A public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service. Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to statewide government monopolies.
Electricity retailing is the final sale of electricity from generation to the end-use consumer. This is the fourth major step in the electricity delivery process, which also includes generation, transmission and distribution.
Eversource Energy is a publicly traded, Fortune 500 energy company headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut and Boston, Massachusetts, with several regulated subsidiaries offering retail electricity, natural gas service and water service to approximately 4 million customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
A regulatory agency is a public authority or government agency responsible for exercising autonomous authority over some area of human activity in a regulatory or supervisory capacity. An independent regulatory agency is a regulatory agency that is independent from other branches or arms of the government.
Louisiana Public Service Commission (PSC) is an independent regulatory agency which manages public utilities and motor carriers in Louisiana. The commission has five elected members chosen in single-member districts for staggered six-year terms. Thus the commissioners have large constituencies, long terms, and close involvement with issues of intense consumer interest ; consequently membership on PSC has been known to serve as a springboard to even higher public office, as in the cases of Huey Long, Jimmie Davis, John McKeithen, and Kathleen Babineaux Blanco —PSC members who became governors of Louisiana.
The California Public Utilities Commission is a regulatory agency that regulates privately owned public utilities in the state of California, including electric power, telecommunications, natural gas and water companies. In addition, the CPUC regulates common carriers, including household goods movers, passenger transportation companies such as limousine services, and rail crossing safety. The CPUC has headquarters in the Civic Center district of San Francisco, and field offices in Los Angeles and Sacramento.
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) is the public utilities commission of the U.S. state of Ohio, charged with the regulation of utility service providers such as those of electricity, natural gas, and telecommunications as well as railroad safety and intrastate hazardous materials transport.
A regulated market (RM) or controlled market is an idealized system where the government controls the forces of supply and demand, such as who is allowed to enter the market and/or what prices may be charged.
A feed-in tariff is a policy mechanism designed to accelerate investment in renewable energy technologies. It achieves this by offering long-term contracts to renewable energy producers, typically based on the cost of generation of each technology. Rather than pay an equal amount for energy, however generated, technologies such as wind power and solar PV, for instance, are awarded a lower per-kWh price, while technologies such as tidal power are offered a higher price, reflecting costs that are higher at the moment and allowing a government to encourage development of one technology over another.
Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs) or Solar Renewable Energy Credits are a form of Renewable Energy Certificate or "Green tag" existing in the United States of America. SRECs exist in states that have Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) legislation with specific requirements for solar energy, usually referred to as a "solar carve-out". The additional income received from selling SRECs increases the economic value of a solar investment and assists with the financing of solar technology. In conjunction with state and federal incentives, solar system owners can recover their investment in solar by selling their SRECs through spot market sales or long-term sales, both described below.
The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) is the national association representing the state public service commissioners who regulate essential utility services, including energy, telecommunications, and water. NARUC members are responsible for assuring reliable utility service at fair, just, and reasonable rates. Founded in 1889, the Association is a resource for its members and the regulatory community, providing a venue to set and influence public policy, share best practices, and foster solutions to improve regulation.
Robert E. Nyce is a former Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. A graduate of Northampton Area Senior High School, Northampton, PA and Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA for over twenty years he was a tax professional working at Lehigh Portland Cement Company, Allentown, PA from 1970 to 1973, Manager, Credit Taxes, Insurance and Payroll at Frick Company, Waynesboro, PA from 1973 to 1975, Senior Tax Accountant for Bethlehem Steel Corporation from 1975 to 1985 and Asst. Vice President, Taxes for Chrysler First, Inc., Allentown, PA from 1985 to 1990. He was a member of the Tax Executives Institute including Chairman of the State Tax Committee in the 1980s. During his private sector employment, Mr. Nyce was active in his community of East Allen Township. From 1979 to 1984 he served as a member and Chairman of the East Allen Township Municipal Authority and again from 2007 to 2013 as a member and Treasurer. From 2011 to 2013 Mr. Nyce negotiated and helped close the sale of the East Allen Township Municipal Authority's assets to The City of Bethlehem and the Bath Borough Municipal Authority thereby ensuring high quality service of water and sewer for the future for all residents of East Allen Township. From 1984 to 1990, Mr. Nyce served on the Northampton Area School District Board of Directors as member, Vice Chairman and Chairman. He also served on the Bethlehem Area Vocational Technical School Joint Operating Committee as member, Vice Chairman and Chairman. In both capacities, he was responsible for normal business operations and participated in union contract negotiations with staff. In 1990, Mr. Nyce ran for and was elected State Representative for the 138th PA House District encompassing parts of Northampton and Monroe Counties. During his three terms in the House of Representatives he served on several important committees: Education, Local Government, Fish and Game, Finance to name a few. In 1996 he ran for PA Auditor General in an unsuccessful bid to represent the people of PA as their financial watchdog. Following the campaign, he was hired as the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC). Mr. Nyce served for eight years in that capacity overseeing two major revisions to the Regulatory Review Act and many significant regulatory issues facing the residents of Pennsylvania. The PA IRRC reviews all regulations promulgated in PA and provides citizens an opportunity to comment on and affect those regulations prior to their promulgation by the state agency that authored the regulation. The two exceptions are the PA Fish and Boat Commission and the PA Game Commission which remain outside the regulatory review process. In 2005, Mr. Nyce retired from state government and now resides in Northampton County. He has been a member of the Free and Accepted Masons of PA since 1971 and the Rajah Shrine, Reading, PA since the mid-ninety's. Mr. Nyce is a past member of the Northampton Exchange Club. Mr. Nyce served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1969. Having completed his basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Lewis, Washington he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Infantry Unit, "The Old Guard" at Arlington National Cemetery where he served for about two and one half years attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant, E-6 before taking an early release to return to Moravian College in September 1969. While serving at Arlington, SSG Nyce participated in former President Dwight D. Eisenhower's funeral, President Nixon's Inauguration and Robert F. Kennedy's Funeral.
Utility ratemaking is the formal regulatory process in the United States by which public utilities set the prices they will charge consumers. Ratemaking, typically carried out through "rate cases" before a public utilities commission, serves as one of the primary instruments of government regulation of public utilities.
Solar power in Pennsylvania currently provides less than 1% of the state’s electricity, but there are many policies in place to regulate and incentivize its use. Pennsylvania mandates the use of solar power through a renewable portfolio standard, which requires a percentage of electricity from each providers to come from solar, and net metering, which compensates small-scale solar generation through net metering. By 2021, Pennsylvania is required to have 0.5% of its electricity from solar. Solar power could theoretically provide over 30% of the state's electricity, but growth in solar generation has slowed due to a reduction in solar grants and the low price of solar energy credits.
Net metering in Nevada is a public policy and political issue surrounding the rates that Nevada public utilities are required to pay to purchase excess energy produced by electric customers who generate their own electricity, such as through rooftop solar panels. The issue centers around two policies: paying solar customers the "retail" rate versus the "wholesale" rate.
Net metering in Michigan was a state program that allowed utility customers to develop renewable energy generation projects on-site at their home or business to meet their own energy needs and reduce their electric bill. As of the end of 2015, Michigan had approximately 2,000 net metering customers. The net metering program was replaced with a inflow/outflow program which charges retail rate for grid energy used and pays for excess sent to the grid at a cost-avoided rate. This cost-avoided rate is much lower than the retail rate and each utility must have their price approved by the state utility board in their rate case.
Net metering in New Mexico is a set of state public policies that govern the relationship between solar customers and electric utility companies.
