Utilities face diverse disruptions, but they have an unprecedented array of tools at their disposal to tackle the challenges ahead and update their businesses, according to Rodger E. Smith, senior vice president and general manager for the Oracle Utilities Global Business Unit.

Protecting wildlife habitat and migratory fish has much to do with the amount of interest in rivers as hydrokinetic waterpower resources. The limited power-generating potential and the use of immature technologies might be seen as impediments, yet many companies are showing a desire to at least dip their toes in the river water.

The headwinds that nuclear energy has faced are blowing once again. It's not just about the latest plant closures. It's also about the announced delays and potentially higher costs associated with two separate nuclear projects now underway. Despite all that, the industry is pushing back and making headway.

With ongoing news and talk of global warming's effects on the environment, "going green" has become a war cry of the age. Businesses and homeowners alike continue to look for ways to find a balance between going green and staying in sync with this technological era.

Southern California Edison's decision to permanently close its troubled San Onofre nuclear facility will not negatively affect the future of the nuclear industry. That's what the chief executive of Edison International explained to this reporter in a personal interview. The announcement was made Friday.

The economic landscape is becoming brighter. Or should we say "greener." The Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory says that residential and commercial consumers are choosing to buy renewable energy.

Finding common ground on hot button energy issues has been a major impediment. But one area where policymakers are coming together is in the realm of energy efficiency, which is cost-effective while it is also reducing emissions and the reliance on electric generation. Some ideas:

Harken back to the deepest and darkest moments of the California energy crisis. Utilities' rates were tightly regulated and neither the governor nor the state legislature would lift the rate caps so that utilities could recoup their costs. Instead, they insisted that power traders were manipulating markets while the elected leadership pleaded with federal regulators to limit wholesale electricity prices.

In my daily paper (Svenska Dagbladet) the journalist Mr Johan Myrsten told his readers about the glorious future awaiting Japan, because the new prime minister (Mr Shinzo Abe) has the support of between 60 and 70 percent of the electorate.

Stimulus funds for smart grid projects are coming to a close, and industry experts are questioning whether electric grid enhancements will continue. The answer is a resounding yes.