Latest news with #Jigar
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
U.S. electricity rates are rising, and utilities are making more money than ever
U.S. electricity costs are soaring. The average price of electricity hit 18 cents per kilowatt-hour in April 2025, up 35% from five years ago. It's significantly outpacing inflation. According to a recent PowerLines report, nearly 80 million Americans struggle to pay their utility bills, yet prices are expected to increase. In early 2025, U.S. gas and electric utilities either requested or were approved for rate hikes totaling roughly $20 billion. Utility companies say the price increases are necessary to upgrade our aging grid. Some also point to clean energy, specifically solar homeowners, as the reason electric bills are rising. But researchers have looked into the numbers and say they don't add up. 'Utility spending has been out of control for years and years and years,' said Brad Heavner, Executive Director of the California Solar and Storage Association (CALSSA). Stay informed on the latest industry news—delivered to your inbox each month. Sign up for EnergySage's newsletter. Your electric bill is divided into two sections: Supply and delivery. The supply part covers the cost of generating the electricity you use, while delivery is the cost of delivering the electricity to your home. Price fluctuations will always surround energy generation, whether it's coal, gas, or renewables. But when we asked Jigar Shah—an entrepreneur and podcaster who was formerly the Director of the Loans Program at the Department of Energy—he said it's not generation but the distribution part of our electric bills that has 'been going haywire.' 'Distribution used to be 20%, today, it's 50% of your bill,' said Jigar. Below is an example of an electric bill from a Massachusetts home. The electricity supply is about $220, which is still high, but the delivery charges are nearly $315, or 60% of the bill. So the question becomes, why are energy delivery costs rising? Jigar says our electricity demands are too great for the current grid infrastructure. 'People are buying all sorts of things that use electricity, whether hair dryers, electric vehicles, heat pumps, electric water heaters, or whatever it is. And every time you do that, the utility says, 'We need to be able to upgrade the distribution grid so that you can do whatever you want. You can turn everything on in your house simultaneously, and we have to be able to serve you.' That bargain is getting way too expensive,' said Jigar. He's right—Americans are using electricity like never before. This isn't necessarily bad because home electrification is excellent for our planet and health. The problem is that much of our power grid was built in the 1960s and 1970s, when people had one TV, no computers or internet, and only 12% of homes had air conditioning. Jesse Buchsbaum, energy economist and fellow at Resources of the Future (REF), said our electric bills are directly tied to utilities' investments to upgrade transmission and distribution infrastructure. (FYI—transmission lines are the high voltage wires that carry electricity from a power plant to your city or town.) 'In many places, the grid is aging, and so there are necessary upgrades that are needed, especially as climate risk and natural disaster risk are rising,' Jesse said. He also raises the valid argument of a changing climate. Over the last decade, we've seen record-hot summers and historic freezes, which only put a bigger strain on the grid. For example, in 2024, Hurricane Helene shut off power to more than two million North Carolinians. In 2021, the ice storm in Texas left millions of people powerless in freezing temperatures for days. To prevent these events from happening, utilities need to strengthen and expand our current power grid—and we're the ones paying for it. '[Rate increases] are needed to expand the grid, both in the generation sense, but also to build the poles and wires that will transport the power to those new sources of demand, " Jesse said. 'A lot of those costs end up being borne by both residential and commercial industrial rate payers.' While our electricity needs have increased and our grid needs upgrades, some experts argue that utilities are hiking our rates more than they need to. In a report published earlier this year, Brad and his team at CALSSA said the real reason rates are rising in California is 'out of control utility spending.' CALSSA hired an independent economist to investigate 20 years of utility rate case filings in the state. Brad said that when utilities claim they need more money to fix and expand the distribution grid, regulators are 'unable to say no' and approve rate hikes that may not be necessary. 'And the utilities get away with it—they're laughing year after year,' Brad said. 'Now, after two decades of effectively playing this game, their profits have soared and so have electric rates.' While the CALSSA report is specific to California, utility mismanagement of funds is a nationwide issue. RMI released a report in November 2024 highlighting how utilities have invested money into small transmission projects within their territories. The report says these small, local projects have very little oversight from state and federal regulators, earn the utilities guaranteed profits, and cost us ratepayers way more than if they were to invest in bigger, regional projects—ones that would require more overhead and planning. Report co-author Claire Wayner told Canary Media that transmission planning is like 'two cars being driven on two different roads in parallel. The regional road is like a toll road with all these checkpoints: identify regional needs, open competitive bidding windows, identify the costs and benefits…The local road has no speed limits. [Utilities] can build as much as they want.' Here's some proof in the pudding: A 2024 analysis by Grid Strategies found that transmission project spending hit an all-time high in 2023, but only 55 miles of new transmission lines were added that year, compared to a record 4,000 miles added in 2013. Yet, our electricity rates were about 20% less in 2013. 'We've authorized the utilities to spend a lot of money, and they haven't spent most of that money yet,' Brad said. 