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2013/11/15

| 11.15.13 | Is Xcel the next solar scandal?

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November 15, 2013
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Today's Top Stories

  1. Xcel accused of attacking rooftop solar
  2. Exelon gaining competitive edge from creative data use
  3. Solar PV capacity to double by 2020
  4. Renewable energy attracting investors
  5. Alliant Energy gets approval for MGS siting


Also Noted: A. Cullen & Associates, Inc.
Attackers could hijack power and water systems and much more...

EEI sucked into APS scandal
As part of the fallout from Arizona Public Service's (APS) scandal surrounding lying about funding dark money organizations to attack rooftop solar and in response to Edison Electric Institute's (EEI) series of television and radio ads against rooftop solar in Arizona, the Alliance for Solar Choice (TASC) wants EEI to disavow what TASC calls "APS's underhanded behavior" and state whether or not EEI has used dark money. Article


Dominion Cove Point gets tax relief
The Calvert County, Md., Board of County Commissioners has approved a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement and tax relief for the proposed Dominion Cove Point Liquefaction Project at its existing Cove Point liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal. Article


NBI metrics reveal energy-efficiency opportunities
New Buildings Institute (NBI) has developed what it calls the "first ever" set of plug load energy use metrics, which will allow easy insight into building energy use. Article


Jamaica sets off on a path to a renewable future
The Worldwatch Institute has released a groundbreaking Sustainable Energy Roadmap for Jamaica, which looks at the measures that the Jamaican government can take to transition its electricity sector to one that is socially, environmentally, and financially sustainable. Article


News From Across the Energy Industry:
1. Exelon: From "Intelligent Grid" to "Smart Grid"
2. CHP can "lower the pressure on utilities"
3. Utility business models need to accommodate DER


This week's sponsors are FierceEnergy & FierceSmartGrid.

Fierce Innovation Report: Download Today

This special innovation report features in-depth articles on the state of the energy industry, with a focus on the smart grid, cybersecurity, and reliability and distrubition automation. The report also highlights the innovative companies and products that are shaping the future of the industry. Download it today!



Sponsor: Windstream

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Today's Top News

1. Xcel accused of attacking rooftop solar


With recent news accusing Arizona Public Service of trying to kill rooftop solar, Xcel Energy is also in the crosshairs and accused of attacking rooftop solar because of its desire to manipulate net metering for solar customers. Xcel is asking the Public Utilities Commission for permission to pay rates below market value to rooftop solar customers who feed electricity back into the grid.  Xcel's proposal could undermine net metering policies by preventing consumers from receiving fair credit for energy they return back to the grid. 

Boulder, Colorado. Credit: Hustvedt/Wikimedia Commons

Boulder residents want renewable energy sources, particularly solar, but last week's election results revealed that Xcel may not be able to remain Boulder consumers' only choice. On two separate votes related to Boulder's effort to create its own utility, pro-municipalization positions outpolled pro-Xcel positions 2:1, jeopardizing Xcel's monopoly status.

"These results demonstrate a clear public desire for more choice, local control and more renewable energy," said Meghan Nutting, Colorado representative of The Alliance for Solar Choice. "Coloradans know last century's fossil fuel status quo and a centralized monopoly doesn't work for a 21st Century Colorado. We all should have the choice to produce our own power from the sun without being penalized. But Xcel wants to increase their monopoly over our power sources and eliminate this freedom."

Xcel's proposal to the PUC should not be surprising. Recent reports have revealed an anti-solar sentiment by the organization that represents investor-owned utilities across the country, Edison Electric Institute (EEI).

EEI's January 2013 report "Disruptive Challenges" warns that increased consumer adoption of distributed solar will lead to "declining utility revenues, increasing costs, and lower profitability potential, particularly over the long-term," and proposes efforts to eliminate or counter net metering, which is what Xcel is attempting to do.

Industry experts, including FERC Commissioner Jon Wellinghoff, warn that this mindset and the utility business model must change in order for utilities to survive.

