Energy Central

The vast majority of utility customers (around three quarters) in the United States are served by investor-owned utilities, with each of those IOUs being larger in size than their municipal or electric cooperative counterparts. That said, there are so many more individual organizations that identify as publicly-owned and/or municipal utilities. While each of those small utilities may have a smaller footprint, that means there are thousands more of these smaller organizations that are each connecting with their communities, piloting new programs, and solving real problems. While it may be natural to assume that the larger utilities are the ones on the cutting edge, the reality is that many pushing-the-envelope advancements are starting at the municipality level.

With that in mind, the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast wanted to bring on a representative from such a municipal utility to drill into what the larger power providers can and should be learning from them. To do so, this episode features an insightful conversation with Brian Groth, the Director of the Electric Utility at the City of Naperville in Illinois. Brian and his team at the City of Naperville have been busy advancing fiber optic technology, smart grid capabilities, and more at the community level, and so he joins the discussion with podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester to tap into his best lessons learned.

Key Links:
Link to Energy Central Post with Full Podcast Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-75-highlighting-what-large-power-providers-can-learn-smaller-municipal

Link to register as a member of the Energy Central Community: www.energycentral.com/user/register

Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts

When it comes to offering unique programs and key opportunities for upgrades, the utility industry has typically seen the lowest hanging fruit at commercial buildings or with homeowners in the residential sector. These customers own and operate their buildings, they are the ones solely paying the power bills, and they have the authority (and often the means) to invest in upgrades like efficiency improvements, on-site generation and energy storage, and more. For too long, though, that has left an unfortunate blind spot for key utility programs: renters in the residential sector.

Households that rent their homes have been the least tapped into traditionally by utilities because they don't have the aforementioned advantages, but the unfortunate irony is that these are the customers that often carry the most significant energy burden and could thus most benefit from assistance to bring down their power bills. Addressing the unique characteristics, needs, and opportunities of the home rental market has gained favor recently, even leading to the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC) publishing their report "Understanding the Needs and Wants of Renters." This study has already become a key tool for numerous utilities to reevaluate how they were approaching this key demographic. To highlight the findings of this study, podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester are joined by SECC's CEO, Nathan Shannon. To really drive home the impact this area of study has on the utilities, they are also joined by Elizabeth Moore, Manager of Commercial Energy Solutions at Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to discuss what changes they've been able to implement as a result.

Key Links:
Nathan Shannon's Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/nathan-shannon

What’s Stopping Renters from Engaging in Energy?: https://energycentral.com/c/cc/what%E2%80%99s-stopping-renters-engaging-energy

How Utilities Can Better Serve Residential Renters: https://energycentral.com/c/cc/how-utilities-can-better-serve-residential-renters

Link to Energy Central Post with Full Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-74-understanding-what-renters-need-their-utilities-nathan-shannon-ceo

Link to register as a member of the Energy Central Community: www.energycentral.com/user/register

Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts

Utility companies are always positioned in a unique way compared with other companies, as the product they provide is essential for safe, healthy, and productive functioning of every family and every business. Having power bills rise too much can be a crisis for families who may be unable to pay or forced to choose between putting food on the table and keeping the lights on. The potential of inequity and crisis has only become even more apparent amid the pandemic and the recent economic struggles across the country.

With over 60% of Americans actively living paycheck to paycheck, this crisis of energy affordability needs leadership and ingenuity to ensure that energy systems are looked at holistically with affordability being a paramount consideration. These are the issues that drive Jim Madej, the CEO of Franklin Energy, as he and his team work to design and implement energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions for their utility partners. Jim is motivated by the idea of keeping energy affordable for all customers, and doing so in a way that aligns with the clean energy transition, and in this episode he joins podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester to highlight what utility leaders should be doing to meet these necessary goals.

Key Links:
Jim Madej's Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/jim-madej

Energy Central Post with Full Episode Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-73-making-energy-work-americas-working-families-jim-madej-ceo-franklin

Clean Should Mean Affordable: How Smart Clean Energy Policy Can Help Resuscitate the American Dream: https://energycentral.com/o/franklin-energy/clean-should-mean-affordable-how-smart-clean-energy-policy-can-help-resuscitate

Link to register as a member of the Energy Central Community: www.energycentral.com/user/register

Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts

Gone are the days where electric vehicles are oddities, come are the days where they are mainstream and impacting the grid. From charging stations dotting the interstates to Super Bowl commercials from many automakers touting their electric models to regulations that continue to make EVs more accessible, the pivot point in the industry is nearby, if not already here. While that’s a tremendous sign of progress in terms of electrifying transportation, it’s a point in time that’s created anxious board rooms in utilities across the country as power providers assess what their role in this new future will be and how to ensure they are best prepared.

