U.S. utilities are structuring intelligence into their networks with the aim to make power distribution more efficient; however these efforts are getting caught in the myriad of regulations that leave their security efforts incomplete, inadequate and uncoordinated. According to a new report released by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a single federal agency should be in charge of the nation’s critical infrastructure security, instead of being spread across a group of organizations, as it currently is. The findings also stated that this greater reliance on data communications in the grid increases the importance of standardization for interoperability and of cybersecurity and raises serious issues of privacy. Additionally, the report also discussed the potential risk factors to the grid from the impact of federal regulations, rising prices for fossil fuels and competition from sources of renewable energy. It largely stated that with the right policy measures, the grid would be able to handle the influx of electric vehicles as well as renewable generation sources including wind and solar. Read more »

The Department of Energy has announced a $1.4 billion partial loan guarantee to support an initiative, Project Amp, that seeks to install of solar panels on industrial buildings across the country. The project plans to use the 733 megawatts(MW) of electricity generated from the panels to feed directly into the electric grid rather than powering the buildings where they are installed. The solar panels will go on 750 existing rooftops owned and managed by Prologis, and is expected to produce up to 1 million MW hours annually. NRG Energy is the lead investor in Phase 1 of the project that involves a 15.4 MW installation in Southern California, and the power from Phase 1 will be sold to Southern California Edison. Additional installations will be built in up to 28 states and the District of Columbia.

When President Obama signs the $858 billion tax package that was passed by Congress, he will also be giving a one-year extension of a popular incentive program for renewable energy projects. The Treasury program, also known as 1603 Treasury cash grants, covers up to 30% of the cost of alternative energy projects and was due to expire on December 31. According to some industry analysts, it has supported more than 100,000 jobs and $18 billion in investment for thousands of installations.

The U.S. House of Representatives has confirmed Fred Upton (R-MI) as the Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Peter King (R-NY) as the Chair of the Homeland Security Committee.

In a recent op-ed in POLITICO, Upton called for energy security to be a priority for the upcoming Congress. He also pushed for oil-drilling in the controversial Arctic National Wildlife Range (ANWR) in Alaska and for deploying more nuclear plants. To that end, Upton has fully supported the American Energy Act (H.R. 2846) which calls for licensing 100 new nuclear reactors over the next 20 years. Upton advocated diversifying the national energy portfolio which would also include pushing more coal, natural gas and renewables.

High on Rep. King's agenda is cybersecurity and strengthening public safety communications. King is the main sponsor of H.R. 5081, Broadband for First Responders Act, which calls for allocating the 700 MHz D-Block for public safety and first responders. King is also looking to pass a comprehensive cybersecurity bill that would authorize the Department of Homeland Security with necessary guidance tools and power to penalize non-compliant entities and direct threats to national security. King expects his efforts to bolster national cybersecurity by fortifying the defenses of federal networks and promoting partnerships with the private sector to protect against cyberattacks.