Since being accused of anti-solar/net metering policies, and following the Arizona Corporation Commission's decision to change Arizona's current net metering policies, EEI has issued a statement touting "common sense net metering policies."

Edison Electric Institute (EEI) President Tom Kuhn issued the following statement today on the decision by the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) to reform Arizona's current net metering policies.

"… the commission recognized that current net metering policies unfairly shift costs from solar homes to non-solar homes and approved changes to begin reducing this growing cost shift. There are a number of state commissions currently reviewing outdated and unsustainable net metering policies. By adopting common sense reforms today, the ACC showed leadership in protecting electricity customers in Arizona, while also ensuring that solar has a bright future in the state and around the country," EEI President Tom Kuhn said in the statement.

The statement continues that "EEI and the electric power industry support the continued growth of solar…In order for solar to grow and to meet customer service expectations, we need a safe, reliable, and robust electric grid. The ACC decision today recognizes that it's only fair that everyone who uses the grid and benefits from its services should help pay to support it and keep it operating reliably at all times."

For more:
- see this EEI report

Related Articles:
EEI sucked into APS scandal
Solar organizations call for APS investigation

Read more about: Public Utilities Commission
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2. Exelon gaining competitive edge from creative data use


Exelon Corporation has launched the first in a series of Innovation Expos aimed at bringing together employees and outside experts to explore innovative solutions to complex business problems, specifically, ways in which Exelon can create value by tapping into the ever-expanding field of "big data."

Credit: Exelon

Participants learned how companies are harvesting terabytes of data to learn more about their customers, drive innovation, and increase productivity and growth.

"The growing linkage between advanced technology and the creative use of data provides opportunities for Exelon to develop new energy products and services, operate our businesses more efficiently and better serve customers," said Sonny Garg, senior vice president and chief information and innovation officer for Exelon. "As the energy industry becomes increasingly competitive, events like this help Exelon gain an edge by identifying emerging technologies and adapting the best ideas from inside and outside the company."

A key element of big data involves harvesting and analyzing large data streams, looking for patterns and identifying ways to effectively exploit the information to make better business decisions. For example, deep data analysis is helping Exelon design more effective customer service systems, optimize maintenance practices, identify ways to reduce costs across the enterprise and develop products that help customers make smarter use of energy. 

"Exelon is really two companies -- an energy company and a customer service company -- and underlying both of those are a lot of data sets," said Robert C. Wolcott, a senior lecturer at Northwestern University and a panelist at the event. "Leveraging these data and bringing employees together to drive innovation across the enterprise is critical to providing top-quality customer service and delivering reliable, clean energy."

For more:
- see this report

Related Article:
Exelon: From "Intelligent Grid" to "Smart Grid"

Read more about: Exelon, big data
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3. Solar PV capacity to double by 2020


Despite decreasing government supportand high-profile bankruptcies, the solar photovoltaic (PV) market continues to grow. Technology costs have steadily declined and continue to do so. By the end of this decade, Navigant Research predicts that solar PV will be cost competitive with retail electricity prices in a significant portion of the world -- even without subsidies.  In fact, annual installations of new solar PV capacity will more than double by 2020 -- from 35.9 GW in 2013 to 73.4 GW in 2020, according to Navigant.

Photovoltaic array at the National Solar Energy Center, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, in Israel's Negev Desert. Credit: David Shankbone/Wikimedia Commons

"Lower prices for solar PV modules are opening up new markets for distributed PV, while also helping the technology reach grid parity more quickly in high-cost retail electricity markets," said Dexter Gauntlett, senior research analyst with Navigant Research. "The Asia Pacific region is expected to be the leading regional market for solar PV installations throughout the forecast period, led by China, where more than 100 GW of solar PV will be deployed by 2020."

As the industry matures, the market will evolve in several ways. While installation types vary by region, Navigant expects a general shift toward non-distributed solar PV systems as a larger percentage of all solar PV installed capacity. Distributed systems will account for less than half of all installations in 2014, and non-distributed systems will represent more than half of the market through 2020, Navigant says.