Understanding how a utility’s customers and service territory fits into the overall EV adoption curve can help alleviate this anxiety and instead put companies in control of their EV future. These utilities recognize the opportunity that EV programs can mean for their offerings to customers and the flexibility they have in operating the grid, though doing so will be no small feat. That’s where experts like Kevin Hernandez, Partner at ScottMadden, come in. Kevin and his team have spent years preparing for this moment and have already assisted early moving electric power companies to design utility EV programs that will be successful and long-lasting. Kevin joins host of this episode, Matt Chester, to discuss what the roadmap to the EV future needs to be for utilities and how they can start planning for it today, even if those plans are starting at square one.

Key Links:
Full Energy Central Post with Podcast Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-72-keys-developing-successful-utility-ev-programs-kevin-hernandez-partner

Kevin Hernandez’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/kevin-hernandez-1

Kevin’s previous appearance on the podcast, Episode #54: Preparing Utilities for the EV Revolution with Kevin Hernandez of ScottMadden: https://energycentral.com/c/pip/special-edition-preparing-utilities-ev-revolution-kevin-hernandez-scottmadden

Link to register as a member of the Energy Central Community: www.energycentral.com/user/register

Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts

Episode #71: 'Road to Decision: Exelon’s Vision of a Private Broadband Network for Grid Modernization' with Russ Ehrlich of Exelon and Ryan Gerbrandt of Anterix [an Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast]

The modern utility industry continues to evolve in key ways that provide for a more reliable, affordable, and clean grid. An emerging focus for utilities has been the ability to accurately access, process, and act upon an asset that’s become nearly as important to them as the electricity itself: data. Data from customers, generators, sensors along the grid, and more are all providing utilities keen insights into their best course of action across countless areas of the power business, but properly utilizing such data can be impossible without the right tools. Across the sector, the solution that’s been seen as necessary for this next generation of utility operations is the implementation of private broadband networks.

Joining the podcast today to discuss how private broadband networks are actively creating new advancements for utilities today are two experts in the field. First is Ryan Gerbrandt, the Chief Operating Officer at Anterix, who has been assisting utilities to get started on their private broadband journey, no matter how far along they are in that process or if they are at square one and need justification that this step will benefit them and their customers. Also joining the podcast is Russ Ehrlich, the Utility Communications Senior Manager of Exelon. Russ has overseen the kickoff of that private broadband transition at Exelon’s six utilities alongside Ryan, including the network pilot to study the operational savings broadband capabilities would bring them. Ryan and Russ join podcast host, Jason Price, and producer, Matt Chester, to share what they’ve learned from these efforts and the lessons that can be passed onto other utilities considering doing the same.

Key Links:

Episode post with full transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-71-road-decision-exelon%E2%80%99s-vision-private-broadband-network-grid

Ryan Gerbrandt’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/ryan-gerbrandt

Russ Ehrlich's Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/russ-ehrlich

Private LTE as Communications for Grid Modernization: https://energycentral.com/c/gr/grid-modernization

Private Broadband Opens the World of Big Data for Utilities: https://energycentral.com/c/gr/private-broadband-opens-world-big-data-utilities

Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts

While all utilities would prefer to simply stay out of the headlines due to emergencies or crises, the reality is that it comes with the territory. Whether that's extended outages from natural disasters or equipment failure, unexpected bad press, or the power providers simply not operating at the standard that the public expects, most utilities at one point or another will find themselves trying to get ahead of the narrative and tell their story. But in this digital age where Tweets are constantly flying and a negative story-- regardless of how true it is or not-- can seemingly move at the speed of light, utilities can't simply wait for these occurrences and decide how to respond to them at that point. Instead, they need to always be prepared and have a crisis communications plan.

That's the perspective of today's guest on the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast, at least. Jeff Hahn is a crisis communications expert who has extensive experience responding to emergencies for utility partners, and he's also the author of the book "Breaking Bad News: 12 Essential Crisis Communication Tools." He's joining podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester to share his review of how some recent crises in the world of utilities were handled and offer advice to executives at utilities about how they should be preparing today for the unexpected emergency of tomorrow.

Key Links
Link to Energy Central Post with Episode's Full Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-70-beating-clock-crisis-communication-utilities-jeff-hahn-energy-central

Link to register as a member of the Energy Central Community: www.energycentral.com/user/register

Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts

We're truly experiencing the most dynamic time in the power sector, and it's not just the technology that's going through evolution but even the traditional business model. The availability of distributed energy sources and the desire of customers to embrace clean energy, for example, has given rise to a new type of utility: the community choice aggregator, or CCA. Customers in areas with CCAs can make the decision to break from their incumbent utility and embrace the offerings of a local CCA that better aligns with their desired energy company, and that's empowering the ratepayers as well as the power companies.

