Episode #2: Where Does Our Electricity Come From?
This episode covers what energy sources are used to generate electricity in the U.S., a basic overview of how power plants work, how electricity gets from power plants to end users, how Connecticut regulates electric utilities, Connecticut’s electricity profile, and how Connecticut fits into the regional context, including the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, ISO New England, and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
[archiveorg KeepingItGreen102 width=640 height=140 frameborder=0 webkitallowfullscreen=true mozallowfullscreen=true]Sources & Helpful Links:
- Connecticut Light and Power Company (CL&P): https://www.cl-p.com/
- Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA): http://www.ct.gov/pura/site/default.asp
- Edison Electric Institute: http://www.eei.org
- ISO New England: http://www.iso-ne.com/
- National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC): http://www.naruc.org/
- North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC): http://www.nerc.com/Pages/default.aspx
- Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI): http://www.rggi.org/
- United Illuminating Company (UI): uinet.com/
- S. Energy Information Administration (EIA): http://www.eia.gov/
- S. Energy Information Administration – Connecticut State Energy Profile: http://www.eia.gov/state/print.cfm?sid=CT
Notes & Corrections:
- You can find a lot of great diagrams online that explain how a power plant works. The one I used in the podcast came from the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) website. The diagram is available at http://www.eei.org/electricity101/PublishingImages/basics5.jpg. To view the webpage, visit eei.org/electricity101/pages/basics.aspx.
- There are also excellent diagrams online that explain how electricity gets from power plants to your home or business. For the podcast, I used a diagram from ISO New England entitled “How Electricity Flows: From Wholesale to Retail.” To view the diagram, visit http://www.iso-ne.com/about/what-we-do/in-depth/how-electricity-flows-from-wholesale-to-retail.
- The definition of decoupling provided in the podcast came from the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), Decoupling for Electric & Gas Utilities: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (Sept. 2007), at page 2. To view this document, use the following link: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCIQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.naruc.org%2FPublications%2FNARUCDecouplingFAQ9_07.pdf&ei=aTyYVKetGuW1sQSPoID4Cw&usg=AFQjCNEq3H48TcIBdsep5Ryvje6FzcGo1w&sig2=ejLG2znV0RMZ8OLEiMwEGA&bvm=bv.82001339,d.cWc.
A few times during the podcast, I accidentally said “fuel mix” when I meant to say “fuel.” Fuel mix refers to the different types of fuels (e.g., nuclear, coal, natural gas, hydro, and renewables) that are used to generate electricity in a particular area. It’s incorrect to use the term “fuel mix” when you refer to a single type of fuel.