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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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July 18, 2018
PBR-电力监管新模式
- Camille Kadoch ,
- David Littell ,
- Jessica Shipley
美国电力行业的监管体系已有130年历史,而电网正在迅速实现现代化。电力监管机构需要与时俱进,跟上电网现代化步伐。当前兴起的监管模式是基于绩效的监管,简称PBR。很多州现在都在关注如何将电力公司收入和实现绩效目标的能力联系起来,如何在不同环境下应用PBR,睿博能源智库一直在提供相关建议。我们将撰写一系列文章来讨论21世纪电力监管模式PBR应包含什么元素?并介绍最佳实践,设计依据和具体应用,本文是该系列第一篇。 传统的电力监管模式 当今美国的大多数电力公司都是服务成本(Cost-of-Service)监管。消费者向电力公司支付提供电力服务(例如,输电,配电和其他公用基础设施)的成本,以及投资的规定回报。监管机构的工作是监督这种安排,确保服务安全可靠,电费公平。但这种方法激励了某些行为:受监管的电力公司认识到,通过建设更多的发电,输电,配电和其他基础设施,在下一次电价调价前(rate case)尽可能多的销售电量,这样做可以最大化其收入和利润。这对于需要大量资本投资的大型集中式发电厂体系尤其有效。… View Summary +
July 12, 2018
California’s Mandatory PV Code Amendment: Is It Really Time for This?
- Jim Lazar
The press has been abuzz this summer about the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) new building code amendment that will require most single-family residential and low-rise multi-family dwellings to incorporate PV systems at construction. The amendment takes effect in 2020. Buildings… View Summary +
June 14, 2018
Brewing Up the Regulation of the Future
- Camille Kadoch ,
- David Littell ,
- Jessica Shipley
The regulatory system that governs U.S. electric utilities is 130 years old—while our power grid is rapidly modernizing. Utility regulators need a tool that can facilitate reform to keep pace with this change. One tool they are increasingly exploring: performance-based… View Summary +
June 11, 2018
Fuel-Switching: We Just Did This in 1990, So Why Are We Doing It Again?
RAP senior advisor Jim Lazar tells a story about doing a cost and environmental analysis on behalf of the Association of Northwest Gas Utilities in 1990, in which he compared space and water heating run on natural-gas-generated electricity to… View Summary +
April 6, 2018
When Utility Gas Affiliates Play by Monopoly Rules, Consumers Are Likely to Lose
- David Littell
Can monopolies with market power send business to other regulated monopolies? Can one monopoly create a “need” for which ratepayers will be charged by another related monopoly? As it stands right now, the answer to both these questions is yes. View Summary +
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 +
February 12, 2018
As Reliable as Your Morning Coffee: Why Do We Go Overboard on Generation Resource Adequacy?
On a recent Tuesday morning, we had a blackout here in Key West. Five Brothers Grocery, the best Cuban coffee shop in town, is just around the corner, and owner Heriberto “Pepe” Paez was out of the café con leche… View Summary +
January 30, 2018
Calming Chicken Little: An EV Grid Tale Without the Scary Ending
- Jim Lazar
When kids hear the fairy tale Chicken Little, they learn that a confused little bird is hit on the head with an acorn and concludes the sky is falling. It then manages to convince a handful of other animals of… View Summary +
December 22, 2017
Reflections on 2017: Key Trends Shaping the Power Sector
- Jessica Shipley
Reflection comes naturally during the holiday season. As I come to the end of my first year at RAP, I am reflecting on many interesting power sector developments from 2017. I will focus on a handful here—trends that stood out… View Summary +