Energy Central

Under the Biden Administration, the U.S. Department of Energy has seen a revitalized focus towards solar energy as a means to transform the U.S. power grid. Recently, the Department put out the Solar Futures Study which outlined what was needed to get solar generation to 45% of the nation's power mix by mid-century, highlighting that doing so was not a pipe dream but was actually technologically and economically feasible with the right set of incentives and policies. These goals won't be accomplished in a vacuum, however, and the leaders of utilities in the Energy Central Community must take an active role towards this solar future, and our guest in this episode joined to deliver exactly what those actions could look like from utilities in the coming years. Garrett Nilsen is the Acting Director of DOE's Solar Energy Technologies Office, and in this role he's leading a dedicated team to optimize what the future of solar energy in the United States looks like. From motivating entrepreneurs to enter this clean energy space to encouraging U.S. solar manufacturing to enacting the right types of public policies, Garrett is approaching this challenge with the type of full court press it deserves, and he highlights the challenges and opportunities in doing so with podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester. Key Links: Post on Energy Central with bonus clip and full transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-43-shining-light-solar-grid-tomorrow-garrett-nilsen-acting-director-us Solar Futures Study: https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/solar-futures-study SHINES funding program: https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/sustainable-and-holistic-integration-energy-storage-and-solar-pv-shines Webinar with presentations from SHINES awardees, with slides: https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/right-combination-solar-storage-and-demand-response-webinar-series Solar Prize Round 5, which is taking submissions till Oct. 5: https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/american-made-solar-prize-round-5 ALL the American-Made Challenges: https://americanmadechallenges.org/ Incubator funding program, which awarded $25M for the grid-forming technologies consortium led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory: https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/solar-energy-technologies-office-fiscal-year-2021-systems-integration-and-hardware SETO Systems Integration: https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/systems-integration SETO Manufacturing and Competitiveness: https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/manufacturing-and-competitiveness SETO’s newsletter to get the latest on funding opportunities, prize competitions, webinars, and more: https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/solar-newsletter Link to register as a member of the Energy Central Community: www.energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

The early days of the electric power industry began with the installation of small microgrids that connected energy consumers with nearby sources of generation, but as the industry grew the economies of scale dictated that central power plants and massive webs of interconnected grids were the best way to industrialize and grow. In recent years, however, energy sector thought leaders have been pushing forward the value that can come from re-integrating microgrids in conjunction with our established modern grid system. With an eye towards increased reliability, clean energy, and consumer empowerment, microgrids have become one of the hottest topics in utility spheres today. To tap into that momentum, the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast is thrilled to welcome this week’s guest, Peter Asmus, Research Director at Guidehouse Insights. Peter has been researching, writing, and sharing about the future of the grid for decades, and he’s been a long-time member of the Energy Central community where he’s shared insights about how and why this microgrid revolution should come into being. As such, host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester thought it was finally time to bring Peter onto the show to speak directly to the Energy Central Community about the microgrid trends he’s seeing today and provide advice for the utility leaders looking to stay one step ahead moving forward. A special thanks to Guidehouse Insights for supporting this edition of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast. Key Links: Peter Asmus’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/peter-h-asmus Guidehouse on Energy Central: https://energycentral.com/o/Guidehouse Once Laggards, C&I Customers Are Now Microgrid Leaders: https://energycentral.com/o/Guidehouse/once-laggards-ci-customers-are-now-microgrid-leaders Link to Energy Central Post with Bonus Clip and Full Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/special-edition-microgrids-utility-challenger-asset-peter-asmus-guidehouse-energy Link to Register as a member of the Energy Central Community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': https://blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

The electrification of transportation is coming whether or not utilities are ready for it. A decade ago, the prospect of vehicles being plugged in every night was enough to keep grid operators up at night at the thought of such an unprecedented load increase, but today the forward-looking utility should instead be looking to the EV revolution as an opportunity and not a threat. At least that's the position of Charlie Botsford, Program Manager at CWB Solutions and a member of Energy Central's Network of Experts. On today's episode of the podcast, Charlie highlights the baseline situation of EVs on the grid today and how utilities can and should approach everything from increased load, V1G and V2G charging, government EV incentives, and really all the ways that EVs can go from liability to asset. That is, of course, if the utilities plan now to take advantage. And that's what Charlie shares with host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester in this can't-miss episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast. Key Links: Charlie Botsford's Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/charles-botsford-pe The latest EV capability - vehicle to load: https://energycentral.com/c/iu/latest-ev-capability-%E2%80%94-vehicle-load Link to Energy Central Post with Full Transcript and Exclusive Bonus Clip: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-42-evs-grid-asset-will-utilities-take-advantage-charlie-botsford-energy Link to register as a member of the Energy Central Community: www.energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

Through pressure from federal and international governments to market forces, the move towards a carbon-free power sector seems to be on a critical path. The need to decarbonize and replace fossil fuels with cleaner energy sources is close to undeniable at this time, but as anyone who spends time in the thick of debates in the utility sector (including those taking place every day in the Energy Central Community) knows, we’re far apart from a consensus on exactly what tools are the best ones to tap into to meet these climate change challenges. And while renewable energy and energy storage are often grabbing the mainstream headlines, many in the industry find that the most important tool to tap into is one that’s been around for decades longer: nuclear energy. Nuclear energy has its fair share of detractors, from those who worry about repeats of the disasters on Fukushima and Three Mile Island to those with environmental concerns about nuclear waste to others who simply aren’t sure the economics add up to build new nuclear plants. But today’s guest on the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast, Rudy Shankar—Director of Energy Systems Engineering at Lehigh University—opined in a recent Energy Central article that it’s well past time for the U.S. power grid to embrace a renaissance of nuclear power and tap into it as the readily available, carbon-free, and economic clean energy source that it is. While Rudy understands the hesitations some feel about nuclear energy and recognizes the need for renewables to continue to grow as well, he shares with podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester the outline of why nuclear energy needs to be embraced to play an increasing role in the fight against the climate crisis. Key Links Rudy Shankar’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/rudy-shankar The Increasing Role of Nuclear Energy to Meet Climate Change Challenges: https://energycentral.com/c/cp/increasing-role-nuclear-energy-meet-climate-change-challenges Link to Energy Central Post with Full Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-42-increasing-role-nuclear-energy-meet-climate-change-challenges%E2%80%99-rudy Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

Too often, the utility industry looks at the buildings sector as simply customers of the power companies, but thanks to rapidly advancing technology and innovative leaders buildings can now be looked at as assets in their own right. Tapping into opportunities like demand response, energy efficiency, on-site generation and storage, and the aggregation of these and other features means that buildings really can be turned into generation assets that measure up with generation itself, especially when done intelligently and thoughtfully. This process of bringing smart grid tools and modern building technologies together to create new opportunities has become the mission of SensorSuite, and specifically the company’s CEO & President Glen Spry. In this episode, Glen joins host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester to discuss the work being done in Energy Efficient Grid Resource Buildings, or EEGRs. As Glen notes, EEGRs are eager to be part of the solution of climate change and bolster grid reliability as opposed to being a liability like the buildings sector of old. This episode will dive deeper into the possibilities of EEGRs and where the utility-building relationship appears to be moving. A special thanks to SensorSuite for supporting this edition of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast. Key Links: Glen Spry’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/glen-spry EEGR Buildings are in Peak Demand: https://energycentral.com/o/sensorsuite/eegr-buildings-are-peak-demand EEGR Buildings Target the 58% of all Energy Wasted Each Year: https://energycentral.com/o/sensorsuite/eegr-buildings-target-58-all-energy-wasted-each-year SensorSuite - The emergence of Energy Efficient Grid Resources (EEGRs) to support decarbonization: https://energycentral.com/o/sensorsuite/sensorsuite-emergence-energy-efficient-grid-resources-eegrs-support Energy Central Post with more details and full transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/special-edition-energy-efficient-grid-resource-buildings-glen-spry-ceo-president Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': https://blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

