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Incisive commentary from RAP experts
RAP experts keep their finger on the pulse of the energy sector and provide timely analysis of topics impacting stakeholders TODAY.
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March 20, 2018
Leveling the Playing Field for Storage Resources in China’s Electricity Markets: A View from the U.S.
- Max Dupuy ,
- Kevin Porter
In February, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) finalized a historic rule on participation of storage resources in the “ISO/RTO” wholesale electricity markets. ISO/RTO markets cover about two-thirds of the United States and are roughly analogous to the… View Summary +
March 13, 2018
Energy Efficiency 2.0: New Questions, Same Answer
- Ken Colburn
One of RAP’s longtime mantras is: “Efficiency is the answer. What’s the question?” We’ve demonstrated that energy efficiency provides a “layer cake” of multiple benefits, that it could help us meet almost a third of power system demand… View Summary +
January 11, 2018
The quiet power market transformation behind the new carbon market in China
In December, the Chinese government announced the launch of a national carbon emissions trading scheme (ETS), which is expected to become the largest ETS in the world. This is a major development, writes Max Dupuy, senior associate at the Regulatory… View Summary +
January 4, 2018
Environmental Permits Can Help to Implement Power Sector Reform
- Christopher James
During my trip to China this past October and November, my tenth such during that time of year, I wore my facemask only once, on a day when the air quality index (AQI) was 260. While an AQI of 260… View Summary +
November 28, 2017
On the Road to “Efficiency First” in the Energy Union – Are we there yet?
- Edith Bayer
In 2015, the European Commission adopted moderating energy demand as a pillar of the Energy Union and “Efficiency First” as a guiding principle underpinning it. Last Friday, the Commission released its third State of the Energy Union. So how… View Summary +
October 17, 2017
Excess Rooftop Solar Generation, A Source of Help for Neighbors
- Janine Migden-Ostrander ,
- Dara Torre
It seems that almost overnight, huge numbers of American electricity consumers have become electricity producers, mostly via their rooftop solar systems. Today, these Americans aren’t just pulling electrons from the grid, they are adding to the supply of… View Summary +
October 17, 2017
The Clean Growth Strategy puts faith in energy efficiency – here’s how to do it
The UK government’s new Clean Growth Strategy gives quite a lot of priority to energy efficiency. That’s good news, write Jan Rosenow and Richard Cowart. What’s needed next is to develop the policies that actually deliver the goods. This can be… View Summary +
October 6, 2017
EU must take regionalisation of electricity markets a step further
- Philip Baker
The European Commission has proposed to set up Regional Operational Centers (ROCs), which is a welcome step in the further integration of the EU internal electricity market, writes Philip Baker of the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP). However, according to Baker,… View Summary +
September 21, 2017
A Pragmatic Proposal for Supplier Compensation
- Philip Baker
The European Commission has proposed that independent aggregators should not be required anymore to pay compensation to suppliers, as is the case in many EU member states today. According to Philip Baker this proposal should be supported, as it will… View Summary +
September 13, 2017
For Climate Progress, Solutions Sprout from Cities, States
- Christopher James
At this past summer’s meeting of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), I served on a panel of experts discussing what might happen to America’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the wake of the Trump administration’s… View Summary +