Capitalism requires competition, not monopolies
“How would we feel if one company controlled 92 percent of the global construction and engineering trade? Or 92 percent of the world’s paper and forest products? Would we worry that their power and influence had breached a reasonable threshold, or would we just think they were awesome innovators, as we do with Google?”
No matter how you feel about Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and government regulation, you should read this Esquire article. Scott Galloway offers a look at how powerful these companies have become and explains why he believes the four biggest tech companies should be broken up.
Long story short?
“A key part of a healthy economic cycle is pruning firms when they become invasive, cause premature death, and won’t let other firms emerge. The breakup of big tech should and will happen, because we’re capitalists. It’s time.”
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Realgy owns and operates 6 solar plants in Illinois and is looking to invest in additional locations.
Additional Information:
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a15895746/bust-big-tech-silicon-valley/
Regulation of the Unregulated.
Taxation without Representation leads to the start of a new nation. Who knows what regulation of the unregulated will unleash?
Utilities are monopolies. As such, they have no competition for the delivery of electricity or natural gas. The way their costs are established is by oversight by government regulatory agency (not competition). The agency determines if expenditures are spent for useful purposes and if they are, they get to recover the cost PLUS a profit of around 10%.
In Illinois, the regulatory agency is called the Illinois Commerce Commission or ICC; the ICC’s charter requires them to be
“…safe and least-cost public utility services, while promoting the development of an
effectively competitive energy supplier market.” (emphasis added)
In the 1980’s, utilities sold off the majority of their power plants to create competition amongst power generators and a wholesale power market. The ICC recognized that the monopoly utility was no longer necessary to buy and markup the electricity for their customers. Customers could buy it directly. The result: 75% of Illinois residents purchase their energy from an energy supplier and the result is $37 billion in savings.
A monopoly takes NO RISKS and passes through all their costs to customers. Regulators are only necessary when competition doesn’t exist or public interest is at risk.
The state legislators want to tax energy marketers to pay for the ICC regulatory enforcement. Enforcement over the utility. Taxing NON-MONOPOLY companies that compete against each other every day and against the utility which takes no risks.The ICC should reject this action as against their charter and require legislators or the utilities to pay for the cost of oversight of regulated companies. Energy marketers shoulder the risk and costs to provide electricity to customers through the regulated utility. Taxing them will NOT promote competitive energy supply.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Realgy owns and operates 6 solar plants in Illinois and is looking to invest in additional locations.
Additional Information:
http://www.energychoicematters.com/stories/20180221a.html
DOE EIA Weekly Gas Storage Report
Working gas in storage was 1,760 Bcf as of Friday, February 16, 2018, according to EIA estimates.
This represents a net decrease of 124 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 609 Bcf less than last year at this time and 412 Bcf below the five-year average of 2,172 Bcf. At 1,760 Bcf, total working gas is within the five-year historical range.
Wind Energy development in Illinois, Michigan and Indiana as coal plants are closing.
In one day I came across 4 articles which all carried a similar message: coal is being phased out in favor of renewable energy (solar, wind, etc.). This is not a political statement; but economical. More coal plants have closed during President Trump’s first year in office as compared to the President Obama’s last year. What’s being planned to replace the coal fired generated electricity? Wind, solar and natural gas energy.
Illinois:
- Passed the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition last year. Goal is 100% renewable energy (accompanied jobs) by 2050
- Has generated more renewable energy jobs than all coal jobs combined
Michigan:
- Michigan electric utility companies must get 30% of their power from wind, solar or other renewables by 2030
- Consumers Energy vow to end coal generation by 2040
Indiana:
- Vectren plans to close 3 coal plants by 2023
- Natural gas 800 MW and 50 MW of solar generation would replace the coal
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Realgy owns and operates 6 solar plants in Illinois and is looking to invest in additional locations.
Additional Information:
https://www.greentechmedia.com/amp/article/trump-cant-save-coal?__twitter_impression=true
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2018/02/19/coalition-launches-clean-energy-initiative/
https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/michigan/2018/02/19/consumers-energy-emissions-coal-renewable/350559002/
https://www.courierpress.com/story/news/2018/02/20/vectren-natural-gas-plant-solar-farm-join-energy/356818002/
Grass Fed Beef and Solar Energy: Perfect Match.
A cattle ranch might not be what most environmentalists want to cheer about but, how about when they generate 280 MW of power (enough to serve 60,000 homes)?
The Hearst cattle ranch will supply Apple’s Cupertino campus with the power.
The solar energy generated will AVOID the release of 109,000 tons of C02 every year. That’s the equivalent of 22,00 cars off the road. In addition, the ranch will continue to produce about 3,000 head of cattle a year of grass fed beef. The ranch, Apple, and environmentalists agree: win-win-win.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Realgy owns and operates 6 solar plants in Illinois and is looking to invest in additional locations.
Additional Information:
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/21/apples-solar-project-at-hearst-ranch.html
DOE EIA Weekly Gas Storage Report
Working gas in storage was 1,884 Bcf as of Friday, February 9, 2018, according to EIA estimates.
This represents a net decrease of 194 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 577 Bcf less than last year at this time and 433 Bcf below the five-year average of 2,317 Bcf. At 1,884 Bcf, total working gas is within the five-year historical range.
