More Power To You

Electric Vehicles (EVs) represent the largest new source of electric load since the air conditioner was invented. They also represent new, flexible sources of distributed energy resources (DERs) that can put power back into the grid. In this episode we delve into these challenges and opportunities with Erika Myers, Director of Research at SEPA, the Smart Electric Power Alliance. Erika authored a recent report titled Utilities and Electric Vehicles: The Case for Managed Charging which serves as the basis for our conversation. We begin by defining the term "managed charging" and continue with a discussion about why SEPA decided to research the issue; what questions Erika had when she began the research, and what findings surprised her. Erika summarizes three pilot programs involving both utilities and OEM manufacturers; shares some of the findings from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)'s look at the impact of different EV adoption scenarios; and describes some of the complex barriers to achieving

This episode is all about Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE -- a relatively new financing mechanism that allows property owners to pay for energy efficiency and clean energy upgrades without spending a dime out of pocket. Our guest is Gerard Neely, Manager of Maryland Commercial PACE, a statewide administrator for commercial PACE projects across Maryland. We discuss how the PACE financing mechanism works; how PACE got its start; the extent to which PACE has been adopted nationally; statistics about PACE in Maryland and other states; and close with Gerard's prediction about the future of PACE financing. Other references mentioned in the show include: PACE Financial Servicing Connecticut Green Bank Maryland Clean Energy Center PACE Nation Clean Energy Leadership Institute And last but not least, Cumberland, Maryland's Queen City Creamery   Recorded July 6, 2017 Published July 10, 2017

In this episode we finally dive into solar energy with Pam Cargill, Principal at Chaolysti consulting and a board member of SEIA, the Solar Energy Industries Association. Our conversation begins with a look at the type of solar consulting work Chaolysti does, and continues with SEIA's recent Lobby Day on Capitol Hill; a discussion about the Suniva trade petition, its potential impact on the domestic solar industry, and how it will proceed; how the politics of solar have changed over the years; how utilities are addressing the growth in distributed generation and rooftop solar; some of the legislative approaches California is taking; and closes with Pam's prediction about the future of solar over the next ten years. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Pam's interview on Barry Cinnamon's podcast The Energy Show SEIA's article about expected solar industry job loss if the Suniva trade petition is upheld North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center's "50 States of Solar" 1st Quarter 2017 Report Grid G

This special episode of More Power To You comes to you from the Aspen Institute in Washington, D.C. Hosted by the Institute's Community Strategies Group (CSG) and Rural Development Innovation Group (RDIG), the event focuses on the unique importance of infrastructure in fueling economic development in rural communities. The event kicks off with opening remarks from CSG Executive Director Janet Topolsky and RDIG's Connie Stewart, Executive Director of the California Center for Rural Policy. The event is moderated by Nancy Marshall-Genzer, Senior Reporter at NPR's Marketplace. The panelists represent three different types of intermediaries: a tribal government, a local government, and a community foundation. The three case studies illustrate different types of infrastructure challenges faced by rural communities, and examples of innovative solutions to spur economic growth. Justin Taylor, Former Town Supervisor, Town of Clayton, NY Eric Cutwright and Bari Talley, Karuk Tribe, Orleans, CA Kelly Ryan, President &

On this episode of the podcast we sit down with Barry K. Worthington, Executive Director of the United States Energy Association, for a big-picture discussion about U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord, the prospects for a carbon tax, and grid reliability. We close with Barry's prediction about what the U.S. grid will look like ten years from now. The interview was recorded the morning of June 1, 2017, just a few hours before President Trump held a news conference in the White House Rose Garden to announce his intentions with regards to U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. Recorded June 1, 2017 Published June 1, 2017

This special episode of More Power To You was recorded last week at the Bipartisan Policy Council in Washington, D.C. The BPC and the International Council on Clean Transportation sponsored a fascinating panel discussion entitled "International Competitiveness and the Auto Industry: What's the Role of Motor Vehicle Emission Standards?" BPC president Jason Grumet kicks things off with some introductory remarks, ICCT Executive Director Drew Kodjak takes the podium to moderate the discussion. The five panelists are: David Vogel, Professor Emeritus and Solomon P. Lee Chair in Business Ethics, UC Berkeley Richard Perkins, Associate Professor of Environmental Geography and Associate of Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science John German, Senior Fellow / US Co-Lead, ICCT Zoe Lipman, Director, Vehicles and Advanced Transportation Program, BlueGreen Alliance Tim Johnson, Director, Emerging Regulations and Technologies, Corning This discussio

