The recent en banc hearing regarding the validity of the Clean Power Plan (CPP) had each side of the argument claiming a likely favorable disposition for their side. The judges asked tough questions of both sides in oral argument, originally scheduled for three and a half hours, but lasting nearly seven hours.
In 2013, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) conducted an analysis to understand how increasing penetrations of renewable resources would impact grid conditions. The result was the iconic “duck curve” chart, which predicted that as variable generation grows so too will the trough of load served by conventional supply in midday. ScottMadden analyzes if actual results align with the original forecast in the new report: Revisiting the Duck Curve: An Exploration of Its Existence, Impact, and Migration Potential.
Wholesale and retail deregulation in Texas has created two distinct market structures, but only one currently encourages solar development. Solar has rapidly expanded in the territories of municipal and cooperative utilities. These utilities are overwhelmingly exempt from retail deregulation and can take a holistic view. Consequently, municipal and cooperative utilities are providing innovative solar solutions to customers who want options and not simply low-cost, reliable power from any source.
ScottMadden partnered with a large energy provider to align its security program with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF). The decision to align with the CSF was driven by a desire to develop a best-in-class security program and meet industry security expectations. The security program scope included the following:
ScottMadden is a founding member of the Utility Materials Management Benchmarking Consortium (UMMBC) and has been conducting independent research studies on behalf of the consortium since 2007. Leveraging data from the UMMBC 2015 Warehouse Survey, ScottMadden examined whether more on-site material actually improves material availability, whether material availability (inventory stockout rates) impacts operating performance and to what degree, and which drivers contributed most to higher staffing requirements and offers thoughts on a unique analysis to model quantifiable factors that contribute to generation inventory levels.
Higher warehouse staffing can be attributed to a variety of factors. We have narrowed in on four variables or potential contributing factors and reviewed their relationship with staffing needs.
The latest cloud-based HR technologies provide attractive tools when your organization is seeking greater process efficiency, automation, and analytics. All of these features can support the needs of a growing organization seeking strategic opportunities.
But what do you do when the requirements and process for implementing these tools conflict with your company’s culture or legacy practices? In this article, we examine challenges to consider when implementing Human Resources Management Systems (HRMS) and tactics to overcome these challenges.
Coal’s share of the U.S. generation mix fell 9.6% from the prior year to 23.7% in March as the shares of natural gas, nuclear, hydro, and non-hydro renewables grew 3.5%, 1.9%, 1.3%, and 2.7% respectively. This shift was caused by the confluence of coal plant retirements and mothballing resulting from the protracted downturn in power prices due to low gas prices, weather-subdued demand, and the ongoing effects of the EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule.
The answers to these questions may be informed by the lessons from conventional generation fleet operators who have had to deal with these issues before us.
In August 2016, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld the Department of Energy’s (DOE) use of the social cost of carbon during the development of efficiency standards for commercial refrigeration equipment. The decision follows an industry group challenge of the DOE’s authority to use the estimate to quantify benefits of efficiency standards.
Sussex Economic Advisors is now part of ScottMadden. We invite you to learn more about our expanded firm. Please use the Contact Us form to request additional information.
