Insight Consulting LLC

Arizona Water Costs and Coal-Fired Power

2012-03-01T23:26:26Z

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/2012/02/26/20120226affordability-cap-water.html

"To bring you up to date, the EPA is in the process of setting new regulations that will govern how the ...

Energy Articles & Studies

2012-02-13T22:02:40Z

A Million Jobs from Natural Gas?

Renewable Energy Articles, Abridged

Subsidies in Electricity

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Arizona Regulatory Reports

2012-01-28T03:38:08Z

Insight Consulting has partnered with representatives of Roshka, DeWulf & Patten - a Phoenix law firm, and Desert Mountain Analytical Services - an Arizona regulatory accounting and financial analysis firm, to produce regular newsletters ...

Regarding Risk

2011-10-06T01:50:06Z

Across the world, investors are coming to terms with a fundamental and persistent problem in economics - while risk can be priced, uncertainty cannot. The scale of this challenge is vast; and the failure of our political leaders to even apprehend the impact of their decisions not to act is only making the problem worse.

The Next Solyndra

2011-09-21T21:27:37Z

By now, everyone has read about Solyndra's bankruptcy which will cost U.S. taxpayers $535 million (the Obama Administration pushed the Department of Energy to provide Solyndra with loan guarantees that are now the the ...

The Future of Energy, 2011

2011-07-13T12:41:00Z

Here is a very brief overview of what Insight believes are the highlights (though, to be sure, every entity in the energy world will have a different view of what the "highlights" are - Insight is focused on U.S. electric utilities and therefore our highlights reflect that perspective.)
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Natural Gas and Water Issues

2011-05-10T17:08:00Z

Insight is proud to co-sponor a conference on Natural Gas' Future: Fracking, Water Concerns, Regulatory Issues, and Market Drivers.

Speakers include: American Gas Association President Dave McCurdy, American Clean Water Alliance President Ben Grumbles, FERC Commissioner Marc Spitzer, Pennsylvania PUC Chairman Robert Powelson, California ...

Smart Grid, Bad Effects, Part Three

2011-05-09T23:30:00Z

In the January 2011 edition of Public Utilities Reports, Steven Anderson looked at the backlash against the smart grid.

In "Saving The Smart Grid", Mr. Anderson makes the following observations:

"[T]he past year has seenremarkable pushback against smart grid initiatives ...

Managing Water without Money

2011-04-25T10:29:00Z

Arizona is trying to achieve something that has stopped economists and resource managers for centuries - managing a valuable commodity without using price signals, and delivering a utility service without funding the investments required for that service.

A Bridge to Where? Part Four

2011-03-10T06:19:00Z

As Insight noted when the Stimulus Bill came out - there aren't many people who can manage multi-billion projects with short timeframes. Our belief that the money wouldn't and couldn't be spent in a timely or efficient manner continues to be affirmed.

Smart Grid, Bad Effects; Part Two

2011-03-01T14:02:00Z

In 2009, we warned that the move to a "Smart Grid" would run into public backlash from overpromising and overmarketing the benefits on customers. Make no mistake, the U.S. needs a massive upgrade in its energy system - new generation, more and more efficient transmission, improved control systems - for too long we have ignored the backbone of our economy, energy. But as we wrote in 2009, utilities and regulators who overhype the benefits will face public scorn when people realize that new and better energy infrastructure isn't cheaper.

Utility Regulatory Principles

2011-01-21T11:49:00Z

Recently, Insight Consulting was asked to present an overview of James Bonbright's seminal work on utility regulation, "Principles of Public Utility Rates".

The Energy-Water Nexus

2010-12-17T13:10:00Z

The U.S. has long been reliant on its ability to produce low-cost energy and water. Globalization, weather issues, and emissions concerns, combined with increases in energy consumption and the urbanization of formerly agricultural lands have shifted the energy-water nexus. Today, many scientists and economists believe that the energy-water nexus will force the U.S. to change the ways in which we use energy to pump, treat, and distribute water; and how we rely on water to develop energy sources and to produce electricity. This post will share presentations, articles, and briefings on this challenging topic.

Energy in a Carbon-Constrained World

2010-12-17T11:24:00Z

The world is awash with articles, papers, and presentations on carbon issues. Most of them are predictable after reading the author's c.v.

So it was refreshing to come across the attached presentation by Barry Moline, the Executive Director of the Florida Municipal Electric Association. Mr. Moline argues that, and we quote, "left wing nuts" and "right wing nuts" aren't helping the U.S. deal with its energy situation. He urges everyone to "admit and accept" that the U.S. military subsidizes our energy policy; and that while we should want to be less dependent on foreign oil we should also want OPEC to remain reliant on the U.S. so as to give us influence with those countries.

Mr. Moline's theme is this: there is no simple answer to the energy challenges facing the U.S. but that no matter what you believe on climate change we need to take steps toward using less energy, being less reliant on foreign oil, and reducing emissions. One thing is certain, every thinking person will disagree with portions of Mr. Moline's presentation - to his credit. Another thing is certain, this is one ...

Eight Presidents and Counting...

2010-06-17T16:58:00Z

Jon Stewart's Daily Show took a long look at the political history of promises to "free the U.S. of its reliance on foreign oil."

Every President since Nixon has given that pledge, and each had his own ideas for how we would get there - and when. TIme and again, American resolve has wavered and it's not that we are failing under a light breeze, this is a daunting challenge because hydrocarbons work extremely well. They release vast energy per kilogram, they are relatively easy to find, produce, distribute, store, and consume. They exist in every continent. The technology for production and use is well-tested, well-understood, and easy to procure.

So, it will take a lot more effort than repeating the same tired pledge about "changing America's energy future" to move away from coal, oil and gas - and anyone who thinks we can actually fully move away from those three sources is living in another world entirely. The question is not whether we will rely on hydrocarbons, but rather how much will we rely on them, and for how long can we do so before ...

Cap & Trade

2010-06-09T22:54:00Z

Cap & Trade remains a debated issue in the U.S. Insight took a look at some of the major issues and costs in Cap & Trade.

Water Sustainability

2010-05-19T18:56:00Z

1,200 sustainability experts worldwide weigh in on the looming challenge of water scarcity - and the major shifts in policy, business models and regulation it will bring about. And a worldwide poll of 15,000 finds that water scarcity and water pollution are the top environmental concerns in the world - which makes sense since water is not only tangible, but existentially important.

The Challenge of Conservation

2010-03-15T01:16:00Z

Recently, Paul Walker of Insight Consulting spoke at the Water Resources Research Center at the University of Arizona. He addressed the question of whether conservation and renewable energy implementation are possible through reliance on individual consumers' actions and efforts. His presentation is attached.

The Challenge of Conservation Presentation

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The Energy Water Nexus in Arizona

2010-02-10T23:31:00Z

Two things we know about Arizona: One, we need affordable electricity to survive and prosper in the Arizona desert; and two, we have limited water resources. In this post, we will begin looking at this complicated relationship by assessing how much water we use to generate electricity in our State.

A Bridge To Where? Part Three

2010-02-02T13:27:00Z

Energy Biz Insider had an excellent article looking at ARRA Money for Energy Projects this past August [2209]. In “Riding the Federal Funding Wave”, Energy Biz summarized the spending: “The Administration’s $787 billion economic stimulus package provides some $65 billion in grants and tax credits for an array of energy projects. These funds turn the Department of Energy, other federal agencies and state governments into an ATM machine for the industry – if they know which buttons to push…