Author name: Michael Giberson

Arizona Utility Proposes to Ramp Up Peak Rates

Michael Giberson The Salt River Project, a central Arizona public power utility serving almost a million consumers, already charges it’s customers higher rates in the summer, but they are proposing to increase their summer rates even more. The Arizona Republic reports: Salt River Project wants to prompt more people to conserve during the hottest hours …

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Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline, One of Five Proposals Advances

Michael Giberson Tom Fowler of the Houston Chronicle reports: Only one of five applications to build an Alaskan natural gas pipeline will move on to a public comment period, Gov. Sarah Palin said Friday. The application from pipeline giant TransCanada met or exceeded all the state’s requirements for the massive project, Palin said, while applications …

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What Will Futurists Do in the Future?

Michael Giberson The Economist observes that our present is not quite like some futurists of the past had projected, and provides advice to new futurists seeking to improve on the past. Among other things, they recommend “think small”: “The best what-lies-ahead book of 1982 was Megatrends, by John Naisbitt, which prophesied the future of humanity. …

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PJM Settles Market Monitoring Dispute, Bowring to Lead External Market Monitoring Unit

Michael Giberson As a result of their good-faith negotiations and the commendable efforts of the Commission-provided facilitator and mediation specialists, the parties reached consensus regarding revisions to the Market Monitoring Plan in the PJM Open Access Transmission Tariff (“PJM Tariff”). The parties also reached consensus regarding revisions to terms in the Operating Agreement … on …

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Justin Wolfers Writing on Prediction Markets and the Presidential Campaign for the Wsj

Michael Giberson A prediction market is a bit like the stock market, except that you are buying shares whose value depends on the success of a political candidate, rather than the profits earned by a corporation. And just as stock prices are a useful barometer of the health of a company, so too the price …

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Rggi Auction Design Comments Available Online

Michael Giberson The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) folks have posted the comments filed in response to the final auction design report. Previously here I commented on one such filing, an analysis by economist Peter Cramton submitted by the ISO-New England and NYISO, that pointed out a potential flaw in the auction design. Briefly scanning …

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Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007: Random Observations from Cafe to Smart Grids to Pool and Spa Safety

Michael Giberson At Common Tragedies, Rich Sweeney observed that “Pool and spa safety makes it into the energy bill,” but “renewable portfolio standards and increased oil taxes didn’t.” According to the preamble of the proposed “Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007,” it is intended (among other things) to “move the United States toward greater …

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Does Release of Electric Market Offer Data Facilitate Collusion or Discourage It?

Michael Giberson Most of the integrated power markets in the United States release market participant bid and offer data after a six month delay, with identities of the participants masked. Recently ISO-New England proposed reducing the amount of time the data release is delayed. A recent overview of data release policies, conducted by William Dunn …

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