Electric Light & Power articles from May 2007

Electric Light & Power archives from May 2007

Events.(Calendar)
May 1, 2007... JUNE June 3-6 Windpower 2007 American Wind Energy Association Los angeles, California awea.org June 17-19 EEI Annual Convention Edison Electric Institute Denver, Colorado eei.org June 24-28...

Commentary.
May 1, 2007... One member, one vote. Democracy in action. That's how it works at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's annual business meeting. In March. voting delegates considered and adopted a whole slew of amendments and resolutions,...

A comment on coal.(NEWS/ANALYSIS)
May 1, 2007... America's demand for electricity continues to rise. Electric output last year was the second highest yearly total ever, falling just behind 2005's record demand. Looking ahead to 2030, the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that...

Resolving energy disputes: there are more efficient processes.(NEWS/ANALYSIS)
May 1, 2007... A "litigation explosion." That's what the energy industry witnessed in 2004--unprecedented growth in litigation. In the wake of the California energy crisis, the collapse of the energy trading business, investigations by various...

Customer correspondence: do your letters make the grade?(COLUMNS: Customer Service, Utility Style)
May 1, 2007... Utilities send out a lot of customer correspondence. In fact, in a review of customer touch points at NSTAR, I was surprised to learn that correspondence was our second most common means of communicating with our customers, just ahead of the...

A prematurely reported death.(COLUMNS: Taking It Into Account)
May 1, 2007... Eulogies proliferate for "electricity deregulation." A typical death knell comes from the Tellus Institute, burying deregulation as a "failed experiment" that "did not" and "could not work." As with Sam Clemens' reported demise, these eulogies...

The climate change debate after Massachusetts v. EPA: what the case is--and what it's not.(COLUMNS: Benefit of Counsel)
May 1, 2007... The nation has embarked on the largest capital campaign for new power generation resources in its history. With no national template for how to build needed facilities and no standard regulatory regime to absorb the accompanying costs, however,...

Energy buyers achieve SOX compliance with reverse, online auctions.(SECTIONS: Finance)
May 1, 2007... Some laws sit on the books forever without notice. Others reach out and touch us from the moment they come into law. Such is the case with the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002--known more commonly as...

Cooling off? Not yet.(SECTIONS: Finance)
May 1, 2007... The S&P 500 continues to be outpaced by the energy utility sectors and it doesn't show any signs of catching up--the predicted "cooling-off" has yet to happen. The merchant sector continues to lead the way, as it has for most of the year, and...

Two sides of the deregulation debate: RTOs: worth the expense? A prescription for improving competition.(Industry Report)
May 1, 2007... When bad weather blasts the power system, linemen rush to restore it as quickly as they can. If they need more manpower, neighboring utilities send all the help they have. Too bad our restructured electric industry doesn't work as well....

Costs associated with running RTO markets.(Industry Report)(Regional Transmission Organizations)
May 1, 2007... The original goal in establishing Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs) was to bring cost savings to consumers by providing adequate, reliable and reasonably priced transmission service. Important RTO functions included the provision of...

An Rx for competition.(Industry Report)
May 1, 2007... The nation's wholesale electricity markets--bilateral and organized--create the potential for lower costs, more efficient use of resources, and enhanced reliability. Each competitive model offers its benefits, but each also faces a wide range...

An electric choice report card.(Industry Report)(Liberty Power)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Policymakers in 21 states reformed their electric industries to give small businesses the power to choose electricity providers, but not all of those states have fully extended the benefits of choice to small businesses, according to Liberty...

Gregory H. Boyce has no doubts about coal: an interview with the president and chief executive officer of the world's largest private-sector coal company, Peabody Energy.(Profile)(Interview)(Company overview)
May 1, 2007... Greg Boyce wants to give you a lump of coal... but don't worry, that's a good thing. Your parents told you if you were naughty you would get a lump of coal in your stocking on Christmas. That was supposed to be a bad thing. But after...

Nee life for old coal plants.(SECTIONS: Generation)
May 1, 2007... Power executives and engineers often find themselves in the "taken-for-granted" group. They have performed so reliably for so long with the existing fleet of small, medium and large coal plants that many regulators think rules can change, costs...

Preparing for a carbon-consumed world: AEP's programs continue to evolve.(SECTIONS: Generation)
May 1, 2007... Responding appropriately to challenges separates successful companies from those who don't survive. As one of the nation's largest generators of electricity, American Electric Power (AEP) recognized more than a decade ago that the emissions of...

Qualifying facilities in the post-EPAct world: challenges and opportunities for QFs, part III.(SECTIONS: Risk Management)
May 1, 2007... Contrary to rumors of the demise of the qualifying facility industry, it's likely to grow. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 created a number of challenges for QFs, but there remain significant--and unique--benefits and opportunities for them. ...

Air apparent: Texas to unlock wind potential.(SECTIONS: Renewables)
May 1, 2007... With demand for electricity--and consumer interest in how it is generated--on the rise, Texas is poised to unlock its vast potential for wind energy. The electric industry has been in the national spotlight for several months, with the...

Designing an RPS program: to promote--not inhibit--renewable energy resources.(SECTIONS: Renewables)
May 1, 2007... State regulatory agencies and legislatures are increasingly promoting the accelerated development of alternative or renewable energy resources through a series of policy initiatives, most predominantly the imposition of some variant of a...

CS week focus expanding.(Customer Service week)
May 1, 2007... "Expanding Excellence in Customer Service" describes CS Week 2007 so well. What a delight to be a part of something that is appreciated by utility professionals everywhere! From the very beginning, our mission has been to plan and deliver...

Installing a new CIS is the best option to not install one at all?(SECTIONS: IT/CIS & CRM)
May 1, 2007... The Customer Information System is the software system central to a utility's customer-facing operations. Modern CIS software products offer dramatic advantages over previous generations of software technology, so most utilities that are...

Regional variances in reliability standards: while safeguarding uniformity and reliability.(SECTIONS: T&D)
May 1, 2007... Should electric service be less reliable in California than in Maine? Should residents of certain states be concerned that reliability of electric service in their area may be compromised, without them knowing it? Such questions could...

CIP compliance: implementing a top-down IT framework.(SECTIONS: T&D)
May 1, 2007... Faced with the pressure of complying with the NERC Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) 002-009 standards, energy companies and utilities across the U.S. must act quickly. The CIP standards became effective at the end of 2006 and specify...

Profile light.
May 1, 2007... Imagine a coal-fired power that's humming away smack dab in the middle of a small town. I*ts neighbors? A hospital, senior living facilities and a library. That's the kind of power plant that Melanie McCoy manages, complete with all its...