Alternative Power Plays

In this episode of Alternative Power Plays, hosts Alan Selter and John Povilaitis explore the future of electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure with John Taggart, President and Co-founder of WeaveGrid. WeaveGrid is transforming the electrification of transportation by optimizing EV charging for utilities, EV manufacturers, and owners. During the discussion, Taggart shares insights on the company's software solutions, which aim to balance the increased load on electric grids with the need for renewable energy sources. He discusses the challenges and opportunities in integrating EVs into the grid, the importance of policy and regulatory support, and how WeaveGrid is leading the way for a more sustainable and efficient transportation system. Join us as we examine how digital infrastructure can support the transition to electric mobility and the broader implications for the energy sector. To learn more about WeaveGrid, visit: https://www.weavegrid.com/ To learn more about John Povilaitis, visit: ⁠https://www.bipc.com/john-povilaitis⁠  To learn more about Alan Seltzer, visit: ⁠https://www.bipc.com/alan-seltzer

On this episode of Alternative Power Plays hosts Alan Seltzer and John Povilaitis sit down with Jørgen Festervoll, CEO of Heimdall Power, a company specializing in advanced monitoring technologies for electric transmission lines.  During the discussion, Jørgen gets into his background, the company's mission to optimize power grids, and the functionality of their sensors, which have the ability to enhance grid capacity by 40% on average. The conversation covers the challenges of deploying new technology in the utility sector, the importance of dynamic line ratings, and the role of Heimdall Power sensors in modernizing the power grid. Jørgen also shares his experience presenting at the White House and emphasizes the company's focus on scalability and customer support.  To learn more about Heimdall Power, visit: https://heimdallpower.com/us/ To learn more about Jørgen Festervoll, visit: https://careers.heimdallpower.com/people/1855194-jorgen-festervoll  To learn more about Alan Seltzer, visit: https://www.bipc.com/alan-seltzer⁠    To learn more about John Povilaitis, visit: ⁠https://www.bipc.com/john-povilaitis 

On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, hosts Alan Seltzer and John Povilaitis chat with  Ted Bloch-Rubin, Director of Business Development Americas at Smart Wires, Inc. Ted discusses Smart Wires' grid-enhancing technologies, including their flagship product, the Smart Valve, and dynamic line rating software, Sumo.  Ted then talks about how these technologies optimize grid use, enhance reliability, and support renewable energy integration. He highlights the company's global impact, and the challenges of integrating new technologies into conservative, mission-critical utility environments. The discussion also gets into the importance of federal policies and programs in advancing smart grid technologies and what Smart Wires' future may look like.To learn more about Smart Wires, visit:  https://www.smartwires.com/ To learn more about Ted Block Rubin, visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ted-bloch-rubin-055526100/  To learn more about Alan Seltzer, visit: https://www.bipc.com/alan-seltzer⁠    To learn more about John Povilaitis, visit: ⁠https://www.bipc.com/john-povilaitis ⁠    

Join energy experts John Tsoukalis, a Principal at Brattle Group specializing in electric market modeling, and Metin Celebi, also a Principal at Brattle, who focuses on resource planning and climate policy. They discuss the evolution of the Western electricity markets, highlighting the benefits of extended day-ahead markets and Markets+. The conversation dives into differences with Eastern U.S. deregulation, the impact of organizational maturity, and the vital role of regional cooperation in enhancing energy efficiency and customer savings.

On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, hosts Alan Seltzer and John Povilaitis interview Elliot Anise-Hicks, co-founder and CTO of Oberon Fuels. During their discussion, Elliot discusses Oberon's journey from its start in 2010, initially focusing on biogas, then liquid fuels, and eventually to its current production of renewable dimethyl ether (DME). DME, a clean, non-toxic gas, can significantly reduce CO2 emissions when blended with liquefied petroleum gas. Later, Elliot highlights the technical and regulatory challenges faced, the advantages of DME in reducing greenhouse gases, and its potential as a hydrogen carrier. The conversation also highlights Oberon's partnerships, particularly with Suburban Propane, and plans for scaling production and expanding internationally.For more information on Oberon Fuels, visit: https://www.oberonfuels.com/ To learn more about Elliot Anise-Hicks, visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ehicks/ To learn more about Alan Seltzer, visit: https://www.bipc.com/alan-seltzer⁠  To learn more about John Povilaitis, visit: ⁠https://www.bipc.com/john-povilaitis⁠    