Today’s guest on the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast is the CEO of the oldest CCA in California, Dawn Weisz of MCE. During the course of the conversation, Dawn shares with podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester the history lesson of how and why CCAs first arose, highlights the unique opportunity for innovation that this business model provides all stakeholders, and stresses the community aspect of her company: building up the green workforce, ensuring equity in clean energy availability, and more.

Key Links
Energy Central Post with full interview transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-69-innovation-and-leadership-californias-first-community-choice

Link to register as a member of the Energy Central Community: www.energycentral.com/user/register

Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts

The utility sector has become just as much about its data as it has the energy, and collecting, tracking, and utilizing the mountains of data utilities are able to collect is no small feat. But as those mountains climb ever higher, they reach the heights for a key solution these days: the Cloud. By harnessing the opportunity for cloud-based solutions, power providers are increasingly streamlining their processes in ways that were never previously possible, with opportunities arising in every corner of the enterprise: from customer information to workforce planning, from tracking costs to ensuring asset health, and so much more.

Today’s guest on the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast is Andrew Braeger, the Data Enginering Manager at Tacoma Public Utilities in Washington State. In this role, Andrew oversaw the cloud journey at the utility and so he has keen insights and a front row perspective on how to best implement and further cloud goals across the industry. In this episode, Andrew shares with podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester some of his lessons learned and his excitement for where the cloud is headed.

Key Links
Andrew Braeger’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/andrew-braeger

Planning the utility cloud journey: https://energycentral.com/c/iu/planning-utility-cloud-journey

Energy Central post with full transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-68-planning-cloud-journey-andrew-braeger-tacoma-public-utilities-energy

Link to register as a member of the Energy Central Community: www.energycentral.com/user/register

Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

When it comes to the role that utilities are playing, today sees power providers filling more roles than ever before. Gone are the once-per-month bills being the only touch point a customer had with their utility, and here are the days of social media engagement, energy efficiency programs, advocating for new energy technologies, and more. Utilities really have evolved into a core pillar of the communities in which they serve, and they can only play this part effectively when they are filled with forward-looking leaders who embrace the benefits and challenges these shifting responsibilities bring.

This week's episode of the Power Perspectives Podcast brings to the audience one of those esteemed professionals who is helping out their community in countless ways with their role in the local energy company. Will Ellis is the VP of Government and External Affairs at PEPCO in Washington DC, but that title only begins to describe what he brings to the table. Eager to share the community-benefitting programs he's bringing to his neighbors, the educational efforts that he's championing, and more, Will shares in this wide-ranging conversation with podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester all the ways PEPCO is looking to embrace its role in the wider capital region. Listen in to hear the enthusiastic conversation.

Key Links
Energy Central Post with Full Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-67-inclusively-engaging-capital-region-efficiency-evs-more-will-ellis

Link to register as a member of the Energy Central Community: www.energycentral.com/user/register

Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts

Episode #66: 'Are You Overlooking a Critical Tool for Solving the Most Pressing Challenges Your Utility Faces?' with Jaime Crawford of Critigen [an Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast]

Mapping out the world of the utility with accurate and granular data has rapidly become one of the most essential functions for power providers to ensure they are providing reliable, affordable, and even clean energy to their customers every day. If you walked the halls of a utility industry conference just a decade ago, you may have been met with vague or uncertain answers when asking to chat about the geospatial programs at these companies, whereas today GIS departments are regular and necessary for utilities to continue to deliver on those goals.

How did the world of geospatial data grow so quickly, and what exactly do GIS tools bring to the decision-makers at utilities? Those are the questions that Jaime Crawford of Critigen is here to answer as she joins the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast. Jaime is the Senior Vice President of Strategic Industries at Critigen and she joined podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester to highlight the critical role that GIS plays and share insights on the forward-looking applications that even the most geospatially advanced utilities may not yet recognize. Further, Jaime was able to make an important announcement regarding her company that the Power Perspectives Podcast is eager to share with our listeners, and we dig into what this announcement says about the state of the industry today.

Key Links:

Energy Central Post with Full Episode Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-66-are-you-overlooking-critical-tool-solving-most-pressing-challenges

Jaime Crawford's Energy Central Profile: energycentral.com/member/profile/jaime-crawford

Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/