DER Task Force

Brian Bartholomew, a renewable energy developer, joins Jacob Mays, a Cornell professor, Eric Goff, a regulatory consultant, and Andy Reger, a DER consultant. They tackle the chaos in power markets as renewables surge, discussing how pricing strategies are adapting to extreme events. The conversation reveals Texas’s and California’s contrasting approaches to managing electric demand. They also explore skepticism towards Distributed Energy Resources and the urgent need for innovative solutions and regulatory reforms to meet future energy challenges.

Tim Hade, co-founder of Scale Microgrids and a leading light in the DER Task Force community, shares his vision at the DERVOS 2024 event. He highlights the vital transformation needed in the electricity grid for a reliable energy future. Hade discusses the exciting innovations and pressing challenges faced in the energy sector, particularly in light of the upcoming U.S. presidential election. His call for a united public-private effort underlines the importance of collaboration in tackling the climate crisis head-on.

Jenny Chase, a renowned global solar analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, shares her deep insights into Pakistan's solar surge. She highlights the nation's rise as the third-largest importer of Chinese solar panels while revealing an unsettling disconnect with the national utility. The conversation touches on the impacts of decentralized energy on traditional utilities, concerns over potential utility death spirals, and the challenges faced by homeowners amid regulatory hurdles. Jenny emphasizes the need for innovation in energy storage and the transformative potential of solar energy in the country.

In this engaging discussion, Nic Freschi, a Senior Associate at Gable Associates and PJM capacity expert, unveils the secrets behind his predictions of the significant spike in PJM capacity prices. He demystifies key concepts like ELCC and ORDC while analyzing the challenges renewable energy faces in capacity markets. The conversation takes an intriguing turn as they explore the contrasting roles of traders and bureaucrats in energy regulation. Comparisons between PJM and ERCOT add depth, along with forecasts about the future dynamics of energy pricing.

Arushi Frank, policy wizard and Founder of Luminary Strategies, shares insights into Texas VPP policy, challenges in energy innovation, and the future of residential DERs. Topics include ERCOT's VPP program, case studies in Australia and the UK, regulatory understanding of consumer adoption, and the evolving landscape of distributed energy resources.

Charlotta Holmquist, President and Co-Founder of Blixt, is transforming grid technology with innovative solid-state solutions. She discusses how their circuit breaker and X-verter technology could reshape energy management. The conversation dives into the evolution of energy consumption in data centers and the advantages of decentralized power management. Moreover, Charlotta highlights the flexibility of programmable switchgear and the importance of real-time battery management systems, showcasing a bright future for cleaner energy solutions.

The podcast delves into AI load growth and grid challenges in the energy sector, intersects narratives of cannabis and crypto industries, discusses the shift towards microgrids, government intervention in the electricity sector, and explores the landscape of Virtual Power Plants. It emphasizes the importance of moving from concept to implementation and reflects on work, motivation, and innovations in the energy sector.

We’re back, this time with Allison Bates Wannop, DERTF’s policy lead! We cover an absolute ton of stuff in this one:* Allison's background and introduction, Mother's Day acknowledgments* Mary Powell's influence, DER advocacy, the significance of FERC v. EPSA in shaping energy policy* Favorite DER categories, Vermont initiatives, impact of extreme weather on policy, details about the Green Mountain Power programs* Differences between RTOs and ISOs, complexities in regulatory work, challenges with vertically integrated states* DER Task Force goals and approach, community-driven policy development, the impact of virtual meeting technology in policy advocacy* Role of trade associations and NGOs, gaps in current DER advocacy, examples of community collaboration innovative solutions* Load flexibility, redefining Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), DERs as non-wires alternatives, peaker plant replacements This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

Last week we sat down with Dave Riess, the CEO and co-founder of Wunder. They’re working hard to scale mid-sized commercial solar projects, where they believe the real TAM is in this market. Dave is an awesome guy who’s been grinding in the space for years now, so we naturally had a ton to talk about.* (00:02:55) Introduction and Guest Overview: Introduction of the hosts and the guest, David Reese, co-founder, and CEO of Wonder (formerly Wonder Capital).* (00:07:33) Network-Based Energy Infrastructure: Discussion on evolving energy infrastructure to a more network-based architecture.* (00:40:42) Commercial Solar Market Challenges: Analysis of why the commercial solar market isn't scaling more quickly.* (00:50:25) Pricing and Merchant Exposure: Examination of pricing strategies and the risks of merchant exposure in solar projects.* (00:57:49) Reducing Transaction Costs: Strategies to streamline the underwriting, structuring, and de-risking processes in solar projects.* (01:27:39) DERs and Market Dynamics: Insights on the role of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and their impact on the energy market.* (01:34:42) Future of the Grid: Speculations on how the main grid might evolve or shrink in favor of the grid edge.* (01:45:03) Technology Development vs. Deployment: The imbalance between resources allocated to technology development and deployment.* (01:46:06) Solid-State Power Electronics: Potential impact of solid-state power electronics on grid infrastructure.* (01:47:24) Energy Market Evolution: The slow evolution of the energy market and the role of capitalism in driving change.* (01:48:38) Solving Energy Problems: Identifying and addressing the primary constraints in the energy market.* (01:50:15) Transformer and Power Electronics: Discussion on transformers, power electronics, and their role in future energy systems.* (01:50:59) DC Microgrids and EV Charging: Potential benefits of DC microgrids and advancements in EV charging technology.* (01:51:34) Capital and Risk Management: Matching capital with the risk profile of solar assets and the importance of certainty in asset performance.* (02:00:39) Revisiting Past Technologies: Reflection on past technological advancements and their relevance today.* (02:01:25) Deployment Focus: Emphasis on the importance of focusing on the deployment of existing technologies.* (02:12:35) CSP 2.0 for Data Centers: Exploration of CSP 2.0 technology for providing clean power to AI data centers.* (02:14:36) Opinions on Emerging Technologies: Mixed views on the potential success of emerging energy technologies like CSP 2.0.* (02:11:57) Solar and AI Data Centers: Discussion on the announcement of a new project for AI data centers using solar thermal energy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

We’re back! This time with Casey Handmer, founder and CEO of Terraform Industries. Terraform is building a system to turn cheap solar electricity into methane. To pull this off they’ll need to commercialize the most performant and lowest-cost electrolysis, carbon capture, and Sabatier reactors ever seen. Casey had a ton of interesting thoughts about how to pull this off from engineering fundamentals in a manner that is tailored to the capacity factor of solar. We also get into the history of the energy industry, space, incumbency, electricity versus gas distribution networks, utility-scale DERs, and a ton more. This is one for the true energy nerds! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe