DER Task Force

Colleen, Jimbo, and Duncan are back, this time joined by Noah Smith of Noahpinion. While fellow energy nerds might know Noah for his posts Don’t be a doomer, Why I’m so excited about solar and batteries, or Battery-powered appliances!, his reach goes well beyond our small corner of the world. Noah’s an economist and techno-optimist who engages in a wide variety of topics, from globalization, to NIMBYism, and wokeness. We had a great time with Noah and discussed all sorts of fun stuff. The conversation also delivered gems such as “the demand for culture war is highly inelastic”, “doomerism is a function of the clout-matrix”, and “ESG was a zero-interest rate phenomenon”.We hope you enjoy the episode!Timestamps:* (4:20) Discussing the merits of domesticated rabbits and the morality of eating them.* (9:59) What type of sci-fi Noah would write, and why it would be solarpunk, and another mention of our eco-rave obsession.* (12:52) Noah’s hottest energy take, why are so many libertarians nuclear-stans, is distributed solar inherently expensive? * (22:14) Renewable energy narratives and counternarratives* (28:13) Is there a path to nuclear at scale?* (33:24) Noah’s take on who blew up Nord Stream.* (37:20) Energy costs’ role in the great stagnation starting in 1973, how that drove energy efficiency, industrial off-shoring and focus on low-energy economic activities, expensive energy → going nimby and inequality.* (52:56) Noah’s interest in battery-integrated devices, Sam D'Amico = Kaylee from Firefly, Noah gets DER-pilled.* (68:00) Gas stove debates, “the demand for culture war is highly inelastic”, when are bans appropriate, DM Colleen with gas stoves studies, Gell-Mann Amnesia* (80:23) “Doomerism is a function of the clout-matrix.”* (91:32) Noah’s the Energy Czar of America for 1 day.* (93:55) Dope or Nope, “ESG is a zero-interest rate phenomenon”, Noah’s coming to our eco-rave.* (98:25) Bunny mischief, big shouts, qualified shouts, medium shouts, housing is for rabbits. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

We’re back! And this time we sit down with Troy Cross, a twitter chameleon of sorts. He’s an environmentalist, philosopher at Reed College, and avid bitcoiner. And depending on who you talk to, you’ll get a different answer as to what he’s all about. We just know him as an intelligent, interesting, super good dude who we love talking to! This is a different episode than what you all may be used to, but we had a blast recording.In it, we talk about why nuclear isn’t really happening, how if it’s ultimately statist, why so called anti-centralization/anti-statist bitcoiners are for it, if bitcoiners just want to be the landed aristocracy, bitcoin citadels, a long riff on the pros and cons of both bitcoin and our current monetary system, how to square narratives around ESG, bitcoin, and climate, how Shell is both at Davos and the Bitcoin Miami conference, how to navigate the culture war when it comes to climate, who these narratives ultimately serve, how DERs and bitcoin share similar philosophical underpinnings, how bitcoin and DERs are a check against our struggling institutions, and so much more!!!Strap in, this is a fun one. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.dertaskforce.comWe’re still figuring out this whole substack thing. We released this paid ep last week for paid subscribers, but didn’t send out an email or a preview to our unpaid subscribers. So, we’re resending to give the unpaids a snippet of this tasty ep. If you’re an unpaid subscriber, you should change that! Original post:“We’re back with a solo pod! We’ll be d…

The crew is back with another episode, this time sitting down with Arcady Sosinov, Founder and CEO of FreeWire. In this episode we talk about doing things that really, really don’t scale, gearheads in an EV world, utility vs O&G company cold war + the breakdown of 7 Powers in an abundant energy future, FreeWire’s core product innovation and the value of juicing utilization, finally a charging solution for non-suburbs, trojan horsing batteries into your local Wendy’s, the rise of permission-less DER deployment and how utilities will react, the equity questions around rate-basing + EV charger deployment, collecting tax credits like Pokemon, avoiding space-time continuum rips at all costs, and some…questionable… big shouts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

