electric grid Archives - Independence Institute

Smart Thermostats Are Looking Like Dumb Policy 0
- September 21, 2022
Earlier this month Xcel Energy made national headlines when it locked out 22,000 customers in Colorado from adjusting their thermostats as temperatures rose into the 90s. Those affected were customers who had signed up for the Colorado AC Rewards program, which allows the company to adjust the temperature setting on internet-connected “smart thermostats.” In exchange
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Is Colorado On Track for a California-Style Gas Car Ban? What We Know So Far 0
- September 6, 2022
A couple of weeks back, California made headlines when it finalized plans to ban the sale of all gas-powered vehicles in the state by 2035. This radical new rule marked the first instance of a government anywhere in the world passing a 100% zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate. It also left many Coloradans wondering if
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What Not to Do: California Energy Policy Serves As a Warning to Colorado 0
- August 31, 2022
Just days after finalizing a future ban on the sale of gas-powered vehicles, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) sent out a bulletin Tuesday afternoon warning that an expected heat wave posed serious threats to the reliability of the state’s electric grid. Starting tomorrow through Tuesday, California and the West are expecting extreme heat that
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Gone with the Wind: Weather Dependent Energy Puts Residents at Risk 0
- July 12, 2022
The power grid in Texas is a little bit under the weather. A major heat wave has arrived just as the wind stopped blowing, creating a perfect storm for residents looking for relief from the blistering summer sun in the country’s second-largest state. As Bloomberg reports: Wind power — a key source of electricity in
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Clean and Reliable: The Case for Small-Modular Reactors in Colorado 0
- June 21, 2022
Electric grid reliability is on the forefront of everyone’s mind following a sobering report from the country’s grid overseer. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), a regulatory body overseeing grid operations across the United States and Canada, warned last month in its latest summer reliability assessment that vast swaths of the West and Midwest
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Radical Reorganization of Colorado’s Electric Grid: The Cost of Keeping the Lights On 0
- November 18, 2019
IP-3-2019 (October 2019) Author: Grant Mandigora with contributors: David Wojick, Ph.D., Isaac Orr, Mitchell Rolling, and Brit Naas. DOWNLOAD REPORT (PDF) Executive Summary: Colorado Governor Jared Polis wants to see a renewable energy transition within the next 20 years and has cited future savings as evidence that it should be undertaken. However, he has also
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