A Sign of the Utility Death Spiral?

Energy Gang

Wood Mackenzie

Tech News, Environment, Sustainability, Innovation, Renewable Energy, Technology, Alternative Energy, Energy, News, Cleantech, Wind Energy, Business, Climate Change, Solar Energy

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 26 May 2016

⏱️ 93 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Nevada Power is likely doing a lot of soul searching. Last week, two of the biggest Las Vegas casino companies -- MGM Resorts and Wynn – filed to leave Nevada Power and set off to buy wholesale electricity on their own. MGM has particularly strong renewable energy goals, and this move signals that the company thinks it can procure clean electrons cheaper than the utility. As more large corporations make similar moves, will it lead to a financial disaster for utilities? This week, we'll discuss the implications with Cory Honeyman, the associate director of GTM’s US solar research practice, who has been following the commercial customer class closely. Then, Exxon rejects shareholder demands on climate. We’ll look at the latest salvo over the oil giant’s carbon accounting. And we will end on a low note. Lake Mead, America’s biggest reservoir serving over 20 million people in the West, hit its lowest level ever. Are water wars on the horizon? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

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0:00.0	From Green Tech Media, this is the Energy Gang, a weekly digest on energy, clean tech and the environment.
0:09.0	I'm Stephen Lacey, welcome. In this episode, heck with rooftop solar, utilities have a much bigger problem to worry
0:21.1	about.
0:22.1	They're commercial customers ditching them.
0:24.3	MGM Resorts plans to stop buying electricity from Nevada Power, dealing a major blow to the
0:29.0	utility. Is it a precedent? Then Exxon reject shareholder demands on climate.
0:34.4	We'll look at the latest salvo
0:35.8	over the oil giant's carbon accounting.
0:38.6	And we will end on a low note.
0:40.3	Lake Mead, America's biggest reservoir
0:42.4	serving over 20 million people in the west, hits its lowest level ever,
0:46.4	our water wars on the horizon.
0:49.2	Who better to discuss these issues with, then Catherine Hamilton and Jigger Shaw, my
0:54.6	regular co-hosts. Catherine's with us from Washington DC. Hello Catherine.
0:59.1	Yes and good news summer has arrived here.
1:02.5	Finally, although we're going to get a week of rain next week.
1:05.5	So you've given it to us.
1:07.0	Oh, I'm so sorry.
1:10.0	Jiggershaw is in New York.
1:11.3	He just ran out of his taxi to his home studio. How are you, sir?
1:15.0	I'm doing great. Good. Well, regular listeners of this show might think that based on our conversations, the biggest threat to electric utilities is solar
1:25.3	or a combination of rooftop solar and storage or micro grids, but power companies may have a bigger
	...

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