May/June 2012

New Features

The Future of Renewable Energy Finance
May 10, 2012 | By Kennedy Maize
Scaling back and outright expiration of government subsidies will make financing renewable energy projects more difficult in the future, according to experts at the law firm of Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo. But there will still be a greater appetite for renewables than there is supply, so it should still be possible to find the funds to build the projects. More »

Leveraging State Clean Energy Funds
May 10, 2012 | By Lewis Milford, Mark Muro, Jessica Morey, Devashree Saha, and Mark Sinclair
Consider state clean energy funds as potential replacement funding sources for future clean energy projects. More »

End Game for Rare Earth Dispute?
May 10, 2012 | By Kennedy Maize
The end of the long-running flap over access to markets for rare earth minerals may be in sight, driven by a combination of political and diplomatic pressure at high levels and the normal workings of the marketplace.  More »

Power Industry Needs to Focus on Grooming the Next Generation of Leaders
May 10, 2012 | By Thomas W. Overton, JD
The power industry has not done a good job grooming and mentoring the next generation of leaders and, as a result, is facing a leadership gap as the current generation approaches retirement, two executive search professionals told MANAGING POWER. While prospects for entry-level recruitment have improved, it will be five to 20 years before this cohort is ready to lead. In the near term, a renewed focus on grooming future leaders is critical. More »

Five Ways to Make Energy Real to Your Customers
May 10, 2012 | By John Egan
Lack of customer participation—or outright customer resistance—is likely to kill at least one of your utility’s strategic initiatives. Perhaps it already has. But utilities can take a variety of easy steps to prevent the wounding or premature death of strategic initiatives such as smart meters, new rate and efficiency programs, or capital construction projects. More »

 Section 203 of the Federal Power Act requires certain mergers and acquisitions to be “consistent with the public interest.” Since its 1996 Merger Policy Statement, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has applied this standard by assessing a merger's effect on competition, rates, and the effectiveness of regulation. Does its approach need updating? More »

Utility-scale solar generation projects require significant upfront expenditures on photovoltaic panels and other equipment. The success of such projects largely depends on whether the system performs as promised by the manufacturers. This puts a premium on properly evaluating and effectively negotiating equipment warranties. More »

One of the most important communication skills for leaders and managers is listening. In your professional life, listening is at the heart of effective leadership, and in your personal life, listening is an act of love. More »

VIDEO

Smart Power Management at UCSD

POWER magazine toured the multiple-award-winning cogeneration facility at the University of California, San Diego in late summer. The campus already controls a fully functioning microgrid—including a cogeneration plant—and, as befits a research institution, is constantly looking for new ways to make its energy system smarter. This “living laboratory,” as campus leaders like to call it, demonstrates what it takes to build a smarter grid, and why the effort is worth it.

New Features

VIDEO

Smart Power Management at UCSD

Don't Miss a Thing

Do you have a story idea?

The Rebranding of Global Warming

TREND: M&A on the Move

Subscribe to Managing Power