GridPulse, a Grid Forward podcast

Congress is working on two massive legislative packages -- a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package (through the Senate) and potentially a multi-trillion dollar reconciliation spending package (drafts through House committees). Both would have significant impact for the grid and their fates seem intertwined as Congress works toward the latest imposed deadline of October 31. In this episode we talk with U.S. Congressman John Curtis of Utah, who chairs the Conservative Climate Caucus which includes 72 House members. Rep. Curtis covers the climate and energy topics important to him and a solid number of House Republicans including grid modernization capabilities, cyber security investment, nuclear fleet utilization, wildfire mitigation, grid resiliency, energy storage innovation, natural gas capacity, and much more. How can the country meet the needs of communities like Carbon County in Utah as the Biden Administration would like to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half? What breakthrough is Emery County Utah cooking up? Listen to our conversation as Congressman Curtis lays out how starting with the bipartisan infrastructure package and addressing other important areas are critical steps for the country. 

Major corporate entitles, in particular the big tech companies, are rapidly accelerating their positions in expanding clean energy and supporting the energy transition. Microsoft ramped up its commitment earlier this year to 100% clean energy for the entire reach of its company, 100% of the time, by 2030. That is certainly an ambitious target and meeting it will bring a diversity of lessons for the industry along the way. Listen is as we talk with Brian Janous, General Manager of Energy and Renewables at Microsoft on the role of their partners (including utilities), what they are learning along the way, and how they believe they can meet their significant commitments. 

For this session we talk with Jay Brister of General Fusion and one of their early investors and Board members Wal Van Lierop about the future of fusion energy. We hear about their recent demonstration plant in the UK, how they see the tech advancing, the difference in regulation vs fission nuclear energy, and much more. Can the future of a deeply decarbonized grid happen without fusion? Is the tech still far in the future? listen into the discussion for the latest and judge for yourself. 

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What if you could ask the author of 2020 book Power After Carbon, 'OK, what’s next'? Listen in as Scott Harden of Microsoft interviews Peter Fox Penner about energy policy, measuring impact and foundational clean energy technology. Want to dive in deeper on the aspects of business models in the energy transition and how they will impact each link in the system? Get a copy of Peter’s book Power After Carbon here. Produced by Grid Forward.

To go deeper on the topic of his recent article, “Beyond solar and wind: 10 steps to meet President Biden's clean electricity target,” Bryce Yonker chats with Michael Pesin, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Energy, Jennifer Potter, Hawaii PUC Commissioner; and Bill Ritter, former Colorado Governor and Director, Center for New Energy Economy. The conversation ranges from distributed energy ("In Hawaii, DERs are our one choice.") to R&D ("That's what we need to get to 100%.") to investments ("We know: hardware is hard.") and more. Don’t miss this live recording featuring three expert viewpoints in one lively discussion. Produced by Grid Forward.

We got the chance to sit down with the new CEO of GridWise Alliance Karen Wayland. She shared her perspectives on the priorities for grid modernization from the new administration, as well as the possibility of significant funding for expanded capabilities for the grid through infrastructure investment via the America Jobs Plan. You'll find a lot to learn from her broad experience and perspectives in this episode. For more details see the $50B policy framework for modernization funding prepared GridWise Alliance. This podcast produced by Grid Forward.