Blog

September 2, 2015

New Chinese Air Law Integrates Energy and Environmental Policy

Christopher James

The National People’s Congress (NPC) adopted revisions to China’s air law on August 29th that will go into effect on January 1, 2016. Last revised in 2000, the new law is intended to respond to and reduce… View Summary +

September 25, 2015

Obama-Xi Joint Presidential Statement on Climate Change Promises Much-Needed Reform of Generator Dispatch in China

Max Dupuy

In China, generator dispatch—which largely determines how the vast fleet of power plants are used on an hour-by-hour basis—has long been inefficient and a major obstacle to meeting China’s air quality and clean energy goals. In addition to the curtailment… View Summary +

October 1, 2015

Skate Where the Puck Is Going to Be

John Shenot

Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky once said, “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” Strangely enough, when I think about what lies ahead for electric… View Summary +

October 22, 2015

New Renewable Energy Integration Pilots Explore Options to Reduce Curtailment of Clean Energy

In a statement dated October 8 (that first appeared online on October 19), China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) launched pilots for renewable energy policy reform in Gansu province and Inner Mongolia. These provinces have substantial… View Summary +

November 6, 2015

Smart Rate Design

Rate design is the regulatory term used to describe the pricing structure reflected in customer bills and used by electric utilities in the United States. Rate design is not only the itemized prices set forth in tariffs; it is also… View Summary +

November 10, 2015

Effective Permitting System Needed to Secure Air Quality Gains in China

Christopher James

Since 2011, the Chinese government has made significant progress in developing comprehensive air quality plans, by adopting new ambient air quality and emission standards, deploying more than 1,000 new air quality monitors, and establishing stringent air quality improvement targets. Most… View Summary +

November 10, 2015

完善排污许可证制度，实现空气质量的提高

Christopher James

自2011年起，中国政府在制定综合全面的空气质量规划方面取得了巨大的进步，不仅采用了新的空气质量和排放标准、部署了上千个空气质量监测仪、制定了严格的空气质量改善目标，而且最近修订的大气法中更是包含了对于违规的企业实行“按日计罚”等措施。制定标准是关键的第一步，而实施则是确保实现减少污染物排放目标更为重要的一步。… View Summary +

December 2, 2015

Put the Horse Before the Cart: Align Clean Power Plan Compliance with State Energy Goals

Ken Colburn ,
Christopher James

Most states are still sorting through the details of EPA’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) final rule. Given its significant, though generally positive, departure from the proposed rule, and EPA’s initial plan submittal deadline of September 6, 2016,… View Summary +

December 3, 2015

Energy Efficiency Collaboratives, In All Shapes and Sizes, Can Help State PUCs

Most energy proceedings are convened before a state public utility commission, and offer few opportunities for consumers and other stakeholders to participate. However, collaboratives provide an effective opportunity for multiple stakeholders to discuss a variety of issues in a constructive… View Summary +

December 11, 2015

Efficiency First for Germany’s Energiewende

Germany’s “Energiewende” (Energy Transition) represents a national commitment to meet aggressive economy-wide decarbonisation targets and to transform the German power sector from a reliance on nuclear and coal to renewable resources within the next four decades. Germany is unique in… View Summary +

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