Instruction
Topic: Electricity. One of the principal themes of the class has been the rise in the importance of electricity as part of the U.S. energy system. It has also been noted that there is a need for “modernization” of the electric system and that the future use of renewable energy sources depends significantly on the ability to integrate those resources into the system. In this essay, explain why electricity has been so important, describe the fundamentals of the current electricity system and explain why the challenges and opportunities listed below merit attention in shaping policy around electricity: • Restructuring
• Grid modernization and management
• Distributed generation
• Fuel mix and climate change
Electricity: the Basics of the System
Read: Energy Information Agency, Electricity Explained, December 19, 2016 at http://www.eia.gov/energy_in_brief/article/power_grid.cfm
Timothy Brennan, et.al., “Understanding the Electric Industry,” in Alternating Currents: Electricity Markets and Public Policy, (Washington, D.C.: Resources for the Future, 2002)
Electricity: Regulatory Structures
Read: Advanced Energy Economy, U.S. Electric Power Industry - Context and Structure, November 2011 at http://info.aee.net/hs-fs/hub/211732/file-359505558-pdf/white_papers/U.S._Electric_Power_Industry_-_Context_and_Structure.pdf
Timothy Brennan, et.al., “From Regulation to Competition,” in Alternating Currents: Electricity Markets and Public Policy, (Washington, D.C.: Resources for the Future, 2002)
Electricity: Restructuring
Electric Utilities, Deregulation and Restructuring of U.S. Electricity Markets at
http://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/energy/assets/pdfs/History.pdf
Elise Caplan and Stephen Brobeck, “Have Restructured Wholesale Electricity Markets Benefitted Consumers?” Electricity Policy.com, December 2012 at
http://www.publicpower.org/files/PDFs/CFA_APPA_RTO_Article_12_12_12.pdf
Electricity: Modernizing the grid and distributed generation
Read: Jennifer Weeks, “Modernizing the Grid”, CQ Researcher, February 19, 2010, Volume 20, Issue 7 at http://0-library.cqpress.com.webpac.lvlspa.org/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2010021900