On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, John Povilaitis talks with Sarah Minczeski Delisle, VP of Government Affairs & Communications at Swell Energy. In this role, Sarah navigates the evolving policy environments at local, state, and federal levels to maintain the company's adaptive stance and strategic positioning.  During their conversation, John and Sarah talk about virtual power plants, explaining what they are, their capabilities, and their benefits to consumers across diverse markets. She highlights how Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) can address various challenges faced by utilities and customers, including providing backup power, reducing emissions, and improving resilience. The discussion also covers the financial benefits of VPPs for utilities and the importance of data standardization. Finally, Sarah explores policy and regulatory ideas that could enable Swell Energy to better serve their customers.  To learn more about Sarah Minczeski Delisle, visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-minczeski-delisle/  To learn more about John Povilaitis, visit: ⁠https://www.bipc.com/john-povilaitis⁠    

Electric vehicles have long been seen as one of the biggest ways society can fundamentally move towards the fulfillment of clean energy goals—as long as they can truly go mainstream. This organization thinks it knows how to make that happen by 2030.On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, Alan Seltzer and John Povilatis welcome Britta Gross, Director of Transportation at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). EPRI is an independent, non-profit energy R&D organization that works across government and multiple industries to help the energy sector identify issues and technology gaps, as well as find solutions to the challenges of maintaining the reliability, the resilience, and the sustainability of the electric grid.Britta breaks down the EVs To Scale initiative and its three pillars: building widespread confidence in EVs, redesigning electric grid systems to support EV loads, and facilitating EV innovation through cross collaboration between industries. She emphasizes the importance of transparency and smart charging in utility planning for electric vehicles. Britta also highlights the success of the EV To Scale 2030 initiative, citing increased confidence in data and utilities embedding the data into forecasting models.For more information on EPRI, visit: https://www.epri.com.To learn about EVs2Scale: https://msites.epri.com/evs2scale2030 To read more about Alan Seltzer, visit: https://www.bipc.com/alan-seltzer⁠.To learn more about John Povilaitis, visit: ⁠https://www.bipc.com/john-povilaitis⁠    

On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, Alan Seltzer and John Povilaitis are joined by Willett Kempton, Professor at the University of Delaware. Willett is a leading expert in vehicle-to-grid (or V2G) technology, which enables vehicles to absorb excess energy from the grid when demand for power is low and returns some electricity back to the electric grid when the demand for power is high.  Willett discussed the potential of V2G technology to transform renewable energy storage. He then talks about the importance of net metering and what government support and/or subsidies may be needed to boost adoption. The podcast continues as Willett discusses electricity usage and how it relates to solar energy. Later in this episode, Willett makes a prediction about widespread adoption of electric cars with advanced features.To learn more about Willett Kempton, visit https://www.udel.edu/faculty-staff/experts/willett-kempton/.    To learn more about John Povilaitis, visit: ⁠https://www.bipc.com/john-povilaitis⁠  To learn more about Alan Seltzer, visit: ⁠https://www.bipc.com/alan-seltzer

On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, we welcome a very special guest, Dr. Sunita Satyapal, Director of the U.S. Department of Energy's Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Office. She manages the DOE Hydrogen Program's activities across multiple offices and oversees $1.6 billion in hydrogen and fuel cell research, development, demonstration, and deployment inside the office. She also manages over $9.5 billion in other hydrogen efforts across the DOE. Dr. Satyapal joins hosts Alan Selter and John Povilaitis to examine the prospect of hydrogen as a renewable energy source and its significance in meeting decarbonization targets. During the episode, Dr. Satyapal explains hydrogen's versatility and capacity to handle issues in a variety of fields, including heavy-duty transportation and industrial uses. The group highlights how the current commercial availability of hydrogen, combined with developing technology, would indicate an increasing demand for clean hydrogen. The conversation later focuses on the Biden administration's efforts to increase hydrogen use while lowering costs through scaling and innovation.To learn more about the advancements of hydrogen use in the energy space, visit: www.hydrogen.energy.gov To learn more about John Povilaitis, visit: ⁠https://www.bipc.com/john-povilaitis⁠To learn more about Alan Seltzer, visit: ⁠https://www.bipc.com/alan-seltzer

Demand for electric vehicles and building electrification keeps on increasing, yet much of America's electric transmission infrastructure is from the 1960s. There is now an attempt underway to improve electric transmission infrastructure by exploiting existing public rights of way, such as highways. On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, Randy Satterfield, Executive Director of NextGen Highways, sits down with Alan Seltzer and John Povilaitis to discuss not only the goals but the challenges NextGen faces in modernizing U.S. transmission infrastructure. Satterfield highlights how NextGen Highways is working to facilitate a new wave of electrification by developing national and state-level coalitions advocating for electric transmission infrastructure to be built in existing public rights of way. Randy tells John and Alan that, although NextGen is focused primarily in the state of Minnesota, the organization has plans to expand to as many states as possible. To learn more about NextGen Highways and Randy Satterfield, visit: https://nextgenhighways.org/our-team/ To learn more about John Povilaitis, visit: ⁠https://www.bipc.com/john-povilaitis ⁠ To learn more about Alan Seltzer, visit: ⁠https://www.bipc.com/alan-seltzer