Author Archives: Jim Bacon
Renewable Energy? Here’s the Transmission Bottleneck!
You want more renewable energy? You’re going to need more high-voltage transmission lines to move intermittent wind and solar power around the country to balance fluctuating supply and demand. And you’d better get started. Transmission planning and construction involves long … Continue reading
An Opportunity Agenda for Virginia
The greatest ideological division in the United States today separates those who support policies geared to creating equal opportunities for all and those who support policies geared to creating equal outcomes. Each orientation reflects contending views of human nature and prescriptions for making … Continue reading
What Works: Helping Students Complete Their College Degrees
In Virginia, nearly 30% of students who enroll in community college or four-year college fail to complete their degrees within six years. There is widespread agreement across the political spectrum that it would be a good thing if more students … Continue reading
Virginia’s New Political Landscape
So, where do yesterday’s elections leave us? We don’t know who won the presidential election, and we probably won’t know for days, if not weeks. Still, we can draw some meaningful conclusions. Virginia remains a solid blue state. The Democrats’ political … Continue reading
Wind and the Grid: A Precautionary Tale from the U.K.
So, you think the rolling blackouts experienced in California were a fluke and of no relevance to Virginia? Well, then, consider what’s happening right now in the United Kingdom, where “unusually low wind output” and a series of planned power … Continue reading