To project the US potential to meet future electricity demands with wind energy, estimates of available wind resource and costs to access that resource are critical. The US Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Information Administration (EIA) annually estimates the US market penetration of wind in...

Several bills were introduced in the past two Congresses to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from electric power plants. The effects of these bills on electricity costs depend on features of the bills, on the mix of generating capacity owned by different electric utilities,...

In this paper, I offer some thoughts about least cost planning, not from the perspective of the regulator or utility, but from the perspective of a residential customer. The problem that I address is, as a homeowner in northern Virginia, I am about to make a long term fuel choice for my...

BPA proposes to fund four projects that will enhance instream flow in several subbasins throughout Oregon. The Oregon Water Trust acquires existing water rights on a voluntary basis through purchase, gift and water conservation projects, and converts the rights to instream flow under Oregon...

This report describes how Learning-by-Doing (LBD) is implemented endogenously in the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS) for generating plants. LBD is experiential learning that correlates to a generating technology's capacity growth. The annual amount of Learning-by-Doing affects the annual...

The effects of various financial incentives on potential developers of geothermal electric energy are studied and the impact of timing of plant construction costs on geothermal electricity costs is assessed. The effect of the geothermal loan guarantee program on decisions by investor-owned...

This study was conducted in response to the requirements of Section 1205 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPACT), which states: The Secretary (of Energy), in conjunction with State regulatory commissions, shall undertake a study to determine if conventional taxation and ratemaking procedures...

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program enables DOE to obtain effective, innovative solutions to important problems through the private sector, which has a commercial incentive to pursue the resulting technology and bring it to the marketplace. The growing number of awardees, many...

Policy makers will most likely need to make decisions about climate policy before climate scientists have resolved all relevant uncertainties about the impacts of climate change. This study demonstrates a risk-assessment methodology for evaluating uncertain future climatic conditions. We...

Compact fluorescent technologies have been steadily improving. There has been increased interest in utilizing compact fluorescents to provide cost-effective energy savings for electric utilities in the residential sector. Several utilities in the United States have already distributed compact...