For more:
- see this report

Related Articles:
PV installs to triple by 2017 in emerging countries
Global solar PV market to stabilize in 2013
Global PV to set records in 2014

Read more about: Solar Photovoltaics, distributed solar
back to top



4. Renewable energy attracting investors


Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the North American power and utilities industry increased in the third quarter of 2013 on both a year-over-year and sequential quarter basis as dealmakers in the industry continue to consider opportunistic M&A to achieve strategic growth, according to PwC U.S.

The report notes there were 12 power and utilities transactions greater than $50 million in the third quarter of 2013, compared to seven deals in the previous quarter and eight during the third quarter of 2012.  While volume increased, the total value of deals worth $50 million or more declined to $4.6 billion from $12.5 billion in the second quarter of 2013, largely due to one mega deal worth $10.4 billion in the second quarter. Excluding that deal, third quarter total value increased 115 percent over the second quarter's total of $2.1 billion. 

Strategic investors accounted for 72 percent of deal value in the third quarter of 2013, according to the report, compared to 100 percent in the second quarter, as the sector increased financial investor activity.

There were three renewable power deals in the third quarter of 2013. 

"We saw a notable rise in deal activity in the third quarter and expect that activity to continue in future quarters as the hunt for yield and rebalancing of portfolios continues," said Jeremy Fago, PwC's U.S. power & utilities deals leader. "Renewables continue to attract investors seeking stable, predictable cash flows and we expect the industry to continue its consolidation as thirst for yield and uncertainty around incentives remains."   

For more:
- see this report

Related Articles:
Mega deal drives Q2 utility M&A
Utility deal volume, value up in Q1 2013

Read more about: mergers and acquisitions, M&A
back to top



5. Alliant Energy gets approval for MGS siting


Alliant Energy's Iowa utility company, operating under Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL), received a proposed decision and order today from the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) has approved a siting certificate and establishing ratemaking principles for IPL's proposed Marshalltown Generating Station (MGS).

Main Street in Marshalltown, Iowa. Credit: Kepper 66/Wikimedia Commons

Alliant Energy's Iowa utility company is in the process of attaining other state and federal permitting approvals necessary to construct and operate the MGS, upon which the IUB's approval is conditional. Pending all regulatory approvals, the company expects to begin construction on the 600 MW combined-cycle natural gas facility in 2014 and begin operations in 2017.

"We are pleased that the order supports the need for MGS and that its construction would benefit our customers for years to come," said Tom Aller, President of Alliant Energy's Iowa utility company. "We are currently evaluating the details of today's order."

Those details include the following provisions:

  • The cost cap shall be $920 million, including the facility, transmission costs, owner's costs and AFUDC.
  • IPL shall be permitted to include in rates the actual cost of the MGS project up to the cost cap of $920 million without the need to establish prudence or reasonableness.  IPL shall be required to establish the prudence and reasonableness of any cost in excess of the cost cap.
  • The allowed rate of return of common equity capital on the portion of the MGS project included in Iowa electric rate base shall be 11 percent. This rate of return and common equity will not apply to the AFUDC calculation.
  • An ROE of 10.3 percent will be used in calculating the AFUDC rate.
  • The depreciable life of MGS for the first rate case where it is included shall be 35 years.
  • If IPL cancels construction of the MGS project for a good cause, IPL's prudently incurred costs, as determined by the Board, shall be amortized over a period not more than 5 years.
  • The issue of double leverage will be addressed at a later date in the context of a rate case or other proceeding.
  • IPL will notify the IUB within 30 days of receipt of this order whether it accepts the advance ratemaking principles awarded in this proceeding.

For more:
- see this Order

Read more about: combined-cycle natural gas
back to top



Also Noted

This week's sponsor is A. Cullen & Associates, Inc.

Visit our new site at www.acullen.com to view our expanded recruiting and career marketing services!


Quick news from around the Web.
> Making clouds work together. Article 
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> Q&A with Steve Durbin of the Information Security Forum. Article
> Overconfidence could doom SMBs when it comes to mobile security. Article


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