North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC)

14Jul

In a Transitioning Grid, Fuel Diversity Matters More than Ever

Grid reliability challenges this summer – from California and the Pacific Northwest to New York – are a clear signal we must better value the insurance provided by a balanced generation mix. But scorching heat aside, February’s catastrophe in Texas, that left 70% of the state without power, continues to sound some of the loudest […]
23Jun

The Reliability Crisis is a Market Failure

How is that both California and Texas – the two wealthiest states in the wealthiest nation on earth – can’t seem to keep the power on? Or, how is that electricity reliability in the United States, in the 21st century, seems to suddenly be getting worse when it should be getting better? According to two members […]
26May

The Grid Reliability Warnings Keep Coming

Back in the summer of 2019, Jim Robb, the president and CEO of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), said that when most engineers look at the Texas grid, they conclude that “there’s no way in hell they can keep the lights on. And yet they do.” Robb, speaking to the Federal Energy Regulatory […]
17Mar

The Existing Coal Fleet Is the Bridge We Need

With the energy transition underway, learning from the Texas grid crisis and building a path towards increased reliability is more urgent than ever. Additional variable power will be coming to grids across the country. At what pace and scale remains to be seen but ensuring reliability in the years ahead is shaping up to be […]
24Feb

The Texas Grid Crisis is a National Crisis

Think the Texas electricity crisis can’t happen where you live? Think again. Up and down the country, electricity markets – with very different designs – have fielded warnings that the right storm, with the right conditions could cause the same chaos or worse. Much of the blame in Texas has fallen on the Electric Reliability […]
13May

In 2018 NERC Warned of a Reliability Crisis from Accelerating Baseload Retirements. It’s Here.

In 2018, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the organization that oversees the reliability on the North American electric grid, warned of the threat of accelerating losses of baseload sources of power. At the time, S&P Global Market Intelligence characterized the report by writing, NERC “warns that an accelerated retirement of coal-fired and nuclear […]
10Jul

No Way in Hell

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) analyzes the reliability of our electricity supply. NERC’s reports and statements are consistently measured, typically packing all the flair and excitement of a buttoned-down white dress shirt. So, it’s with good reason that eyebrows were raised when NERC’s CEO, Jim Robb, recently told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission […]
26Jun

When Markets Undermine Reliability

Air conditioners are running at full throttle as summer descends in all its sticky, suffocating glory. As those ACs kick on, electricity demand is creeping up, potentially hitting record levels in some states. In Texas, as temperatures climb towards triple digits, customers are wondering if the AC – and a reliable flow of power – […]
14Feb

Evaluating Grid Reliability Requires Examining What’s to Come, Not What’s Been

It was the study energy wonks were sure was going to be a deal maker or breaker in the ongoing debate about fuel-secure sources of generation and the reliability and resilience of the grid. It turns out, the study is neither of those things. E&E News obtained the unpublished draft study, and, if anything, it […]