The landscape encompasses a wide variety of power providers, and while investor-owned utilities are often the largest and most influential, it’s the smaller players that may be setting the bar for customer care. Specifically, electric cooperatives recognize their end consumers not just as ratepayers, but indeed as members of the electric co-op, and the smaller and more local nature of these power providers empowers them to more easily meet customers where they are, innovate in new ways to educate and engage those end consumers, and create a customer care ecosystem that’s the envy of larger utilities. To peel back the curtain on the unique relationship electric co-ops have with their members, today’s episode brings in the CEO and General Manager of Missouri’s SEMO Electric Cooperative, Sean Vanslyke. Sean walks podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester through the engagement SEMO’s utilized over the past year and a half to aid its members through COVID, the keep power costs affordable, to empower its surrounding community, and to educate customers and employees alike about every component of the utility business. While an electric cooperative has a more moderate budget and footprint, the largest and smallest utilities alike have many lessons to learn from how, why, and where Sean Vanslyke has created customer service opportunities in his service area. Key Links Sean Vanslyke’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/sean-vanslyke Link to Energy Central Post for Episode with Full Transcript and Exclusive Bonus Footage: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-40-elevating-customer-care-electric-cooperative-members%E2%80%99-sean-vanslyke Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

This latest episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast brings back two of our audience favorites to discuss a topic that’s been rapidly evolving and penetrating the market since we last had them in the podcast booth. Pat Hohl and Bill Meehan join up tackle the state of GIS and Digital Twins in the utility sector today, highlighting the technological advancements that are truly changing the way that the power sector thinks about these intelligent solutions and what’s possible for the future of the grid, of customer relationships, of utility maintenance, and more. Because the world of GIS is moving so quickly, host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester were eager to welcome back these guests who are undoubtedly leading the charge and waving the flag for GIS across the energy sector. A special thanks to Esri for supporting this edition of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast. Key Links: Pat Hohl’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/pat-hohl Two Things to Know About Digital Twins: https://energycentral.com/o/esri/two-things-know-about-digital-twins Bill Meehan’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/bill-meehan Common Information Model (CIM) CIMplified – Part 1 – The Basics: https://energycentral.com/o/esri/common-information-model-cim-cimplified-%E2%80%93-part-1-%E2%80%93-basics Esri’s Energy Central Page: https://energycentral.com/o/esri Energy Central Post for This Episode, Including Transcript & Exclusive Bonus Clip: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/special-edition-gis-digital-twin-and-intelligent-reality-utilities-today-pat-hohl Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: energycentral.com/user/register

In the Energy Central Community, July is all about customer care and everything that means and encompasses for the utility industry. In that light, this episode seeks to highlight the unique relationship between a wholesale power agency and its member utilities, the customer experience not through the lens of the end consumer and its utility but the relationship between the power producer and the local utility and how they team up to make magic happen for the ratepayers. On one side of this story is the electric utility department at the City of Bushnell, Florida, a small city in Central Florida with such a small coverage area and a small team that having resources and expertise in different areas can be a challenge. That’s where Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA) enters, as a wholesale power agency that is owned by 31 municipal electric utilities across the state, including Bushnell, and empowers its member utilities. Today, podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester are joined by FMPA’s General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer, Jody Finklea, and Bushnell’s City Manager and Finance Director, Jody Young. They’re here to share how FMPA aided Bushnell to expand the city’s electric customers by a whopping 50%, from 1,100 to nearly 1,800. Increasing the customer base that dramatically allowed the city to then enhance its already reliable power systems and provide affordable power to its customers, generating some critical lessons for customer care across the utility sector. Key Links Jody Finklea’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/jody-lamar-finklea Jody Young’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/jody-young Power of Working Together for Affordable, Reliable Electricity: https://energycentral.com/c/um/power-working-together-affordable-reliable-electricity Energy Central post with full transcript & Exclusive Bonus Clip from the Conversation: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-39-wholesale-power-agency-small-town-utility-and-power-working-together%E2%80%99 Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

This week’s episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast dives into the world of infrastructure, and specifically the management of assets found underground that transport our water, gas, and electrons. Asset management at the utility is big and serious business, having lasted in some cases for a century or longer buried deep underneath the ground. Accurately tracking those assets and keeping such records updated in real time is far more complex and underappreciated even for people who may work at a utility. This is why the market for talent in utility asset management is exploding, with GIS technologies and related systems enjoying high demand and advancement into increasing sophistication. To give a good overview of this topic, host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester welcome to the podcast Gord Reynolds, Vice President of Commercial Advisory and Strategy at Infrastructure Ontario. Gord leads a variety of initiatives to improve utility coordination across Canada, including support of two recently passed provincial Acts to streamline the coordination of utility assets to deliver transit projects and broadband on time and within budget across Ontario. One specific aspect of these regulations is the process of setting up a government entity, the Office of Utility Coordination, an asset management platform that will transform how utility work is conducted and tracked moving forward. Gord will provide an overview of what this office does and how it’s changing the world of infrastructure asset management. Key Links Gord Reynold’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/gord-reynolds-2 Metrolinx to launch new Office of Utility Coordination: https://energycentral.com/c/um/metrolinx-launch-new-office-utility-coordination-constructconnectcom Energy Central post with full transcript and further details: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-38-%E2%80%98enhancing-utility-coordination-through-improved-geospatial-data Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

This week, the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast turns back to the world of Digital Twins as we welcome back a return guest to the podcast: Brent Jensen, a sales engagement director with Bentley Systems. Bent and his team at Bentley have been hard at work transforming the digital sphere of the utility industry, specifically focused on the grid modernization implications of digital twins and the data-focused opportunities they unlock. After first introducing host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester to the possibilities of digital twin on the grid in his appearance on the podcast last year, Brent picks up where he left off to inform listners about how electric utilities can get started and the cascading benefits that come for forward-looking utilities to integrate these grid software solutions. A special thanks to Bentley Systems for supporting this edition of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast. Key Links: Brent Jensen’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/brent-jensen Bentley’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/o/bentley Energy Central Post with Full Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/special-edition-how-digital-twins-can-overcome-utility-challenges-brent-jensen Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

Lots of utilities are sharing their clean energy goals for 2030, 2040 and beyond, as a continued focus on climate change and decarbonization appropriate takes center stage. But declaring vague clean energy targets decades in advance can, arguably, be the easy part of the process, the real challenge comes in living up to those promises and remaining accountable to investors, customers, and regulators to meet those goals. Setting and meeting these clean energy targets is the right thing to do, but if it was easy then we would already be there, but as today’s guest knows: the proof is in the pudding. The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast is joined this week by Greg Bernosky, the Director of Corporate Strategy at Arizona Public Service (APS). APS made waves in early 2020 by publicly pledging to provide 100% clean, carbon-free power to its customers by 2050, with interim targets of 65% clean energy and 45% renewable energy by 2030. As one of the key voices in developing those goals, Greg knows that these weren’t just pulled out of thin are, but were rigorously debated and evaluated internally before sharing with customers and stakeholders. And while he agrees the goals are ambitious, he remains confident that the utility can deliver. As he notes, some utility leaders may fear a day of reckoning if it becomes clear their clean energy goals are too ambitious, but he and his team at APS both recognize the bigger day of reckoning will come if the industry doesn’t do enough to prevent to worst impacts of climate change. To that end, Greg walks host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester through the mindset of APS executives and outlines the roadmap they have for meeting these goals. Key Links Greg Bernosky’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/greg-bernosky The APS 10-Year Strategic Plan: https://energycentral.com/c/cp/aps-10-year-strategic-plan Energy Central Post with Full Transcript and Exclusive Bonus Clip: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-37-%E2%80%98-day-reckoning-clean-energy-targets%E2%80%99-greg-bernosky-director-arizona Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

This week on the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast, we’re tackling the utility climate discussion from the angle of resilience and adaptation. Where most utility climate discussions deal with emissions reductions, decarbonization, and other methods to try to prevent the worst climate change chain reactions, many in the industry are recognizing that, regardless of how swiftly we implement the clean energy transition, we’re still looking at some likely impacts to the environment around us from climate change that’s already been set into motion. For that reason, addressing reactions to and preparations for climate change are just as critical, especially in an industry that has such large, widespread, and critical infrastructure as power companies do. This focus on climate change resilience and adaptation was brought to us by Nelson Yip, the Director of Strategic Planning at Con Edison. Nelson was one of the forces driving Con Edison’s official Climate Change Resilience and Adaptation Report, which he recently shared with the Energy Central community. While the document is impressive and can stand on its own, host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester couldn’t help but bring Nelson into the podcast booth for a deeper dive into this trend-setting document and learn even more from Nelson about the process behind the generation and implementation of this report with an eye towards helping other utilities across the industry take similar steps to prepare for the future. Key Links Nelson Yip’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/nelson-yip How Con Edison Is Building a Climate-Resilient Energy Delivery System for New York City: https://energycentral.com/c/pip/how-con-edison-building-climate-resilient-energy-delivery-system-new-york-city Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central post with full transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-36-tackling-climate-change-resilience-and-adaptation-nelson-yip-con Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