We’re back! This time we sit down with Sam D’Amico, CEO and co-founder of Impulse Labs, an induction stove start-up based out of San Francisco. Listen on for nearly 2 hours of physics, macro, cooking, and much more: * (1:30-22:45 ) Getting DER-pilled (thermal events anyone?), nerding out about college extra-curriculars, Sam’s favorite DER and James’ public retraction, breaking out the old charcoal grill with the boys* (22:45-30:29) When are we finally getting fusion?* (30:30-45:45) How and why Sam took the induction plunge from VR, Impulse Labs elevator pitch in energy and in English, getting people into the vibes of induction by just being better* (45:50-51:05) Duncan asks questions about knobs* (51:05-1:02:00) The Impulse Labs master plan and induction as a NWA* (1:02:00-1:16:20) A microbattery future? The exclusionary story of suburban electrification + driving down soft costs* (1:16:20-1:32:10) Macro chatter: Raising a Series A in a non-optimal capital environment, growing a non-pure-SaaS business in whacky macro conditions, what happens when China rebounds from zero Covid * (1:32:10-1:39:40) Energy czar of America and our energy abundant future* (1:39:40- ) Dope or nope, BIIIG shoutsFriendly reminder that you can always find us on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

We’re back with a solo ep to talk about Doomers and why you shouldn’t be one! Tune in to ring in your new year with a heavy dose of optimism and why 2023 is going to be insane heat.This time we talk Duncan getting saved by a Christian Scientist, the average person thinking casually that we’re screwed, why having kids is good, Jordan Peterson’s and Alex Epstein’s cringe intelktualism, categorizing doomers and degrowthers, Colleen and James’ climate journeys, how doomers and knee-jerk contrarians in their opposition just both re-enforce the status quo, talking about eco raves with LCD Soundsytem bandmates, what Clean Energy Abundance means to us, doing more with less, why art, changing cultural narratives, and DER-pilling our peers matters so much, listening to the Ion Pack, whether we should go to Mars or just be homesteaders, if Elon is a doomer, and so much more! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

Welcome back to another episode of the pod! This week, we sat down with Neha Palmer, CEO and Co-founder of Terawatt Infrastructure. Check out the show notes below: * (0:00-13:00) Getting DER-pilled at PG&E, favorite DER, extra-curricular activities and protecting powDER, Neha’s ideal last job, and hottest energy takes* (13:00- 22:30) The Terrawatt Infrastructure pitch, EV charging for fleets and what’s special about Terrawatt’s model * (22:30- 32:00) Location, location, location and optimization, optimization, optimization, rise of the electrocartographer* (32:00-42:10) Overcoming the interconnection challenge, balancing growth and reliability in the process* (42:10-52:10) What electrification means for how companies run their EV fleets and where hydrogen fits in, plans beyond EVs * (52:10-56:01) Energy czar of America, and dope or nope* (56:01-59:30) Big Shouts to Keyframe, Vision Ridge, and the youths. Plus interconnection analysts, Twitter and Terrawatt Friendly reminder that you can always find us on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

Welcome back to another episode of the pod! This episode is a special one — it features many of you! During the DERTFestivities, the crew busted out the recording equipment and captured some live takes from the community. Listen on to hear some major heat from the Task Force….* The crew gives up on explaining franchise rights in minute 1* Russell “Rusty” Wilcox (Thee God) on bigger and better onesies and hard dope, plus big Tim energy* Sophia Cowles (The Low-Talker) on the new boomers, getting DER-pilled, and meeting randoms from the internet* Ben Carron (The Options Guy) on NEM and being שעפּן נחת (shepn nakhes) about DER Task Force* Katie Tweed (The Birdwatcher) tells us about herself + Canary Media (a real bird, unlike Twitter), dreaming of heat pumps and camping outside Sears, and CONFIRMS induction stoves are DERs (sorry Kiran!), expanding Canary coverage for the future * The crew gets told off by the bartender for DERTF being animals* Elta Kolo (Dr. Demand Response) gives candid feedback about DERTF, knee-deep in the IRA with Huck Capital is strong dope with big scope* Eric Goff (James’s Twitter BFF) on working with BEEEEP, the nopest ERCOT proposals + unmasking bad actors, fascist energy policy and California fuckery, infra of last resort model, trade org ASAP* Nick Scherer (Turnstile’s neighbor) on penning + reviewing the DER Task Force Bill of Rights* Billy REDACTED (Hire this man) just took his first DER Pill, entering the Age of the Electron, sitting in the podcast hotseat, interviewing live from Nightmoves, a message for the future recently-DER-pilled who may listen* Task Force OUTFriendly reminder that you can always find us on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

