Articles by Carol Winkel

An important element in developing the Seventh Power Plan is a review of the characteristics of generating resources that could be used to meet the region's future electricity needs. The Council assesses the operation and costs of power plants currently

At its February meeting, the Council's power committee discussed the proposed scenarios that will be used in developing its Seventh Power Plan.

At its February 10 meeting, the Council's power committee will review a draft set of proposed scenarios to use in its analysis for the Seventh Power Plan.

As a planning agency, the Council is obsessed with the future. Although it is impossible to predict it, the Council endeavors to prepare the region with knowledge and tools that can be economically and efficiently employed to ensure that our

The Council's regional portfolio model is the primary tool it uses to compare the cost and risk of alternate resource strategies. It has been under redevelopment for the past several months to update its software and improve its transparency.

In developing a regional power plan, the Council evaluates resources, including energy efficiency, based on their reliability, availability, development potential, capital and operating costs, and environmental effects, to name just a few important attributes. Resources that are well established--natural gas,

Whether it's better to use natural gas directly or to generate electricity for water heaters and space heating has been a longstanding question since the Council's first power plan. Over the years, the Council has conducted numerous studies to address

The preliminary load forecast for the draft Seventh Power Plan is for a moderate rate of growth over the next 20 years of between .5 and 1 percent. Regional load is expected to increase by 2,000-5,000 average megawatts before accounting

The Council’s power plans begin with the premise that the future is uncertain and we can’t really predict what will happen. Managing that risk is central to the Council’s approach to resource planning. Prior to the Council’s formation, this