Transmission

January 9, 2023

Deregulation Is Still Wrong for Consumers

For years, Energy Fairness has warned of the various dangers of deregulating the electricity marketplace, offering evidence to policymakers and the public that deregulation makes electricity more expensive and less reliable for consumers. Now, an article from The New York Times underscores those warnings. What is electricity deregulation? Deregulation simply […]
October 28, 2022

EV Use Is Growing, But Where Are The Chargers?

Electric vehicle interest is growing, despite short supplies. However, even when vehicles are available, a lack of charging infrastructure or “range anxiety” keeps many customers from taking the leap. How can we help potential EV owners face this hurdle? The simple answer is to build out more charging infrastructure. The […]
October 14, 2022

To Drill or Not to Drill

Earlier this month, OPEC announced it would cut production by more than 2 million barrels of crude oil per day starting in November, a move that will increase gas prices when much of the world is already experiencing pain at the pump. The Biden Administration responded by saying there would […]
October 6, 2022

Solar Energy Growth Fuels Need For Recycling

As we wrote last week, the Inflation Reduction Act is expected to spur renewable energy adoption and manufacturing in the U.S. This is welcome news since the vast majority of solar panels have long been manufactured overseas, often in less than stellar conditions. However, the rapid solar panel growth in […]
September 29, 2022

Tax Credits May Spur U.S. Renewable Energy Manufacturing

As we wrote back in August, the recently signed Inflation Reduction Act is a bit of a mixed bag for inflation. However, it contains some bright spots for U.S. manufacturers and the future of the clean energy industry. Will the U.S. finally become a player in the renewable energy manufacturing […]
September 21, 2022

The Race for Nuclear Fusion Is Heating Up

For nearly a century, the scientific community has pursued the goal of nuclear fusion, hoping to invent technology to create plasma, literal star power on Earth at temperatures many times hotter than our sun. The challenges are enormous, but so are the potential rewards. If achieved, fusion can create near-limitless […]
September 8, 2022

California Faces Blackout Risk….Again

Yet another heat wave is scorching California. Temperatures soared into the triple digits, with officials urging residents to conserve energy as the power grid threatened to go dark.  Miraculously, the state managed to avert a crisis after a well-timed text message campaign. At 5:30 PM, California’s grid operator ordered its […]
August 31, 2022

EV Tax Credits May Not Spur Widespread Adoption

The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act significantly changed electric vehicle (E.V.) tax credits. While Energy Fairness enthusiastically supports E.V.s, we have to wonder whether the tax credit changes will help speed the E.V. transition. We’re not alone in our concerns. In fact, U.S. automakers worry that up to 70% of […]
August 24, 2022

Germany Looks Elsewhere for Energy Supplies

More than a decade ago, Germany embarked on its aggressive energy transition, known as Energiewende. With the expectation that wind and solar energy alone could someday power Europe’s largest economy, the country set about aggressively shutting down coal and nuclear power plants. It ended up with an unstable power grid […]
August 18, 2022

Diablo Canyon Gets a Lifeline

For years, Energy Fairness has urged California lawmakers to keep Diablo Canyon, the state’s last remaining nuclear plant, online. Finally, Governor Gavin Newsome heard those calls and has released a draft proposal for extending the lifespan of the two reactors by five to ten years. The proposal calls for keeping […]
August 3, 2022

An Energy Bill By Another Name

After going back and forth over energy and climate-related legislation for over a year, Senate Democrats unveiled the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 last week. Along with funding for healthcare and changes to the tax code, the bill includes $369 billion in energy security and climate spending. The bill aims […]
July 29, 2022

Cyber Security Actions Leave Us Vulnerable

In May of last year, the Eastern European crime group DarkSide shut down the Colonial Pipeline for six days. The pipeline provides 45% of fuel for the East Coast and its shutdown left thousands of service stations without gas and pushed prices to levels that, at the time, had not […]
February 16, 2018

Budget Distractions Won’t Help Energy Infrastructure

Earlier this week, the Office of Management and Budget released the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2019 budget proposal. As with any massive federal government document, there’s a mixture of good and bad ideas. Stakeholders and media are still reading to find both. To be sure, there are highlights, such as forward-thinking […]
March 1, 2018

Time to Build Energy Infrastructure

Several key congressional committees chose to focus on Infrastructure this week. This makes sense, as practical chances for moving a comprehensive infrastructure package are likely to run out of fuel around July 31, as lawmakers kick over into re-election gear. President Trump set forth a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan a […]
April 3, 2020

75 years ago – TVA and BPA Power Helped Win a Very Different War

During his whistle-stop campaign tour in 1948, President Harry Truman spoke to a rally in Pocatello, Idaho noting  “Without Grand Coulee and Bonneville dams it would have been almost impossible to win this war [World War II].”  And in his final days, Senator George Norris (R–Nebraska) the father of the Rural Electrification Act […]
December 16, 2020

REPORT: Want Renewables? Build More Transmission.

More than two years ago, I wrote my first article as the newly minted Executive Director of Energy Fairness.  The article? The need for adequate electric transmission to realize the continued and reliable expansion of renewable energy.  Fast-forward two years and the story remains the same.  Renewable energy development continues […]
March 10, 2021

In 2021 note to shareholders, Buffet pledges $18 billion to jump over transmission regulatory hurdles

In his 2021 annual note to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, Warren Buffet noted that “the best sites for the new world of wind and solar generation…are often in remote areas.”  Buffet made this assertion to convey that for the renewable energy evolution and revolution to continue the U.S. must make a […]