What Is a kWh Anyway?

The average consumer notices their power consumption two times: when their lights go out and when they are paying their bill. The rest of the time, electric customers generally do not think about the role electricity plays in their day-to-day life or just how much electricity they use on any given day.

Part of the reason that power consumption is not thought about much is that it can be difficult to conceptualize, especially given some of the unique terminology. To help understand power consumption, the following infographics provide a comparative analysis of electricity use.

Solar Generation as Public Utility Property

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued several private letter rulings (PLR) in recent months clarifying the relationship between solar power generation equipment and public utility companies. The main focus is defining whether or not generation equipment with energy pricing based on monthly fees can be treated as public utility property. The designation of generation equipment as public utility property has several important implications, all of which impact how utilities treat the property for tax purposes.

Utilities are Transforming with Cloud Solutions

Cloud computing has applications in a wide array of industries, but utilities in particular are well-suited to reap the massive benefits of the cloud. The unique IT requirements of large, regulated organizations managing critical infrastructure are incredibly complex and notoriously difficult to manage. Only through leveraging the cloud can forward-thinking utilities stay on the cutting edge of technological advancement.

Cost of Removal, Normalization, and Other Thorny Issues for Utilities

On August 14, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued PLR 202033002 to address outstanding ruling requests on the application of the Section 168 normalization rules to cost of removal (COR). The IRS concluded that the net deferred tax liability (DTL) created by COR is not protected by the normalization rules but did not provide guidance on the actual implementation of the ruling’s conclusions.

Capitalization of Cloud Computing Costs

Moving data, applications and platforms to the cloud creates substantial business benefits as companies reduce capital expense outlays while maintaining a more flexible IT environment. Though the advantages are numerous, companies pursuing cloud computing solutions need to consider the financial reporting implications as well as broader tax and IT considerations that result from recent guidance on accounting standards effective in 2020 for public business entities.