Utilities rethinking their plans.
Roof top Solar cuts back on transmission needs.
A plan for a new coal plant in Michigan is being mothballed. Wind-energy developers in Oregon are cutting back on projects. And in Colorado, Xcel Energy says it may no longer need a proposed high-tension power line to the San Luis Valley.
All these projects are being hit by a shift in the utility industry created by increased energy efficiency, small generation projects, such as rooftop solar, and changes in public policy, industry analysts and executives say.

We're in the midst of a heat wave and drought that are on record to be Texas' worst in recorded history. (and now imagine if global warming actually kicked in, the way all those scientists say! *wink*)

But we have a few options. Cope, adapt, or conquer. I much prefer the last solution to the first.

First, we can cope. Go find some shade or just go sit in our homes and offices and blast the air conditioning as much as we can to make these ever-warming, record-breaking hot, dry summers as tolerable as possible. But massive electric bills and rolling blackouts don't sound like much of an alternative.

Or, we can adapt. We can change how we do things to stave off the worst effects of our unprecedented droughts and heat waves. This means doing smart things, like moving to smart meters and energy efficiency. Our central Texas coops have been among the best at rolling out some of these programs

Adapting is fine, but even better is conquering our problems. As Texans, and as Americans, this is generally the tactic most of us would choose. This would mean not only going after the low-hanging efficiency fruit, and aggressively going after demand-side management as a resource, but also looking for ways to turn our crisis into opportunity. While the Texas sun may be causing us problems, it can also be the key to our future, as solar prices drop to rates competitive with other "cheap" fossil fuels.

You can read the rest of this over on the Texas site by clicking here.

Breaking news from Amarillo, Texas: Golden Spread Electric Co-op just announced it has purchased a company developing a 78 MW wind farm-- providing enough power to run 27,000 homes. It should be completed some time in 2011 and provide a hedge for co-op members against volatile natural gas costs. Because of federal incentives, stimulus, and good financing, the co-op was able to purchase the power at the most optimal terms.