As US power grid costs rise and the length of outages increases, risk-aware regulation—an approach in which regulators explicitly and proactively seek to identify, understand, and minimize the risks associated with electric utility resource investment, will lead to the efficient deployment of utility resources, the continued financial health of utilities, and the confidence and satisfaction…
Beijing’s January 13, 2013 air pollution episode drew international media attention when PM2.5 levels spiked to 1000 ug/m3—almost 30 times the standard in the US, and well above the 300 ug/m3 threshold the China Air Quality Index considers “heavily polluted.” At the same time, all of eastern China was affected by a pervasive haze that…
In this commentary for Climate Spectator, RAP senior advisor David Crossley sets the record straight on China’s energy efficiency accomplishments. Since the 1980’s, the Chinese government has established a series of wide-reaching energy conservation and energy efficiency policies. As a result, energy intensity has steadily declined since then, with a decrease of 19% from 2006…
The Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) has appointed Dr. Carl Linvill a principal in its U.S. program. Linvill brings nearly 30 years of experience on energy matters to RAP, where he will lead RAP’s work on renewable energy integration and transmission planning in the Western U.S., while serving all regions in meeting today’s energy planning challenges….
In the past two years, the state of New York has been battered by a series of storms, including Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Irene, and Tropical Storm Lee. Invoking the Moreland Act of 1907, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo established the Moreland Commission on Utility Storm Preparation and Response last month to investigate the effectiveness of…
RAP Senior Associate Lisa Schwartz was recently appointed by Governor John Kitzhaber as the new Director of the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE). In her new role, Ms. Schwartz will oversee the 120-employee agency and implement the state’s new 10-Year Energy Action Plan, which aims to maximize energy efficiency, remove barriers to the development of…
John Hoffman, “father” of the Energy Star program and an instrumental force in developing and securing the Montreal Protocol, passed away on September 24th, 2012. “John was a passionate leader with insight, vision, and the determination to make a difference,” remarked David Moskovitz, RAP Principal and Co-Founder. “He succeeded because of his creative mind, his…
In a recent article published by SNL Financial, Richard Sedano, Principal and U.S. Programs Director framed the expiring federal renewable production tax credit within a larger context: He said, “I am concerned that a complex topic of public policy influencing wholesale energy prices, which [are] subject to a myriad of influences from state and federal…
In August 2011, the Regulatory Assistance Project officially joined the IEA DSM Programme as a Sponsor. The IEA DSM (Demand-Side Management) Programme is an international collaboration of countries working together to develop and promote opportunities for demand-side management.RAP’s participation is led by Richard Cowart, Programme Director for RAP-Europe, and Rick Weston, RAP’s Programme Director for…
“Richard Cowart, European programmes director of the regulatory assistance project non-governmental organisation, believes the energy savings targets proposed are achievable in Europe…”The global experience is that requiring large energy providers to help their customers save energy is good business, and good for national economies. Efficiency targets that are merely advisory rarely work.” Cowart said seven…