Today’s episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast brings in a guest who’s long overdue for an appearance in Doug Houseman, a Principal Consultant at 1898 & Co., a Burns & McDonnell division. Doug’s insights into the utility in much sought after, and his writing in the Energy Central community has been undoubtedly prolific as he seeks to impart wisdom to the next generation of power professionals that he’s learned the hard way through a career in utilities that stretches on for several decades. Specifically, Doug has seen an unfortunate trend in the world of thought leadership, media coverage, and roadmaps to focus on quick fixes to the grid. Whether that’s through focusing on overly optimistic silver bullets, the tendency to think and speak in sound bites, or just a myopic view of what solutions are going to carry the power sector, and really all of society, into the future, Doug Houseman is here to stress the importance of whole systems thinking and solutions. “If we want to keep the grid a social asset for all to use, then we need to work on the holistic picture, not a single aspect,” Doug recently wrote on the Energy Central article “The Whole Grid and Nothing But the Whole Grid,” and in this episode host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester invite Doug to dig even deeper on that idea. Key Links Doug Houseman’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/doug-houseman The Whole Grid and Nothing But the Grid: https://energycentral.com/c/gr/whole-grid-and-nothing-whole-grid Energy Central Post with Interview Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-35-%E2%80%98-whole-grid-and-nothing-whole-grid%E2%80%99-doug-houseman-principal Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

The U.S. power grid is getting intense focus from all angles these days, from federal initiatives to spend billions of dollars to upgrade the grid infrastructure all the way down to local projects looking to harden transmission infrastructure. Regardless of the scale or lens, though, a pervading type of solution continues to be identified that can accomplish a myriad of goals: the microgrid. Microgrids are effective and innovative tools that, when utilized optimally, can boost how resilient, affordable, and clean a local power system can be. In today’s episode, Bruce Schadler joins the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast to share with host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester about the vast impact his team has been able to create with targeted microgrid projects. Acting as the Director of Project Management at SourceOne, an energy consulting company for Veolia North America, Bruce and his team have implemented microgrid solutions across New York at sites that include NYU, the New York Public Library, Hudson Yards, and many more. Bruce shares his keen insights about how these solutions, and in particular the Hubgrade service from Veolia, have left an unmistakable fingerprint across the Empire State to prioritize efficiency, digital innovation, sustainability, and resilience. A special thanks goes to Veolia North America for supporting this edition of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast. Key Links: Bruce Schadler's Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/bruce-schadler Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with Podcast Transcript: https://energycentral.com/c/gr/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-special-edition-innovative-microgrid Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

As the latest entry into our Leadership Series, the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast was joined by Mark Gabriel, the outgoing CEO of Western Area Power Administration. Mark is passionate about all things grid, and his illustrious career across the utility sector has given him the type of wisdom and insights that have allowed him to be one of the forefront voices for the state of the grid today and what needs to be done to implement the grid of the future. Whether it’s in top trade publications, testifying in front of Congress, or sharing with the Energy Central Community, Mark’s voices has shaped thinking about grid modernization and will continue to do so for years to come. In this episode, Mark covers all of the topics that are most important to his work and to those working on the grid: from the winter-storm blackouts in Texas to engineering a supergrid, from utility leadership to how grid operators directly influence justice and equity, and so much more. Host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester join Mark on this whirlwind episode where questions are raised, answered, and deeper questions raised again. If you work on the grid, you won’t want to miss Mark’s unparalleled expertise and perspective. Key Links Mark Gabriel’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/mark-gabriel Bringing Arizona solar to East Coast evenings: Increasing connections in the power grid: https://energycentral.com/c/gr/bringing-arizona-solar-east-coast-evenings-increasing-connections-power-grid Energy Central post with podcast transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/34-%E2%80%98taking-grid-tomorrow-concept-reality%E2%80%99-mark-gabriel-former-administrator-and Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

Continuing on Energy Central’s focus on innovation for this whole month, this week’s episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast recognizes the external factors that are bringing innovation to the forefront. From the three D’s of decarbonization, decentralization, and digitalization to the unexpected pivots that utilities across the country had to embrace in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the current climate is making innovation a priority that pervades how we look at energy. No one recognizes that evolution better than Jody Allison, the Vice President for Transformation at Algonquin Power and Utilities, as she spends he days bringing forth new idea, creative opportunities, and customer empowerment to those in her company and its service area every day. Jody was eager to share with host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester what this innovation looks like from inside the utility board room and how they’re moving well beyond buzzwords but truly embracing necessary change today and tomorrow. Key Links Jody Allison’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/jody-allison Innovation by Jody Allison: https://energycentral.com/c/um/innovation Energy Central post with podcast transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-33-innovating-utility-sector Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

In the business world, innovation has risked turning into more of a buzzword than an actual guiding principle. But in a rapidly evolving industry like utilities, innovation can have real impact on operations, on customers, and on the way the entire sector is set up. As such, innovation departments have sprung up across various power providers, seeking out new ways to modernize grid operations, to transform the customer-utility relationship, and to enhance the 21st century utility goals of clean, reliable, and affordable energy. Innovation in these departments is no hollow promise, but something to tangibly deliver. The guest on this latest episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast lives and breathes innovation for utilities, and he argues that to truly embrace innovation a utility must embrace it as a part of the pervading company culture. Josh Gould is the Director of Innovation at Duquesne Light Company, and in that role he’s made it his personal mission to weave innovation culture through every part of the utility business. And while certain outcomes seem more obvious to be measured, Josh shares with host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester how innovation culture can in fact be tracked. His pitch, in this episode, is all about starting innovation at your utility today, so if you need inspiration or ideas to bring to your CEO, you’ll want to listen to Josh’s call to action here! Key Links Josh Gould’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/josh-gould Why traditional thinking on innovation culture must evolve: https://energycentral.com/c/um/why-traditional-thinking-innovation-culture-must-evolve Energy Central Post with Full Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-32-creating-culture-innovation Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

Hydropower can be rightfully considered the oldest, original renewable energy source. And from the use of waterwheels centuries through to modern marvels like the Hoover Dam, it’s remained a steady, reliable, and affordable form of clean energy generation. But despite its relatively stellar record of providing electricity and energy storage, particularly in areas like the Pacific Northwest, hydropower still tends to fly under the radar when it comes to policy discussions and forward-looking energy transition plans. Why has this workhorse of the utility industry been overlooked and underappreciated for so long, and will the use of digital tools be able to modernize and optimize the hydropower sector like never before? These are the questions posed to Steve Wright, General Manager of Chelan PUD and contributor to the Reinvigorating Hydropower Report, that this episode will explore. Steve joins host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester to sing the praises of hydropower, update the Energy Central community about developments in the world of hydropower that may be going unnoticed, and argue for the position that hydropower currently and will in the future continue to play in the critical clean energy transition. Key Links Steve Wright’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/steve-wright-3 Reinvigorating Hydropower, post on Energy Central: https://energycentral.com/c/gn/reinvigorating-hydropower Reinvigorating Hydropower, full report: https://www.chelanpud.org/hydropower/hydropower-for-the-future#:~:text=Reinvigorating%20Hydropower,cost%2C%20emissions%20and%20reliability%20perspective.&text=Design%20markets%20that%20value%20hydropower,societal%20goals%20for%20carbon%20reduction Energy Central Post with Podcast Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-31-%E2%80%98reinvigorating-hydropower%E2%80%99 Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

The HR departments across the utility sector are facing numerous challenges as they continue to develop and build up the workforce of the power sector. Not only is there the brain drain being experienced as career-long employees continue to hit retirement age at record pace, but recruiting for the best and brightest out of school is pitting utilities against Silicon Valley, big tech, and more. That means the utility recruiter needs to get smarter, more deliberate, and highlight the unique aspects of the utility business to attract and retain the best talent. For the guest of today’s episode of the podcast, that imperative is in overdrive because she also has to demonstrate to recruits why moving out to Alaska can create such an appealing life and career, despite potential hesitations from applicants about leaving the contiguous United States and moving to a colder and more remote community. Despite those hurdles, Shirley Akelkok shares with host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester all the ways that working in the Matanuska Valley has perks that can’t be replicated elsewhere. She also shares her wisdom of recruiting practices that are applicable no matter where your utility is visited, from focusing on relationship building to embracing site visits to selling positions as part of a lifestyle rather than just a job. Shirley’s commitment to her community is evident, and by the end of this episode she may just have you checking out property in America’s northernmost state. Key Links Shirley Akelkok’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/shirley-akelkok Recruiting Experiences at Matanuska Electric Association: https://energycentral.com/c/hr/recruiting-experiences-matanuska-electric-association Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with Transcript of Episode: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-30-think-your-utility-has Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

