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  NuScale Power, the canary in the small modular reactor market

  SMRs are being marketed as a solution to the climate crisis, but they're already far more expensive and take much longer to build than renewable and storage resources — technologies we already have.

  David Schlissel • March 21, 2023

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  Extreme weather events are expanding — the US power grid is not

  FERC, governors, state regulators and utilities should focus their efforts on interregional transmission development by encouraging investments that will yield significant long-term benefits.

  Barbara Tyran • March 16, 2023

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  Can utility regulators adopt Silicon Valley’s ‘fail fast’ approach? A new Connecticut program may tell

  While the pace of electric system transformation and technological innovation has increased rapidly over the last 15 years, regulatory structures have struggled to keep pace.

  Josh Ryor, Matt McDonnell, and Eli Asher • March 10, 2023

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  FERC must ensure that customer funds are only used to benefit customers and not political activities

  If FERC provides a level playing field, we have a chance to enact policies that are in our best interest, use science, follow the math, and implement non-emitting energy solutions.

  Priya Gandbhir • March 9, 2023

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  Energy storage can be a lifesaver for people with disabilities, but policymakers can do more

  During climate disasters and extreme weather events, people with underlying health conditions and disabilities face global mortality rates that are four times higher than those without disabilities.

  Maria Chavez • March 6, 2023

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  Are RTOs and ISOs sick, dying or dead?

  Three recent occurrences illustrate that the regional transmission organization/independent system operator regulatory model is spent.

  Raymond L. Gifford and Matthew S. Larson • March 6, 2023

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  To protect families from surging energy bills, stop the foot-dragging on energy efficiency for furnaces

  Wasting less energy to heat our homes can protect millions of Americans, especially lower-income households, against surging fossil fuel costs that will burst budgets for many families over the coming months.

  Richard Eckman • Feb. 14, 2023

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  The US lags on battery sustainability and supply chain transparency — can a digital ‘passport’ be the answer?

  A standardized means by which to track key indicators along supply chains can help the U.S. stay competitive in the race towards decarbonization while helping companies comply with new regulations.

  Emily Burlinghaus • Feb. 13, 2023

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  Renewables would provide cheaper energy than 99% of US coal plants and catalyze a just energy transition

  Investment in lower-cost wind and solar resources is an economic opportunity worth up to $589 billion, providing jobs and tax base to coal communities.

  Michelle Solomon and Mike O’Boyle • Feb. 9, 2023

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  How utilities can prepare for Inflation Reduction Act impacts via bipartisan infrastructure law planning

  There is potential for utilities to substantially boost their clean energy efforts, upgrade infrastructure, and improve customer satisfaction, but they must start by developing an integrated plan of action.

  Michael Jung • Feb. 8, 2023

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  New England policymakers have the tech and funds for energy security. They just need to act.

  Distributed renewable energy — especially when paired with energy storage — can provide near-term relief to high power prices while improving reliability.

  Mike Judge • Feb. 3, 2023

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  Vehicle-to-grid charging is coming fast — here’s how regulators and utilities can prepare now

  If utilities do not start planning now, in a few years we will have millions of EVs on the road that are not being used to their full potential as a source of energy storage.

  Laura Sherman • Feb. 2, 2023

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  Getting politics out of utility bills

  Public utility commissions should explicitly bar utilities from spending customers' money on politics, using clear and common-sense definitions of political activity.

  David Pomerantz • Feb. 1, 2023

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  A responsible supply chain and circular economy for batteries will be critical for EVs and electric utilities

  Whether it’s advanced batteries for EVs or for energy storage to meet peak grid demand, foreign pressures on strategic resources and the global supply chain are directly at odds with our domestic energy policies and ambitions.

  Steve Christensen • Jan. 31, 2023

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  An open letter to the Department of Energy: Enough with the technical assistance

  Well-meaning as they may be, EPA and DOE, which are tasked with distributing the funding from the Inflation Reduction Act and bipartisan infrastructure law, can be painfully oblivious to the needs of recipients.

  Alicia Brown • Jan. 30, 2023

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  EVs are more popular than ever. They’re also extremely prone to cyberattacks.

  If action is not taken to uniformly protect electric vehicles and charging infrastructure from cyber threats, the mobile exoskeleton of the U.S. could be targeted.

  Shahid Mahdi • Jan. 27, 2023

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  6 reasons why grid access charges should not be part of utility rates

  Although GACs are extremely effective in recovering utility fixed and demand costs and reducing cross-subsidies, they do so regressively, posing a serious risk to the sustainable diffusion of rooftop solar technology.

  Ahmed S. Alahmed • Jan. 26, 2023

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  Green hydrogen – The fuel of the future if we lead with data

  Grid-enabled clean hydrogen can be a powerful decarbonization tool if the production involves 100% hourly-matched, locally-procured, clean generation established specifically for the clean hydrogen generator.

  Benjamin L. Gerber • Jan. 25, 2023

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  How US grid operators can defend against the unprecedented surge in power system attacks

  Undertaking random security measures, better information-sharing with law enforcement, and enlisting public support are among the steps grid operators can take to address the increase in attacks.

  Ben Joelson • Jan. 24, 2023

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  The US can go much bigger on offshore wind: 3 lessons from the UK and Denmark

  While 30 GW by 2030 is a good start, the U.K., Denmark, and other nations should inspire us to set our sights orders of magnitude higher.

  Mike O’Boyle • Jan. 19, 2023

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  California PUC’s delay of microgrids program harms disadvantaged communities

  This delay in community microgrid development means more vulnerability to heat waves, wildfires, power shutoffs and pollution, especially in frontline communities.

  Stephanie Doyle and Shina Robinson • Jan. 18, 2023

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  Busting the solar myth: A call to embrace the circular renewable economy

  While there are significant global environmental and social incentives to using solar energy, its resource intensity calls into question whether solar is truly “green”. The bad news is it’s not — at least not yet.

  Zoe Gossett • Jan. 12, 2023

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  Transportation electrification and EVs: Who pays for grid upgrades?

  As more utilities file detailed transportation electrification plans, modifications to service upgrade policies will become essential to avoid financial and inequitable EV adoption roadblocks.

  Michael Hartnack and Jesse Hitchcock • Jan. 11, 2023

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  President Biden, creating a resilience corps will maximize our investments in climate and clean energy

  We must leverage effective strategies to engage the next, more diverse, generation and put them on pathways to good-paying jobs in our rapidly growing clean energy and resilience sectors.

  Emily Andrews, Kristen Bennett, Kevin J. Coyle, Trevor Dolan, Kaira Esgate, Karishma Merchant and Mary Ellen Sprenkel • Jan. 10, 2023

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  Solving the other half of the climate equation: Removing carbon

  Net zero is not just a number; it is an equation. On one side is cutting emissions; on the other is removing carbon altogether.

  Emma Gibbs, Mark Patel and Giulia Siccardo • Jan. 9, 2023

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