Hello there DER Task Force — we are back after a post-DERTFest break with another episode of the pod. This time, the gang interviewed Emily McAteer, founder and CEO of Odyssey Energy Solutions. In this episode we cover…* (0:00) Getting to know Emily: DER-pills in ‘09, the dopest and nopest grids, Emily’s favorite DER, SunEdison in its heyday, hottest energy takes* (17:40) The “uneconomics” of minigrids, and what’s going on in emerging energy markets today * (26:38) The false binary of energy access - a big grid or the bare minimum * (30:45) The Odyssey Energy story (and a new acronym), the core pillars of the business and competitive advantages, being the platform or owning the vertical* (43:00) The job to be done by Odyssey and why build the business, Emily’s personal connection to climate * (51:58) Has V2G made it to emerging markets? Capacity factor math for the new grid + bilateral minigrid agreements, and how to build minigrids for volatile demand* (1:02:10) WORLD energy czar for a day, dope or nope, BIG SHOUTS Friendly reminder that you can always find us on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. We hope you enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

Hey there Task Force! This week, the crew sat down and with Henrik Langeland, CEO and co-founder of Enode and talked all things interoperability, walled gardens, and Henrik even breaks some exciting news on the podcast! Check out the show notes here:* (0:00) Welcome to the ThunDERdome, getting DER-pilled, learning more about Henrik, why interoperability is so important* (9:40) Enode — the origin story, the secret behind the name, the core business, James slips in an early Big Shout * (20:40) What’s an integration? An analogy to Plaid, the challenges of device management APIs, hot takes on OEMs that don’t want to be interoperable (hint: DERTF Bill of Rights makes an appearance), why walled gardens fail* (31:08) Digging deeper into walled gardens — is there an argument for the OEMs? Why OEMs can’t grasp the shared resources across all a customer’s devices and widgets vs commodities* (37:30) New consumer habits in the future (or Norway), developing instincts for an electric frame of reference * (44:10) Breaking news — Enode raised a $15M Series A! The fundraising process and the experience, how they’re using the money, the European startup scene * (50:40) If energy were hyperabundant and it ceased to become a meaningful economic driver, then what? * (56:15) Does Enode exist outside of DERs?* (57:41) Henrik is energy czar of Europe, dope or nope, BIG SHOUTS Friendly reminder that you can always find us on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. We hope you enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

Hey Task Force! Back this week with episode 23 of the DER Task Force podcast. This time, the crew was joined by Michael Huerta, CEO and co-founder of PearlX. This is another long one and we cover a LOT of ground: * (0:00) Welcome to the ThunDERdome, getting to know Michael * (7:11) Michael gets DER-pilled by his wife, being thankful for the Lehman bankruptcy, favorite DER (plus we owe Kiran an apology), and F**K the widget* (24:50) What’s PearlX? Bringing solar + storage to multi-family rental spaces, how vacancy-based underwriting works, widening access to DERs for LMI communities, multi-family owned vs multi-family rental buildings * (51:18) Texas vs California, long-gamma retailers and exposure to the fat tails, getting to the bottom of being financially long and physically short * (1:15:48) TexFlex (the program not the vibe), hitting the 4th derivative, short squeezes in Texas, serving LMI communities* (1:36:40) Cultural impacts of flexible energy systems, James is a hippie, envisioning the electropolis, what flexible systems mean for the resuscitation of community * (1:52:41) Dope or nope (plus Jigar is the first mayor of the electropolis)* (2:01:47) Biiiig shoutSSS Friendly reminder that you can always find us on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. We hope you enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

