How Utilities Blew $40 Billion on Failed Power Plants

<p>Good journalism is more important than ever. In our last episode of the year, we're choosing our favorite energy reporting of 2017.</p><p>We'll start off with a conversation about a damning investigative piece on how U.S. utilities put ratepayers on the hook for $40 billion in failed coal and nuke projects.</p><p>Tony&nbsp;Bartelme, a special projects reporter at the&nbsp;<em>Post and Courier</em>, joins us to talk about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.postandcourier.com/news/power-failure-how-utilities-across-the-u-s-changed-the/article_434e8778-c880-11e7-9691-e7b11f5b3381.html" target="_blank">his bombshell story</a>, "Power Failure:&nbsp;How Utilities Across the U.S. Changed the Rules to Make Big Bets With Your Money."</p><p>He and his team talked with 50 sources in industry and government. They uncovered a systematic effort to obfuscate problems with risky coal and nuke projects -- and pay executives handsomely while doing so.</p><p>In the second half of the show, we'll discuss some of our other favorite stories about&nbsp;microgrids, coal country, electric cars, fuel cells, politics, and the global energy transition.</p><p><em>This podcast is sponsored by Mission Solar Energy, a solar module manufacturer based in San Antonio, Texas. You can find out more about Mission’s American-made, high-power modules at&nbsp;</em><a href="http://missionsolar.com/" target="_blank"><em>missionsolar.com.</em></a></p><p>Here's a list of our favorite stories that we discussed on the show:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/12/15/16714146/greener-more-reliable-more-resilient-grid-microgrids" target="_blank">Vox</a>:&nbsp;Meet the Microgrid, the Technology&nbsp;Poised to Transform Electricity</li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/14/business/economy/trump-coal-alternative-energy.html?_r=0" target="_blank">NY Times</a>: Where Wind Farms Meet Coal Country, There's Enduring Faith in Trump</li><li><a href="https://medium.com/@tomprice_22461/the-last-auto-mechanic-841adec7