The Blackout of 2003 and the Need for Standards in the Energy Industry

Julia Souder is the CEO of the LDES Council. "But what's LDES," you might be wondering? LDES stands for Long Duration Energy Storage, encompassing technologies capable of storing significant energy from 10 hours to weeks. The LDES Council, a global nonprofit membership organization, is dedicated to propelling the decarbonization of the energy system with a focus on affordability. They drive innovation, commercialization, and the implementation of long duration energy storage technologies, uniting technology and equipment providers, renewable energy firms, utilities, grid operators, investors, and end consumers. Julia's career is rooted in the crossroads of renewable energy and energy resilience. Her experience includes roles such as Director of Intergovernmental relations at NERC, the North American Energy Reliability Corporation, director of Western Renewable Grid planning at NRDC, and most recently, executive director of the Long Duration Energy Storage Association of California.

We've previously explored various long duration energy storage solutions on the show, making this conversation with Julia even more intriguing. Often we hear the phrase, "The sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow," in the context of renewables, leading to economic fluctuations and service intermittency. This is a challenge that LDES aims to confront directly. Although many long duration energy storage solutions are currently trailing renewable energy technologies in development and deployment, Julia explains that this is expected to change significantly in the coming years. 

In this episode, we cover: 

• [02:51]: Julia's journey in renewable energy
• [04:19]: The 2003 Blackout Investigation
• [05:35]: The North American Electric Liability Corporation (NERC) 
• [09:38]: The emerging need for energy storage
• [11:10]: Overview of the Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) Council and their goals
• [13:43]: Long duration energy storage vs. short duration energy storage
• [15:51]: Overview of historical and new categories of LDES solutions 
• [18:23]: Deep dive into thermal solutions
• [24:59]: Types of electrochemical batteries for LDES
• [27:44]: Chemical solutions
• [29:59]: Buyers and use cases of LDES solutions
• [35:27]: How LDES projects are sold and deployed globally
• [40:29]: Areas Julia is optimistic about, what needs attention, and evolution of capital for LDES
• [44:18]: Julia's parting words on the importance of LDES

Resources Mentioned:

• Net-zero heat, LDES Council
• 24/7 Clean Power Purchase Agreements, LDES Council

Get connected: 

• Julia Souder X / LinkedIn
• Cody Simms X / LinkedIn
• MCJ Podcast / Collective / Instagram

*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded on Aug 23, 2023 (Published on Oct 2, 2023)

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant