Electricity

Economics of Power Market Design Compared Unfavorably to Climate Science

Economics, Electricity, Science / By

Michael Giberson From the Harvard Electricity Policy Group meeting in February 2011. By convention the meetings are off-the-record, so the speaker’s name is not identified in the summary: I think the most important distinction between the fields of climate science and economics for me is the question of evidence. Science is characterized by a subtle …

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Sure, Congress Can Regulate Light Bulbs That Travel in Interstate Commerce, but a “Made in Texas, Stayed in Texas” Bulb…?

Electricity, Law, Regulation / By

Michael Giberson The Texas state legislature has passed a bill that affirms that a light bulb manufactured in Texas of materials predominantly from within Texas and sold for use within Texas would not be subject to federal law or regulation under the authority of the U.S. Congress to regulate interstate commerce. The bill further would commit the state Attorney …

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Saying Goodbye to Edison’s Hot Little Light Bulb?

5 Comments / Electricity, Energy markets, Politics, Regulation / By

Michael Giberson Andrew Rice has a great little story in the New York Times Magazine on the upcoming phaseout of the incandescent light bulb. No, the incandescent bulb has not been “banned,” not exactly. It is just that, a few years ago, Congress agreed to raise energy efficiency standards for light bulbs effective January 1, …

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Future of Lubbock’s Power Supply Efforts Heads to Court, with Lubbock Citizens Paying Lawyers on Both Sides of Case

2 Comments / Electricity, Energy markets / By

Michael Giberson In January I mentioned that a municipal utility agency created as a kind-of public-private partnership between the West Texas Municipal Power Agency and Republic Power Partners was taking off in an unexpected direction and leaving more than a few locals wondering what was going on. In brief, High Plains Diversified Energy Corporation, the …

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Massachusetts Wants $22.5 Million in Tax Breaks Back from Evergreen Solar, Company in Dire Financial Condition

2 Comments / Electricity, Environmental policy, Politics, Technology / By

Michael Giberson Politicians show up, grinning for the cameras at groundbreaking, they come applauding the expansion announcement (and why not, public tax breaks and other policy support for solar power manufacturers were chief among the reasons the plants were built in the first place), but where are the toothy smiles of supporting public officials when …

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Cheap Natural Gas Upsetting Wind Development Plans, and Other Energy Stories

4 Comments / Electricity, Energy markets, Environmental policy, Politics, Regulation / By

Michael Giberson Energy stories from around the web. Financial Times, Gas threat to wind farm growth – “Construction of new wind farms in the US is set to decline next year because of competition from cheap natural gas for power generation, the country’s largest developer of new wind power projects has said.” Greentech grid, California …

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Ercot Reliability Monitor Issues Report on the February 2 Rolling Blackouts

Electricity, Energy markets / By

Michael Giberson The Texas Reliability Entity has issued its report on the ERCOT extreme cold weather events and rolling blackouts of February 2, 2011. Texas RE is the NERC regional entity for the ERCOT power system and contracted to the Public Utility Commission of Texas to serve as ERCOT reliability monitor for the state agency. In …

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Bonneville Power Administration Says No to Negative Prices Again

1 Comment / Electricity, Energy markets, Environmental policy / By

Michael Giberson The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) Administrator has adopted interim Environmental Redispatch and Negative Pricing Policies to deal with potential overgeneration conditions on the BPA power system. In brief, BPA plans to employ “Environmental Dispatch” rules for operating the power system in a manner conducive to BPA meeting various legal and regulatory constraints; the …

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