Alternative Power Plays

Welcome to Alternative Power Plays, a podcast from Buchanan Ingersoll and Rooney and the Brattle Group. In Alternative Power Plays, we talk all about the new and innovative ways in which businesses are getting electricity to their facilities, buildings and other sites. John Povilaitis, a shareholder at Buchanan, Ingersoll and Rooney in the firm’s energy practice, and is joined by Alan Seltzer, a fellow shareholder and energy attorney at Buchanan. On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, we are switching gears and discussing innovations in the exciting world of carbon-reducing, energy recycling technology. And to do this, we are happy to welcome Jim McVaney of Carbon Sink, a company that hopes to develop projects to convert captured CO2 waste into sustainable fuels, energies and building-block chemicals. For any facility or business considering CHP or more closely examining their energy needs, visit www.BIPC.com/CHP and www.Brattle.com to learn more about how Buchanan and the Brattle Group can help you navigate all the steps involved.

On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, Metin Celebi interviews Ted Borer and Tom Nyquist both from Princeton University! As the Executive director of Facilities Engineering and Campus Energy, Tom Nyquist is responsible for HVAC, electrical distribution, utility plant capacity additions, energy budget, underground utilities and energy conservation. As for Ted Borer, he has three decades in the power industry starting in nuclear industry in the early 1980’s. Currently, Borer is the energy plant manager for Princeton University and is actively involved in campus energy and carbon emissions reduction efforts. On this episode the trio discusses solar and thermal storage through optimization to reduce costs and carbon footprint, with plans to further reduce carbon footprint of the campus energy use. For any facility or business considering CHP or more closely examining their energy needs, visit www.BIPC.com/CHP and www.Brattle.com to learn more about how Buchanan and the Brattle Group can help you navigate all the steps involved.

At Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, energy attorneys John Povilaitis and Alan Seltzer focus their work on helping clients go through the process of installing combined heat and power units, also known as CHPs, to their facilities. At the Brattle Group, Metin Celebi and Frank Graves help clients figure out the financial aspects of this process, evaluating whether these projects make sense for facilities of all types. Over the course of their careers, the four have helped countless clients understand the ins and outs of the CHP consideration, financing, and installation process. And during that time, they've witnessed companies run into their fair share of pitfalls during this process that they've needed to help them navigate. On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, John, Alan, Metin and Frank have gathered a list of the most common pitfalls companies across industries have come across with tips on how to avoid them. For any facility or business considering CHP or more closely examining their energy needs, visit www.BIPC.com/CHP and www.Brattle.com to learn more about how Buchanan and the Brattle Group can help you navigate all the steps involved. To read more about John Povilaitis, visit: https://www.bipc.com/john-povilaitis. To read more about Alan Seltzer, visit: https://www.bipc.com/alan-seltzer.

On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, we talk to Al Wanosky, the Global Health, Safety and Environmental Manager at Solvay Specialty Polymers. Al has been with Solvay for more than 16 years and, in working for a plastics manufacturing company, has dealt with some unique challenges when it comes to getting electricity and steam to Solvay facilities, specifically at the plant in Marietta, Ohio. Hosted by Metin Celebi, principal at The Brattle Group, a global economic consulting firm and partner with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, this discussion centers around Al's experience deploying a Combined Heat & Power (CHP) system. For any facility or business considering CHP or more closely examining their energy needs, visit www.BIPC.com/CHP and www.Brattle.com to learn more about how Buchanan and the Brattle Group can help you navigate all the steps involved. To read more about Al Wanosky and this specific facility, visit https://s7d2.scene7.com/is/content/Caterpillar/CM20190108-44231-07674.

As part of their legal practice at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, attorneys Alan Seltzer and John Povilaitis focus on the energy and public utility space. They have specific work helping clients go through the process of installing combined heat and power units, also known as CHPs, to their facilities. Making your own electricity and using the waste heat to avoid energy purchases can be a complex process, but with the right team in place it can bring enormous financial, environmental, and operational benefits to host sites.  During their careers, Alan and John have been fortunate to help many clients across various industries develop these projects and realize their long-term benefits. On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, John and Alan talk about the basic steps involved in bringing a CHP system to life, including what those considering CHP should think about at each step of the way. For any facility or business considering CHP or more closely examining their energy needs, visit www.BIPC.com/CHP to learn more about how Buchanan can help you navigate all the steps involved. To read more about John Povilaitis, visit: https://www.bipc.com/john-povilaitis. To read more about Alan Seltzer, visit: https://www.bipc.com/alan-seltzer.

