Electric Light & Power articles from September 2008

Electric Light & Power archives from September 2008

Events.(Brief article)(Calendar)
September 1, 2008... OCTOBER October 8-10 Carbon Finance 2008 Environmental Finance London, England www.environmental-finance.com October 13-15 EMACS 2008 Chartwelll Austin Texas www.emacsconference.com October...

Commentary.
September 1, 2008... When I wrote the Utility Financial Rankings Industry Report three years ago, the key word was "recovery." Looking at the final figures for 2004, the C Three Group's Jean Reaves Rollins felt the industry had almost completely recovered from the...

Demand side management: principles and fundamentals: new book will be a primer on DSM solutions.(COLUMN: Customer Service, Utility Style)
September 1, 2008... Energy seems to be on everyone's mind these days, from my neighbor down the street who just completed a home energy audit, to the newly formed town energy committee--and regulators, legislators, demand side management program administrators and...

The world of electricity according to John McCain, Barack Obama, Al Gore, T. Boone Pickens and Paris Hilton.(COLUMN: Benefit of Counsel)
September 1, 2008... Time was, if you told someone at a dinner party that you were an energy lawyer, people would look for the nearest exit. No longer. We are now not just tolerated, we are positively trendy. When Paris Hilton releases a video articulating an...

Efficiency must be a central pillar of energy and climate policy.(COLUMN: Taking It Into Account)
September 1, 2008... Running up to the 2008 elections, a group of 27 distinguished American "elder statesmen"--Republicans and Democrats--recently sent an open letter to the next president and 111th Congress beseeching those in control of the nation's agenda to...

Delivering the potential of renewables.(NEWS/ANALYSIS)
September 1, 2008... Concerns over global warming and rising energy prices are boosting interest in generating electricity from renewable energy sources. As of July 2008, 27 states and the District of Columbia have created renewable portfolio standards, which...

The wired utility meets the wired generation.(NEWS/ANALYSIS)
September 1, 2008... As the evolution of the Smart Grid transforms the energy and utility industry, consumers will be affected in unimaginable ways. Consumers will embrace the new technology in different ways and at different speeds--and those who adopt it more...

Calpine's new CEO: Jack Fusco: ready for the future.(Executive Profile)(Interview)(Company overview)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Meet Jack Fusco, Calpine's new president and CEO. At the helm of the independent power producer since August, Mr. Fusco brings 25 years of experience in the industry to a company that's ready for action. After going...

10 ways to respond to the new reality of commodity price volatility.(Finance)
September 1, 2008... Over the next few months, more and more consumers will wake up to sharply higher electricity bills. The primary driver of this increase will not be a populist theme like global warming or deregulation. The root cause will be an aspect of cost...

Loosening the Reins: FERC takes new steps to encourage investment in the electric utility sector. Part II. What the new rules mean for the industry.(Finance)
September 1, 2008... In the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Congress sought to more sharply define the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's jurisdiction over certain entities under Section 203 of the Federal Power Act, which governs mergers, acquisitions and...

Whither the utility chief risk officer? Credit rating agency evaluations may change the CRO's role.(Risk Management)
September 1, 2008... The job responsibilities of utility company chief risk officers may be on the verge of another significant transformation with the advent of new credit rating agency evaluations of non-financial (i.e., energy and utility) companies' management...

Targeting "bad actors" to pass the-generation uptime test.(Generation)
September 1, 2008... Bad actors don't just haunt Hollywood. All across the U.S., room for error in the power industry is shrinking as generation capacity margins compress and transmission system bottlenecks grow. While the industry works to squeeze more juice from...

Solar performing brilliantly: utilities are using solar thermal and PV rooftop networks to power their communities.(Renewables)
September 1, 2008... From coast to coast, utilities in the U.S. are putting the sun to work. With large scale solar thermal projects and photovoltaic rooftop installations, the promise of solar power-abundant, clean and renewable energy--is finally being realized,...

IHDs are here to stay: consumers are eagerly embracing new energy management technologies.(Energy Management)
September 1, 2008... With most endeavors, feedback is critical to improving performance, and energy use behavior is no exception. In-home display (IHD) units that show real-time energy usage can be effective in changing consumption behavior, as indicated by studies...

Capturing the value of innovation: lessons learned in California can help utilities boost their operational, financial and environmental performance.(Energy Management)(Company overview)
September 1, 2008... Pressure to increase innovation in the utility industry comes from all sides: customers, regulators, investors, public interest groups and competitors. That's why industry leaders position themselves for success by offering innovative programs...

Beyond recovery: Entergy focuses on the voice of the customer: Q&A with Entergy's Ed Melendreras, Vice President, Sales & Marketing.(IT/CIS & CRM)
September 1, 2008... Entergy Corporation made international headlines during the massive recovery efforts after hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated Louisiana in 2005. In recent years, Entergy has also explored innovative ways to better understand the customer...

Building substations in Atlanta: with gas-insulated switchgear, Georgia Powers designs are compact and pleasing.(T&D)
September 1, 2008... Just 3 percent of the world's population lived in cities at the beginning of the 19th century. Last year, for the first time in human history, more people lived in cities than in rural areas and by 2020, it's estimated that 60 percent of the...

Historic HVDC tie provides power sharing between U.S. and Mexico grids.(T&D)
September 1, 2008... Last October, an important milestone was reached when the power grids in Texas and Mexico were integrated. The Sharyland asynchronous interconnection, located on the banks of the Rio Grande River, now supports energy trading between the two...

Choose the right person for the job with a personality assessment.(Management Methods)
September 1, 2008... What makes a high-performing employee? Why are jobs at all levels filled with people who "look good on paper" and yet prove to be unsuitable for the position for which they have been hired or promoted? Historically, hiring decisions have...