COVID-19 has been an unprecedented challenge in the modern business world that has upended the normal course of business globally. Actions taken to combat the virus on a global level, including social distancing, vaccination and mask mandates, and idling of major facets of the economy, have disrupted the typical flow of everyday life and work for people around the world.

For several years, an energy imbalance market (EIM) has been in place in the western United States. Driven by changes in California’s generation mix and renewable portfolio standard, as well as greenhouse gas reduction targets, the Western EIM has become an attractive service for market participants. The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) designed this new market where non-ISO members could participate and share renewable energy, as well as integrate more renewable energy into the region.

While renewable energy has experienced significant growth, in part due to focused policies that promote wind and solar, nuclear has faced a wave of actual and announced early retirements. To understand this potential loss of a significant amount of carbon-free generation, ScottMadden assessed “at risk” nuclear assets to better understand the magnitude of the potential impact on carbon emissions from the U.S. electricity sector.

Workforce safety and productivity challenges. The need for frequent, transparent, and consistent communications. New leadership requirements, including management of remote teams. New compliance requirements triggered by the Family First Coronavirus Response Act. The pandemic has created unprecedented business challenges that arose at a pace that few anticipated. Even those with detailed business continuity plans found that the nature of this event (e.g., shelter-in-place orders, uncertainty of duration, immediate impacts to commercial and industrial client work) stretched plans beyond their design.

Each state is a laboratory for how incentives will support the rollout of electric vehicles (EV).

April 2020 Edition of Public Utilities Fortnightly Magazine

ScottMadden recently joined the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) in a fact-finding mission to the Aloha State—Hawaii—to uncover how the state hopes to achieve its ambitious goal of 100% renewable energy by 2045. In particular, the mission explored the impact of increasing renewable energy penetrations as well as regulatory and customer engagement strategies in Hawaii.