Massachusetts OKs residential demand charges for Eversource

In a move they acknowledge is “atypical” and outside of the usual ratemaking procedures of the state, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities has approved demand charges on residential rooftop solar customers.

Whether they intended to or not is irrelevant. Yesterday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) became one of the first state-level commissions to allow a utility to impose separate demand charges on residential customers, in this case on those who own their own PV systems.

It’s not that regulated utilities haven’t tried to get regulators to allow them to impose demand charges on solar customers before. It’s simply that regulators have generally rejected them as too confusing for residential customers to understand or monitor.

Demand charges are fairly routine for commercial/industrial customers because they generally have the technology on their systems to monitor their energy use and can adjust their peak use times accordingly. In general, residential customers don’t have the appropriate technology or understanding of their electricity use.

In the Massachusetts case, Eversource, the utility in question, asked to impose demand charges of $2.21 and $2.71 on its two classes of residential customers, arguing – dubiously – that the demand charges recover the “cost shift” that solar customers impose on other ratepayers because they don’t pay for grid upkeep.

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Datalogic Debuts New Retail Technology at NRF 2018

Jade™ X7 automated scanning portal

EUGENE, Ore. January 09, 2018

Datalogic, a global leader in automatic data capture and industrial automation markets, will be debuting new retail technology at the National Retail Federation (NRF) Big Show 2018 at booth 3135. Every year Datalogic brings innovative technology, products and solutions proving that Datalogic is at the heart of every retail transaction. At NRF 2018 in New York City, Datalogic will display new Vision and RFID retail technology.

Datalogic will show new vision checkout technology that provides frictionless checkout. This technology demonstration uses the latest vision systems and image processing to allow shoppers to quickly and easily execute transactions. Applications for this technology include quick-service, self-serve, convenience, grocery retail, concessions and much more. Retailers looking for a glimpse into the future of retail checkout will want to experience this new checkout technology personally at the Datalogic booth, 3135.

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Graphite Electrodes Market Revenue will Reach $27.5 Billion by 2022, Says Esticast Research and Consulting

WASHINGTON, N.J., Jan. 04, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global graphite electrodes market was valued at $5.04 billion in 2016, and is projected to reach $27.5 billion by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 28.4% from 2017 to 2024. In 2016, the ultra-high graphite electrode segment generated the highest revenue share in the global graphite electrodes market. The supply of graphite electrodes from China has decreased significantly in past couple of years, however, the country retains its position amongst top three consumers of graphite electrodes in the world.

“Recently, the graphite electrode prices have risen sharply, impacting both the steel and aluminium industries. Rising prices are majorly a result of sharp cut in supply of graphite electrodes from China. In the present scenario, the demand for graphite electrodes is significantly higher, compared to its supply”

The growth of steel-oriented sectors such as construction, automotive, infrastructure, aerospace & defence, and many others has led to a surge in the consumption and production of steel. Now a days, manufacturers have opted for electric arc furnaces (EAF) for manufacturing steel, which requires graphite electrodes as a main component. Being a prerequisite of steel manufacturing process or smelting process via EAF route, the demand for graphite electrodes is linked to the demand for EAF.

Graphite electrode production in China has fallen drastically, which in turn has resulted into manifold increase in its prices. China, which was a major manufacturer and supplier of graphite electrodes to different countries worldwide is expected to start importing the same in order to meet its own market demand, after it almost stopped the manufacturing of graphite electrodes recently. The country is amongst major steel producers of the world and hence, is inevitably, also a major consumer of graphite electrodes.

Source einpresswire

Oil and Gas Storage Service Industry to Benefit from Increasing Capital Investment in the U.S., Says Esticast Research & Consulting

PUNE, India, Jan. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global oil and gas storage service market was valued at $8.42 billion in 2016, and is projected to reach $10.38 billion by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 2.6% from 2017 to 2024. In 2016, the storage segment generated the highest revenue share. Among major regions, the U.S. oil and gas storage service market was the highest revenue generating market valued at $2.51 billion in 2016.

The oil storage service market is witnessing a considerable rise in the current scenario. On a national level, governments use storage tanks to increase energy security. Companies also use oil storage as a strategic tool in order to get good returns in the global market. In the context of global concern for ‘peak oil’ and decreasing crude oil reserves, storage tanks pose a unique strategic opportunity. Saudi Arabia, U.S, Russia and Japan are some of the prominent countries using the storage services market, primarily driven by the surging oil production and declining oil prices. However, the gas storage services market is expected to lead the market in terms of growth pace, holding a CAGR of 2.8% in 2016.

In the current scenario, the U.S has emerged as the largest market for oil and gas storage services. The country is now a leading natural gas producer, at 65 billion cubic feet, (Bcf) per day.  At the same time, unconventional activity is encouraging the growth of natural gas liquids (NGLs) production, adding over 500,000 barrels of oil equivalent (boe) per day since 2008. Driven by growth in the U.S. natural gas, natural gas liquids, and crude oil, the past 2 years have witnessed a considerable growth in direct capital investment in terms of oil and gas infrastructure assets.

Source benzinga

WhatsApp Messaging Service Returns After Global Outage

(Reuters) - WhatsApp, a popular messaging service owned by Facebook Inc, suffered a global outage for about an hour on Sunday before the problem was fixed.

"WhatsApp users around the world experienced a brief outage today that has now been resolved", a WhatsApp spokeswoman said in an emailed statement. The cause of the outage, about an hour long, was not immediately known.

In India, its biggest market with about 200 million of its billion-plus users, the app was down just a few minutes past midnight into the new year.

Users in other countries also complained of outages on social media.

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