by Nancy Spring
When I wrote the Utility Financial Rankings Industry Report three years ago, the key word was "recovery." Looking at the final figures for 2004, the C Three Group's Jean Reaves Rollins felt the industry had almost completely recovered from the Enron hangover. "Most of the companies that could dig themselves out of the mess finished digging," said Jean. Investors were poised to take advantage of opportunities for growth. (The Sept./Oct. 2005 Electric Light & Power is archived online at www.elp.com.)
 In-home energy display units. Learn more about them at Featured Videos, www.elp.com. |
One of the companies that found themselves embroiled back then in what Rollins called the "mess" was Calpine, which was forced to declare bankruptcy at the end of 2005. This year, Calpine completed its Chapter 11 restructuring and successfully emerged from bankruptcy on Jan. 31. The company, re-energized about its mission to deliver "clean, cost-effective, reliable and fuel-efficient electricity to customers and communities in 18 states" with its natural gas-fired and geothermal power plants, recently brought a new president and CEO on board, Jack Fusco. Mr. Fusco discussed his plans for Calpine's future with us. Turn to the Executive Profile, page 20, to see what kind of ideas the IPP will be exploring.
Calpine's not the only company on the upswing. This year's Utility Financial Ranking Industry Report characterizes 2007 as "remarkable." All across the utility sector, company performance was strong. Find out how your favorite utilities did or what the outlook for 2008 is, starting on page 24.
In-home energy display units help customers understand their energy usage so they can conserve, and they make it easier for utilities to promote energy efficiency and demand response. Karen Blackmore, Energy Insights, an IDC company, writes about IHD technology for our new section, Energy Management.
Energy display technology is developing quickly, at the rapid pace of cell phones and cameras, so I'm sure eventually I'll end up with one in my house. But I needed more information. Where do I buy an IHD? How do they work?
I met with Karen and she brought several IHD units with her. There's nothing like talking to an expert! She explained how IHDs work and what utilities can do to help their customers move into this new world of energy management. If you'd like to benefit from Karen's experience and expertise, too, go to www.elp.com and take a few minutes to watch the video we shot.
My last word
This is my last issue of Electric Light & Power magazine. I have enjoyed working on EL&P very much for the past three years and move now to another PennWell publication, Power Engineering, where I'll focus on the generation side of the business. Taking over here will be Teresa Hansen, the new editor in chief of Electric Light & Power, Utility Automation & Engineering, T&D, and Utility Products. Teresa's been covering the energy business for more than 12 years and brings a broad understanding of the industry to her work. Send her a welcome e-mail at teresah@pennwell.com. My contact information stays the same, nancys@pennwell.com, so please stay in touch.
Nancy Spring
Managing Editor