Beat Guide: Energy Reporting

Welcome to the energy beat. Chances are you are covering this industry because there’s a lot happening and your news organization wants better coverage. It can seem like a daunting assignment.

To cover it well, you need to understand the changing regulatory system, energy economics, environmental law, and how the electric system is put together physically. The complexity is what makes it a plum beat, though.

Not only is the energy sector hugely important, it’s at a major crossroads. What happens in the next few years will have repercussions for decades to come, determining what your readers, viewers or listeners pay for basic services and what happens to the environment at the hands of an industry whose effect, on the whole, has been damaging. </p><p>So, let’s get started.

• First, I’ll map out a few broad trends, dropping in a few “quick explainers” to help you get up to speed.
• Then I’ll suggest some good places to troll for information.
• Finally, I’ll include a glossary with important terms.

Although consumers may think of energy as a single industry, it is actually highly segmented. A utility executive or regulator you rely on for electricity matters, for instance, might not be very knowledgeable about oil or natural gas, except as fuels for power production or heating. Similarly, petroleum experts often have little understanding of electricity.

Although commonly misunderstood by politicians, it is not accurate to represent that increased use of nuclear energy or renewable power will reduce dependence on oil -- at least not until we've replaced oil as a transportation fuel with electricity, which is expected to be the primary fuel for a new wave of plug-in hybrid vehicles after 2010.

For this reason, it is important to seek information about specific topics from the right places. This guide will help you do that.

I’ve been writing on energy for about a decade, most of it at The Wall Street Journal, and I’ve been a reporter or editor for three decades. My energy focus has been on electricity markets and companies, though I’ve also strayed into natural gas, oil and coal, at times. My primary focus here will be on electricity.