Taking a new job is always a big moment filled with excitement and nerves, but imagine taking over as CEO with the company with which you’ve spent nearly two decades. Now imagine also doing so amid a global pandemic and economic crisis. That’s the situation that Garrick Rochow found himself in just a few months ago when he became the CEO of Consumers Energy, the public utility that provides power and gas to 6.6 million people in Michigan. But rather than approach this new appointment as just a challenge, Garrick has embraced his role as CEO at this critical juncture in our nation’s history as an unprecedented opportunity to ensure the utility was doing all the right things—from clean energy to diversity & inclusion to supporting local communities, and more. Garrick has sought to ensure Consumers Energy continues to fulfill not only its obligations as a public utility, but also go several steps further in creating the type of change that’s needed for the future. In this episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast, Garrick joins host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester to share his vision for everything a public utility can and should do for its customers, whether during normal times or at a moment of crisis. Garrick’s passion for his co-workers and customers, as well as the industry at large, are indeed palpable, and this episode seeks to catch that enthusiasm and make it contagious for all listeners. In discussing important topics like utility transformation and decarbonization, steady and calm leadership, and supporting communities in need, Garrick shares his many goals and aspirations for Consumers Energy in the years to come, and under his guidance this utility will surely continue to be one to watch for years to come. Key Links Garrick Rochow’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/garrick-rochow Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with Podcast Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-29-rising-moment-creating Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

For most of their history, the utility industry and the transportation industry have been tangentially associated, but not fully intertwined. Certain small-scale vehicles required electricity, transportation and power both have had to deal with their greenhouse gas contributions, and many forms of transportation were critical to moving electric fuels around the world. These sectors would see each other in passing, occasionally collaborate, but ultimately remain independent. Well as anyone who's recently been to an auto trade show, watched a Super Bowl commercial, or paid close attention to the cars parked at the shopping center knows, it seems like electric vehicles (EVs) have truly arrived. No longer is it a notable event when you spy a Tesla on the road or an EV driver actually using the charger in the parking garage, but rather the pivot point has been reached where EVs are all over the place. As EVs grow in market presence, today's guests find that the separation of utility and transportation is waning. In fact, they'd go so far as to say that the future of these industries is beyond intermingling but will reach a full-fledged marriage where continued success of one is built upon the success of the other. Lincoln Bleveans (Assistant General Manager of Power Supply) and Joe Flores (Marketing Manager) of Burbank Water and Power have spent much time analyzing the electrification of transportation and what the implications are to the utility. Being able to plan for the growth in demand load from EVs is atop the mind of utility executives, but Lincoln and Joe are also eager to see how the availability of EVs as sustainable and flexible assets can transform how utility managers look at patterns on the grid and the opportunity for true strategic transformation. Lincoln and Joe are truly a dynamic duo and their conversation with host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester will surely leave the listener just as excited about the utility/transportation marriage as they are. Key Links Lincoln Bleveans’ Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/lincoln-bleveans The California Transportation-Electricity Marriage: The (Utility) Honeymoon Tell-All: https://energycentral.com/c/ec/california-transportation-electricity-marriage-utility-honeymoon-tell-all-zpryme Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with Podcast Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-28-swirling-romance-utilities Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

In this next entry into our leadership series, highlighting the invaluable insights and forward-looking initiatives being put forth by utility CEOs, we welcome to the podcast Paula-Gold Williams, CEO of CPS Energy. As head of the largest municipally owned energy utility, Paula shares insights in how she and her team have been working to bring clean, Reliable power generation to the San Antonio community, even amidst the unexpected challenges that the COVID pandemic has thrust upon them. Specifically via CPS Energy’s Flexible Path strategy, the utility is looking at how to most thoughtfully discover, explore, and implement new power generation in the coming years, seeking input from innovators and partners across the sector to replace the utility’s aging generation capacity with new, cleaner generation. Paula joins Matt Chester, Community Manager of Energy Central, and Audra Drazga, the VP of the Power Industry Network, to share updates on this exciting new initiative, discuss how it fits into CPS Energy’s short- and long-term plans, and reflects on how the company was able to keep People First amid the challenges brought about by the last year. A special thanks goes to CPS Energy for supporting this edition of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast. Key Links: Paula Gold-Williams’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/paula-gold-williams CPS Energy Launches Global FlexPOWER Bundle Request For Proposal to Bring Cleaner, Greener Energy to San Antonio, Texas: https://energycentral.com/c/ee/cps-energy-launches-global-flexpower-bundlesm-request-proposal-bring-cleaner Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with Podcast Transcript: https://energycentral.com/c/um/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-special-edition-thinking-globally-and Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

This week, the Energy Central Power Perspectives Conversation centers on the creation, collection, and use of something that’s become just as important to the utility industry as the electrons itself: data. In this episode of the Power Perspectives Podcast, Alden Systems CEO John Sciarabba draws from his experiences during a more than 20-year career in the industry to share more insights into this topic, including common mistakes that your utilities make when it comes to data collection, how to optimize the data you are collecting, and predictions for how technology will meet industry needs in the future. A special thanks to Alden Systems for supporting this edition of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast. Key Links: John Sciarabba’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/john-sciarabba The Digital Data Revolution: Changing How Utilities Will Meet the Challenges of 5G and Beyond: https://energycentral.com/c/iu/digital-data-revolution-changing-how-utilities-will-meet-challenges-5g-and-beyond Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with Podcast Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-special-edition-utility-data Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

Utilities are increasingly looking to add renewable power to their grids to meet local, state, and federal clean energy requirements, to satisfy climate-concerned customer bases, and to fulfill internal goals of increasing the sustainability of operations. But the addition of clean energy cannot come at an excessive cost that will be passed onto ratepayers that may already be strained with heavy energy burdens in their monthly bills. Balancing these goals, along with the imperative that power remains reliable and resilient above else, means that utility executives are commonly seeing themselves becoming expert jugglers and multi-taskers. As CEO of Florida Municipal Power Agency, today’s guest Jacob Williams take on even more of a stressful task as his organization seeks to answer the needs of the citizens and representatives from their 30+ municipal member organizations. As a part of this entry into the Power Perspectives Leadership Series, Jacob spends time with host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester to explain how exactly the municipal power agency model works, how the high energy demand and sometimes spotty sun in the Sunshine State create unique challenges, and the plans and expectations that FMPA is bringing into 2021 and beyond to continue delivering reliable, affordable, and clean power to Floridians. Utility-scale solar continues to be a key solution, but it’s not always as easy as it seems—tune into this episode to hear Jacob explain why. Key Links Jacob Williams’ Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/jacob-williams-1 Florida Municipals Provide Affordable, Reliable and Clean Electricity: https://energycentral.com/c/um/florida-municipals-provide-affordable-reliable-and-clean-electricity Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with Podcast Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-27-keeping-municipal-power Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

While most of us are more than happy to put 2020 in the rearview mirror, to simply shut the door on such a tumultuous year without reflecting on the successes that occurred and the lessons that were learned would be shortsighted. Further, looking ahead to the goals and challenges that the new year will bring would be incomplete without putting them in the context of the year that we just experienced. Recognizing both of these facts, we’re thrilled to welcome onto the podcast for the first episode of the year Tilak Subrahmanian, the Vice President of Energy Efficiency at Eversource Energy. Tilak joins podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester to share the varied ways in which Eversource was able to adapt to a quickly changing world much faster than they may have previously thought possible and how customers were kept at the top of the mind of utility professionals when it came to engagement, safety, financial assistance, and more. Where many of us felt battered by everything that 2020 brought, Tilak reminds us that it’s important to find the light and look forward to an even brighter future. After listening to this highly engaging episode, you’ll be ready to tackle the energy changes of 2021 and beyond head on just like Tilak has guided his team and peers to do. Key Links Tilak Subrahmanian’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/239409 State of the Industry in 2021: https://energycentral.com/c/um/state-industry-2021 Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-26-forecasting-2021-utility Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

