Electricity

More Cold for Texas and a Test of My Conjecture on Preparedness

1 Comment / Electricity, Energy markets / By

Michael Giberson Last week the sharply colder temperatures wreaked havoc on many power generators in Texas, leading to emergency conditions and rolling blackouts on the ERCOT power system. In my preliminary reaction to the developments, I said: No doubt coal and gas-fueled generators across the state are reexamining their readiness for extreme coal weather. I …

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Texas Observer: Some Companies Made Millions Off the Texas Blackouts

Electricity, Energy markets, Regulation / By

Michael Giberson In other commentary on ERCOT’s rolling blackouts: “Some Companies Made Millions Off the Texas Blackouts.” While Texans suffered rolling blackouts yesterday, some power generators were enjoying windfall profits. Starting around 5 a.m., prices in the wholesale market surged to the market cap, $3,000 per megawatt-hour, and stayed there, off and on, until around …

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Cold Snap Brings Rolling Power Outages to Texas; is Ercot Policy of Isolation at Fault?

7 Comments / Electricity, Energy markets / By

Michael Giberson [Note: This item was originally posted at MasterResource as: “Texas Power Outages: A Preliminary Analysis (Cold snap brings failure–isolated ERCOT an issue)“] Wednesday morning, ERCOT, the power grid operator for much of Texas, called upon local distribution companies to cut power to blocks of consumers on a rotating basis. The rolling outages were a …

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Think Globally, Solve Locally?

Electricity, Energy markets, Humor / By

Michael Giberson Among the casualties of yesterday’s rolling blackouts in the ERCOT power system was a Texas A&M University conference dedicated to helping solve global energy challenges. Via the Texas A&M News and Information Service: Texas A&M System Gearing Up To Help Solve Global Energy Challenges COLLEGE STATION, Feb. 3, 2011—The Texas A&M University System …

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United States V. Keyspan Corporation Antitrust Case Settles for Paltry $12 Million

3 Comments / Electricity, Energy markets, Regulation / By

Michael Giberson The Justice Department of the United States has agreed to a $12 million settlement with KeySpan Corporation on a Sherman antitrust act claim. The allegation was that KeySpan manipulated the New York ISO capacity market price in its part of the state from May 2006 through February 2008, reaping an estimated $49 million …

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Investors Using Municipal Power Company Borrowing to Maximize Private Returns?

Electricity, Energy markets / By

Michael Giberson Some regional power business developments have a few people in the area scratching their heads and wondering what is going on. An excellent article in Sunday’s Lubbock Avalanche-Journal explores the issue, yet still leaves local readers wondering what a quasi-public company is up to on our behalf. In brief, High Plains Diversified Energy …

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Troubles, from the Point of View of the Solar Power Industry

2 Comments / Electricity, Energy markets, Environmental policy, Regulation, Uncategorized / By

Michael Giberson It’s not easy out there for the solar power industry: Renewable power credits don’t provide long term security for developers… …and middlemen seem to make more money from RECs than renewable power producers do. Private homeowner association rules can frustrate desires of persons wanting to go solar. Local government zoning regulations and associated …

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Compact Fluorescent Bulbs Not Living Up to California Program’s Expectations

1 Comment / Electricity, Politics, Regulation / By

Michael Giberson The Wall Street Journal reports that a program to cut energy consumption by subsidizing consumer purchases of  compact fluorescent light bulbs is not working out as planned.  I think we can summarize this as: regulator approves cost recovery for subsidy program to reduce energy consumption, program doesn’t work as well as expected, so regulator approves …

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Jay Hancock is Not Happy with the Pjm Power Market

1 Comment / Electricity, Energy markets, Regulation / By

Michael Giberson From the Baltimore Sun, Jay Hancock explains he is unhappy with electric power restructuring in Maryland and with the PJM market. I think he hits some targets and misses others. Assessing the particulars would require a lot of detailed work, probably better done by someone other than me. One big source of agreement …

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