The Rocky Mountain Energy Blog: Readily Accessible Expertise and Insight About Energy Issues in the Rocky Mountain Region

Anyone interested in following energy developments and challenges in the Rocky Mountain region -- particularly Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming -- should be sure to bookmark (or subscribe to) the Rocky Mountain Energy Blog, which identifies and tracks major developments and trends in the region.

Yesterday I had lunch with Kelly de la Torre, one of the blog's co-authors and an attorney at Beatty & Wozniak in Denver. The firm, which goes by the moniker "Energy in the Law," focuses on energy and natural resources law. As a result, the blog, which is co-authored by Jamie Jost, who also practices at Beatty & Wozniak, is filled with information and observations that will be extremely useful to anyone practicing or thinking about practicing in this area, or (and possibly more importantly) for businesses that are part of the energy or natural resources sector in the Rocky Mountains.

Perhaps what makes this blog so useful is the experience and insight that Ms. de la Torre and Ms. Jost bring to the project. The former practices mostly in the renewable energy sector, and is an expert on transmission issues. The latter focuses on oil and gas, thus bringing perspective to a different segment of the energy sector. Working together, Ms. de la Torre and Ms. Jost cover a great deal of ground writing about issues that are at the forefront of development in the Rocky Mountain West.

A few recent postings illustrate my point. In late February, the blog included a posting about the New Mexico Electricity Transmission Planning Report. In early February the blog reported about "a new report that emphasizes the need to include natural gas in policy and infrastructure planning discussions between industry, regulators, and policy makers."

Ms. de la Torre explained that she represents clients before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission and the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission. She also regularly interacts with state infrastructure authorities in the Rocky Mountain Region. In brief, she has studied the regulatory and legislative issues involving the often vexing issues related to electricity transmission and thus when she speaks or writes about these issues it makes sense to pay close attention.

You only have to look at what Ms. de la Torre is doing, and her passion for understanding and resolving tough transmission-related issues, to have a better understanding about why many consider Denver and Colorado the center of the "new energy economy."

Don C. Smith
Director
Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy Program

Renewable Energy and Transmission Expert Ronald L. Lehr to Speak at Sturm College of Law on Oct. 27

Ronald L. Lehr, an expert on renewable energy and transmission policy, will speak about "Renewables and Transmission" from 12 noon to 1 p.m. in room 190 on Oct. 27 at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.

Mr. Lehr, who served for seven years from 1984-1991 as Chairman and Commissioner of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, practices law and consults about energy regulation and business matters. Among his current assignments include work for the American Wind Energy Association on public policy and transmission issues for wind energy, the Interwest Energy Alliance on market development for large scale renewable energy in a six state western region, and Western Grid Group on western grid level system and transmission planning.

He also works for private firms on renewable energy policies and commercialization strategies. He has appeared as an expert witness, sponsoring testimony in administrative venues on utility planning and mergers, and in anti-trust, employment, and government claim litigation.

The event is being sponsored by the Land Use Law Society.

New Law in China Bolsters Renewable Energy Industry

In late December China's legislative body, the National People's Congress, passed an amendment to the country's renewable energy law under which electricity grid companies, which are owned by the state, will be required to buy all renewable energy output generated in China.

State-owned grid companies that refuse to abide by the new law will be "fined up to an amount double that of the economic loss of the renewable energy company," the Xinhua News Agency reported ("China Amends Law to Boost Renewable Energy Law," Dec. 26, 2009). While in 2008 China generated the fourth largest amount of wind power in the world, about one-third of it never reached the grid, Xinhua reported.

"Renewable energy power in the country's resource rich, underdeveloped northwestern region must be sent to the resource-scarce, prosperous coastal area," Wang Zhongying, Energy Research Institute head of renewable energy development, told Xinhua.

Bearing this in mind, one of the major challenges facing China is the absence of a "smart grid" that could obviate some of the transmission issues associated with bringing more renewables to load centers. This observation has been made by many including, most recently, an article in The Wall Street Journal ("Chinese Law Aims to Increase the Use of Renewable Energy," Dec. 28, 2009), in which reporter Shai Oster writes, "China's electricity-grid operators need to develop a smarter network to handle how to dispatch electricity generated by wind or solar energy, which fluctuates widely depending on weather patterns, and to relate it to demand for power, which swings in different cycles."

The transmission issues sounds rather familiar, don't they. There is a great deal to be done -- whether in the China, the EU, or the U.S. -- to address the transmission issues.

Transmission Challenges Related to Integrating More Renewables Into the Grid

If you are interested in green energy issues, then one topic that has to be at the top of your list is electricity transmission. In brief, the country's electricity grid is simply not up to the task of handling the integration of large amounts of renewable energy. This is a critical issue for the further development and deployment of renewables.

PBS "Now" TV show highlighted some of the key issues in last Friday's program. Be sure to check out "Power Struggle: Find Out Why the Green Energy Dream May Not Happen."