This episode of Alternative Power Plays is Part 2 of a discussion with Al Neuner, Vice President of Facilities Operations at Geisinger Health Systems. To listen to Part 1, click here: https://anchor.fm/alternative-power-plays/episodes/Power-Player---Al-Neuner-of-Geisinger-Health-Systems-etpeug. Part 2 of the interview with Neuner focuses on some of the different types of cogeneration systems that businesses can consider and how Geisinger was, once again, ahead of the curve in this area. Specifically, Geisinger's CHP system was able to significantly lower emissions at its facility, which led to the facility receiving a handful of awards along the way. Additionally, Neuner talks about Geisinger's cold water storage system that's part of his facility's CHP and why that technology is so important for a health system. This episode is hosted by Alan Seltzer and John Povilaitis, Energy attorneys at Buchanan Ingersoll and Rooney. For any facility or business considering CHP or more closely examining their energy needs, visit www.BIPC.com/CHP and www.Brattle.com to learn more about how Buchanan and the Brattle Group can help you navigate all the steps involved. To read more about Al Neuner and Geisinger, visit https://www.geisinger.org/.

This episode of Alternative Power Plays is Part 1 of a discussion with Al Neuner, Vice President of Facilities Operations at Geisinger Health Systems. Neuner is responsible for introducing a Combined Heat and Power system at Geisinger’s flagship hospital and healthcare site in Central Pennsylvania in the late 1990s -- making him a true pioneer in the world of CHP. Since then, the system has delivered Geisinger consistently reliable energy in addition to millions in energy savings.  This episode is hosted by Alan Seltzer and John Povilaitis, Energy attorneys at Buchanan Ingersoll and Rooney. The two of them focus their legal practice in the energy and public utility space, with specific work helping clients navigate the world of Combined Heat and Power. Part 1 of the interview with Neuner centers around his decision to bring a CHP system to Geisinger when few other healthcare facilities were even considering it. They talk about the biggest challenges with deploying CHP, the estimated cost to install and maintain, the estimated savings over the past 20-plus years, and more. Make sure to tune in next episode to hear Part 2 of this enlightening energy conversation. For any facility or business considering CHP or more closely examining their energy needs, visit www.BIPC.com/CHP and www.Brattle.com to learn more about how Buchanan and the Brattle Group can help you navigate all the steps involved. To read more about Al Neuner and Geisinger, visit https://www.geisinger.org/.

On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, we talk to a true Power Player in the world of combined heat and power (CHP) – Mike Larson, Business Development Director at DTE Energy Services, a diversified energy company based in Detroit.  Hosted by Metin Celebi, principal at The Brattle Group, a global economic consulting firm and partner with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, this discussion centers around Mike's experience with CHP. The two talk about how he helps facilities of all types install the technology and what DTE Energy's role is in all this. As an outsourcer, DTE Energy can help companies who see value in combined heat and power but may not have the resources to plan, develop, and install themselves.  For any facility or business considering CHP or more closely examining their energy needs, visit www.BIPC.com/CHP and www.Brattle.com to learn more about how Buchanan and the Brattle Group can help you navigate all the steps involved. To read more about Mike Larson and DTE Energy, visit www.dtepowerandindustrial.com/.

Last week, unprecedented snowfall and frigid temperatures wreaked havoc on Texas’ energy infrastructure, leaving millions across the state without power and heat for hours, or in many cases, days at a time. Many of the state’s nuclear, gas, coal, wind and solar generating facilities were unable to handle the surge in power demand, and because Texas’ energy grid is largely separate from neighboring states, Texas could not address this energy crisis by taking from the surrounding region. While the Texas works its way back from the energy crisis, there are lessons that individual businesses can take away from this catastrophic event and increase the reliability and resiliency of their electric supply despite severe weather emergencies. In the first episode of Alternative Power Plays – Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney’s newest podcast all about the innovative ways in which businesses are getting electricity to their facilities, buildings and other sites – Buchanan energy attorneys Alan Seltzer and John Povilaitis discussed a specialized form of electric supply known as combined heat and power (CHP). CHP systems allow facilities to generate their own safe, reliable and cost-effective electric power without needing to depend exclusively on the electric grid and costly backup generators. They can allow facilities of all types – including hospitals, industrial and manufacturing facilities, universities and colleges, retirement communities, and more – to stay operational, even if the nearby electric grid is down for hours or days. In the episode, John and Alan discuss the situation in Texas, what went wrong, and how CHP offers facilities a way to protect a facility from some of the uncertainties of relying on the electric grid. For any facility or business considering CHP or more closely examining their energy needs, visit www.BIPC.com/CHP to learn more about how Buchanan can help you navigate all the steps involved. To read more about John Povilaitis, visit: https://www.bipc.com/john-povilaitis. To read more about Alan Seltzer, visit: https://www.bipc.com/alan-seltzer.