Energy Central

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

The ‘Energy Central Insights™ Podcast’ is kicking off 2020 by diving into the most critical question to ask at this crucial juncture for the utility sector: “How can we align the leadership of the global energy industry to accelerate the end to climate disruption?” That was the question posed by Rami Reshef, CEO of GenCell Energy, to the Energy Central community recently, which spurred fantastic discussion and debate from community members who stretched across industry, academia, policy, and more. As CEO of GenCell Energy, Rami has taken his 25 years of experience in entrepreneurship and technology and bet on fuel cells and hydrogen energy to be one of the key tool that will provide us with a clean and reliable energy future. Knowing that technological solutions are just part of the battle, Rami wanted to spur the minds across Energy Central to think about how we align real leaders towards the common goals necessary to combat climate change. In this episode of the podcast, we take that question and get to the core of it all with Rami. Key Links: Rami Reshef’s Energy Central profile: https://www.energycentral.com/member/profile/234026/about “How can we align the leadership of the global energy industry to accelerate the end to climate disruption?”: https://www.energycentral.com/c/gn/how-can-we-align-leadership-global-energy-industry-accelerate-end-climate “Follow up to Question on Climate Action”: https://www.energycentral.com/c/ec/followup-question-climate-action 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-3-%E2%80%98aligning-global-energy

We welcome you to our second episode of the ‘Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast,’ this time joined by Lincoln Bleveans, the Assistant General Manager of Power Supply at Burbank Water and Power. Lincoln’s career has taken him all over the energy industry and provided him with a unique perspective of what it takes to be a strong and effective leader in the utility sector specifically. Lincoln’s posts to the Energy Central community typical focus on characteristics of utility leaders today and how those must evolve with changing energy industry, and they can be found on EnergyCentral.com and on his Twitter feed @bleveans. Knowing we wanted to dig into Lincoln’s expertise on the utility leadership topic, we surveyed his recent posts entitled “Waterskiing with Winston” and “A Career in Leadership Roles.” These articles set the stage for us to discuss how utility leaders must be unique to leaders in other industries, what ideas decision-makers must embrace now that the long-stagnant utility sector is finally seeing rapid change, and more. Key Links: Lincoln Bleveans’ Energy Central profile: https://www.energycentral.com/member/profile/107163/about “Waterskiing with Winston”: https://www.energycentral.com/c/um/1-page-leadership-waterskiing-winston “A Career in Leadership Roles”: https://www.energycentral.com/c/pip/1-page-leadership-career-leadership-roles Lincoln Blevean’s Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/bleveans 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-insights%E2%84%A2-podcast-episode-2-%E2%80%98waterskiing-churchill%E2%80%99-lessons

In the first-ever episode of the ‘Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast,’ we have the pleasure of having as our guest one of Energy Central’s most prolific and respected community members, Dan Yurman. Dan is a nuclear energy guru, with a career that’s spanned multiple continents over the course of 40 years, with stops at Idaho National Lab, Bechtel, Rockwell Automation, and NASA. Today, Dan actively shares his insights on nuclear power and the wider energy sector through his posts on EnergyCentral.com, his blog Nuetron Bytes, and his Twitter feed @djysrv. While any number of Dan’s content would be worth discussing, we pulled him into this episode thanks to his annual posting of “Dan’s Idaho Nuclear Chili Recipe,” linked below. As we’re nestled into two of the biggest food-related holidays of the year, Dan’s chili recipe had us drooling and its connection to the nuclear industry was both fascinating and gave us a fun segue to discuss the state of nuclear power across several different nations and the role nuclear energy will play in a constantly evolving grid. Key Links: Dan Yurman’s Energy Central profile: www.energycentral.com/member/profile/216691/about “Dan’s Idaho Nuclear Chili Recipe”: www.energycentral.com/c/ec/dan%E2%80%99s-idaho-nuclear-chili-recipe Dan Yurman’s blog: www.neutronbytes.com Dan Yurman’s Twitter feed: www.Twitter.com/djysrv 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/introducing-energy-central-insights%E2%84%A2-podcast-and-our-inaugural-episode-featuring