This special episode of More Power To You brings you Congressman Joe Barton's remarks at the United States Energy Association's 2017 Annual Membership Meeting and Public Policy Forum. The event was held at the National Press Club in downtown Washington, D.C. USEA presented Rep. Barton with its Annual Energy Award for his longtime contributions to the energy sector. Congressman Barton has served in Congress since 1985 and currently serves as Vice-Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Rep. Barton's comments span his three decades of service in Congress. As you might imagine, he shares some funny anecdotes about elected officials he's served with and covers topics ranging from the repeal of the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978; where the U.S. ranks globally for electricity generation in different sectors; the prospects for Congress taking up a new energy bill; and his role in—and the impact of—Congress prohibiting EPA regulation of hydraulic fracturing and repealing the 40-year old crude oil export ban

Americans have had a longtime love affair with the automobile. You could even say it's ingrained into our national psyche. It's not surprising, then, that this industry in which 90% of fuels are fossil-based generates 27% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Fortunately, this high-carbon transportation model is being disrupted by the emergence of clean electric vehicles. In this episode we focus on EV chargers, a critically important but less-often discussed aspect of the EV revolution. Our guest is Mahi Reddy, the founder and CEO of SemaConnect, a national EV charger manufacturing company based in Bowie, Maryland. We begin with a discussion about why and how Mahi founded SemaConnect and continue with a wide-ranging conversation about how EV charging works; what SemaConnect's business model is and how it compares with those of other EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment) companies; how EVs—unlike some distributed generation—are a promising source of revenue for traditional utilities; the challenges of star

On this episode we're talking about biology. Not your high school biology, though; we're talking about biotechnology and biofuels with Paul Winters, Director of Communications, and Erick Lutt, Director of Industrial and Environmental Policy, for BIO, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization. Paul and Erick start off with the basics of how agricultural products such as corn are converted into biofuels such as ethanol. Then the discussion covers how biofuels are more climate friendly than fossil fuels; how renewable fuel standards have impacted the biofuels industry both domestically and abroad; how the current political dynamic looks for biofuel support; why BIO believes the federal government should continue to support development and production of biofuels; and closes with a prediction about biochemical production and use of biofuels in the aviation industry. Recorded April 27, 2017 Published May 8, 2017

So much of the discussion about the environment and the clean energy transition these days centers on the new Trump Administration and on Congress. So, who better to talk about it than someone who is in the midst of it every day—U.S. Senator Ben Cardin from Maryland. Senator Cardin joins the podcast from his office on Capitol Hill to share his perspective on what the Trump Administration means for Chesapeake Bay restoration, the Clean Power Plan and the United States' participation in the Paris Agreement. Recorded April 27, 2017 Published May 1, 2017

This is the fifth and final episode recorded at last week’s 2017 International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum, or IPF, in Annapolis, Maryland. This session is called “BOEM’s Path Forward.” It builds on the previous day’s remarks from Dr. Walter Cruickshank, Acting Director of the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM. You can hear those remarks in episode 8 of More Power To You. This episode gets into a lot more detail about BOEM’s activities and its approach for supporting the anticipated growth in offshore wind in the near future.  The session is moderated by Ross Tyler, Strategy and Development Advisor for the Business Network for Offshore Wind. The panelists are three senior BOEM leaders: Jim Bennett is BOEM’s Renewable Energy Program Manager and also supervises BOEM’s offshore wind leasing activity in the Atlantic Joan Barminski is BOEM’s Regional Director for the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Mike Celata is BOEM’s Regional Director for the Gulf of Mexico Recorded April 21, 2017 Publi

We bring you this special episode of More Power To You from the 2017 International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum (IPF) held last week in Annapolis, Maryland. This session is all about power purchase agreements for renewable energy, with an emphasis on offshore wind. The session covers different ways in which PPAs are structured, how the corporate clean energy commitments are resulting in a spike in corporate PPAs, how regulators and policy makers are seeking to accommodate corporate PPAs, and what new developments may be on the horizon. The panel is moderated by Mary Ann Christopher, Special Counsel, Energy Industry Team at Foley & Lardner LLP, and includes: Klair White, SVP, Ernst & Young Infrastructure Advisors Malcolm Woolf, SVP, Policy and Government Affairs, Advanced Energy Economy Ryan Hodum, Vice President, David Gardiner & Associates Recorded April 20, 2017 Published April 27, 2017

