Our Blog

Chester Energy and Policy started in 2017 as a blog before blossoming into a full consulting business. The goal of the blog originally was simple: answer interesting questions in the world of energy & sustainability that weren’t being answered elsewhere, tapping into energy data sets, expert interviews, and a unique lens.

Today, the blog section of Chester Energy and Policy seeks to continue that mission: answering interesting questions. If you have a question that you think is worth diving into for a blog post, reach out and let us know! .

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Read Most Recent Blog Posts

Matt Chester 6/17/26 Matt Chester 6/17/26

What the NFL Schedule Release Can Teach Utilities About Communication

Recently, the NFL released its 2026-27 season schedule, an annual tradition that gives the football-starved fanbase something to feast on during the long offseason.

Why am I writing about this on Energy Central’s Substack?

Matt Chester 6/3/26 Matt Chester 6/3/26

What 2050 Looks Like When It’s Your Child’s Future

As others in the energy space know, 2050 has long served as a ‘far-off’ yet crucial frontier. For decades, it has seemed like every goal was tied to mid-century: phasing out fossil fuels, solving climate change, and even building a lunar grid.

It’s the mythical future date that’s been circled on the calendar ever since I studied energy systems and entered the workforce in 2011. Back then, the big questions looked different: We were planning for (now commonplace) smart grid tech, while large-load discussions centered on EVs (rather than the data centers that dominate industry headlines today).

Matt Chester 6/1/26 Matt Chester 6/1/26

Why are utility customers so angry? Here's the $7B answer

A new Pew survey suggests the public is drawing some sharp conclusions about why electricity bills are rising, and not all of them are flattering to utilities. But does public perception match reality, and how much does it actually matter when trust is broken either way?

Matt Chester 5/27/26 Matt Chester 5/27/26

How the Moon, Mars, and Antarctica Expose Our Grid Blind Spots

It’s a fallacy that ranks among the longstanding utility sector sins: “But we’ve always done it this way.”

Any business that continues with a practice simply because it’s familiar is already falling behind. This tendency leads to lazy thinking, uninspired problem-solving, and missed opportunities in the fast-changing modern energy landscape.

Matt Chester 5/20/26 Matt Chester 5/20/26

Cracking Open the Power Bill Black Box for Angry Ratepayers

Let’s face it—no one has ever liked paying their power bill. That said, for decades it felt like a relatively stable and, dare I say, fair expense. Recently, though, we’ve seen utility rates increase and rank among the top economic concerns for the average American.

Matt Chester 5/13/26 Matt Chester 5/13/26

The Energy Hype Cycle Is Loud. The Grid Is Not: Clickbait vs. Reality in Energy

In popular media coverage, energy stories are often influenced as much by headline grabbiness as actual industry movement. The headlines yell at us:

Nuclear is back!

Geothermal is hot!

Coal is killing you!

But how much of these stories are actually rooted in true developments? Grid planners can’t keep the lights on based on what stories happen to be trending.