“Perhaps the most distressing characteristic displayed by the pushers of soft energy was the intellectual poverty of their grand designs, their impatient dismissal of all criticism, their arrogant insistence on the infallible orthodoxy of their normative visions.”
“There is little doubt about the origins and the real message of soft energy dogma: the roots are in the muddled revolts of young Americans in the late 1960s and the early 1970s, the goal is a social transformation rather than simply a provision of energy. The latter fact explains the widespread appeal of soft energy sources among zealous would-be reformers of Western ways.”
Vaclav Smil is one of the leading energy scholars of our day. He has, time and again, tried to inject energy reality into energy fantasy. Some of his previous posts at MasterResource (see here) include ‘The Limits of Energy Innovation’: Timeless Insight from Vaclav Smil and the five-part Power Density Primer.…
Continue Reading“The evolution of variable energy pricing is a market outcome and should continue to replace the old fixed demand change and variable energy-rate designs. The power industry is in transition away from regulatory mechanisms toward market mechanisms for setting retail rates.”
The electricity market has undergone a revolution that is still evolving. Large end users’ power purchasing practices must adapt to the way the power market is changing in order to remain competitive in their own markets. An understanding of this market’s development provides insights into the future features of the retail power market and how customers can best respond to the next phases of its development.
Traditionally, a utility’s rates reflected its own fixed and variable costs. The utility’s fixed costs (principal and interest payments on capital, primarily) were recovered in demand charges. …
Continue Reading“I’d like to see a rebirth of the country — go back where there’s equal rights for everybody, as I said, and that people succeed to the extent that they help other people improve their lives. To lead toward a society that maximizes peace, civility, and well-being for everyone.”
A series of posts at MasterResource has examined the views on business/government relations by classical-liberal entrepreneur Charles Koch, who has become a rare voice for government-neutral business relations. These post include:
Charles Koch: An Entrepreneur for Liberty
‘Good Profit’: Charles Koch on Cronyism (Part 2)
Charles Koch on Cronyism (Part 1)
Who is Charles Koch? (A builder of business and critic of political capitalism)
Charles Koch’s most recent thoughts on cronyism have been provided in an interview by the Washington Post’s Jim Tankersley (misleadingly titled “‘I don’t like the idea of capitalism’: Charles Koch, unfiltered.”…
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