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RAP experts keep their finger on the pulse of the energy sector and provide timely analysis of topics impacting stakeholders TODAY.
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A Hearty Bowl of Texas Soup: How ERCOT Keeps the Lights On
ERCOT (or the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas, the independent system operator of that state’s stand-alone wholesale market) has confounded the doomsayers once again. Despite dire predictions that ERCOT lacked sufficient generation capacity, it came through the peak summer season… View Summary +
UK capacity market déjà vu: A solution that’s still in search of a problem
In November 2018, the EU General Court ruled in favour of a legal challenge mounted by Tempus Energy to the Directorate General for Competition’s (DG COMP) approval of the capacity market in Great Britain. In its challenge, Tempus successfully argued… View Summary +
Stuck in the past: Energy performance certificates hold back heat decarbonisation
In 2014, we bought an old Victorian house in Oxford, UK, well aware it needed major renovation work. Our energy performance certificate (EPC), which shows the energy performance of a building, was a poor grade “E” on a scale of… View Summary +
Emissionspreise sind nicht alles
Preise für Emissionen sind nicht alles, vielmehr ist die sinnvolle Verwendung der Einnahmen entscheidend. Schlüssig belegt ist, dass Energieeffizienzprogramme gut abschneiden. Auch das Ordnungsrecht – zum Beispiel Mindeststandards – helfe bei der Einhaltung der Klimaziele. Das Klimapaket der Bundesregierung ist… View Summary +
“电力期刊”(The Electricity Journal)睿博能源智库特刊简介
美国是全世界温室气体排放第二大国，同时也是技术和经济实力的领头羊。美国有能力引领世界寻找应对气候变化紧迫挑战的解决方案，同时迅速彻底地完成自我脱碳。 为了使能源消费向更清洁、更具成本效益的方向转变，我们需要零碳发电技术，并在使用化石燃料的终端用户侧实现大规模电气化。零碳发电技术已经实现商业化普及应用，而且成本越来越低。另外，包括储能在内的技术方案，可以增加电网灵活性，也将更便宜和更具可用性。 简言之，技术不再是脱碳经济面临的挑战。… View Summary +
Value Added: Measuring the Health Benefits of the “Layer Cake”
In 2013, RAP released a pathbreaking publication, Recognizing the Full Value of Energy Efficiency. We refer to the main concept of this paper as “the layer cake,” after its centerpiece concept analogizing the multiple benefits of energy efficiency as… View Summary +
The UK’s August 9 blackout: Why did it happen and what can we learn?
The power outages that occurred in the United Kingdom on August 9 demonstrated our increasing dependence on secure electricity supplies and the extremely disruptive consequences when those supplies fail. The reasons for the extent of the disruption to transport… View Summary +
Clean, Flexible and Efficient: A Recipe for Energy Optimization
The United States is the second-highest emitter of greenhouse gases on the planet — but we are also a leader in technological and economic strength. We have the capability to lead the world in finding solutions to the urgent challenge… View Summary +
Electric Cars Are a Lot Like Water Heaters
People unfamiliar with electric cars often fear that a blossoming of EV ownership will bring chaos to the electric grid. For example, I recently spoke with the manager of a beach resort who was fearful of adding an EV charger,… View Summary +
美国电力监管点评 — 当各州监管权遇到跨区电力市场：界线在哪？
原则上，美国跨州电力批发市场由联邦能源监管委员会（FERC）监管，而电力零售市场由各州监管。各州监管权界限问题也历经漫长而动荡的过程。随着电力批发市场的演化，虽然州权力的争执对有组织的批发电力市场构不成重大影响，但州权与电力批发市场监管的界线却偶有争议。最近在美国国内，有关区域输电组织（RTO）覆盖地区的州政府权利问题上的相关讨论变得相当活跃。最近引起争议的是最高法院的一项裁决。 去年，美国一家化石燃料发电企业对纽约和伊利诺伊州州对核电进行补贴的合法性提出质疑，当地法院维持了补贴的合法性（详见文末“背景”）。企业向联邦法院申诉请求重审下级法院的裁决。2019年4月，美国联邦最高法院驳回其请求，这既是关于支持核电补贴的终裁，也维护了参与跨区批发电力市场的各州在制定发电政策时的管辖范围。… View Summary +
