City of Lansing planning for the next 20 years
Lansing officials and interest parties are planning for the future.
To be taken into account:
- Retirement of coal plant
- Price of carbon emissions
- Reliability of wind energy
- Cost of solar power
- Energy efficiency growth
It’s called Integrated Resource Planning (IRP); in other words all options that would affect the supply, use or cost of energy.
The IRP is important as it identifies the areas that the City officials want to invest in and foresee as viable. It also offers interested parties such as the Sierra Club, energy marketers, power developers, energy efficiency service providers a chance to have input into the IRP.
While this process is local to Lansing it will also be done on every state and even the national level.
This debate will determine the makeup of the next power plants in the US. Let us hope we have a reasoned debate and that the goal of a robust, efficient and varied electrical grid and supply portfolio remains the goal. Because what planning wont accomplish is the continued drive for efficiency in energy production and use.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. 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.
Additional Information:
DOE EIA Weekly Gas Storage Report
Working gas in storage was 3,103 Bcf as of Friday, June 17, 2016, according to EIA estimates. This represents a net increase of 62 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 618 Bcf higher than last year at this time and 678 Bcf above the five-year average of 2,425 Bcf. At 3,103 Bcf, total working gas is above the five-year historical range.
Estimated 61 Bcf
Vs
Actual 62 Bcf
Analysts expect another below-average weekly injection to gas in storage as the NYMEX front-month natural gas futures contract gained ground early this week to reach its highest price in 10 months. The US Energy Information Administration will estimate an injection of 61 Bcf to natural gas in underground storage for the reporting week that ended June 17, according to a consensus of analysts surveyed by Platts. The expected injection would be less than the 77 Bcf injection reported at this time in 2015 and much less than the five-year average calling for a build of 88 Bcf, according to EIA data. The below-average build would mark the seventh consecutive week the injection was less than the historical average and would continue to chip away at the storage surplus.
What will Energy Storage do to the Utility and Energy Marketer?
Is your Utility, that regulated monopoly that delivers your energy (natural gas, electricity, even water), ready to continue to evolve.
In many states, the local Utility has adjusted to allowing customer to choose their energy provider. In these state; the Utility continues to provide the distribution of the energy while the energy marketer provides the power to the Utility.
Consider if you install solar photovoltaic (PV) panels you are generating electric power (small scale power plant). Multiply a single PV decision by thousand then millions of people installing PV. The power generated by these PV system reduces the daytime energy needed to be distributed by the Utility (reducing their revenues). However what happens if you add a storage battery to each PV site?
The answer could upend the current Utility and energy marketing model. As the storage battery allows the user to decide when to use the power and when to charge the battery. The user could allow the Utility or energy marketer to manage this choice. The result; the user or customer has a lower bill.
PV with battery storage has been around a long time. However, current and forecasted advancements in the technology has made their adoption (due to cost advantages) more likely.
The future Utility, energy marketer and customer relationships will continue to unfold. Hopefully, the regulators allow the markets to find their equilibrium.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. 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.
Additional Information:
Peoples Gas Admit it withheld information; receives $3.5 Billion more but pays $18 Million fine.
If you have been downtown lately, you have noticed many roads ripped up with Peoples Gas trucks nearby.
This is part of what was a $4.5 Billion dollar pipeline replacement that has grown to $8.0 Billion.
Why is this relevant?
Peoples Gas was sold to Wisconsin based WEC group prior to the disclosure of this 100% cost overrun. DO you think Peoples was sold to WEC Group to continue a $4.5 Billion dollar project or a $8.0 Billion dollar project? The difference would generate about $350,000,000 (350 Million) each year in revenue for the next 25 years.
Again, Peoples Gas is a regulated monopoly. It has no competition to supply natural gas. So, it paid a fine of $18 million to receive $3.5 Billion more to spend.
Let’s see that’s less than 1% penalty.
Surely Peoples will learn their lesson not to withhold information from the regulators when they receive such a stiff penalty as that!
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. 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.
Additional Information:
COMED wants to charge you for what you might use, not what you do use
Utilities are monopolies that regulators review to ensure they are spending more to provide the essential service and not collecting more than is needed to do so.
COMED, Chicago’s electric monopoly, wants more money and is proposing a new way to collect it from home owners.
Currently, you pay based on how much energy you use in any given bill period.
However, COMED wants you to pay that PLUS what’s called demand based pricing.
Demand based rates have been a component for industry for a long time. When industry start and stops large machines it can draw a lot of power all at once. This type of load can be hard for a utility to manage across many, many industries.
However, homeowners do not start large machines. We start TVs and AC units. Nothing that a large utility cannot handle. So why charge for demand? Because they want additional revenue because we are using less electricity as lighting and homes become more efficient.
Regulators should say No. Demand rates will reduce incentive to save money on energy usage for residential users.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. 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.
Additional Information:
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/05/17/bill-would-drastically-change-way-comed-charges-customers/
Michigan law makers are again playing politics with energy policy
The Michigan senate passed a bill that does, amongst other things, puts greater restrictions on Customer Choice. This is a program that allows certified energy marketers to compete against the monopoly utility to offer customers direct wholesale pricing without any additional utility markup. So, why does the politicians want to restrict a program that makes a monopoly compete? Could it be the monopoly pays more to their re-election campaigns than their constituents that would benefit from the lower utility rates?
Let’s hope that reason prevails and Customer Choice survives to continue to benefit the rate payers in the state.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. 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.
Additional Information:
DOE EIA Weekly Gas Storage Report
Here is this weeks’ EIA natural gas storage report. Working gas in storage was 2,825 Bcf as of Friday, May 20, 2016, according to EIA estimates. This represents a net increase of 71 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 756 Bcf higher than last year at this time and 769 Bcf above the five-year average of 2,056 Bcf. At 2,825 Bcf, total working gas is above the five-year historical range.
Estimated Injection 68 Bcf
Vs
Actual Injection 71 Bcf
Analysts predict build below 5-year average
A lower-than-average injection is anticipated for the third consecutive week, further reducing the surplus to the five-year average. The US Energy Information Administration will estimate an injection of 68 Bcf to gas in storage for the reporting week that ended May 20 according to a consensus of analysts surveyed by Platts. The EIA plans to release its weekly storage report at 10:30 am EDT (1530 GMT) Thursday. The expected injection would be much less than the 106-Bcf injection reported at this time in 2015 and less than the five-year average of a 97-Bcf build, according to EIA data.
DOE EIA Weekly Gas Storage Report
Here is this weeks’ EIA natural gas storage report. Working gas in storage was 2,754 Bcf as of Friday, May 13, 2016, according to EIA estimates. This represents a net increase of 73 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 791 Bcf higher than last year at this time and 795 Bcf above the five-year average of 1,959 Bcf. At 2,754 Bcf, total working gas is above the five-year historical range.
Estimated 79 Bcf
Vs
Actual 73 Bcf
The US Energy Information Administration will estimate an injection of 79 Bcf to natural gas in underground storage for the reporting week that ended May 13, according to a consensus of analysts surveyed by Platts. An injection within expectations would be less than the 98-Bcf injection reported at this time in 2015 and also less than the five-year average of a 91-Bcf build, according to EIA data. This would also mark the second consecutive week of a below-average injection. The wider range of analysts’ expectations for this week was narrow, calling for an injection of 77 Bcf to 83 Bcf. An injection within analysts’ expectations of 79 Bcf would grow stocks to 2.760 Tcf, 801 Bcf more than the five-year average and 797 Bcf more than the corresponding week last year. The below-average build would help reduce the current surplus to the five-year average and to last year’s level by 12 Bcf and 19 Bcf, respectively.
DOE EIA Weekly Gas Storage Report
Here is this weeks’ EIA natural gas storage report. Working gas in storage was 2,557 Bcf as of Friday, April 22, 2016, according to EIA estimates. This represents a net increase of 73 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 870 Bcf higher than last year at this time and 832 Bcf above the five-year average of 1,725 Bcf. At 2,557 Bcf, total working gas is above the five-year historical range
Estimated 70 Bcf.
Vs
Actual 73 Bcf.
After two weeks of the US Energy Information Administration’s gas storage estimates coming in well below the five-year average injection, analysts expect the next one to be the biggest build of the year. A consensus of analysts surveyed by Platts expects that EIA will estimate an injection of 70 Bcf to gas in underground storage for the reporting week that ended April 22.The agency plans to release its weekly storage report at 10:30 am EDT (15:30 GMT) Thursday. An injection within expectations would be less than the 84 Bcf injection reported at this time in 2015 but more than the five-year average of a 52 Bcf build, according to EIA data. Predictions were all over the board as the wider range of analysts’ expectations called for an injection of 55 Bcf to 81 Bcf. An injection within analysts’ expectations of 70 Bcf would grow stocks to 2.554 Tcf, a surplus of 829 Bcf relative to the five-year average. It would be the biggest build since an 81 Bcf injection was posted for the week ended October 16. The expected injection marks the first week of the year when a build is expected to have occurred in all five of the EIA’s storage regions.
DOE EIA Weekly Gas Storage Report
Here is this weeks’ EIA natural gas storage report. Working gas in storage was 2,484 Bcf as of Friday, April 15, 2016, according to EIA estimates. This represents a net increase of 7 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 881 Bcf higher than last year at this time and 811 Bcf above the five-year average of 1,673 Bcf. At 2,484 Bcf, total working gas is within the five-year historical range.
EIA estimate storage injection of 2 Bcf
Vs
Actual injections 7 Bcf
A consensus of analysts surveyed by Platts expects the US Energy Information Administration will estimate an injection of 2 Bcf to natural gas in underground storage for the reporting week that ended April 15. EIA is scheduled to release its weekly storage report at 10:30 am EDT (1530 GMT) Thursday. An injection within expectations would be much less than the 82 Bcf injection reported at this time in 2015 and less than the five-year average of a 45 Bcf injection, according to EIA data. The wider range of analysts’ expectations for this week called for a withdrawal of 2 Bcf to an injection of 8 Bcf. Last week, EIA reported a 3 Bcf withdrawal that decreased inventories to 2.477 Tcf, which was 62.9% more than the year-ago inventory of 1.472 Tcf, and 52.1% more than the five-year average of 1.628 Tcf.