This special episode of More Power To You brings you the presenters' opening remarks from the Financing Green Infrastructure session at the 2017 International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum (IPF) in Annapolis, Maryland. The three presenters are: Nick Gardiner, Head of Offshore Wind, UK Green Investment Bank Nigel Slater, Managing Director for Offshore Wind, UK Green Investment Bank Chris Moscardelli, Director, Energy Project Finance Group, Société Générale The presenters discuss the challenges of meeting early wind farm financing needs and their view of the investor readiness to meet the future financing needs of the growing U.S. market. The presenters share their different investment perspectives, from the government mandated goals of the UK Green Investment Bank to the private energy lending goals of SocGen. This session took place just a few hours after Macquarie's purchase of the Green Investment Bank was announced. A brief technical note about the audio: after the presenters finished their opening rema

In this special episode of More Power To You, we bring you the opening session from Day 2 of the International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum (IPF) in Annapolis, Maryland. Walter Cruickshank, Acting Director of the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management presents an overview of BOEM's activities and future outlook for offshore wind. Recorded April 20, 2017 Published April 24, 2017

On this special episode of More Power To You, we bring you the full panel discussion from today's opening session of the 2017 International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum (IPF) hosted by the Business Network for Offshore Wind. The conversation is broad and deep, and covers the current offshore wind landscape from technology to politics to economics. The panel is moderated by José Zayas, Director of the U.S. Dept. of Energy's Wind Energy Technologies Office and includes these five thought leaders from Europe's leading offshore wind energy companies: Thomas Brostrøm, General Manager North America at Dong Energy Wind Power Gunnar Groebler, Sr. Vice President of Business Area Wind at Vattenfall Michael Hannibal, CEO of Offshore at Siemens Wind Power and Renewables Markus Rieck, Commercial Executive for Offshore Wind at GE Renewable Energy Peter Stabell, Managing Director for wpd offshore Denmark A/S Recorded April 19, 2017 Published April 20, 2017

On this episode we cover the current landscape for nuclear energy and its prospects for the future. Matt Wald, Senior Communications Advisor at the Nuclear Energy Institute, joins the podcast to discuss the benefits of nuclear energy; how nuclear's economics and environmental aspects compare with other power sources; and the context and implications for Westinghouse's recent financial troubles and the recently announced closures of the Indian Point and Diablo Canyon reactors in New York and California. We close the podcast with a discussion about the future of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and the new politics of Yucca Mountain. Recorded April 17, 2017 Published April 18, 2017

There’s no question that the way Americans produce and consume electricity is upending how utilities and large users are purchasing their current energy needs and planning for the future.  Joining us to talk about this aspect of the energy transition is Eric DeVito, a principal at Stone, Matthies, Xenopoulos & Brew, a private lawfirm specializing in energy law. We discuss how distributed generation such as rooftop solar and electric vehicles are leading to electricity rate cases and industry debates about pricing; what impact the Trump administration may have on utilities' investment planning; what the long-term prospect is for new coal, natural gas and nuclear generation; and close with Eric's prediction about how long it will be before utilities and public utility commissions will need to grapple with changing their pricing structures. Record date: April 6, 2017 Publish date: April 10, 2017

On this episode of the podcast we're heading down to the islands! Well, figuratively speaking, at least. Our guest is Christopher Burgess, Director of Projects for the Islands Energy Program, an initiative of the Rocky Mountain Institute and Carbon War Room. We discuss what the Islands Energy Program is and the challenge that spawned it; cover the current energy landscape in the Caribbean; discuss what types of renewables the islands are pursuing and how the Program is working to bring about that transition; discuss what this shift means for the future of local islanders and their economies; and close with Chris' prediction about renewable usage in the islands by 2025. Record date: March 31, 2017 Publish Date: April 3, 2017

In this episode of More Power To You we're getting real about climate. Hal Connolly, Senior Vice President for Programs at the Climate Reality Project, joins the podcast to discuss the climate crisis and reasons for both pessimism and optimism about the current political dynamic. Hal discusses some of Climate Reality's key programs such as Climate Reality Leadership Training and the 100% Committed initiative; shares his perspective on what the new Congress and Administration may mean for climate funding and regulations such as the Clean Power Plan; covers some ways in which climate action and clean energy are gaining traction in communities around the country; and mentions Vice President Al Gore's next inconvenience. We close with Hal's prediction about achieving the emission targets set at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference. Recorded: March 22, 2017 Published: March 27, 2017

Liz Burdock, Executive Director of the Business Network for Offshore Wind, joins the podcast to discuss the current landscape (or seascape) for offshore wind power. We cover the latest activity including lease auctions and awards up and down the East and West Coasts; speculate on the impact the Trump Administration and new Dept. of Energy secretary Rick Perry may have on wind power; preview the annual IPF (International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum) next month in Annapolis; and conclude with Liz's prediction about U.S. offshore wind capacity five years from now. Recorded March 16, 2017 Published March 20, 2017