Bridge to a distant shore: implementing Section 210 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978
This dissertation begins by observing that several interrelated factors have recently created the possibility that the American electrical power industry will change fundamentally. It then asks what the industry is likely to change to. To begin answering this question, the dissertation focuses on one key factor: public policy toward the interconnection of electric utilities with independent power producers. In particular, it focuses on the implementation of Section 210 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978. According to this research, five factors have had the greatest effect on the implementation of Section 210: 1) fluctuation in oil prices; 2) the delegation of ambiguity by Congress and the implementing agencies; 3) the dominance of an applied microeconomics framework; 4) the political efficacy and growing technical competence of the independent power producers; and 5) the monopoly/monopsony power of the utilities. The research then hypothesizes that large-scale cogenerators and renewable energy farms are likely to be major forms of power production in the future, while backyard or rooftop scale devices are not; that the development potential of energy farms is likely to be growing interest in changing the industry fundamentally whenever certain conditions are met; and that such change will require at least five to 10 years of dedicated effort. Lastly, the dissertation suggests key points of intervention for people who would like to alter the emerging direction of the industry.
- OSTI ID:
- 6501049
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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