Energy
More Lessons From Germany
The Germans have learned that green energy from windmills is not reliable. And that depending on Russia for reliable natural gas backup is expensive – and not all that reliable either.
Read MoreThe MPSC, Green Energy and Grand Gulf
Once again, we encourage the Mississippi Public Service Commission to do its job: assure reliable affordable electricity for Mississippi customers. It’s supposed to make Entergy Mississippi and Mississippi Power do this … But the MPSC listens to the utilities and to the Public Utilities Staff which “balances” the interests of customers and utilities. No one speaks just for customers.
Read MoreBPF Book Review | “A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations”
In March 2022, energy and fuels once again find themselves at a pivot point in a global confrontation. “A Question of Power” is an excellent guidebook to better understand the current situation and what might be done about it. Regulators in wealthy nations should read it and take heed.
Read MoreEntergy’s Kemper
What about Entergy’s green power? Will it be affordable? Who knows. If it’s not, maybe the PSC will make the company pay for it. Will it be reliable? Maybe not. What will the PSC do then? What will customers do if there are power outages and rolling blackouts? Where will they get their power?
Read MoreNatural Gas Rocks the World
Price discovery is a critical component of free market economies. It is how entrepreneurs, businesses and investors identify risks and opportunities as they allocate capital to both avoid pitfalls and exploit new developments across the economy. Some price changes are transitory, others are secular. And at rare times, price moves can indicate disruptive innovation. In the commodities market, wise analysis of price signals can be the difference between success and failure.
Read MoreSome Supply Chain Tales
Water, water everywhere, and all the boards did shrink; water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink. Carbon dioxide, carbon dioxide everywhere, and all the packing houses did close; carbon dioxide, carbon dioxide everywhere, nor any meat was froze.
Read MoreGrand Gulf Report Card for Affordable and Reliable Electricity — F
Grand Gulf receives a failing grade if affordable and reliable electricity for its customers is the goal. It’s supposed to be the goal of the public service commission who regulates the utility monopoly. This structure seems to have room for improvement as evidenced by these legal complaints. Seems a proactive structure in place of a reactive one would better serve the customers’ interests.
Read MoreA Tale of Two Electricities
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” A revolution is underway in the land and life as we know and enjoy it is at stake. Why? Because the market in electricity generation is being divided between good fuels and bad fuels. Bad fuels emit CO2 while good fuels do not. But rearranging fuel types is no small matter, it requires large capital investment and makes electricity generation more expensive, more complicated and it turns out less reliable.
Read MoreEntergy’s Fuel Audit Leads To Further Action Required by the PSC
Audits conducted by outside firms hired by the MPSC, analyze fuel costs (which can be passed on to ratepayers in the form of increased rates) and whether improvements can be made by the utilities to save customers money.
Read MoreGet Ready for Gigawatt Change
While the heavy ‘fog of war’ still lingers over the pandemic battlefield, people can be excused for not realizing that America is in the midst of a monumental economic transition. This mega-transition is the switch from internal combustion engines (ICE) that burn fossil fuels to electric powered vehicles (EVs). This is a big deal with the current nationwide fleet of vehicles estimated at 276 million of which EVs make up less than 2%.
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