electricity transmission
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The dirty little secret behind the ‘transmission debate’
Utilities are working to protect their profits again by blocking action on the creation of a better and cleaner electricity grid.
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How the Wall Street Journal twisted the facts on transmission
The Wall Street Journal recently published an editorial, "The Great Transmission Heist," that took a swing at renewable energy. That's not surprising. What is surprising is that the piece wholly abandoned not only the facts, but fundamental market principles related to the energy sector.
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California considers mandating energy storage
The California Assembly has passed legislation [PDF] that takes the first step to requiring that a percentage of electricity generated in the state be stored. Electricity, of course, is the ultimate perishable commodity. If the bill is approved by the California Senate and signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, it would apparently be the first time […]
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Moving U.S. energy policy to a decentralized grid
The future of America’s domestic energy supply has become as murky as the waters of the Gulf as the oil spill fallout has legislators scrambling to rewrite offshore oil drilling provisions in the latest versions of the climate bill. Critical to reducing American dependence on fossil fuels is the development of alternative clean energy sources, […]
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Supreme Court ruling increases importance of local energy
The vision of a massive nationwide superhighway of high voltage transmission lines may have died last week in the Supreme Court. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Overshadowed by the (terrible) Citizens United ruling, the Supreme Court essentially upheld the right of states to block high voltage transmission wires. At issue was the […]
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President Obama announces $3.4 billion investment to spur transition to smart energy grid
As the Senate debated the Kerry-Boxer climate bill in Washington, President Obama travelled to Arcadia, Florida to announce a $3.4 billion investment in to modernize the U.S. energy grid. Have a look at this official White House press release on the president’s new smart grid proposal: Speaking at Florida Power and Light’s (FPL) DeSoto Next […]
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2-way connections between electric cars and grid have amazing potential that needs no exaggeration
One of the many tasks of running an electric utility is maintaining operating reserves and spinning reserves to handle seasonal peaks, and occasional generation failures. Between peak demand that only occurs a few times a year, and the occasional shutdown for routine maintenance and response maintenance, utilities have to keep operating reserves — backup equipment […]