World’s First Superconducting Power Lines

The world’s first high-capacity super-conducting power cable will be hooked up in a little over a year. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports that the cable could do for electricity what fiber optics did for communications:

Energy Efficiency Neglected in Deregulation

Laws deregulating electrical industries have been passed in many states nationwide. Last fall, the Illinois state legislature approved such a measure. But energy efficiency provisions were left out. Legislators pledged to consider them this spring. But now it seems all bets are off. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Frenkel reports:

Energy Efficiency and Utility Deregulation

States around the nation are beginning to embrace electricity deregulation. Last November, the Illinois’ State Legislature passed its own deregulation bill. But environmentalists complained that it did little to promote clean and efficient energy use. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Frenkel reports on a new proposal to improve Illinois’ deregulation law: