In This Issue
-
Embracing New Policies and TechnologiesU.S. UTILITIES ARE FACING THE challenges and opportunities that come with a work force that is approaching retirement. Finding the right mix of people for the 21st-century utility means developing strategies to attract a workforce suited to evolving energy policies and the quickening pace of new technologies.The energy policy agenda in the United States is evolving, but is certain to include...
-
Suport and Measurement NeededNEVER HAVE WE BEEN SO POWERFULLY reminded of the role energy plays in our daily lives.There are tremendous supply challenges that should provide a convincing argument for corporate leaders to be as energy efficient as possible, as multinational corporations play an increasing role in responsible energy use. Yet there are still challenges these leaders face when implementing companywide...
-
The Pursuit of EfficiencyCOMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL buildings together consume 40 percent of the nation's electricity. With the dramatic rise in energy prices, going green is not an option, it's a necessity. Optimization of large commercial building design and operations is increasingly sophisticated, with many competing companies and technologies providing significant value, but its sole objective is to minimize end-use...
-
The Future of Coal, Nuclear and Natural GasKENNETH HUMPHREYSFutureGen // Chief Executive OfficerThere are 540 coal plants in the United States and their net output is 337 gigawatts. They provide a little bit less than 50 percent of our electricity.It is coming from an asset base where a good portion of it - about 15 percent - is greater than 50 years old. Another 20 percent is between 40 and 50 years old. Although many of them have been...
-
Are they ready for prime Time?DAN ARVIZUU.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory // Director and Chief ExecutiveRenewables are here. They produce 10 percent of our electricity-generating capacity, about 130 gigawatts. Fiftythree gigawatts of that amount come from nonhydroelectric renewables. The nonhydro portion is about 4 percent of our overall electricity generation. It surprises some folks to know that renewable power...
-
A Path to the 21st CenturyJON WELLINGHOFFFederal Energy Regulatory Commission // ChairmanWe need to start guiding markets into what we believe are the most efficient structures to get innovative transmission projects built. Planning and cost allocation are the two most important parts of getting transmission developed from a regulatory standpoint. We are looking to deal with it by regions and by those regional planning...
-
Industry Standouts
LEWIS HAY IIINextEra Energy // Chief Executive Officer CEO of the YearLewis Hay got his start working in a steel mill in his native western Pennsylvania and he still can exhibit a "blue-collar streak," according to Moray Dewhurst, the vice chairman of NextEra Energy, who has known Hay for three decades.During the go-go years about a decade ago when Enron and others went overboard in energy... -
Gigaton Emissions SavingsAS THE NUMBER ONE PURCHASER of renewable energy in the United States and a strategic investor in renewable energy startup companies, Intel is helping lead the development of the clean energy industry. An imperative that is closely linked to clean energy is to help make smart energy a global reality.We must accelerate the integration of and synergy among intelligent renewable energy sources, smart...
-
High-tech Tools Integrate RenewablesTHERE IS A NEW TOOL SHARPENING California's renewable vision. It is in the form of a state-of-the-art system control center that houses the first dedicated renewables dispatch facility in the nation. As the state approaches a goal of generating 20 percent of its power from renewable resources, which escalates to an ambitious 33 percent by 2020, ensuring reliability brings new meaning to...
-
DOE’s New Solar InitiativeTHE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY HAS launched the SunShot Initiative to reduce the cost of solar energy systems by 75 percent by the end of the decade making it cost-competitive - without subsidy - with conventional generation.While photovoltaic installation rates have averaged 48 percent growth per year over the last 10 years, solar only provides about 0.1 percent of the nation's electricity. If we...