We are back with another episode of the DER Task Force podcast! This week, the crew sit down with the COO of Scale Microgrid Solutions and patron of the DER Task Force, the one and only Tim Hade. In this epic, 2+ hour episode episode, we talk about:* (1:15) Opening quote, DERTF’s #1 rule, Grandaddy Tim shares some love* (4:32) Tim’s DER-pilling and fave DER, some cute non-Scale hobbies, the value of compounding execution, HOTTEST energy take * (21:05) Lessons from 6 years in the Air Force and getting into business with his childhood best friend, pioneering solar + battery + natural gas microgrids for resiliency, not sustainability or economics* (39:15) How do we truly value resiliency? What happens when politicians run the grid? The delicate tightrope investor-owned utilities walk and asking for regulatory forgiveness, not permission* (1:02:49) Project development is crazy, a playbook is emerging, sending nursing homes pizza boxes * (1:18:00) Big talent joining energy tech, spaces for people to learn, Tim's the Energy Czar but gives his job away * (1:23:30) Are DERs inevitable? Getting lost in the sauce, contradictions, the grouse makes it to Congress, serenity prayer* (1:55:16) Dope or nope (plus a brief intermission to explore conspiracy theories) * (2:14:22) Biiiig shouts to BoxPower, Jigar Shah, and the grandaddy of DERs himself - Tim Hade Friendly reminder that you can always find us on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. We hope you enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.dertaskforce.comWe are back with another episode of the DER Task Force podcast! This is our first paid episode, so if you’re listening in your favorite podcast player that’s not Substack, follow these instructions to add your private RSS feed. No guests this week, just Colleen, Duncan and James diving into the latest spicy topic: ESG, what it means, how cultural and political movements have co-opted it, and much more. Buckle up, this is a wild one. In the episode, we talk about:* (1:41) Opening quote + context, disclaimers and what we’re ACTUALLY talking about * (4:50) The group’s hottest takes on ESG — are people pro + anti-ESG actually the same? Has the narrative layer taken over completely?* (11:25) Defining the original meaning of ESG, tracing its history, and breaking down why it’s so controversial all of a sudden * (25:30) Breaking down the anti-ESG perspective (warning: Peter Thiel and the petro-industrial complex rear their heads) * (38:02) Honing in on the hypocrisy of the hard pro + anti ESG movements* (44:45) So is clean energy a revolution or not? Are incumbents capable of participating in the revolution?* (51:20) Turns out, it’s our f*****g revolution. If you want in, get in the back* (1:01:15) Landing the plane on ESG — why does this all matter?* (1:13:11) Preparing ourselves for the Davos transhumanists + other conspiracy theories * (1:18:25) Guessing Marx’s hot take on ESG. And, what’s the true source of ESG?* (1:28:03) Big shouts — VDERLove, Inflation Reduction Act, National Grid, and the USA And friendly reminder that you can always find us on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. We hope you enjoy!

The Task Force podcast is back with another episode, just in time for some weekend listening. This was a fun one with Ari Matusiak, CEO of Rewiring America. In the episode, we talk about:* (0:00) Intro, opening quote, entering the ThunDERdome* (2:00) Getting DER pilled with Ari, electrifying classic cars * (8:25) Introducing Rewiring America * (15:11) Electrification and the key narratives that will usher it in * (29:15) Inflation + electrification — balancing near term challenges with long-term progress * (36:56) Ari talks Electrifying for Peace: bolstering American manufacturing, insuring energy security and building a cleaner grid * (44:44) The petrodollar complex, global trade, and America’s geopolitical place through the energy transition * (49:50) What’s driving the disconnect between cheaper renewables and the energy prices consumers face on their bill? * (57:00) Inflation, independence, jobs, resilience: Is the narrative catching on? * ( 1:0015) Energy Czar of America, hottest energy take * (1:03:30) Dope or nope? * (1:05:50) Big shoutsAnd friendly reminder that you can always find us on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. We hope you enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

Welcome back to another episode of the DER Task Force podcast. This time, we sat down with Andy Frank, co-founder and President of Sealed. In the episode, we talk about:* (0:00) Intros, opening quote* (4:27) Sealed elevator pitch* (6:48) Getting DER-pilled (and allergic reactions), Andy’s 20-year plan * (19:28) What’s so great about heat pumps anyway? And are they really DERs? * (30:12) Driving heat pump adoption, moving from services to solutions, NIMBYism + soft costs * (44:12) Electrifying in a utility’s world, command and control vs distributed solutions * (53:03) Performance-based regulation is not beer, the need for regulated monopolies in the utility space * (56:26) Using incentives to drive change, the mismatch between what the grid needs and what the utility can build * (1:07:05) Crazy idea: Scale Microgrids x Sealed to skirt utility regulation + interconnection delays, making markets work better* (1:13:29) Energy czar of America, bipartisan climate solutions * (1:22:16) Dope or nope?* (1:24:55) Biiiiig shouts* (1:28:55) Bonus big shouts!! And friendly reminder that you can always find us on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. We hope you enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

