Electricity
When the Mercury Rises, So Do Electricity Prices. How Demand Flexibility Can Help
The basic law of supply and demand says that as demand surges and/or as supply lags, prices go up. Nowhere have we seen that effect more acutely than with wholesale electricity prices through this exceptionally hot summer in the United States. From the Pacific Northwest to the Southwest to the…
The 10 Questions to Ask When You Hear the Word “Microgrid”
The word “microgrid” can mean many things to different people. The next time you hear about a microgrid, consider asking about the ownership, how it interacts with the larger grid, its size, its purpose and timeline, its infrastructure, and its “smartness.”
Are Residential Demand Charges The Next Big Thing in Electricity Rate Design?
Guest author Matt Lehrman is an RMI alum. Demand charges for commercial and industrial customers have long been a part of the electric industry. Since utilities need to build infrastructure to meet both instantaneous and long-term requirements, the utility bill contains both an energy charge, which measures the amount of…
An Alaskan Island Goes 100% Renewable
Kodiak Island's grid combines hydro, wind, batteries, and microgrid technologies.
The 10 Things Likely To Be Missing From Tesla’s Stationary Storage News
For batteries to be truly transformative—for customers and the grid—we need to recognize the full range of values they can provide and remove barriers preventing customer-sited batteries from providing all of those values.