ScottMadden recently joined forces with Energy Central to present an interactive webinar, “State of the Energy Industry: A Mid-Year Review.” This session, moderated by Stuart Pearman, partner and energy practice leader at ScottMadden, was based on Continue reading
Eventually, a tectonic shift causes change. A shifting generation mix—triggered by stricter environmental regimes (proposed and in effect) and continued cheap shale gas—is impending, with significant changes in the U.S. generation fleet expected in the next one to two years. Renewable and nuclear development continues, although some development is impacted by stop-go policy incentives. Meanwhile, gas infrastructure is under pressure to keep up as it becomes the power generation incremental fuel of choice. Read more below.
Before last winter, few had heard of a polar vortex. But extreme weather events like last winter’s freeze harkened back to cold-weather events in the Southwest in 2011 and whether those lessons learned have been internalized by policymakers and the energy industry. Meanwhile, the western drought reminds us of how closely water and energy production are linked. Also, renewable energy in utility settings is growing up, or at least a maturity model can be articulated. Read more below.
Just when you thought policy and regulation had begun to settle down, major changes are afoot—or at least proposed. Rules for organized power markets continue to be tweaked as is the LNG export application process. More fundamental changes have been proposed at the federal level, in the form of CO2 emissions regulation, and in at least one state (New York), which is looking at fundamentally changing the role of the local distribution utility. Read more below.
We are pleased to announce our Summer 2014 issue of THE SCOTTMADDEN ENERGY INDUSTRY UPDATE. This semi-annual publication features our view of recent significant events and emerging trends in the energy industry.
LinkedIn recently published a survey that stated 80–90% of talent acquisition organizations leverage social networking sites in their recruiting activities. If your organization does not leverage social media when recruiting candidates, you are late to the game. Based on our experience helping clients transform their talent acquisition organizations, ScottMadden has identified four social networking strategies that every talent acquisition organization should employ. Download this report to learn more.
On July 28, 2014, Arizona Public Service (APS) filed a proposal with the Arizona Corporation Commission to implement a utility-owned rate-based residential distributed solar program. Under this program, the utility would install approximately 3,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) systems ranging from 4 to 8 kW on residential customer rooftops. In return, participating customers would receive a $30 per month bill credit for “renting” roof space.
What’s it really like to work at ScottMadden? The video below highlights the culture and work at ScottMadden–collaborating with outstanding people with unique talents and experience.
Under a new proposal, the Department of Energy (DOE) would discontinue granting conditional approvals until the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (or other agency) issued a final environmental review.
Sixty percent of the largest U.S. businesses have set goals to reduce carbon emissions or increase their use of renewable energy. In most cases, these companies are forced to meet their renewable energy requirements through on-site generation, power purchase agreements, or acquisition of renewable energy certificates because of the lack of options provided by their local utility. In response, a group of major U.S. corporations has issued a set of “buyers’ principles” aimed at improving access to a broader range of options for lower cost renewable energy resources.
With all the discussion about the death of “king coal,” retirements, and fuel switching, ScottMadden sought to address these key questions: 1. the overall trend for non-fuel costs for coal plants, 2. regional differences in non-fuel O&M costs, and 3. units slated for retirement (do they have a different non-fuel O&M trend than those planned to continue running?). Learn more in this report.
Do you use email as a communications channel in your shared services center? If your shared services operations are like most, email requests are a significant percentage of all contacts. We have seen companies report up to 30% of contacts via this channel.
ScottMadden believes shared service organizations (SSOs) can significantly improve service while reducing costs by decreasing reliance on an email communication channel. Our experience is that moving away from email can provide significant advantages for the SSO and its customers. With the right plan, technology selection, and thorough change management, companies can reap significant performance improvements while improving customer experience.
Additional Contributing Author: David Adams
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.
