Category

Energy

Article, Economy / Finance, Energy, Government and Politics, Utilities and Providers

Wind power prospects may hinge on gas price, government

May 10, 2016

Fresh government support and growing interest from the utility industry is building expectations that wind power will thrive in the U.S. in coming years. Among the latest such assessments is a new report from Fitch Ratings, which sees the industry steadily expanding its share of the nation’s electricity market. “We see this environment remaining very positive for wind power for the next three to four years,” said Maude Tremblay, director of corporate finance at Fitch, an author of the report. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Corporations, Defense, Energy, Technology

Avoiding a big blackout: There’s a drone for that

May 4, 2016

The biggest blackout ever in North America happened 13 years ago when high-voltage power lines brushed against overgrown trees in northern Ohio, triggering breakdowns on the grid that turned out lights in New York City and across eight states as well as Ontario, Canada. The incident in August 2003 demonstrated the importance of trimming trees adjacent to electricity transmission and distribution lines, and the difficulties of doing so when millions of trees dot hundreds of thousands of miles of lines. But now a Palo Alto, Calif., company is teaming up with the U.S. electric-power industry to test the effectiveness of using unmanned aerial vehicles – commonly known as drones – to help utilities scan power lines faster, cheaper and smarter. In the process, the collaboration between Sharper Shape and the Edison Electric Institute could help enable greater commercial use of…

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Economy / Finance, Energy, Government and Politics, International

Venezuela turmoil may alter region’s energy landscape

May 1, 2016

With Venezuela on the brink of economic collapse and oil prices low, Caribbean and Central American countries have an opportunity to cut their reliance on Caracas for oil and switch to low-carbon alternatives. The turmoil in Venezuela is only worsening, with President Nicolás Maduro having just reduced his country’s workweek to two days in the midst of an energy crisis. It comes as officials from Caribbean and Central American nations prepare to attend an energy summit in Washington where expanding international cooperation and improving energy security in the region will top the agenda. Vice President Joe Biden will preside over the May 3-4 meeting. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Corporations, Energy, Utilities and Providers

Growth powers natgas, renewable-energy mergers

April 27, 2016

The growth in natural-gas and renewable-energy trade in the U.S. is driving mergers and acquisitions to high levels in North America. That includes increasing interest from investors in Canada and other countries in assets in the U.S., where a relatively stable regulatory environment and low interest rates make American pipeline, transmission and distribution companies attractive targets. A new report from the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers puts the total value of North American power and utilities deals at $41.4 billion in the first quarter of 2016, compared to $11.5 billion in the previous quarter. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Consumer, Energy, Technology, Utilities and Providers

Can N.Y. solar-electric deal recharge U.S. green-energy effort?

April 26, 2016

The head of the leading rooftop solar company in the U.S. told me last year that one of his top priorities was to strike deals with electric utilities that would make them partners rather than rivals in the changing power sector. “I’m very interested in finding a utility that we can work with that wants to solve problems, not prevent change,” Lyndon Rive, the co-founder and chief executive of SolarCity, said in June. “It would be learning for both of us.” Well, Rive got his wish last week as SolarCity and two other solar developers, SunPower and SunEdison, joined six New York utilities in announcing their formation of the “Solar Progress Partnership.” (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Economy / Finance, Energy, Utilities and Providers

Nat gas prices hit by surplus, mild winter

April 17, 2016

With the warmest winter on record this year and continued high levels of natural gas production, the U.S. ended the season with more gas stored than ever before. By producing so much gas and putting so much away, the industry is likely to face continued low prices for the commodity, not encouraging news for the sector. But the combination of factors also means more opportunities to sell gas to power plants, the U.S. Energy Information Administration says in a new report. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Corporations, Economy / Finance, Energy, Organizations

Clean energy guru touts the power of diversity

April 10, 2016

For the makers of solar, wind and other forms of clean energy, the future looks bright, with all-time-high investments and expanding markets throughout the world. That was evident at a conference in New York held by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, where more than 1,000 producers, investors and others involved in cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels met to discuss the progress that has taken place so far and the opportunities that continue to unfold. No one is more bullish about the industry than Michael Liebreich, the chairman of BNEF, who founded the energy information and research company in 2004 and sold it to the media giant Bloomberg in 2009. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Consumer, Energy, Regulations, Utilities and Providers

Staid power industry is branching out

April 3, 2016

Selling electricity was once a relatively simple proposition. A utility fired up a power station with coal, natural gas, oil or some other fuel, and sent electricity down a wire to customers. But the business model for the electric power industry has changed dramatically in the U.S. over the past 25 years, with deregulation opening markets to competing sellers of electricity, and new technologies offering a dizzying array of options for consumers. The latest sign of change in the industry is the announcement by Edison International of a new subsidiary called Edison Energy that sells “energy as a service” to commercial and industrial customers throughout the U.S. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Corporations, Energy, Government and Politics, Utilities and Providers

Loveless: Battle over big energy infrastructure heats up

March 29, 2016

That was the case for an independent transmission company called Clean Line Energy and its proposal to ship wind power from Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle across Arkansas to the southeastern U.S. Five years ago, regulators in Arkansas turned down the so-called Plains & Eastern project, saying Clean Line Energy didn’t qualify as a public utility serving the state’s electricity consumers. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Corporations, Defense, Energy

Lockheed sharpens its energy-tech efforts

March 20, 2016

Lockheed Martin has developed and sold energy technology for years but never made a concentrated push into that market, until now. The defense giant announced the other day the consolidation of its various energy businesses into a new entity called Lockheed Martin Energy, one that aims to take advantage of sweeping changes in energy, particularly in electric power. “For decades, we have been investing in smart, natural and safe energy technologies,” Frank Armijo, the newly appointed vice president of Lockheed Martin Energy, said in a statement from the Bethesda, Md.-based corporation. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless