What Texans want is more, less expensive electricity, not less, more expensive electricity. If Texas wants to reduce energy costs and save money for Texas consumers, it needs to go back to the drawing board and make significant changes to the energy efficiency program and eliminate the Renewable Portfolio Standard.
Proposals to expand Texas’ energy efficiency program ignore the fact that there is simply no way, given the existing data and methodology, to properly determine the efficiency—or inefficiency—of the program.
The "Summer Disconnect" More Intervention Will Harm, Not Help, Consumers By Ryan Brannan and Bill Peacock
Proposals to “protect” consumers from high electricity bills during the summer and winter are fraught with unintended consequences that will wind up doing more harm than good.
Texas has the most competitive electricity market in the world. Its telecommunications market is equally successful. While the details of the transitions to competition for these two markets differ, the results are remarkably similar—exceptional increases in consumer choice and decreases in consumer prices.
Texas, alone among the states, has moved forward into a truly restructured and competitive electricity era, which has brought lower prices, greater reliability, and increased consumer choice.
Bill Peacock presents to the Arizona Legislature some lessons Texas learned in its successful transition to competition in the electricity market.
June 24, 2009
Economic Freedom 81st Legislative Session in Review By Bill Peacock
A review of the 80th Texas Legislature’s work on property rights, homeowners' and windstorm insurance, electricity and renewable energy, civil justice, telecommunications, and financial regulation.
Introducing competition into Texas’ retail and wholesale electricity markets has made Texas the greatest success story in the United States—if not the world. That success is largely due to policymakers’ willingness to let markets work and not manipulate prices or other policies for political reasons.
Proposed and enacted solutions for securing affordable and reliable energy for Texas consumers run from higher taxes and subsidies to mandated production from alternative fuel sources. However, long-term solutions must rely on a proper understanding of our current situation and market-based innovations.
Instead of subsidizing private wind development and imposing billions of dollars in new transmission costs upon retail electric customers, Texas policymakers should step back and allow the energy marketplace to bring wind power online when the market is ready. Texas consumers will reap the benefits.
A careful look at the costs of wind energy in Texas reveals that Texas consumers and taxpayers ought to think twice about the state’s current policy of subsidizing wind energy.
March 26, 2008
Texas Electric Meter Measuring the Effects of Electricity Deregulation By Bill Peacock
With two years of full deregulation before the next legislative session, Texans have the opportunity to get a clear picture of the true effect of deregulation of the Texas electricity market. The short answer is that consumers are benefitting.
This PowerPoint presentation was given by Rob Bradley of the Institute for Energy Research, at the Texas Public Policy Foundation's policy primer, “Wind Energy: Power for the Future or a Lot of Hot Air?”
This PowerPoint presentation was given by Jeff Pollock of J. Pollock, Inc., at the Texas Public Policy Foundation's policy primer, “Wind Energy: Power for the Future or a Lot of Hot Air?”
Steady advances in technology are decoupling fossil-fuel energy and air pollution. In fact, air pollution continues to reach new record lows in Texas and the nation, even as Americans burn increasing amounts of coal, oil, and natural gas to power their homes, vehicles, businesses, and factories.
January 25, 2008
Power for the Future The Debate Over New Coal-Fired Power Plants in Texas By H. Sterling Burnett
One reason for Texas' continued economic progress is its successful deregulation of the electric industry. Continued progress, and the prosperity it brings, relies upon continued growth in available power. In the short term, only coal can deliver enough reliable, inexpensive power to meet this need.
The international climate change bandwagon has yet to offer a plan for battling emissions anywhere close to as good as the U.S.’s strategy of unleashing market forces to control emissions and investing in clean-energy technologies, with a focus on long-term emissions control, as opposed to unrealistic short-term strategies. If the goal is to curb emissions over the long-term, then countries should follow the example of the U.S. in letting competition and the free market lead the way to success.
This paper takes a look at the debate over electric deregulation and what needs--or doesn't need--to be done to ensure competition and consumer choice in Texas' world class electric market.
Competition in Texas’ newly deregulated electric market has brought substantial benefits to Texas in only a few years, both in absolute terms and relative to other states. Texas should avoid unpredictable major alterations of the existing market structure that would harm its stability.
This report examines the details of the Texas electric market and its transition to competition. It finds that customers of all types have found attractively priced power in the new retail markets, and the Texas transition to competition has been the nation's most successful.
This brief examines the need for Texas to implement a long-term solution for securing affordable, reliable energy supplies that relies on a proper understanding of our current situation and market-based innovations.
This brief provides the facts and recommendations on the current state of electric competition in Texas and how competition is working to the consumer's advantage.
Texas stands out among the states for the competitive performance of both its retail and wholesale markets. This review of an upcoming Foundation study explains why this is and how to maintain our competitive edge.
This report--the first in a series--is a primer on electricity and provides a foundation for our examination in future papers of the successes and challenges in the move toward deregulation in Texas electric markets.
This letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal was in response to an October 27 article, "In Texas Energy Deregulation, Top Company Is a Winner."
This Q&A provides a basic understanding of the USF--its purpose, strengths and weaknesses--and makes recommendations as to how it can be modified to bring more competition to the Texas telecommunications marketplace.
This brief explains the concept of consumer stickiness as a sign of healthy competition and an integral part of the market process based on individual preferences.
May 11, 2005
Senate Bill 533 Mandate for Renewable Energy Costs Consumers By Bill Peacock
Proponents of mandating the increased use of wind power
claim it is less expensive than traditional sources of
power. However, that claim ignores the facts.
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