Energy Gang

Bonus interviews from Distributech

Mar 8, 2024

A bonus episode from the Distributech conference discussing industry changes in the last decade, importance of demand-side management and integration of distributed energy resources, challenges of integrating new technologies into old grid systems, and exploring the evolving landscape of energy technology.

01:04:58

Episode guests

Don McPhail

Ali Ipakchi

AI Summary

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Renewable energy growth requires robust power grid performance and flexibility for integrating distributed energy resources.

Equitable policies and financial incentives for renewable energy adoption are crucial for addressing social and economic disparities.

AI applications in the energy sector offer opportunities for efficiency and optimization, but demand data readiness and infrastructure development for successful integration.

Deep dives

Evolution of Power Grids in Response to Renewable Energy Growth

Over the past decade, significant changes have occurred in the electricity industry, moving from discussions and visionary statements to practical implementation. The need for robustness, scalability, and performance in power grids has become evident as renewable energy grows. Utilities are now focusing on organizational, regulatory, and business process adjustments to integrate technology effectively. Automation of customer engagement with utilities and integration with back-end systems are crucial for managing demand-side resources.

Introduction

2min

Navigating the Challenges of Integrating Demand-Side Resources

10min

Economics and Trends in Renewable Energy Generation

11min

Navigating Challenges in Energy Transition

32min

Evolution of Buzzwords and Trends in the Energy Industry

3min

Navigating Convergence and Strategic Partnerships in Energy Transition

3min

Exploring the Challenges and Hopes of Decarbonizing the Power Grid

6min

This bonus episode of Wood Mackenzie’s The Energy Gang is our third from the Distributech conference in Orlando.

Distributech is the leading event for the electricity transmission and distribution industry in North America. It gave our host Ed Crooks a fantastic opportunity to talk to many of the leading figures from the industry, including those who provide technology for moving and managing electricity, and those who use that technology to serve their customers.

In this episode, Ed is joined by Ali Ipakchi, Executive VP of Smart Grids and Green Power at OATI, a grid technology company. Ali was at Dtech in 2014, and some of the issues he was talking about then seem familiar still today. So what has really changed in technology for the power industry since then? Ali talks about how ideas and technologies that were cutting-edge and radical a decade ago are now becoming mainstream.

Ed also sat down with Don McPhail, who’s Business Manager for energy and decarbonisation at Uplight, a software company that serves utilities. They talked about the importance of demand management, the integration of distributed energy resources, and the automation of customer engagement processes as examples of key factors for developing a more flexible and resilient power grid.

Finally, Ed talked to two of Wood Mackensie’s delegates at Distributech: Fahimeh Kazempour, head of grid modernisation, and Elham Akhavan, senior research analyst specialising in grid edge and microgrids. They share their impressions of the events, highlight some of the ideas and innovations they found most interesting, and explore the implications for the wider questions of the energy transition.

They also address a critical question in the hectic, exciting conversation about the power industry: how much of it is hype, and how much reflects real change? Fahimeh asks the question: whatever happened to the Blockchain?

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