Privatizace, regulace a deregulace utilit v EU a ČR: očekávání a fakta [available in Czech only]

Paper explains the changing concept of privatization, regulation and deregulation of utilities. The theoretical and political background of new EU energy/gas directives in the framework of the limited impact of existing directives is discussed, their implementation in the Czech energy law and the necessity of the application of the regulatory impact assessment (RIA).Privatization; Regulation; Deregulation; utilities; transition economies; European union

The legal configuration of hydrocarbon infrastructure

The United States' greenhouse gas mitigation strategy decentralizes mitigation responsibility to the states and states have primary regulatory jurisdiction over electrical power utilities. Using the biophysical approach, this paper introduces the notion of hydrocarbon infrastructure. Focusing on a utility rate case from the state of Wisconsin, I argue that the law and the electrical markets which it organizes presuppose hydrocarbon infrastructure. A necessary aspect of greenhouse gas mitigation and transition to renewable energy is a state-level reconfiguration of law and legal institutions around renewable energy generation

Rewiring the system: the changing structure of the electric power industry.

In the United States, significant changes have taken place in the structure of electricity markets. Twenty-three states, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, have changed or will be changing their laws to allow consumers to switch electricity suppliers. In some states, millions of consumers have already switched. What brought about the deregulation of an industry previously considered a "natural monopoly"? In "Rewiring the System: The Changing Structure of the Electric Power Industry," Tim Schiller describes the changes in law and the developments in economic theory that have led to the restructuring of energy markets.Electric utilities

California Regulators Add Teeth to Landmark Clean Energy Policy

Through the efforts of Pacific Environment represented by GGU Law\u27s Environmental Law and Justice Clinic and the Sierra Club California represented by Earthjustice, and in partnership with Communities for a Better Environment, today the California Public Utilities Commission strengthened a key clean energy policy in California called the Loading Order. The Loading Order sets a priority list for electricity sources. California’s utilities must first employ energy efficiency and conservation to meet customer demand; then energy from renewable sources such as wind, solar and geothermal. Only after all those supplies are exhausted may the utilities purchase power from fossil fuel plants

California Regulators Add Teeth to Landmark Clean Energy Policy

Through the efforts of Pacific Environment represented by GGU Law\u27s Environmental Law and Justice Clinic and the Sierra Club California represented by Earthjustice, and in partnership with Communities for a Better Environment, today the California Public Utilities Commission strengthened a key clean energy policy in California called the Loading Order. The Loading Order sets a priority list for electricity sources. California’s utilities must first employ energy efficiency and conservation to meet customer demand; then energy from renewable sources such as wind, solar and geothermal. Only after all those supplies are exhausted may the utilities purchase power from fossil fuel plants

Maine Distributed Solar Valuation Study

During its 2014 session, the Maine Legislature enacted an Act to Support Solar Energy Development in Maine. P.L Chapter 562 (April 24, 2014) (codified at 35‐A M.R.S. §§ 3471‐3473) (“Act”). Section 1 of the Act contains the Legislative finding that it is in the public interest is to develop renewable energy resources, including solar energy, in a manner that protects and improves the health and well‐being of the citizens and natural environment of the State while also providing economic benefits to communities, ratepayers and the overall economy of the State. Section 2 of the Act requires the Public Utilities Commission (Commission) to determine the value of distributed solar energy generation in the State, evaluate implementation options, and to deliver a report to the Legislature. To support this work, the Commission engaged a project team comprising Clean Power Research (Napa, California), Sustainable Energy Advantage (Framingham, Massachusetts), Pace Energy and Climate Center at the Pace Law School (White Plains, New York), and Dr. Richard Perez (Albany, New York). Under the project, the team developed the methodology under a Commission‐run stakeholder review process, conducted a valuation on distributed solar for three utility territories, and developed a summary of implementation options for increasing deployment of distributed solar generation in the State. The report includes three volumes which accompany this Executive Summary: Volume I Methodology; Volume II Valuation Results; Volume III Implementation Options

Privacy In The Smart Grid: An Information Flow Analysis

Project Final Report prepared for CIEE and California Energy Commissio

The Battle to Increase Nevada’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard; an Insight into RPS Policy Changes.

Climate Change Greenhouse gas emissions from industrialized societies have changed the temperature of the earth’s surface, atmosphere, ocean and climate systems. Although scientists have been aware of the effects of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change as early as the 1970’s, world leaders have been slow to react and implement proactive policies. As federal administrations and national leaders abdicate their leadership in mitigating climate change, the responsibility to implement proactive policies now lies with local bodies, such as states, private companies and individuals. Overview Nevada’s abundant renewable energy resources have made the state a target for the growing renewable energy industry. The development of that industry is constrained and shaped by the policy set in place by state governments. This paper will go over the ongoing battle to increase Nevada’s renewable energy portfolio standard by reviewing the policy’s history, development, implementation and feasibility

Constrained Regulatory Exit in Energy Law

In recent years, the federal government’s efforts to open up competitive electricity markets have transformed how we think about the regulation of energy. In many respects, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) broad “deregulatory” efforts, which commenced in the 1990s, might appear to be a case of paradigmatic regulatory exit as defined by J.B. Ruhl and Jim Salzman. But our case study of FERC’s restructuring of wholesale electricity markets reveals some important institutional features that make exit in federalism contexts, and under federal statutory duties, a rich and difficult problem. In the context of energy, exit from one regulatory sphere can create regulatory gaps. This has led FERC, which largely exited the regulation of wholesale electricity rates, to increase regulation in other spheres. It has also invited forms of intergovernmental exchange, as states have emulated or otherwise responded to FERC’s regulatory modifications in the areas in which states have jurisdiction. In this sense, the transition to competitive energy supply markets has involved constrained exit characterized by a hydraulic back-and-forth between regulators and institutions in an effort to ensure that statutory duties are fulfilled and other public needs are met. This assessment of regulatory exchange has a prescriptive implication: a federal regulator seeking to exit specific forms of conventional regulation needs to proactively develop strategies to facilitate regulatory exchange, while simultaneously preserving its authority over important substantive values related to its regulatory mission. Attention to “offsetting” regulations is often necessary to ensure that problematic regulatory gaps will not arise. In the energy context, these strategies might also include the use of mechanisms that give other institutions a voice in implementing exit strategies, as well as better ex ante regulatory planning for market enforcement that will continue after partial exit. We argue that it is not only a good strategy for federal regulators to recognize this hydraulic feature of exit, but that cooperative federalism statutes such as the Federal Power Act often require them to do so