Plug-in hybrid

In his State of the Union address, President Obama challenged Congress and the American people to consider a greener economic future through the pursuit of a number of efforts, including cleaner vehicles and energy sources. While a full realization of a cleaner fleet of vehicles is underway, the systems to support them are not as far along. A recent MIT Energy Initiative report reveals that plug-in hybrids have the potential to perform as low-carbon contributors, but only if the power sources that serve them are in place.

A lively panel discussion dedicated to the question of whether a change in regulatory structure is needed to power a new clean energy economy helped kick off the National Electricity Forum, an annual confab co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, an association representing state utility regulators. Regulators, environmentalists, policy influencers and other panelists roundly pointed to market competition as the answer.

To inspire innovation in the electricity industry and jumpstart a clean energy economy, “We need to start turning the conversation around to markets,” declared Jon Wellinghoff, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).