This STAT Chat podcast features Caleb Rockenbaugh, an engineer for the Technical Assessment and Screening group at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). He talks about his role and details several of the projects that he's worked on through the country. Continue reading
NREL Conduit Blog
The NREL Conduit Blog discusses research relevant to state, local, and tribal governments. Contributing authors provide posts related to events, policy analysis, and decision support outcomes to inform the market in a credible and timely fashion.
Phrase of the Day: Rate Base
September 16, 2015
Rate of return regulation is a type of regulation that allows utilities to cover their operating expenses (i.e., variable costs) and ensure a fair rate of return on capital investments. The public utility commission determines the allowable rate of return for each utility. The utility’s rate base is the total value of a utility’s assets (e.g., plant, equipment, working capital, and deductions for accumulated depreciation). Both the rate of return and the rate base are components of the utility’s revenue requirement, which the utility collects from customers in the form of electricity rates. Continue reading