April 02, 2010

In his days as a control room operator more than a decade ago, John Pespisa remembers working intermittent renewable energy resources like wind into the system. The footprint may have been small, but the resource had to be dispatched. "Sometimes at 3 a.m., you'd wonder where the wind went," he said.

No longer. With more advanced forecasting tools and improved monitoring of generation sites and communication with grid operators, controllers are better able to anticipate the fluctuations of what were once a few MWs of generation. Now, with renewables measured in the hundreds of MWs, better tools are available. And even more important than that, ambitious goals to incorporate renewable energy into California's resource mix have put added pressure on utilities to get it right. Instead of a goal to get wind, solar and geothermal power into the system, it's a mandate. Accurate forecasts and dispatch are imperative.

Below are a few letters received at EnergyBiz Insider on topics that appeared in the past few weeks. They capture the essence of how many readers say they feel.
______________________________________

March 31, 2010

Utilities and environmental groups are coming together to help modernize the transmission system. It's arduous job, though, requiring conciliation and patience.

Together, they seek to improve the grid's capabilities so as to allow it to carry more green electrons as well as provide customers with the information they need to make better energy choices. With Congress now considering national renewable mandates and at least half the states with similar laws on their books, electric companies must have a way to deliver the expected use of such power.

March 29, 2010

With the economy on the mend, investors may be ready to step up and help finance the energy sector's growth. But to do so, they will need greater regulatory certainty both at the state and federal levels so as to encourage risk taking.

National policymakers are wrestling with the direction that environmental laws will take. Until it becomes more defined, utilities will be left in limbo. Likewise, as rates cases before state public utility commissions come forth, companies will argue that they need to earn reasonable returns or else see their cost of borrowing jump. That, in turn, would inhibit their ability to raise money and expand their infrastructure.

March 26, 2010

When asked if America is the 21st Century version of ancient Rome, author Cullen Murphy responds in the Atlantic Monthly that "maybe" it is. Whether the country is in permanent decline or whether it is in perpetual rejuvenation is an idea worth exploring.

With Washington stalemated, utilities have an uncommon chance to lead by fostering the growth of clean-energy technologies. Electricity, of course, is the building block to economic prosperity. The goal then is to ensure access, abundance and cleanliness. Toward that end, the United States must diversify its resources and train the next wave of workers to meet near-term challenges. Indeed, power companies are ground zero in the effort to bring the country into a new era of vitality. But they need their elected representatives to be more willing to search for common ground.