Welcome back to another episode of the DER Task Force podcast. This time, we were joined by the inimitable and brilliant Mary Powell, former CEO of Green Mountain Power and current CEO of SunRun. In the episode, it, we talk about:* (0:00) Intro, opening quote, introducing Mary Powell* (2:40) Mary Powell in the ThunDERdome — on getting DER-pilled, grandpa’s grid, front-running NEM, and scaling Sunrun to combat climate change through consumerism * (16:38) Sunrun’s role in electrifying the world* (25:39) Deploying DERs with entrenched incumbents * (32:15) How to make non-wires alternatives a reality* (37:20) Co-existence of the rate-base model and accelerating electrification * (41:15) Supply chains, tariffs, and American energy independence* (47:12) The core value proposition of solar + storage * (50:32) How to unite the country around a clean energy narrative * (54:45) Energy Czar of America — deploying DERs and challenging utilities* (58:28) Dope or nope?* (1:02:00) Biiiiig shoutsAnd friendly reminder that you can always find us on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. We hope you enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

Welcome back to another episode of the DER Task Force podcast. Following the highly unexpected John Oliver segment on utilities that made the rounds on Twitter a few weeks back, we wanted to dive into the topic and tease out some of the more nuanced points surrounding this topics. This was a fun one. In it, we talk about:* (0:00-8:24) Intro, John Oliver clip, opening quote, quick takes* (8:24-23:00) A loss of innocence at the Texas PUC* (23:00-30:30) It’s tough to be a regulator, institutional inter Tia* (30:30-38:00) NEM3* (38:00-50:03) Data problems and wholesome regulators in NY* (50:03-1:00:03) When the AI turns against you, Auxin solar case* (1:00:03–End) So what do we do now?, wrap up, BIG SHOUTSAnd friendly reminder that you can always find us on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. We hope you enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

If you couldn’t tell, we’re now hosting the podcast on Substack! That means all your DERs content will be in one place going forward, but you can still listen on any of your favorite players like Spotify or iTunes. Look out for more articles and podcasts (with some very special guests) soon, and don’t forget to subscribe!This was a fun one. In it, we talk about:* (0:00-18:00) Intro, Kiran’s background and when he got DER-pilled, fun & games* (18:00-22:00) Acquisition of Urjanet* (22:00-1:06:40) Arcadia’s vision and the journey there* (1:06:40-1:20:40) The state of ClimateTech, DER TF, and new energy future* (1:20:40-1:31:20) Dope or nope, big shouts, Bhatraju-Metelitsa 2040* (1:31:20-1:31:46) ENERGY ABUNDANCE!!! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

We are trying something new this week. As many of you know our DERTF hosts have an active twitter presence and they always have lots of thoughts and ideas on current events in the energy world. With Ukraine being the most impactful energy current event, much of the conversation is centered around events happening in Europe, but it all seems to relate to topics of global trade, energy independence, and of course James is going to bring up getting off the US dollar as the world currency. As always, please make sure you are subscribed to our newsletter on our brand new looking website, dertaskforce.com and keep a lookout for our monthly meetups, in person happy hours and events. As well as other exciting things happening in the DERTF community like our job board, our famous swag, new logo, and make sure you mark your calendars for November 10th for DERTFest, which will be something you will not want to miss. Lastly, tweet at us @dertaskforce on twitter with your favorite quotes from the episode and keep the conversations going there and on our slack. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

We are back to tackle one of the more controversial topics in the energy space - nuclear. Big nuclear, small nuclear or SMRs, and everything in between. We have many barriers to bring back this incredibly reliable, flexible and resilient energy source if we can get over some major political, regulatory, and cost hurtles. Whether you are pro, anti or somewhere in the middle, this episode will enlighten you from a way that we do things best at the task force, keeping things in perspective of the energy markets we live in. As always, please make sure you are subscribed to our newsletter on our website, dertaskforce.com and keep a lookout for our monthly meetups and other exciting things happening in the DERTF community like an ever growing job board, our famous swag and plenty more coming in 2022. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

We are finally back after a long hiatus to tackle a newly released net metering update from the California PUC, NEM 3.0. The time is now for comments and feedback on this significant update to support the solar and broad DER market in California before this ruling is set in stone. As always, please make sure you are subscribed to our newsletter on our website, dertaskforce.com and keep a lookout for our monthly meetups and other exciting things happening in the DERTF community like an ever growing job board, our famous swag and plenty more coming in 2022. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

