Last week in Atlanta, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) held their annual meeting, which brought together leaders from over 900 Electric Membership Cooperatives (EMCs) across the country. The annual meeting provides an opportunity for EMC leaders to discuss issues facing their cooperatives and strategies to ensure the long term stability of individual EMCs. [...]
How do we get people to lower their electricity consumption overall, not just at peak? A recent conference in Florida showed the high-tech perspective of some energy industry folks and continuing utility focus on cutting demand at peak. Of the six speakers who discussed matters bearing on Florida’s electric grid, only three really recognized the importance of addressing how much electricity [...]
The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) just set goals for electric energy efficiency well below targets set—and achieved—by other states, but not surprisingly, several FEECA utilities filed objections seeking still lower goals.
Earlier, we reviewed the goals and outlined why the PSC’s targets were as weak as they were—but still the utilities want to aim even lower. Progress, FP&L, Gulf and [...]
In recent months, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken great strides to improve air quality and protect the environment by proposing stricter standards for ozone and sulfur dioxide, and begin regulation of coal ash waste and greenhouse gases. If these standards and regulations are implemented, they could inhibit the development of new coal-fired power [...]
The PSC meeting last week was marked by two dramatic changes for Florida electric utilities. Utility-oriented commissioner Carter was succeeded as chair for 2010-2012 by the far more consumer-oriented commissioner, Nancy Argenziano. In remarks made while nominating Ms. Argenziano, Chairman Carter said, “. . . she answered the call to leadership.” But in the same meeting in which new electricity conservation [...]
Next week, a former editorial board editor is one of five Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) members who will direct Florida’s major utilities to pursue energy efficiency efforts over the next five years. Will we get more of the same, as the utilities and the Commission staff suggest, or will Florida take a step towards [...]
This post is co-authored by Brandi Colander, NRDC, and John D. Wilson, SACE.
Florida is the dim bulb in the otherwise efficiency-dark Southeast, and the 2009 Energy Efficiency Scorecard from ACEEE shows how badly its electric utilities are dragging Florida’s ranking down. Slipping from 19th to 23rd in the country in a much-improved study, the impact [...]
The Florida Public Service Commission staff have just issued their recommendation for the next decade of energy efficiency programs in Florida. Their recommendation, see document 10584-09, is to stick with the status quo, burdening Florida with billions of dollars in unnecessary energy costs and the construction of unnecessary power plants costing tens of billions of [...]
Last Wednesday, the St. Petersburg Times recognized the “Powerful Savings” available to Florida by investing in conservation. Yet the chief obstacle to conservation remains Florida’s commitment to overinvest in nuclear power. Even if the utilities had not biased their efficiency analysis with nonsensical limitations, their assumption that unlicensed nuclear reactors would be built on schedule [...]
Want solar on your rooftop, but can’t afford to buy the panels yourself? If you’re a Duke Energy customer, you can sign up with your utility to install their solar panels on your rooftop.
Duke Energy announced the selected sites of the first phase of its 10 megawatt, $50 million distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) program [...]