'It's really criminal—in some cases, we've paid them to make upgrades and fix transmission towers, and they haven't done it.' While millions of Americans are unable to pay their monthly bills, an analysis by the Energy and Policy Institute shows the country's largest publicly owned utilities pay their CEOs between $17 and $33 million a year. The CEOs earned a collective $647 million in 2023, a 9% increase from 2022. The 2025 analysis shows that the collective payout dropped to $530 million in 2024. However, it states that most of the 54 utilities examined increased their executive payouts year over year. Some utilities also claim that homes with solar panels are increasing your bills—a theory called 'the solar cost shift.' The idea is that if solar homeowners generate their own power, utilities make less money. But because solar homeowners still have to use the grid sometimes, the utility raises everyone else's rates to compensate. It sort of paints solar panel owners as freeloaders. Jigar says there is some cost shift involved when people go solar, but it's 'far smaller than what people are suggesting.' 'I think the bigger problem is that it feels bad when your bills are going up. And a bunch of people that have the means to put solar on their roof are getting a good deal, and all of your neighbors are not getting a good deal,' Jigar said. Most of us—whether we have solar panels or not—can look at our utility bill and clearly see charges related to solar panels. So, utilities are making us all pay extra while our neighbors with solar enjoy lower electric bills? It doesn't sound fair, but Brad and the CALLSSA team crunched the numbers and said the solar cost shift is extremely inflated and created with 'faulty math.' 'It's really very creative how [utilities] have built this methodology and storyline that has sunk in with a lot of policymakers. And they push it so hard and in such a widespread fashion that it's difficult to counter,' Brad said. It's not just California; the nonprofit Solar United Neighbors compiled numerous studies from Mississippi to Maine to Nevada and 'found little or no evidence for a 'cost shift' from rooftop solar customers.' Similarly, a report from Brookings found that the economic benefits of solar homeowners not only outweigh the costs but, in most cases, provide a 'net benefit' for the utility and non-solar ratepayers. 'People are catching on to that fact, and the data is pretty clear how much they've increased their spending,' said Brad. 'To deflect attention away from them, they've come up with this elaborate 'cost shift' story saying solar customers are to blame.' Utilities say they have to increase our rates to bring more electricity onto the grid during moments of high demand, like on a hot summer day when everyone is cranking their AC. But Brad explained that one of the biggest holes in the cost shift theory is that when homes generate their own electricity, they actually help offset this peak power demand. 'Normally, you expand the grid in order to serve a higher peak load. We've kept peak load constant, yet they're spending three times as much money as they did 15 years ago,' Brad said. Utilities are painting solar owners as the scapegoat for high rates, but really, it's the opposite. Research shows rooftop solar saved California ratepayers $1.5 billion in 2024 alone. Home solar supplies much-needed electricity to the grid, but Brad claims that throws a wrench in the utility's profits. 'Utilities feel threatened by customer solar and storage because it reduces their profit motive, their ability to rate base grid expansion, which is what drives their profits,' Brad explains. 'In California, there's enough solar that they feel like we're really taking weight off the grid and causing them to build less infrastructure, hurting their profits. So they've gone after us in a very strong way here, and that is spilling over into other states, sadly, where you don't have nearly as much solar. And yet this utility playbook is playing out across the country.' It comes down to simple supply and demand: Utilities are in the business of generating electricity and selling it to us. When you produce your own electricity with solar, that threatens their business model and their large paychecks. To try and simply answer the question of why your electric bill is so high, it's because our power grid is old and overloaded. And the way most utilities are fixing it is akin to slapping a very expensive band-aid on a gaping wound. Oh, and we're paying for that band-aid.
New Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Jigar Nagda Interview: Ignorance is what ails the oppressed communities
Batti, especially when Bheru gets turned down every time he approaches the officials, might remind audiences of Nawazuddin Siddique's Manjhi – The Mountain Man, where the lead knocks on every door to make a road for his village. Not all government schemes reach the last person in the social ladder, and in most cases, this last person will either be a Dalit or an Adivasi. Jigar affirms, "In both the cases (Batti and Manjhi), the grieving party belongs to the downtrodden community. The reason is the last mile connectivity of schemes is the responsibility of a Sarpanch and the Panchayat authorities. Belonging to a dominant caste enables a person to wield power and it is that power that makes someone a village head. Their inherent caste bias gets them worked up with the prospect of treating the Dalit/tribal people on par with those in their community. Also, corruption plays a huge role. Sarpanchs like the one I show in Batti will put up a facade of being do-gooders and lend money to the tribal people only to get the lion's share of their crops as interest, but will shut the door if approached for amenities. This way, even the land-owning tribal person will be at a disadvantaged position. When people can discriminate against people based on their caste just for the sake of 'superiority,' will they not do it if they can make themselves richer? The oppressed are falling prey to exploitation or accepting their status quo as 'normal' due to their ignorance." Bheru is the 'black sheep' who wants to break free of this inhumane system, coupled with the generational trauma, and as a result, faces stiff resistance from several corners. Incidentally, his father Nathu (Mahendra Shrivas) is the first hurdle. "Being denied basic rights is Hobson's choice for Nathu, but he chides his son, asking, 'Haven't our women lived in houses without power?' This is, of course, to dodge the guilt of his inability to obtain electricity, resulting in a close one's death. Beneath his rude opposition to his son's 'rebelliousness,' he feels helpless, and even tells Bheru that if he was as active as his son, he might have done a lot more in his youth," says Jigar, who points out the differences in the father figures in the film, including the Sarpanch.