For July’s virtual meetup, we had Chris Rauscher of Sunrun join us. Chris is an expert in a number of key areas including grid services, markets, resilience as a value proposition, etc. In his currently role as the Senior Director of Market Development & Policy he leads the company’s work at the intersection of new business and policy. Previously Chris was the Director of Storage Market Strategy and Policy, where he lead FERC and wholesale market strategy and engagement, lead policy & regulatory scoping and strategy for new business, developed Virtual Power Plant frameworks, and advanced electrification and other forward-looking policy and regulatory strategy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

We’re really excited for this episode of the live meetup event with Cisco DeVries (CEO) and Matt Deusterberg (President and Co-Founder) of OhmConnect. If you’re not familiar, OhmConnect is helping California’s grid integrate renewables by unlocking the promise of residential flexible load. They do this via energy markets, their app, smart plugs, and great design.OhmConnect also recently raised $80M from Google-owned Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners to fund aggregation of a 550MW virtual power plant (VPP) made of hundreds of thousands of California households, plus an additional $20M in corporate equity. Extremely exciting news for our space.If you’re looking for some background on the company, we recommend checking out the Watt It Takes podcast episode that they recorded with Matt. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

In this episode, we start with laying the foundation for the massive energy consumption requirements for Bitcoin - it then turns to the fundamentals of the technology, then to the unique use case of bitcoin mining, which is connected to the future of, you guessed it, capacity markets. We finish up with a nice historical throwback to the connection of US dollars and oil. All this to say, this is not your typical blockchain in energy episode. It will leave you with a solid and nuanced take on why the entrance quote of the episode, from one of the world thought leaders on technology and energy, is not up to the DER task force standards for thoughtful distributed energy debates. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter at www.dertaskforce.com and be a contributing task force member at our meetups and slack channel. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

This episode is all about the Texas energy crisis in early 2021. Here are the takes on the episode from our three hosts:James - This is not a market design problem, but a system design problem. CA does IRP, NE does capacity markets, ERCOT does energy only. All of them saw major failures (CA—both supply and distribution, NE—distribution, ERCOT—Supply) in a 6 month time period. We must value resilience instead of efficiency.Colleen - This ended up being a supply crisis, but could have easily been a demand crisis. We have now realized you can't just look to more supply. We need to think more on demand and how to build for future holistically.Duncan - The future’s going to be full of problems like this. Engineering for future operating conditions that haven’t been seen before is tough, and today’s markets and regulations don’t contemplate this.Visit http://www.dertaskforce.com for more information on upcoming meetups, podcast episodes and we still have some swag! #microgrdsaredope This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

FERC Order 2222 is being lauded as landmark for how it will change the role of DERs in electricity markets. But the Order itself is vague in how this will be achieved and leaves ample room for interpretation and exceptions. So will Order 2222 fundamentally change the system, or just be a footnote in electricity history? In the final episode of Season 1, Colleen, Duncan and James attempt to answer this question by giving their predictions for electricity markets and infrastructure in the next decade and seeing how Order 2222 could help us get there. Visit http://www.dertaskforce.com for more information on upcoming meetups, podcast episodes and newly added SWAG #microgrdsaredope. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

In this episode, Colleen, Duncan and James explore the nuances of beneficial electrification; can we electrify everything and what does it mean to grid management if we do? This episode was inspired by our meetup with Fei Wang, Grid Edge Research Manager at Wood Mackenzie. Visit http://www.dertaskforce.com for more information on upcoming meetups, podcast episodes and newly added SWAG #microgrdsaredope. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

The Task Force has covered plenty of topics in the commercial and industrial customer segments, but what’s up with residential DERs? Inspired by our meetup with Kiran Bhatraju (founder and CEO of Arcadia) that you can check out on our youtube channel, we discuss everything from flat billing to the future of EV leases and how Mark Zuckerberg may use our smart meter data one day. Visit http://www.dertaskforce.com for more information on upcoming meetups, podcast episodes and newly added SWAG you can purchase to help fund the force #microgrdsaredope. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

California doesn't have enough power, yet again is facing its largest wildfires on record, and the transmission and distribution grid continues to be a liability. What's happening, what do solutions look like, and how will this impact the national climate conversation?This is DER Task Force’s first attempt at producing a highly relevant episode, so please let us know how it went!Visit http://www.dertaskforce.com for more information on upcoming meetups and podcast episodes. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