In an episode that’s part recap of a crazy year for all of us and part celebration of the first full year of the podcast under our belt, this episode features host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester discussing some of the best guests and moments that took place on the podcast during our first full year hitting the air waves. We share updates from some of our fan favorite guests, trade top memories and moments for the podcast, and reflect on what it was like to navigate 2020 in the utility sector (no doubt made more bearable because of the terrific guests who were willing to join us this past year). Take a listen to hear some great moments from episodes you may have missed, learned what news our industry leaders have had to share since then, and to close the chapter on this year as we look ahead to prosperous and engaging 2021. From all of us at the Energy Central Team and who work on the Power Perspectives Podcast, a sincere thanks goes to our listeners for an overwhelmingly successful first year—we couldn’t do it without you! Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-25-%E2%80%98don%E2%80%99t-call-it-clip-show%E2%80%99 Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

That the transportation sector is leaning more and more into electric vehicles is no surprise, and is in fact become more of a foregone conclusion. But that trend being seemingly inevitable doesn’t mean it will be a smooth and easy transition for all stakeholders and planning for that future today is of paramount importance, especially for those in the utility business who will be tasked with ensuring there’s enough power being generated and transmitted to where it’s needed to keep the electric vehicles of the region energized. And nowhere in the United States is the need to plan for the electric transport of tomorrow more apparent than with grid operators in Texas, often seen as the crossroads of the country for freight travel. In today’s episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast, David Treichler—the Director of Business Development at Oncor Electric Delivery—joins us to share about the state of the electric vehicle evolution in the Lone Star State and what sort of considerations are required of his team at Oncor to ensure fleets can be reliably charged the day they’re brought home from the lot. The infrastructure and processes responsible for moving electrons across the grid were not set up with the transportation sector in mind, but with thought leaders and innovators like David at the helm, the future of electric vehicles in personal, fleet, and freight transportation surely looks bright. Key Links David Treichler’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/106622 Transportation Electrification – Oncor’s Efforts to Be Ahead of the Wave: https://energycentral.com/c/pip/transportation-electrification-%E2%80%93-oncor%E2%80%99s-efforts-be-ahead-wave Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/ Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-24-%E2%80%98fleet-electrification

Forward-looking industry leaders know that artificial intelligence is poised to transform the way we do everything, both on the business side and from specific customers. The world of power utilities just may be the part of the economy where the possibilities are greatest, the need is highest, and the excitement is peaking. DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) has even made AI in the energy space a priority with its multi-million dollar initiative called the National Infrastructure for Artificial Intelligence on the Grid, or NI4AI. In today's episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast, host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester are joined by Theo Laughner, the CEO of PowerGRID-RX Inc and a key member of the NI4AI team to discuss this invaluable initiative, and how it all ties him being able to put a sheet of bacon in his smart oven-- the future really is now! Key Links: Theo Laughner’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/242161 ARPA-E funded platform NI4AI is democratizing grid data: https://energycentral.com/c/iu/arpa-e-funded-platform-ni4ai-democratizing-grid-data Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': https://blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/ Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-23-%E2%80%98national-infrastructure

Collective utility action to deploy private networks will drive increasing value from the network of networks effect. Private broadband networks are becoming critical infrastructure for Utility Industry modernization efforts today and will be even more important in the future. Private LTE networks offer utilities ownership, greater control and security with a network that can operate outside of public domain. This enormous change opens the door for utilities to broaden their vision and collectively envision how their PLTE networks can become the foundation for a nationwide interconnected network of PLTE networks that protects and enhances the future digital grid. Industry standardization around technology and functionality will provide innovation at scale to maximize the value of these mission critical strategic investments. In this episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast, Host Jason Price will be joined by Gil C. Quiniones, President and CEO of NY Power Authority (NYPA), and Rob Schwartz, President and CEO of Anterix, to discuss PLTE networks as a key enabler of the end to end digital utility. They also will explore the significant power and benefit the utility sector could experience by moving forward with collective action that would maximize value through interoperability and economies of scale and scope. Forward-thinking companies like NYPA already are investing in LTE platforms as part of its next generation digital transformation effort. Anterix is committed to enabling private broadband for utilities with its 900 MHz spectrum. Key Links Gil Quiniones’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/40449 “Communications is a fundamental issue”: NYPA’s Gil Quiniones on Its LTE Network Deployment: https://energycentral.com/c/iu/%E2%80%9Ccommunications-fundamental-issue%E2%80%9D-nypa%E2%80%99s-gil-quiniones-its-lte-network Rob Schwartz’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/257941 Grid of the Future: Overcoming Today’s Challenges, Setting Foundation for Tomorrow: https://energycentral.com/o/anterix/grid-future-overcoming-today%E2%80%99s-challenges-setting-foundation-tomorrow Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with Podcast Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-special-edition-utility-private-lte

In the world of energy and utilities, buzzwords and hot concepts have a way of going viral and becoming the most discussed issue at any given conference, journal, or even happy hour, but the natural question is whether or not the excitement and hype behind them is warranted. The world of distributed energy resources, or DERs, is a strategy that’s moved past simple hype and into an established and rapidly growing cornerstone of the utility business, but it’s also dragged with it one of those buzzwords that could still go in either direction: DERMs, or distributed energy resource management systems. Ben Ealey, Principal of Grid Integration at the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA), has followed DERs and DERMS closely since they broke onto the scene, and he’s here to declare once and for all that DERMS as we know it is dead. What exactly does that mean, how did the rise and death happen so quickly, and where does the industry go from here? These are just a few of the questions that Ben walks Jason Price, host of the Power Perspectives Podcast, and Matt Chester, producer of the podcast, through in this thought-provoking episode. And with just a few weeks left until Halloween, we’re forced to ask: will this death be final or will DERMS rise again? Key Links: Ben Ealey’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/259176/about Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/c/gr/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-22-%E2%80%98derms-we-know-it-dead%E2%80%99-ben

Utilities in the Western United States have had a rough summer, to say the least. In a season that began with them continuing to manage as best as they could with the coronavirus pandemic and its economic implications, a massive heat wave ended up bringing the California grid to its knees and requiring rolling blackouts before a particularly devastating wildfire season created even more problems. Amid these various disasters, citizens understandably look to the utilities to continue to keep their lights on with consistency and reliability, but the market forces driving the grid and the 20th century energy systems that make up the bulk of the utility sector may not be the optimal tools for the job. That’s the opinion of our guest on the podcast this week, at least. Kyle Haas is a Program Manager for K&A Consulting where he focuses on solutions in distributed energy resources, or DERs. In this episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast, Kyle guides host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester on a tour of how DERs might have been able to minimize some of the negative grid impacts felt during the past few months in California, as well as provides suggestions for how California’s natural resources and utility infrastructure might be approached in the future to minimize wildfire risk and maximize the ability of the state’s utilities to provide reliability and resilience to their customers. Key Links: Kyle Haas’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/257936 Kyle’s response to Q&A on Energy Central on the topic of California’s rolling blackouts: https://energycentral.com/c/um/energy-central-community-deep-dive-massive-heat-wave-causing-power-demand-surge Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/c/gr/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-21-%E2%80%98could-ders-have-prevented

Creative rate structures from utilities meant to give customers nudges on customer consumption behaviors are nothing new, but with the advent of smart technologies they are indeed becoming more common. As the recent spate of rolling blackouts in California demonstrated, giving the power markets more tools to influence when energy is consumed is needed more than ever to align supply with demand and ensure customers can depend on reliable and resilient energy systems. James Riley, a Partner at Appos Advisors, has spent plenty of time consulting utilities on how, why, and where to launch time-of-use rate structures that provide financial incentive to customers to shift their energy consumption away from peak hours, and he recently shared with the Energy Community his experience as a utility customer in California who changed to a time-of-use rate structure himself. With this lens, James walks Jason Price and Matt Chester of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast through the benefits of time-of-use rates, including the ability to more efficiently integrate renewable energy into the grid while optimizing the energy markets so that supply and demand can be more in sync, not to mention the benefits that such plans can bring to attentive customers. Key Links: James Riley’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/113802 The Times They are a Changin’: https://energycentral.com/c/pip/times-they-are-changin%E2%80%99 Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/c/em/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-20-%E2%80%98-it-time-time-use-rates%E2%80%99

