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Today, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Jon Wellinghoff told a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee that competitive markets provide the efficiencies and clean energy we need to move forward to a low-carbon future. We've noted Chairman Wellinghoff’s support for organized markets before, spurred by the success that renewable energy and demand response have seen within organized electricity markets, as well as independent reports that have found competitive electricity markets were “shattering barriers” for renewable energy resources. We are always happy to see competition rightly recognized for providing economic and environmental benefits for consumers and helping our country move toward a clean energy future.

Because of a law passed one year ago in Michigan mandating a 10 percent cap on competitive electricity,consumers are now paying more for less, said the Customer Choice Coalition. This week the Coalition marked the one-year anniversary of the law’s passage by revealing the impact it’s having on customers across the state. The Coalition’s Executive Director Barry Cargill said, “Customers are paying more now than ever before.Detroit Edison residential customers are paying 20 percent, or $130, more this year and Consumers Energy customers are faced with a 9 percent increase at the cost of about $60 per year.

Electricity consumers in Maryland are choosing competitive suppliers, and the results are getting noticed. A local radio station highlighted the successes of energy competition Wednesday, asking resident Matt Berres how he achieves double-digit savings while knowing his energy is greener than the average Maryland kilowatt. Matt has chosen to enroll in the Clean Currents wind-based electricity program, which would not have been possible without Maryland’s customer choice laws. Along with 4,000 other local customers, Matt is enjoying the benefits of energy competition: “Compared to Pepco's summer rates, we're saving about 12 to 13 percent on our bill,” he said. The Clean Currents program allows its customers to lock in at those low rates, so they know they won’t face a hike later on. The broadcast zeroed in on the bottom line.

Very interesting blog post by Marc Gunther – sustainability expert/Fortune Contributing Editor – yesterday on the importance of emerging energy storage technologies. Energy Storage & Power, a joint venture with COMPETE member PSEG, is pioneering some innovation in the form of Compressed Air Energy Storage technology that stores off-peak energy for release when needed during peak demand hours. Energy storage offers numerous benefits, most notably the ability to match electricity supply (especially renewable energy) with demand. It helps facilitate greater use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. Many power generators are already pursuing energy storage capabilities.

A new survey by the Ft.

Organized competitive electricity markets experienced a phenomenal 400% increase in renewable energy resources since 2004, while demand response resources have doubled since 2006.  Those are just two high-level outcomes in the 2009 State of the  Markets report released by the ISO/RTO Council.  In a press release, the ISO/RTO Council rightly bragged that the organized markets they oversee are “shattering barriers” for these new, innovative resources. Beyond showcasing the incredible growth in renewables and demand response, the report flags the significant improvements made in “creating new efficiencies in plant operations; significantly improving grid reliability; sending clear, timely, and transparent pricing signals; and expanding regi

Sec. Federico Peña, former Secretary of Energy and Transportation and Co-Chair to the COMPETE Coalition, addressed Michigan’s 10 percent cap on competitive energy in an op-ed that ran in the Sunday edition of the Lansing State Journal. In the piece, Peña notes that, “Customers locked out of the market are particularly frustrated because steep declines in wholesale energy prices are one of the few financial bright spots in the midst of a devastating economic downturn, one that's hit Michigan particularly hard.”

The largest flywheel project in the world has been greenlighted by New York state regulators to be built in Stephentown, in upstate New York. The 20 megawatt project will pull off-peak power from New York power plants to supply power to the grid during peak demand.

While the COMPETE Coalition is not taking sides on health care, I was encouraged to hear the president tell Congress Wednesday night:  “My guiding principle is, and always has been, that consumers do better when there's choice and competition. That's how the market works.”  I couldn't have said it better myself.

Congress returns to work this week, and a top priority is comprehensive energy and climate change legislation that will require billions of dollars in new investment. With that in mind, the Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA) released an analysis concluding that future fuel prices, the impact of demand response and energy efficiency, infrastructure investment, and carbon regulation "pose a complicated set of options for electric companies and for regulators" and that using "competitive mechanisms in conjunction with strong regulatory oversight is the best path forward in these uncertain and 'interesting' times." The analysis and its policy recommendations are by Dr.