Helen Aki

As states and the federal government seek to advance renewable energy deployment, one possible policy tool is restructuring of electricity generation regulation in order to increase competition. There have been a wide range of generation restructuring measures at both the state and federal level in the electric power sector since the 1990s. In this Article, we compile a comprehensive dataset of different types of generation restructuring policies, including divestiture, procurement, siting, and… Show more

As states and the federal government seek to advance renewable energy deployment, one possible policy tool is restructuring of electricity generation regulation in order to increase competition. There have been a wide range of generation restructuring measures at both the state and federal level in the electric power sector since the 1990s. In this Article, we compile a comprehensive dataset of different types of generation restructuring policies, including divestiture, procurement, siting, and interconnection requirements at the state level as well as the establishment of regional grid governance entities. Leveraging variation in timing of state-level policy adoption, creation and roll-out of regional grid
governance entities, we show that restructuring efforts on divestiture and siting overall matter a lot. While the absolute magnitude of the changes from these policies appears small (increasing renewable electricity capacity by 1.7-2.5%), they represent very large – and statistically significant – increases from the low baseline level of renewable capacity in our measured time period. For instance, changes to state regulations for siting generation facilities increase renewable energy capacity levels in a state by 50%. Development of regional transmission organizations and independent system operators have had smaller positive direct impacts, and amplifies the effects of other renewable policies. By contrast, we find little impacts for generation restructuring related to interconnection and procurement, and we find little impact of public versus private ownership in determining renewable investment. Our results show that some forms of generation markets can advance renewable energy development, but that the public versus private status of a utility system is unlikely to be a key driver of outcomes. Show less

Energy information and technology has reached a point where the operator of a twenty-first-century grid can balance supply and demand based on value, not cost. Better data, more distributed and dynamic resources, and improvements in supporting infrastructure represent an opportunity for an electric system to operate more reliably with less environmental impact and through competitive markets that yield economically efficient rates. The twentieth-century framework for regulating grid operations… Show more

Energy information and technology has reached a point where the operator of a twenty-first-century grid can balance supply and demand based on value, not cost. Better data, more distributed and dynamic resources, and improvements in supporting infrastructure represent an opportunity for an electric system to operate more reliably with less environmental impact and through competitive markets that yield economically efficient rates. The twentieth-century framework for regulating grid operations advanced last year, when the Supreme Court upheld Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Order 745 and FERC’s authority to pay demand response as much as generation for comparable benefits to the grid. However, the Court also upheld Order 745’s net benefits test, which says that demand response is only comparable to generation when it lowers wholesale rates.

This Note argues that the net benefits test is a flawed indicator of when demand response is comparably valuable to generation. Moreover, it contravenes the rationale for FERC’s market-based rates authority by focusing on whether rates are low, rather than efficient. This matters because it could unnecessarily limit competition in wholesale markets between traditional generation and non-conventional, demand-side and storage resources, and disproportionately prioritize the interests of market buyers. As an alternative, this Note proposes that FERC leverage grid-edge data and technology to better define and differentiate between demand resources, and take steps to address externalities. This would promote more efficient market operations, facilitate a just and reasonable balance among the modern electric system’s diverse interests, and ensure that demand response receives equal compensation when it maximizes societal value, rather than minimizes cost. Show less

Federal minimum efficiency standards are increasing and new state, and local building energy codes (e.g., ASHRAE 90.1-2010/IECC 2012 and CA Title 24) demand greater energy savings from commercial lighting through more rigorous controls and lighting power density requirements. As a result, efficiency program administrators are challenged to design voluntary programs that move beyond traditional, product efficacy-oriented approaches. Program administrators must capture verifiable energy savings… Show more

Federal minimum efficiency standards are increasing and new state, and local building energy codes (e.g., ASHRAE 90.1-2010/IECC 2012 and CA Title 24) demand greater energy savings from commercial lighting through more rigorous controls and lighting power density requirements. As a result, efficiency program administrators are challenged to design voluntary programs that move beyond traditional, product efficacy-oriented approaches. Program administrators must capture verifiable energy savings from a range of strategies including advanced fixtures, controls and design, while being flexible enough to address emerging lighting technology, differing regulatory environments, and varying customer priorities.

This paper seeks to accomplish three things. First, it will highlight common drivers affecting commercial lighting program design in a dynamic regulatory and market context, and draw from existing energy efficiency program typology to describe the spectrum of programmatic approaches in use today. Second, it will identify initial program design elements and performance metrics being tested in some programs to promote a systems oriented approach, often transcending traditional program categories as they seek to characterize and capture savings beyond one-for-one replacements. Finally, this paper will suggest next steps towards building a national level, consensus based framework that could help bring these program design elements and performance metrics to scale in the marketplace. The intended outcome is to advance a conversation around future efforts that, if coordinated at scale, have the potential to transform program design to accelerate the adoption of highly efficient and effective lighting strategies and systems. Show less

This academic, multi-author reference work serves as a general and non-technical resource for students and teachers to understand the importance of energy; to appreciate the influence of energy on societies around the world; to learn the history of energy; and to initiate educational discussion brought forth by the specific social and topical articles presented in the work.

Climate change poses new challenges, which necessitate innovative policy responses that transcend traditional boundaries of regulatory responsibility. Currently, California’s regulatory agencies are neither required nor empowered to conduct cross-media, lifecycle environmental analyses in the permitting process that incorporate comprehensive evaluations of a project’s overall environmental impact. Instead, agencies operate under compliance driven statutory constructs, which examine… Show more

Climate change poses new challenges, which necessitate innovative policy responses that transcend traditional boundaries of regulatory responsibility. Currently, California’s regulatory agencies are neither required nor empowered to conduct cross-media, lifecycle environmental analyses in the permitting process that incorporate comprehensive evaluations of a project’s overall environmental impact. Instead, agencies operate under compliance driven statutory constructs, which examine environmental impacts based on narrow jurisdictions. California’s media-specific regulatory paradigm creates major barriers to the deployment of technologies that generate net environmental benefits despite producing incrementally negative impacts on individual environmental media. We use the case study of dairy methane gas digesters as a means by which to propose a more integrated permitting approach for renewable energy projects in California. Show less