In recent months, the federal government and the utility sector have come to a reckoning about the state of cybersecurity on the U.S. grid, leading to an Executive Order from the President to prevent foreign-made equipment to be installed on the grid due to potential creation of backdoors into our vulnerable systems by foreign adversaries. While this move and other security measures about what to do next have been getting plenty of attention from energy professionals, Joe Weiss has another important question: what about the equipment that’s already been installed across our grid? As Managing Partner of Applied Control Systems, Joe spends his time thinking through the vital questions surrounding cybersecurity of industrial control systems, both in the utility sector and in wider industry applications, and Joe joins Jason Price and Matt Chester in this episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast to provide warning about how critical the situation has become. Seeing the weaknesses that exist across the U.S. grid, Joe asks whether security professionals and government officials are doing everything that needs to be done to provide for sufficient defense of our energy systems, especially in the less obvious and more seldomly discussed areas. For anyone who recognizes the threat that an attack on our power industry would present (or especially for someone who hasn’t given that topic much thought), this episode is not one you’ll want to miss! Key Links: Joe Weiss’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/238118/about ICS cyber security is the second coming of the Maginot Line – and the Chinese have breached it: https://energycentral.com/c/iu/ics-cyber-security-second-coming-maginot-line-%E2%80%93-and-chinese-have-breached-it Presidential Executive Order 13920 was not due to a malware event - recent and upcoming events will discuss the event: https://energycentral.com/c/iu/presidential-executive-order-13920-was-not-due-malware-event-recent-and-upcoming Emergency Executive Order 13920 – Response to a real nation-state cyberattack against the US grid: https://energycentral.com/c/iu/emergency-executive-order-13920-%E2%80%93-response-real-nation-state-cyberattack-against Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/c/iu/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-19-%E2%80%98-us-doing-enough-secure

As utilities looked to 2020, the changing landscape of power generation, energy policy, and consumer needs already promised to make the year one of unprecedented change. But as the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have spread and put utility companies and their workers squarely on the frontline, it’s safe to say that the pace of adaptation and innovation has gone beyond anything imagined by those sitting in the C-suite. But unexpected developments are not an excuse to fall behind for utilities that serve such a foundational role in modern society, and so leaders have found themselves called upon by employees, customers, and government representatives alike to step up and navigate these unchartered waters. Patti Poppe, the CEO of Consumers Energy, found herself in that role of leading her company through the unknown, and on today’s episode of the Power Perspectives Podcast she shares some of her lessons learned. Through shifting her workforce to be as remote as possible to adapting new programs that could ensure quarantined customers still found ways to integrate energy efficiency to many late nights and early mornings planning out next steps and communicating the latest developments to her employees, all while keeping an optimistic attitude and positive outlook, Patti has demonstrated the type of leadership that should be recognized and replicated, both among peers in other utility companies and in industry more widely. You won’t want to miss this captivating conversation where Patti leads Jason Price and Matt Chester through a mile in her shoes in what it takes to navigate unprecedented crisis from the CEO’s (virtual) office. Key Links: Patti Poppe’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/257141 Consumers Energy’s Support for Small Business During COVID: https://www.consumersenergy.com/-/media/CE/Documents/news-and-information/small-biz-covid.pdf Big Picture Clean Energy Plan for Michigan: http://www.MICleanEnergyPlan.com Consumers Energy Providing 100,000 Google Nest Thermostats to Michigan Households During Pandemic: https://www.consumersenergy.com/news-releases/news-release-details/2020/05/19/consumers-energy-providing-100k-google-nest-thermostats-to-michigan-households-during-pandemic Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with Podcast Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-18-%E2%80%98utility-leadership-during

Utilities are, first and foremost, a people business. The product being sold to customers isn’t a luxury, but rather an essential product for daily lives and ensuring customers’ safety and wellbeing. As such, safe and reliable delivery is paramount and making sure that all customers have the ability to afford energy is a requirement. Recognizing how energy efficiency programs from utilities can play a key role in those goals, especially in assuring affordability for low-income or disadvantaged customers, Ameren Illinois has become a recognized leader in ensuring energy efficiency is provided for all, as evidenced by them winning the 2020 AESP Award for ‘Outstanding Achievement in Customer Engagement.’ Leading this charge to assure that Ameren Illinois innovated in ways to help low-income residents, as well as small and minority-owned businesses, capitalize on energy efficiency programs has been Kristol Simms, Director of Energy Efficiency Strategy & Innovation. Kristol joins Jason Price and Matt Chester for a conversation about how Ameren Illinois continually puts people first and what the utility sector should be doing to embrace the idea of energy efficiency for all. Key Links: Kristol Simms’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/241660 Energy Efficiency For All: Market Development at Ameren Illinois: https://energycentral.com/o/leidos/energy-efficiency-all-market-development-ameren-illinois-webinar-brought-you AESP Conference Impressions from Kristol Simms: https://energycentral.com/c/ee/aesp-conference-feedback Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/c/ee/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-17-%E2%80%98putting-people-first%E2%80%99

The year is only half over, but it’s safe to say that 2020 is already one for the record books within the utility sector. With the year already starting off to be hectic for utilities among an energy transition, fluctuating energy markets, grid modernizations, and more, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was just another screwball the industry was forced to adapt to on the fly. But adapt it has, and, as you’ll hear in this episode, it’s been the public power utilities who have been in many ways setting the standard for how utilities should prepare before a crisis, react to it, and adjust to it as time goes on. In this riveting episode, Jason Price and Matt Chester are joined in the podcast booth by Joy Ditto, who recently became the CEO of the American Public Power Association. Joy takes us through what public power utilities across the country have had to do to react to an everchanging landscape, while simultaneously keeping an eye forward on potential for innovation, transition, and more. You won’t want to miss this episode to learn what the community-owned difference is in the utility sector and what lessons can be learned across the wider energy industry. Key Links: Joy Ditto’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/238361/about The Community-owned Difference: Lessons for Maintaining a Customer Focus: https://energycentral.com/c/cc/community-owned-difference-lessons-maintaining-customer-focus Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with Podcast Transcript: https://energycentral.com/c/um/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-16-%E2%80%98how-public-power-leading

While California has long been considered the leader in clean energy development, New York has in recent years staked its claim as the major renewable energy hub east of the Mississippi River and with recent policy developments may be giving California a run for its money as the most ambitious state for cleaning up the energy sector. In many ways, state-level policy is seen as more impactful and important for these issues, so to learn more about what New York State is doing right (including the recently passed Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act) Jason Price and Matt Chester are joined by Noah Shaw, Partner and Co-Chair of the Renewable energy Practice at Hodgson Russ LLP. Noah has an impressive legal background when it comes to the energy sector, including stops at NYSERDA and the United States Department of Energy before landing at Hodgson Russ. In this episode of the Energy Power Perspectives™ Podcast, he brings that experience to explain what the immediate future for the Empire State looks like when it comes to renewable energy and how other states across the country may be able to follow the New York roadmap. Key Links: Noah Shaw’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/255067 Not Just Section 94-c: New York’s Budget Creates Major Renewable Energy Initiatives: https://energycentral.com/c/cp/not-just-section-94-c-new-york%E2%80%99s-budget-creates-major-renewable-energy Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/c/cp/power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-15-%E2%80%98navigating-empire-state-renewable-energy

The continued shift towards electric vehicles has long presented logistical and technological challenges for utilities that are needed to provide charging power, infrastructure, and support to the future of transportation. These challenges also present great opportunities, in the view of this week’s guest on the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast, Benoit Marcoux. Benoit is an Executive Advisor at ChargeHub, so he has a front-row seat to the EV revolution and he kindly shares his insights with host DW Keefer and Producer Matt Chester in this episode. If you’re interested in the future of electric vehicles, the potential transformation that will bring to utilities, and how customers will adjust their relationship with power providers as a result, you won’t want to miss this episode. Key Links: Benoit Marcoux’s profile on Energy Central: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/32511 EV Charging Enables Stronger Customer Engagement: https://energycentral.com/c/um/ev-charging-enables-stronger-customer-engagement The Electric Cars in the Future of Utilities: https://energycentral.com/c/um/electric-cars-future-utilities Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/c/gr/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-special-edition-impact-ev-revolution

This week, Energy Central brings you a special conversation about the digitalization of the utility sector and the imperative role that digital twin technology will play in this industry evolution. Host DW Keefer and Producer Matt Chester are joined in the podcast booth by Brent Jensen, Sales Engagement Director with Bentley Systems, and Wayne Dias, U.S. Product Manager for PSS Sincal from Siemens. Through this engaging and spirited conversation, Brent and Wayne detail the inevitable changes that utility leaders must recognize are going on and argue for why digital twin should be a core focus for all areas of these power providers moving forward. Brent and Wayne break down this complex topic to make their compelling arguments in a way that allows all to understand the importance, whether this is the first you’re hearing of the digital twin or if you’re knee-deep in the digitalization process. By the end of this episode, you’ll be eagerly seeking out the decision-makers at your organization to pass on the argument for digital twins yourself. A special thanks to Bentley Systems for supporting this edition of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast. Key Links: Brent Jensen’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/256068 Wayne Dias’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/256215/about Bentley Systems on Energy Central: https://energycentral.com/o/bentley Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/c/iu/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-special-edition-digital-twins-critical

