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Rugby, and the art of regulating energy in times of uncertainty

By Bram Claeys, Dominic Scott
Here’s an analogy you weren’t expecting: Regulating energy is, surprisingly, much like regulating the sport of rugby. Regulators in both areas contend with challenges from a number of fronts. Rugby “regulators” have had to, over time, adapt the game to please players, fans and sponsors to keep the sport viable and entertaining. Energy regulators are also ... Read More

Non-wires alternatives can be a solution to India’s grid reliability challenge

By Rasika Athawale
India’s electricity regulators, at the central and state level, are tasked with setting appropriate regulations and standards that govern grid reliability and protect consumer rights. While the incidence of complete blackout is rare, the reliability of distribution networks — better known as discoms in India — is below par, especially in rural areas. One... Read More

How Electrifying Trucks Can Help Roadside Neighborhoods Breathe Easier

By David Farnsworth, Camille Kadoch, Nancy Seidman
We know that electrifying trucks, as we wrote last month, can reduce significant amounts of air pollution; it can also have significant health benefits, particularly for frontline communities. Analysis by Alexander Meitiv and Ann Xu for Texas A&M’s Transportation Institute finds that, by electrifying just 40% of existing, predominantly diesel-fueled medium-... Read More

Building insulation: Is hydrogen our get out of jail free card?

By Jan Rosenow
In the board game Monopoly, an important feature is the ‘get out of jail free’ card, which allows players who end up in jail to avoid paying a fine to get out. In recent months, gas industry representatives have suggested that, when it comes to decarbonising buildings, hydrogen is their get out of jail free card. They argue that eliminating emissions from ... Read More

India’s electric grid reliability and its importance in the clean energy transition

By Rasika Athawale
Not too long ago, electricity consumers across states in India used to suffer long and frequent power outages. Daily or weekly load shedding – pre-defined intervals for planned power supply cut-off – was so prevalent that people used to plan their routine around their distribution company’s (discom’s) load shedding calendar. That changed substantially a c... Read More

Sweetening the deal for heat decarbonisation

By Samuel Thomas
Many governments recognise the link between sugar consumption, obesity and diabetes. As a result, sugar taxes are now in place in more than 50 jurisdictions, including nine European countries. The UK and Ireland introduced modest sugary drinks taxes in 2018. One year later, sugar consumption from soft drinks in the UK had fallen by 10%. If only reducing carbon... Read More

How to get from a cottage industry to a million heat pumps a year

By Jan Rosenow, Pedro Guertler, Richard Lowes
The UK has made incredible strides in decarbonising its power system beyond what many thought was possible. Carbon emissions were at a record low over the recent Easter weekend. While heat pumps have been seen as a strategically important sustainable heat technology for years, the rapid progress in the power sector offers an urgent opportunity to decarbonise heat... Read More

Pipe dream: alleviating energy poverty with hydrogen

By Jan Rosenow, Louise Sunderland
The debate about how to reduce emissions from home heating is hotting up, but it risks being derailed by vocal proponents for the use of hydrogen in place of fossil gas. Affordable home heating with hydrogen is, quite literally, a ‘pipe dream’ [noun: a hope or plan that is impossible to achieve]. The available evidence indicates hydrogen has no significant fu... Read More

Use Less, Save More: Adding a Conservation Incentive to Percentage of Income Payment Programs

By Janine Migden-Ostrander
For low-income households, being able to afford utility service is a constant struggle. The average American household spends 2-3% of its income on its energy bills, but for a low-income family, the energy burden can be more like 15-20% (or higher). Customers may have to decide whether to put money toward utility bills, to avoid a disconnection, versus paying for... Read More

零售电价改革：浅谈中国当前面临的挑战及解决方案

By Wang Xuan, Max Dupuy, Fredrich (Fritz) Kahrl
近年来，中国以及世界各国的电力系统正在发生着根深蒂固的变化。在供应侧，大规模可再生能源并网需要有更灵活的运行机制，在需求侧，新兴的发用电技术和应用包括可再生能源分布式发电、电动汽车、储能和电气化改变了传统的集中式发用电模式。此外，能源通讯系统... Read More

The Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP)® is an independent, non-partisan, non-governmental organization dedicated to accelerating the transition to a clean, reliable, and efficient energy future.