Over the DER Task Force's short history we've had two meetup presentations focused on NY’s Value of Distributed Energy (VDER). First was Russell Wilcox's, this show's producer and CEO of Urban Energy, and second was Justin Gundlach's of the Institute for Policy Integrity. Both can be found in our Content Library.In this episode, Colleen, Duncan, and James explore what NY's application of the VDER framework is and how it is going. We discuss each component of the VDER value stack, consider the original motivations of VDER and the Reforming the Energy Vision processes, come up with some ways to improve it, and ultimately each host decides whether VDER has been a success thus far.Visit http://www.dertaskforce.com for more information on upcoming meetups and podcast episodes. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

For our first meetup of 2020, Ben Carron of E3 presented on how DER have integrated with wholesale markets over the years. In this episode we try to build on everything Ben taught us, with a focus on today's typical DER monetization strategies, historical wholesale market design implications, and the future of DERs participation.You can find Ben's meetup presentation in our Content Library and follow him on Twitter @BooshCarronSee www.dertaskforce.com for more information on upcoming meetups and podcast episodes. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

In 2019, Madison Freeman from Energy Impact Partners presented on trends and predictions for DER-focused venture capital. This episode builds on her presentation as Colleen, Duncan, and James explore the transition from cleantech to climate tech. We explore the avenues of financing by examining David Energy's $1.5 million pre-seed funding round and Scale Microgrid Solutions' $300 million equity commitment to scale the company and finance microgrid projects. Plus, who thinks we need more companies like Enron? See www.dertaskforce.com for more information on upcoming meetups and podcast episodes. Relevant Reading on Recent Funds:-Prime Coalition raises $52m early-stage fund for breakthrough climate tech https://impactalpha.com/prime-impact-fund-raises-52-million-to-jumpstart-climate-tech-pipeline/-Pale Blue Dot announced €53m early-stage fund for EU climate tech https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/16/pale-blue-dot/ -Blackrock leads $50m investment in off-grid renewable-generated water technology https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/blackrock-leads-50-million-investment-in-off-grid-solar-technology-that-makes-water-Amazon raises $2b climate pledge fund for industries impacted by climate, including energy, transportation and agriculture https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-to-launch-2-billion-venture-capital-fund-to-invest-in-clean-energy-11592910001 -Lowercarbon Capital, launched by Chris Sacca, announced VC fund focused on reducing carbon emissions https://www.axios.com/chris-sacca-clean-energy-venture-capital-dde84900-5b80-4443-b662-1f2f8cdfa809.html This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

In our July 2019 meetup, Colleen Metelitsa, presented on the potential for blockchain as a technology to allow for increased penetration of DERs. Blockchain hit peak hype in 2017 with over 150 companies pursuing blockchain in energy use cases and hundreds of millions invested in start-ups. In this episode, we dive into the fundamentals around how blockchain could potentially help integrate DERs, looking at real-time operation of the grid, necessary governance structures, and cybersecurity. We discuss whether community microgrids are the killer app blockchain has been looking for. Plus, who on the task force wants to federalize the grid? See www.dertaskforce.com for more information on upcoming meetups and podcast episodes. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

Public safety power shutoffs were our first meetup topic in May of 2019, which means this group is almost a year old now!California’s power system faces an unprecedented challenge — the grid is sparking wildfires, the wildfires are immensely destructive, climate change is exasperating this, and we need to start strategically shutting off the grid to prevent this from happening every year.In this episode we recap the problem, discuss solutions, and examine what the state’s current plans are.See www.dertaskforce.com for more information on upcoming meetups and podcast episodes. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

Franchise rights are an under-explored topic that are a core component of where utilities’ derive their power over the distribution grid. Figuring out their place in a decentralized future is essential in ensuring a just energy transition. We should be asking: with the ability to build supply almost anywhere with DERs, is the grid a natural monopoly? How do we reconcile the tension between franchise rights inhibiting DERs and the utility obligation to serve? In this episode, hear everything from a brief history of infrastructure on the grid to how the public safety power shutoffs in California give us a lens into these important questions. See www.dertaskforce.com for more information on upcoming meetups and podcast episodes. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

Who are we? Where did this come from? What are we trying to do? All the answers are here! See www.dertaskforce.com for more information on upcoming meetups and podcast episodes. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe