Top 3 Energy Stories from August

5 Powerful Trends Driving the Rise of Renewable Energy

In 2018, renewable generation in the United States set a new record of 742 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity – nearly double the output produced by renewables a decade earlier.

Growth in renewable generation isn’t expected to subside anytime soon: the U.S. Energy Information Administration now projects that renewable energy will be the fastest growing source of electricity generation for at least the next two years. So, what is behind the rapid and sustained push for more renewables? Dave Grupp, Head of National Key Account Sales at Direct Energy Business, presented his findings at The Energy Professionals Association meeting in Pittsburgh.

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ERCOT Prices Spiked to Historic Levels – And It Can Happen Again

Many Texas energy consumers were hit hard on Tuesday, August 13, 2019, when high electricity demand, low supply and depleted reserve margins caused power prices across the state to spike to the $9,000 per megawatt-hour price cap.

As power prices were a mere $19 per megawatt-hour the morning of the increase, the nearly 500 percent price hike wreaked havoc on customers that pay a market-based, or index, rate. The afternoon spike nearly surpassed the Texas market’s new peak-demand record of 74,616 megawatts, which occurred just the day prior on Monday, August 12. How did such a large price increase happen? And could it have been avoided?

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5 Virginia Electricity Choice Myths - And the Truth Behind Them

The road to electricity deregulation in Virginia has been long and winding.

Active opposition by the two major utilities in the state made it almost impossible for customers to choose their power provider for nearly two decades. The Virginia market is now partially open. However, consumers face a challenge as they try to make sense of recent changes. To set the record straight, we’re fact-checking five of the most popular myths about the Virginia electric market.

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