The latest episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast sees Jason Price and Matt Chester joined by Will Gorman, a graduate student researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, to discuss a recently published paper that studied the motivations and installation trends of hybrid generation-plus-battery projects across the U.S. grid system. Battery prices have been steadily decreasing and new “hybrid” power plants have been taking advantage by adding on-site energy storage to new and existing wind and solar energy installations. This trend is being seen across the country, so there’s no doubt that the popularity of such hybrid power plants is growing, but what Will and his cohorts at LBNL were eager to analyze was why these power plants were popping up more and more. Was this a case of technology becoming viable and solving a problem? Were the availability of investment tax credits (ITCs) artificially making these projects appealing? And will co-locating batteries and generating units continue to be seen as a potentially optimal and efficient solution? Listen to this engaging conversation with Will to learn the answers to some of these questions and more on this episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast! Key Links: Will Gorman’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/238776 Motivations and options for deploying hybrid generator-plus-battery projects within the bulk power system: https://energycentral.com/c/gn/motivations-and-options-deploying-hybrid-generator-plus-battery-projects-within Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/c/gn/power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-14-%E2%80%98hybrid-generation-storage-key-efficiency

On this week’s episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast, Jason Price and Matt Chester welcome to the show John Armstrong, Head of City Energy at E.ON. John’s experience in the utility industry and his passion for decarbonizing the energy sector brought him to Energy Central where he’s shared many insightful and compelling posts on the future of energy. While many may focus on the generation of power in a clean way, John has pushed forward some intriguing ideas about creating the green fuels of tomorrow. Specifically, John’s recent article on ammonia as the clean fuel of the future generated immense interest within the Energy Central community. While hydrogen is often discussed as the futuristic fuel type and energy storage method that can help decarbonize our energy and heating systems, John argues that taking it a step further to green ammonia can really open up a new plethora of doors for the energy transition. John’s vast experience and clear explanation of otherwise complex topics make him a stellar podcast guest, so you won’t want to miss this episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast! Key Links: John Armstrong’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/236301/about Could ‘dirty’ Ammonia be the clean fuel of the future? https://energycentral.com/c/ec/could-%E2%80%98dirty%E2%80%99-ammonia-be-clean-fuel-future Hydrogen may be a bit like Marmite – but love it or hate it..it’s probably going to happen: https://energycentral.com/c/um/hydrogen-may-be-bit-marmite-%E2%80%93-love-it-or-hate-it-its-probably-going-happen Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/c/cp/power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-13-%E2%80%98can-green-hydrogen-lead-us-green-ammonia%E2%80%99

This week on the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast, Jason Price and Matt Chester is joined in the booth by Bill Meehan, Director of Utility Solutions at Esri. Bill is well-known to the regular Energy Central readers for his frequent posts on all things geographic information systems (GIS) and his clear drive to optimize the operations of the utility industry. In this episode, Bill shares numerous stories about how he’s seen the energy sector use GIS in new and compelling ways, as well as tales where GIS may have prevented headaches from utility executives should such solutions have been properly implemented. In Bill’s 15 years with Esri, he’s been a clear thought leader and innovator in the field, having even authored multiple definitive books that are must-haves for the bookshelf of any GIS professional. No matter your experience level with GIS, Bill’s charismatic storytelling style will help you see the light when it comes to how powerful these technical solutions can be, so he was a no brainer as a guest on the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast! Key Links: Bill Meehan’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/360/about Asset Management Starts with Great Data: https://energycentral.com/o/esri/asset-management-starts-great-data Stanley’s Leaning Pole: https://energycentral.com/o/esri/stanley%E2%80%99s-leaning-pole Shred All Those Paper Maps: https://energycentral.com/o/esri/shread-all-those-old-paper-maps Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: https://energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/c/iu/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-12-%E2%80%98-unlock-modern-utility-gis

For our latest episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast, we had the pleasure of being joined by Mitchell Beer, Managing Editor of The Energy Mix. Mitchell curates and writes on climate, energy, and the shift to a post-carbon future via this Canadian-based e-newsletter. Clearly passionate about shepherding in the types of global changes needed to meet the IPCC carbon reduction goals via individual action, political support, and international activism, Mitchell shares with us his views on everything climate. In this conversation, he helps us compare and contrast the U.S. government and Canadian government responses to pending issues, assesses how the utility industry can and should be making moves today, and breaks down what individuals can and should do in their own right. Mitchell keeps the Energy Central and subscribers to The Energy Mix up to date on the most relevant news of the day, which keeps him rather busy, but we’re thankful he found the time to join as a guest on the Power Perspectives™ Podcast, kicking off with a question to make us step back and think outside the box when it comes to climate action: what if we’re not asking the right question regarding climate change? Dive in and listen to his compelling takes! Note: This episode was recorded before the escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic, so we did not get a chance to discuss with Mitchell the change in priorities and overall impacts this brings about with regard to energy and climate. But if our listeners want to hear Mitchell come back as a guest to discuss these timely topics then let us know! Key Links: The Energy Mix’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/223551 Mitchell Beer’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/214104 Mitchell’s Tedx Talk “Climate Change: What If We’re Asking the Wrong Question?”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rkDTXEOpEM Keystone XL to Start Construction with $8 Billion in Financial Aid from Alberta: https://energycentral.com/c/ec/keystone-xl-start-construction-8-billion-financial-aid-alberta New U.S. Energy Legislation Backs Solar, Wind and Storage, Misses Out on Efficiency, Pushes Fracked Gas Exports: https://energycentral.com/c/ec/new-us-energy-legislation-backs-solar-wind-and-storage-misses-out-efficiency Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: www.energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/c/ec/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-11-%E2%80%98tackling-climate-change

Marking the 10th episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast, we are joined by Pat Hohl, the Director of Electric Industry Solutions at Esri. Pat is a prolific writer and contributor to the Energy Central community, and he shares with us how even though distribution circuits are beloved—even revered—in the utility business, the future of these building blocks of the grid are undergoing some long awaited evolution. We also hear from Pat how Esri is pushing the boundaries with geographic information systems (GIS) to open up a new world of energy industry data, as well as empowering an even wider spectrum of businesses to streamline operations, sastisfy customers, and even help track and address the COVID-19 outbreak. Pat brings with him over three decades of experience in business and is considered to be a pioneer in leveraging GIS technology for the electric utilities. It’s no wonder his writing is so popular on Energy Central, so we knew we had to bring him in for an episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast! Key Links: Pat Hohl’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/204983/about Three Ways Distribution Circuits Will Disappoint You - Part 1: https://energycentral.com/o/esri/three-ways-distribution-circuits-will-disappoint-you-part-1 Three Ways Distribution Circuits Will Disappoint You - Part 2: https://energycentral.com/o/esri/three-ways-distribution-circuits-will-disappoint-you-part-2 Three Ways Distribution Circuits Will Disappoint You - Part 3: https://energycentral.com/o/esri/three-ways-distribution-circuits-will-disappoint-you-part-3 Esri’s ArcGIS for COVID-19: https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6 Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: www.energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/c/iu/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-10-%E2%80%98-past-future-circuits-how

On this episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast, we are joined by Charles Bayless. Charles Bayless is retired after a long and esteemed career in the utility industry that took him from Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to the Climate Institute to E Source to Pike Electric and many other stops in between. But just because he’s retired doesn’t mean Charles hasn’t stayed busy, and in fact he’s taken to the Energy Central community to share his wisdom and insights on the climate crisis and what we need to do collectively to tackle this largest of challenges. Charles shares his views on transportation, on nuclear energy, on VARS technology, and what it will take to decarbonize utilities and society generally, and his decades of experience carry much weight with them. Listen in as Charles imparts his wisdom about how it takes unreasonable people to truly change the world! Key Links: Charles Bayless’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/235468/about Why Economics makes it so hard to solve Climate Change: https://energycentral.com/c/cp/why-economics-makes-it-so-hard-solve-climate-change Ocean Acidification – The Evil Twin: https://energycentral.com/c/cp/ocean-acidification-evil-twin Nuclear Energy – Our best weapon against Climate Change: https://energycentral.com/c/pip/nuclear-energy-our-best-weapon-against-clliamte-change Climate Change – Physics 101: https://energycentral.com/c/cp/climate-change-physics-101 Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: www.energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/c/ec/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-9-transportation-nuclear-and

