Co-authors of the publication “Decoupling Case Studies: Revenue Regulation Implementation in Six States,” Janine Migden-Ostrander and Dave Lamont explored different approaches to revenue regulation programs in a webinar held on September 11, 2014. They highlight design and policy options for regulators and utilities considering revenue regulation mechanisms. ...

Energy efficiency (EE) is generally recognized as a least-cost option. However, the details of designing programs do not always lend themselves to easy consensus. These details include program size, cost recovery mechanisms, lost revenues, cost-allocation, and incentives. Adding other clean energy options to the agenda makes consensus seem even more difficult. En...

This paper examines revenue regulation, popularly known as decoupling, and the various elements of revenue regulation that can be assembled in numerous ways based on state priorities and preferences to eliminate the throughput incentive. This publication focuses on six utilities: Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Idaho Power Company, Baltimore Gas and Electric Co...

This short policy brief dispels the myth that electricity portfolios with high penetrations of variable renewable resources threaten reliability. The authors review eight recent studies commissioned by utilities, governments, and non-governmental organizations to address this issue, and find that none suggest insurmountable reliability problems. The studies revie...

Puerto Rico is currently considering legislation on power sector reform that would create regulatory oversight of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) and any other energy service provider that is or would be engaged in furnishing electric services. A comprehensive regulatory oversight package should be accompanies by the creation of a consumer advoca...

Puerto Rico is confronting a growing list of challenges in the electricity sector. Perhaps chief among them are high rates and inefficient generation. These challenges are increasingly recognized as concerns connected to governance and oversight of the Puerto Rico Energy Power Authority (PREPA), the government-owned, self-regulated, and largely vertically-integra...

Increased adoption of distributed solar photovoltaics (PV), and other forms of distributed generation, have the potential to affect utility-customer interactions, system costs recovery, and utility revenue streams. If a greater number of electricity customers choose to self-generate, demand for system power will decrease and utility fixed costs will have to be re...

The Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) was asked by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop and implement a deep dive into a state within the US, creating an in-depth work stream to better inform policymakers on utility program designs and regulatory policies that improve end-use energy efficiency. To that end, RAP selected the state of Arkansas for its dee...