India.com
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Ajay Devgn gave most hit films with this actress, its not Kajol, Raveena Tandon, Karisma Kapoor, Sonakshi, the name is...
Ajay Devgn has once again made noise at the box office after his recent release Raid 2. While the film has received mixed reviews, fans have hailed Ajay's performance. Ajay has often enjoyed a loyal fan following. From his early days in Bollywood, Ajay has delivered several commercial successes. Also, the actor over the years has shared the screen with many famous actresses such as his wife Kajol, Raveena Tandon, Karisma Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, and more. However, do you know that despite working with all these actresses, there is one special person with whom Ajay has delivered the highest number of hits? If not, then keep reading. At first, Ajay Devgn and Karisma Kapoor were considered a great pair. The duo worked in five films together. However, out of those five, two of their movies including Jigar and Suhaag were hits, while Shaktimaan and Dhanwan became box office failures. Ajay also shared the screen with his wife Kajol. However, the majority of their films became huge flops. Then, Ajay's pairing with Raveena also surfaced as one of the top actor duos the public liked. Ajay and Raveena did four films; out of these, only Dilwale became a hit. Divya Shakti and Ek Hi Raasta were average, while the film Gair was a flop. Ajay Devgn and Sonakshi Sinha have shared the screen in three films. Among them, Son of Sardaar was a hit, Action Jackson turned out to be a flop, while Bhuj received an average response. Coming to Ajay and Kajol, the husband and wife worked in 9 films, out of which most of them were flops, except for Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, Ishq, and Tanhaji. Ajay also worked with Kareena Kapoor. Together they did 7 films, and the majority of them were commercially successful. Omkara, Golmaal Returns, Golmaal 3, Singham Returns, and Singham Again were hits and superhits, whereas Yuva was average, and Satyagraha proved to be a flop. Now, finally coming to the actress with whom Ajay has delivered the highest number of hits, it is none other than Tabu. The duo have worked in 9 movies, and their films like Vijaypath, Haqeeqat, Drishyam, Golmaal Again, De De Pyaar De, and Drishyam 2 were hits. However, movies like Fitoor and Bholaa did average at the box office.
India.com
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Not Kajol or Raveena Tandon, Ajay Devgn gave most hit films with this actress, her name is...
The pairing of Ajay Devgn and these Bollywood heroines has been liked on screen. But the surprising thing is that the pairing of Ajay and his wife Kajol gave the most flops. Ajay Devgn and Raveena Tandon have done four films. Out of these, Dilwale was a hit. Divya Shakti, Ek Hi Raasta were average. While the film Gair was a flop. However, this pair became a superhit with Dilwale. The songs were also hits. The pair of Ajay Devgn and Karisma Kapoor worked together in five films. Their films Jigar and Suhaag were hits, while Shaktimaan and Dhanwan flopped. The film named Sangram earned an average. Ajay Devgn and Sonakshi Sinha have worked together in three films. In this list, their film Son of Sardaar was a hit. The film Action Jackson proved to be a flop, and Bhuj earned an average. Ajay Devgn and Kajol are one of the most favourite jodis. Both of them worked in 9 films out of which most of them were flops. Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, Ishq and Tanhaji were hits. The first film Hulchul, Dil Kya Kare were average. And Gundaraj, Raju Chacha, U Me Aur Hum, Toonpur Ka Superhero were flops. Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kapoor have worked together in 7 films. Most of their films were successful at the box office. Omkara, Golmaal Returns, Golmaal 3, Singham Returns and Singham Again were hits and superhits. Yuva was average, and Satyagraha proved to be a flop. Ajay Devgn and Tabu have worked in a total of 9 films. Both gave hit and blockbuster films like Vijaypath, Haqeeqat, Drishyam, Golmaal Again, De De Pyar De, Drishyam 2. And Takshak, Fitoor flopped. Apart from this, their last film Bhola was average at the box office.
