TransActions January/February 2019 - GDS Associates, Inc

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Why American Industries are Using Less Energy

In the 80s and 90s, electricity usage in the United States grew at roughly 2.5% per year. As fears of a Y2K computer crash subsided, the seeds of a new concern for electric utilities were planted. From 2000 to 2007, total electricity usage grew by 1.5% per year, a growth rate nearly half of what it had been for two decades. And then the Great Recession hit all sectors of the economy. Since that time, total electricity consumption growth has completely stalled out. In fact, commercial and industrial sector sales in the U.S. have seen little to no recent growth compared to pre-recession periods. The industrial sector has yet to return to its 2007 usage level. READ FULL ARTICLE

Utilities Need a Seat in the Unified Command…Not Just IMTs

In October 2018, Hurricane Michael, reportedly the fourth most powerful storm ever to hit the U.S. (based on 155 mph wind speeds), claimed the distinction of being the first ever Category 4 storm to strike the Florida Panhandle. Entire communities were flattened, and utilities and infrastructures were erased as the storm pushed across the southeast, entering Georgia still at Category 3 (111+ mph winds). NASA mapped power outages as swaths of darkness from Florida to Virginia. READ FULL ARTICLE

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