DER Task Force

Hey there Task Force! This week, the crew sat down and with Henrik Langeland, CEO and co-founder of Enode and talked all things interoperability, walled gardens, and Henrik even breaks some exciting news on the podcast! Check out the show notes here:* (0:00) Welcome to the ThunDERdome, getting DER-pilled, learning more about Henrik, why interoperability is so important* (9:40) Enode — the origin story, the secret behind the name, the core business, James slips in an early Big Shout * (20:40) What’s an integration? An analogy to Plaid, the challenges of device management APIs, hot takes on OEMs that don’t want to be interoperable (hint: DERTF Bill of Rights makes an appearance), why walled gardens fail* (31:08) Digging deeper into walled gardens — is there an argument for the OEMs? Why OEMs can’t grasp the shared resources across all a customer’s devices and widgets vs commodities* (37:30) New consumer habits in the future (or Norway), developing instincts for an electric frame of reference * (44:10) Breaking news — Enode raised a $15M Series A! The fundraising process and the experience, how they’re using the money, the European startup scene * (50:40) If energy were hyperabundant and it ceased to become a meaningful economic driver, then what? * (56:15) Does Enode exist outside of DERs?* (57:41) Henrik is energy czar of Europe, dope or nope, BIG SHOUTS Friendly reminder that you can always find us on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. We hope you enjoy! 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

Hey Task Force! Back this week with episode 23 of the DER Task Force podcast. This time, the crew was joined by Michael Huerta, CEO and co-founder of PearlX. This is another long one and we cover a LOT of ground: * (0:00) Welcome to the ThunDERdome, getting to know Michael * (7:11) Michael gets DER-pilled by his wife, being thankful for the Lehman bankruptcy, favorite DER (plus we owe Kiran an apology), and F**K the widget* (24:50) What’s PearlX? Bringing solar + storage to multi-family rental spaces, how vacancy-based underwriting works, widening access to DERs for LMI communities, multi-family owned vs multi-family rental buildings * (51:18) Texas vs California, long-gamma retailers and exposure to the fat tails, getting to the bottom of being financially long and physically short * (1:15:48) TexFlex (the program not the vibe), hitting the 4th derivative, short squeezes in Texas, serving LMI communities* (1:36:40) Cultural impacts of flexible energy systems, James is a hippie, envisioning the electropolis, what flexible systems mean for the resuscitation of community * (1:52:41) Dope or nope (plus Jigar is the first mayor of the electropolis)* (2:01:47) Biiiig shoutSSS Friendly reminder that you can always find us on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. We hope you enjoy! 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 are back with another episode of the DER Task Force podcast! This week, the crew sit down with the COO of Scale Microgrid Solutions and patron of the DER Task Force, the one and only Tim Hade. In this epic, 2+ hour episode episode, we talk about:* (1:15) Opening quote, DERTF’s #1 rule, Grandaddy Tim shares some love* (4:32) Tim’s DER-pilling and fave DER, some cute non-Scale hobbies, the value of compounding execution, HOTTEST energy take * (21:05) Lessons from 6 years in the Air Force and getting into business with his childhood best friend, pioneering solar + battery + natural gas microgrids for resiliency, not sustainability or economics* (39:15) How do we truly value resiliency? What happens when politicians run the grid? The delicate tightrope investor-owned utilities walk and asking for regulatory forgiveness, not permission* (1:02:49) Project development is crazy, a playbook is emerging, sending nursing homes pizza boxes * (1:18:00) Big talent joining energy tech, spaces for people to learn, Tim's the Energy Czar but gives his job away * (1:23:30) Are DERs inevitable? Getting lost in the sauce, contradictions, the grouse makes it to Congress, serenity prayer* (1:55:16) Dope or nope (plus a brief intermission to explore conspiracy theories) * (2:14:22) Biiiig shouts to BoxPower, Jigar Shah, and the grandaddy of DERs himself - Tim Hade Friendly reminder that you can always find us on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. We hope you enjoy! 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.dertaskforce.comWe are back with another episode of the DER Task Force podcast! This is our first paid episode, so if you’re listening in your favorite podcast player that’s not Substack, follow these instructions to add your private RSS feed. No guests this week, just Colleen, Duncan and James diving into the latest spicy topic: ESG, what it means, how cultural and political movements have co-opted it, and much more. Buckle up, this is a wild one. In the episode, we talk about:* (1:41) Opening quote + context, disclaimers and what we’re ACTUALLY talking about * (4:50) The group’s hottest takes on ESG — are people pro + anti-ESG actually the same? Has the narrative layer taken over completely?* (11:25) Defining the original meaning of ESG, tracing its history, and breaking down why it’s so controversial all of a sudden * (25:30) Breaking down the anti-ESG perspective (warning: Peter Thiel and the petro-industrial complex rear their heads) * (38:02) Honing in on the hypocrisy of the hard pro + anti ESG movements* (44:45) So is clean energy a revolution or not? Are incumbents capable of participating in the revolution?* (51:20) Turns out, it’s our f*****g revolution. If you want in, get in the back* (1:01:15) Landing the plane on ESG — why does this all matter?* (1:13:11) Preparing ourselves for the Davos transhumanists + other conspiracy theories * (1:18:25) Guessing Marx’s hot take on ESG. And, what’s the true source of ESG?* (1:28:03) Big shouts — VDERLove, Inflation Reduction Act, National Grid, and the USA And friendly reminder that you can always find us on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. We hope you enjoy!

