Grid Forward Chats gridforward

Demand for electricity has exploded over the past several years, and nowhere more so than at Arizona Public Service Company. Grid hardening, storage solutions, flexible rates, transmission projects, federal investments — all of these are part of the solution to make the grid ready for escalating demand. Yet progress needs to be scalable and affordable to meet the needs in the west and across the country. Listen in as Jeff Guldner, the leader of APS, and Philip Moeller, Executive VP at Edison Electric Institute, talk about the whole toolkit, from new market structures to successful DER programs.

The National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates (NASUCA) represents the interests of utility consumers before state and federal regulators and in the courts. David Springe, Executive Director of NASUCA, discusses how modernizing the grid impacts affordability for the consumer. As infrastructure ages and electrification needs change, modernizing the grid is mandatory. However, these changes bring up issues concerning rate pressure, decarbonization versus lowest cost models, data centers, federal dollars, and resiliency. David discusses all this and more on this podcast episode.

On this episode, we have three leaders from organized energy markets to address the shifting dynamics within the industry. They discuss which technologies are being developed in their various regions and how those assets are impacting the energy market. Bryce also asks our guests what they are doing to combat volatilities due to peak loads often being met. Of course, the impact of policy and regulations can either benefit or hinder the energy market. Oftentimes, the biggest challenges are social, environmental and industrial development policies, rather than energy-focused policies. The guests wrap up this episode by discussing modernization, evolving energy markets, the importance of diverse resources and the upward curve of demand.
Our guests for this episode are:
Michael Law, president and CEO of Alberta Electric System Operator
Barbara Sugg, president and CEO of Southwest Power Pool
Pablo Vegas, president and CEO of Electric Reliability Council of Texas

To kick off this podcast season we have Whitney Muse, Senior Policy Advisor at the White House in the Office of Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation for a conversation about the federal toolkit of resources that are in place to help advance the grid. This includes billions of dollars from grants, tax credits, loans and financing for infrastructure expansion, resilience, and the clean energy transition. In addition to this, incentives are available for domestic, clean manufacturing of grid components, and there are special efforts to focus on workforce development and energy justice. Whitney also highlights some of the flagship work at the national labs, efforts supporting increased energy demand from electrification, and the role of AI on the grid. Don't miss this wide ranging conversation of the federal support in motion to assist in modernizing the grid.
 
This season of Grid Forward Chats is supported by Virtual Peaker. 

Even though Exelon is the largest energy delivery company in America, the company is committed to investing in local communities and helping all of their operating utilities achieve their goals. CEO Calvin Butler discusses how Exelon turns government policies into action and how it has also applied for $700 million in federal funding for infrastructure projects to address the needs of individual communities. While some grants will help close the digital divide, and others help counties achieve decarbonization goals, all are aligned to the effort to modernize the grid. Calvin also discusses how the company is progressing towards becoming net zero by 2050, driving new innovation ahead while ensuring delivery of reliable and affordable power.Guest host Devin Hampton, CEO of UtilityAPI and Grid Forward board member, takes the mic for this chat with Calvin.

What are the barriers to building transmission infrastructure? We know them well as planning, permitting, and paying. Rob Gramlich (founder and president of Grid Strategies LLC, executive director of Americans for a Clean Energy Grid and executive director of the WATT Coalition) joins the former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Rich Glick to unpack the complexities behind these barriers and update our listeners to the rulemaking that is in process to overcome these barriers. They also discuss how the tension between landowners and stakeholder interests can be balanced to reasonably move transmission development forward. To meet clean energy goals, stakeholders and policy makers must keep their eyes focused on this important issue.