This week on the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast, we dive into the world of on demand load shifting and the business model it supports outside of the utility space. The most typical load management strategies in the utility space involve large customers in the commercial and industrial sectors, but Matt Duesterberg and his fellow Co-Founders realized that, in aggregate, residential customers could make a huge impact as well. Not only that, but by incentivizing residential customers with direct payouts, they could create virtual power plants of negative generation. With that business model, Ohm Connect was born. Matt joins us in this episode to discuss the success of using the demand response strategy as a business, the potential growth of this strategy outside of his backyard in California, as well as the submission he made to the Energy Central community with his personal predictions for what 2020 will bring to the energy industry. From the opportunity of big data in energy to electrification to security, we cover the gauntlet of buzzworthy topics in the utility field, so you won’t want to miss this one! Key Links: Matt Duesterberg’s Energy Central Profile: https://www.energycentral.com/member/profile/238754 2020 Energy Forecast: What You Need to Know: https://www.energycentral.com/c/um/matts-2020-energy-predictions Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: www.energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/c/em/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-8-%E2%80%98demand-response-and

We’re thrilled to bring you this next episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast, featuring another seasoned veteran of Energy Central’s network of experts. Gary Hilberg is the President of Continuum Energy and serves as an Energy Central expert in the Clean Power Group, the Digital Utility Group, and the Energy Efficiency Group. His expertise indeed stretches wide and deep, and his content submissions to the community have reflected many different areas of the utility industry that are undergoing great changes and have immense cause for excitement. In this episode, Gary will share with us what is really behind small modular nuclear reactors and why they are poised to disrupt the generation field in the coming decade, before sharing his excitement about technologies that serve to further enhance and optimize the grid, including advanced energy storage and the power unleased due to advanced microgrids. After listening to this episode, you’ll be left for a thirst to learn more about these critical topics, and we hope that desire for information continues to bring you back to the EnergyCentral.com community. Key Links: Gary Hilberg’s Energy Central Profile: https://www.energycentral.com/member/profile/234728 Washington State Intends To Be the Clean Energy State and Nuclear is Key: https://www.energycentral.com/c/cp/washington-state-intends-be-clean-energy-state-and-nuclear-key New Rolls-Royce mini nuclear power station to be built in the North: https://www.energycentral.com/c/cp/new-rolls-royce-mini-nuclear-power-stations-be-built-north Zin-air battery being deployed in New York aims for extremely low $45/kWh cost: https://www.energycentral.com/c/cp/zinc-air-battery-being-deployed-new-york-aims-extremely-low-45kwh-cost Microgrids Are Quickly Becoming A Top Solution to Energy Problems: https://www.energycentral.com/news/microgrids-are-quickly-becoming-top-solution-energy-problems Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: www.energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/c/gn/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-7-%E2%80%98small-modular-nuclear-zinc

After a brief hiatus, the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast returns with an innovative topic that one of our most forward-looking Energy Central experts will guide us on. As the nation's grid gets more distributed, has an increasing amount of renewables plugged into it, and experiences more and more pressure from customers, regulators, investors, and other stakeholders to simultaneously achieve affordability, reliability, resilience, and environmental consciousness, the ways in which the capacity markets of tomorrow operate will be front and center in dictating how these goals are accomplished. Seeking out ways to mold the future capacity markets that will create these answers, Richard Brooks (prolific Energy Central writer and registered to our network of experts for the Load Management Group and the Digital Utility Group) has been hard at work sharing his ideas and looking to leverage the Energy Central community platform to seek out ideas, feedback, and resources to accompany his proposal for the Always on Capacity Exchange. This idea is so compelling that we knew it warranted a deep dive on the latest episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast. Key Links: Richard Brooks' Energy Central Profile: https://www.energycentral.com/member/profile/225424/about "2019 Insights: Just in Time Capacity Acquisition through an Always on Capacity Exchange (AOCE)": https://www.energycentral.com/c/em/2019-insights-just-time-capacity-acquisition-through-always-capacity-exchange "It's time to give Traders, Energy Suppliers and Green Buyers, like Google and Budweiser, free access to Capacity Markets Nationwide": https://www.energycentral.com/c/cp/it%E2%80%99s-time-give-traders-energy-suppliers-and-green-buyers-google-and-budweiser "Carbon Pricing on Electricity is Bad for Consumers and could slow EV adoption": https://www.energycentral.com/c/pip/carbon-pricing-electricity-bad-consumers-and-could-slow-ev-adoption "Snowed-in and disappointed I cannot attend the 2019 NEPGA Energy Summit Today": https://www.energycentral.com/c/pip/snowed-and-disappointed-i-cannot-attend-2019-nepga-energy-summit-today Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: www.energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/c/um/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-6-%E2%80%98transforming-iso-new

In this next episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast, it’s time for us to dive into the world of how smart and digital technologies are transforming the industry, rendering it nearly unrecognizable from the utility sector of not too long ago. While there are many pockets of smart utilities in which we can dive, in this episode we’ll be guided by Linda Stevens, Co-Founder of 51by1, into the vast sea that is geo-centric planning, geospatial technology, and how these geographic mapping and analysis technologies are empowering the energy business like never before. Linda’s career has seen her take an educational background in geography to watching and help develop the then-nascent strategy of tapping into the geospatial domain for utility companies in a way that makes possible what was previously impossible, or at the very least quite difficult. Geo-centric planning is a strategy that bolsters the bottom line of utilities, minimizes headaches felt by customers, empowers necessary regulations, and so much more. Linda has recently become a constant voice for the geospatial on Energy Central, starting with her article ‘Creating a Smarter Utility with Geo-Centric Planning’ this past October. We invited Linda onto the Power Perspectives™ Podcast so we can really dig into this important topic and learn how the geospatial industry is rapidly evolving and what that means for the utility sector. Note: As we work to secure and record with our next guests, the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast will be taking a brief break to prepare this next batch of compelling utility conversations. But stay tuned, as we have some heavy hitters lined up for our next guests and we’ll look to be in your ears again within a few quick weeks! Key Links: Linda Stevens’ Energy Central profile: https://www.energycentral.com/member/profile/233813 “Creating a Smarter Utility with Geo-Centric Planning”: https://www.energycentral.com/c/iu/creating-smarter-utility-geo-centric-planning Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: www.energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/c/iu/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-5-%E2%80%98creating-smarter-utility

In the fourth episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast, we tackle one of the most high profile and complex issues facing the utility sector today, and that’s the ongoing situation in California as PG&E, the state and local governments, and residents continue to deal with the aftermath of raging wildfires in 2017 and 2018. As this situation continues to evolve with new twists and turns, the Energy Central community has been able to rely on John Benson, California resident and veteran of the energy industry, to keep them apprised of the latest developments and their implications. John’s utility sector career has taken him all over the spectrum, and today he finds himself as senior consultant for Microgrid Labs where he develops, plans, and designs microgrid projects, but he also spends much of his time researching and analyzing the energy sector and disseminating his findings and insights into white paper resources for Energy Central. Because he makes his home in the Golden State and because the topic is unavoidable for anyone whose work ties into the grid, John finds himself coming back to the PG&E situation time and again. As such, we figured it was well past time to have John as a guest on the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast so we could dive in even further. Key Links: John Benson’s Energy Central profile: https://www.energycentral.com/member/profile/200777 “California v. PG&E”: https://www.energycentral.com/c/pip/california-v-pge “New / Old Municipal Utility”: https://www.energycentral.com/c/pip/new-old-major-municipal-utility “California Wildfires, Utilities and Grid Resiliency”: https://www.energycentral.com/c/pip/california-wildfires-utilities-and-grid-resilience “California Wildfires, Utilities and Grid Resilience - Part 2”: https://www.energycentral.com/c/pip/california-wildfires-utilities-and-grid-resiliency-part-2 Link to register as a member of the Energy Central community: www.energycentral.com/user/register Energy Central Post with More Details: https://energycentral.com/c/um/energy-central-power-perspectives%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-4-%E2%80%98california-wildfires-and