming within four years. The utility — part of PacifiCorp — released a presentation earlier this week confirming that closing nine coal-fired units in Colorado and Wyoming, including Jim Bridger, […]

Mandating Higher Electricity Prices

The suspicion for some time has been that renewable portfolio standards are an incredibly costly and inefficient energy policy. Yet, they have grown in popularity and ambition with 29 states and the District of Columbia employing these mandates and policymakers from time to time flirting with a national standard. Suspicion has now been replaced by […]

When the Electricity Market Is the Problem

Via Morning Consult: “Allow the market to work” has been the catchphrase rebuttal whenever it’s suggested that the accelerating loss of America’s baseload, fuel-secure power plants threatens power grid reliability. Renewable and natural gas advocates have sung it from the rooftops. What their dismissal assumes — what their unshakeable faith in the market assumes — […]

Wind, Solar Could Be More Costly Than They Seem

Via The Eastern New Mexico News:  Last year, virtually all new electricity generation in the United States came from natural gas and renewables like solar and wind. At first glance it appears these energy sources are winning the marketplace, but that’s hardly the whole story. Yes, the shale revolution has led to an abundance of […]

Minnesota Should Keep Burning Clean, Beautiful Coal

Via Faribault Daily News: With President Trump’s recent visit to Minnesota, there is no better time to emphasize the fact that Minnesota would save $87.7 billion through 2050 by continuing to burn clean, beautiful coal to generate electricity instead of pursuing more wind and solar. Despite claims to the contrary, coal-fired electricity is far more […]