Insights from our Editorial Team

A consumer advocate, a dynamic pricing researcher and a consumer education guru all had concrete suggestions for utilities approaching customers with  new pricing plans. They offered ideas on opt-in/opt-out, experimental design and messaging and more that utilities can implement right now.

As utilities brace for the advent of electric vehicles, Intelligent Utility Daily looks at Detroit, aka Motor City, as well as counterparts in San Diego and Houston, all with distinctly different markets, uptake forecasts and approaches. A few details on Detroit's programs are given here in anticipation of an Intelligent Utility Reality webcast forthcoming on January 6.

Yesterday marked the release of the 2010 ISO/RTO Metrics Report, a hefty 353 pages of charts, statistics and future planning. Prepared by the independent system operators (ISOs) and regional transmission organizations (RTOs) that are regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the report provides detailed information on various data points relevant to ISO and RTO performance in the areas of reliability, wholesale electricity market performance and organizational effectiveness for the California ISO, ISO New England, the Midwest ISO, the New York ISO, PJM Interconnection and the Southwest Power Pool. Today, we look at the role of demand response within these metrics.

The Climax Molybdenum Company, one of Colorado's largest electricity users, spelled out its objections to an initial ruling by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission that approved triple cost overruns by Xcel at SmartGridCity in Boulder. Read this summary or click through to the document itself. In a nutshell: SmartGridCity is a research and development project that should be paid for Xcel shareholders, not 1.4 million Xcel ratepayers in Colorado.