Joe Daniel
@electronecon.bsky.social
Electricity Economics and Policy Working to ensure an affordable energy transition Principal, RMI (electricity affordability) opinions expressed here are my own
Listen to @electronecon.bsky.social and @volts.wtf dig into utility return on equity, why it's not the same as the utility's cost of equity, and what we should do about it. You won't regret it. www.volts.wtf/p/are-utilit...
Are utilities making too much money?
Joe Daniel on why trimming utility profits is good governance.
volts.wtf
Tri State is formally challenging DOE’s order to keep the Craig coal plant running. coloradosun.com/2026/01/30/c...
Tri-State says no thanks to federal orders to keep Craig coal power plant open
The owners of Craig's coal fired power plant petitioned the federal government to let a unit stay closed as planned.
coloradosun.com
Energy nerds! On Friday, I am talking with @electronecon.bsky.social of @rockymtninst.bsky.social about utility return on equity (ROE). Critics say that ROE has crept up over time & that utilities are basically making too much money, which is distorting their incentives. Got ROE questions?
Lol, Zillow tried to rate the climate risks facing individual properties. The real estate industry *hated* it, precisely because it worked -- it made selling risky properties more difficult. So they rebelled & Zillow caved. Don't look up!
Zillow Removes Climate Risk Scores From Home Listings
nytimes.com
Some tangible actions PUCs can take durring the government shutdown to assist low-income families, all of which are struggling right now as important support programs are frozen. rmi.org/as-the-gover...
As the Government Shutdown Freezes Low-Income Assistance Funds, PUCs Can Help - RMI
As LIHEAP funding stalls, millions face energy insecurity; PUCs act to prevent shutoffs and protect struggling families.
rmi.org
If you’re driving around in unmarked cars, wearing masks, and kidnapping people, you’re not one of the good guys.
Millionaires will continue to live in NYC for the Lincoln Center, and Broadway, for the Opera, and the Met gala. They will continue to seek the status of living on Central Park West or in Tribeca, or billionaires row.
Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 10mo agoResearch is clear: millionaire flight due to higher taxes is simply not a thing. Millionaires move *less* than the rest of us and often move from one higher-tax state to another (because of amenities!). prospect.org/2025/10/23/m...
In the few contacts I've dug into the price is paid as part of the transportation cost ($) but often reported as an added in the price ($/mmbtu) but would love to know if this is norm or outlier
Simon Mahan@simonmahan.bsky.social · 10mo agoWith natural gas pipeline contracts for electric utilities, if an electric utility signs a more firm pipeline capacity contract, is the firmness of that contract rolled into the retail customers fuel charge, or is it a separate line item paid for by the utility?
That's 0.1%. FWIW, In Illinois nearly 1 and 4 adults has a criminal record (thanks to over policing). You best bet kidnapping random adults to goose up the stats is next.
Robert Reich@rbreich.bsky.social · 10mo agoTrump claims ICE’s reign of terror in Chicago is targeting the “worst of the worst.” But out of the 1,000 undocumented immigrants that have swept up, the agency has only cited 10 men with a criminal background. Don’t believe his lies for a second. www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/t...
Looking forward to reading the NYC oped "The rise of pro-hitler young republicans is the fault of Democrats not capitulating enough."
Carl Quintanilla@carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 10mo agoPOLITICO: “.. They referred to Black people as monkeys and ‘the watermelon people’ and mused about putting their political opponents in gas chambers. They talked about raping their enemies .. and lauded Republicans who they believed support slavery. @politico.com www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
Wedding in sleepy hollow in October... Very fun. Meeting "Bear" at the local coffee shop... Perfect
Wild fact from the utility/large-business settlement proposal in FPL’s rate case, via @shelbyisgreen.bsky.social. Every time I hear a politician describe the pro-monopoly, pro-utility, pro-rate hike position as “pro-business,” a part of me dies inside. energyandpolicy.org/key-decision...
Today on Volts: traditionally, electricity grids are kept stable by large spinning masses, usually fossil fuel generators. What will ensure stability when the fossil fuels retire? Enter "grid-forming inverters" attached to solar, wind, & batteries. I dig into the tech & the growing market.
How inverters can stabilize a renewables-heavy grid
Daniel Duckwitz and Catarina Augusto explain how we can run stable electricity grids on inverter-based clean energy resources.
volts.wtf
Despite not having representation at the legislature, and despite my city being turned into a police state, I show up today for jury service.
It's time to wake up! “Because here in DC we deserve leadership that is better… it is time to put them all on notice.” 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Afeni Edwards, DC Activist. #FreeDC #WeAreAllDC
Our utility wildfire staff attorney, Eric Macomber, wrote a long post summarizing changes to utility liability for wildfire that have occurred across the West this year.
"As much as I love [gas], I’m never going back to it." Head chef Jeremy Chan discusses why Ikoyi, a London restaurant with two Michelin stars, uses induction cooking instead of gas burners.
With Induction Stoves, Chefs Discover a Foolproof Path to Perfection
From Michelin kitchens to home wok burners, induction delivers consistency that gas can’t match.
bloomberg.com
The uneconomic coal dispatch work that HCI has funded at @rockymtninst.bsky.social led by @electronecon.bsky.social relies on the bulk FERC & EIA data that we publish through our Public Utility Data Liberation Project (PUDL). #OpenData #EnergySky
David Roberts@volts.wtf · 12mo agoToday on Volts: "uneconomic dispatch" is when utilities run coal plants even when there are cheaper options, just to justify keeping them open. Based on a bogus Trump reliability report, that practice is about to get much more common, and worse. I talk with an expert.
Today on Volts: "uneconomic dispatch" is when utilities run coal plants even when there are cheaper options, just to justify keeping them open. Based on a bogus Trump reliability report, that practice is about to get much more common, and worse. I talk with an expert.
Trump's latest attempt to save coal
Frank Rambo joins me to discuss the multi-billion-dollar utility practice of running expensive coal plants and the Trump administration's efforts to prop them up.
volts.wtf
This work wouldn't be possible without Catalyst Cooperative. Supporting them supports me, RMI, and countless others in our industry trying to use defensible data to inform policies.
Catalyst Cooperative@catalyst.coop · 12mo agoThe uneconomic coal dispatch work that HCI has funded at @rockymtninst.bsky.social led by @electronecon.bsky.social relies on the bulk FERC & EIA data that we publish through our Public Utility Data Liberation Project (PUDL). #OpenData #EnergySky
Coal plants present a huge reliability liability for grids where data center loads represent a large portion of demand. rmi.org/reality-chec...
Reality Check: We Have What’s Needed to Reliably Power the Data Center Boom, and It’s Not Coal Plants - RMI
A range of clean, resilient solutions can help us meet the electrical needs of our growing digital economy while saving Americans money.
rmi.org
Coal plants present a huge reliability liability for grids where data center loads represent a large portion of demand. rmi.org/reality-chec...
Reality Check: We Have What’s Needed to Reliably Power the Data Center Boom, and It’s Not Coal Plants - RMI
A range of clean, resilient solutions can help us meet the electrical needs of our growing digital economy while saving Americans money.
rmi.org
Führer Noem can’t stop Nazi posting. Even AI agrees. Jeez.
Trump Admin Called Out for Mirroring 'Known White Supremacist' Messaging With 'Disgusting' Image of Colonization
The Department of Homeland Security shared an X post with a Manifest Destiny painting that users said referenced Nazi propaganda and "Heil Hitler."
latintimes.com