The Task Force podcast is back with another episode, just in time for some weekend listening. This was a fun one with Ari Matusiak, CEO of Rewiring America. In the episode, we talk about:* (0:00) Intro, opening quote, entering the ThunDERdome* (2:00) Getting DER pilled with Ari, electrifying classic cars * (8:25) Introducing Rewiring America * (15:11) Electrification and the key narratives that will usher it in * (29:15) Inflation + electrification — balancing near term challenges with long-term progress * (36:56) Ari talks Electrifying for Peace: bolstering American manufacturing, insuring energy security and building a cleaner grid * (44:44) The petrodollar complex, global trade, and America’s geopolitical place through the energy transition * (49:50) What’s driving the disconnect between cheaper renewables and the energy prices consumers face on their bill? * (57:00) Inflation, independence, jobs, resilience: Is the narrative catching on? * ( 1:0015) Energy Czar of America, hottest energy take * (1:03:30) Dope or nope? * (1:05:50) Big shoutsAnd friendly reminder that you can always find us on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. We hope you enjoy! 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

Welcome back to another episode of the DER Task Force podcast. This time, we sat down with Andy Frank, co-founder and President of Sealed. In the episode, we talk about:* (0:00) Intros, opening quote* (4:27) Sealed elevator pitch* (6:48) Getting DER-pilled (and allergic reactions), Andy’s 20-year plan * (19:28) What’s so great about heat pumps anyway? And are they really DERs? * (30:12) Driving heat pump adoption, moving from services to solutions, NIMBYism + soft costs * (44:12) Electrifying in a utility’s world, command and control vs distributed solutions * (53:03) Performance-based regulation is not beer, the need for regulated monopolies in the utility space * (56:26) Using incentives to drive change, the mismatch between what the grid needs and what the utility can build * (1:07:05) Crazy idea: Scale Microgrids x Sealed to skirt utility regulation + interconnection delays, making markets work better* (1:13:29) Energy czar of America, bipartisan climate solutions * (1:22:16) Dope or nope?* (1:24:55) Biiiiig shouts* (1:28:55) Bonus big shouts!! And friendly reminder that you can always find us on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. We hope you enjoy! 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

Welcome back to another episode of the DER Task Force podcast. This time, we were joined by the inimitable and brilliant Mary Powell, former CEO of Green Mountain Power and current CEO of SunRun. In the episode, it, we talk about:* (0:00) Intro, opening quote, introducing Mary Powell* (2:40) Mary Powell in the ThunDERdome — on getting DER-pilled, grandpa’s grid, front-running NEM, and scaling Sunrun to combat climate change through consumerism * (16:38) Sunrun’s role in electrifying the world* (25:39) Deploying DERs with entrenched incumbents * (32:15) How to make non-wires alternatives a reality* (37:20) Co-existence of the rate-base model and accelerating electrification * (41:15) Supply chains, tariffs, and American energy independence* (47:12) The core value proposition of solar + storage * (50:32) How to unite the country around a clean energy narrative * (54:45) Energy Czar of America — deploying DERs and challenging utilities* (58:28) Dope or nope?* (1:02:00) Biiiiig shoutsAnd friendly reminder that you can always find us on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. We hope you enjoy! 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

Welcome back to another episode of the DER Task Force podcast. Following the highly unexpected John Oliver segment on utilities that made the rounds on Twitter a few weeks back, we wanted to dive into the topic and tease out some of the more nuanced points surrounding this topics. This was a fun one. In it, we talk about:* (0:00-8:24) Intro, John Oliver clip, opening quote, quick takes* (8:24-23:00) A loss of innocence at the Texas PUC* (23:00-30:30) It’s tough to be a regulator, institutional inter Tia* (30:30-38:00) NEM3* (38:00-50:03) Data problems and wholesome regulators in NY* (50:03-1:00:03) When the AI turns against you, Auxin solar case* (1:00:03–End) So what do we do now?, wrap up, BIG SHOUTSAnd friendly reminder that you can always find us on Spotify, iTunes, or your favorite podcast player. We hope you enjoy! 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

If you couldn’t tell, we’re now hosting the podcast on Substack! That means all your DERs content will be in one place going forward, but you can still listen on any of your favorite players like Spotify or iTunes. Look out for more articles and podcasts (with some very special guests) soon, and don’t forget to subscribe!This was a fun one. In it, we talk about:* (0:00-18:00) Intro, Kiran’s background and when he got DER-pilled, fun & games* (18:00-22:00) Acquisition of Urjanet* (22:00-1:06:40) Arcadia’s vision and the journey there* (1:06:40-1:20:40) The state of ClimateTech, DER TF, and new energy future* (1:20:40-1:31:20) Dope or nope, big shouts, Bhatraju-Metelitsa 2040* (1:31:20-1:31:46) ENERGY ABUNDANCE!!! 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 are trying something new this week. As many of you know our DERTF hosts have an active twitter presence and they always have lots of thoughts and ideas on current events in the energy world. With Ukraine being the most impactful energy current event, much of the conversation is centered around events happening in Europe, but it all seems to relate to topics of global trade, energy independence, and of course James is going to bring up getting off the US dollar as the world currency.  As always, please make sure you are subscribed to our newsletter on our brand new looking website, dertaskforce.com and keep a lookout for our monthly meetups, in person happy hours and events. As well as other exciting things happening in the DERTF community like our job board, our famous swag, new logo, and make sure you mark your calendars for November 10th for DERTFest, which will be something you will not want to miss. Lastly, tweet at us @dertaskforce on twitter with your favorite quotes from the episode and keep the conversations going there and on our slack.  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