Rise Up

Get ready to harness the power of renewable energy as Season 4 Episode 5 of MREA's Rise Up podcast takes you on a journey through the world of large-scale wind, solar, and transmission projects in the Midwest. Join our host Nick Hylla, as he sits down with esteemed guest Peder Mewis, a driving force behind rural renewable energy development in the Midwest and Plains states.

In this episode, we'll explore the vast opportunities and unique challenges that arise in the pursuit of a sustainable energy future. Peder, with his extensive experience working with the Clean Grid Alliance, shares invaluable insights on the regulatory landscape, financing options, and effective community engagement strategies that pave the way for success.

Discover the immense potential for wind and solar power generation in the Midwest and learn how these sources can contribute to a resilient and clean grid. Dive deep into the intricacies of large-scale projects, as Peder uncovers the barriers and complexities that must be overcome for their implementation.

But it doesn't stop there. Join the conversation as we explore the vital role of collaboration and partnership between utilities, policymakers, local communities, and clean energy advocates. Peder sheds light on how these partnerships can drive renewable energy development forward, fostering a sustainable and prosperous future for the region.

By the end of this enlightening episode, you'll walk away with a comprehensive understanding of the Midwest's renewable energy landscape. Gain the knowledge and inspiration you need to actively participate in the renewable energy transition and contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable future for the Midwest and beyond. Don't miss this empowering episode of MREA's Rise Up Podcast!

Host: Nick Hylla, MREA Executive Director 

Guest: Peder Mewis, Regional Policy Manager - ND, SD, WI, MI, Clean Grid Alliance 

-Show notes – timestamps we want to include from the episode from worthwhile subjects 

0:20 – Nick introduces energy transmission needs and resources in the Midwest 

2:13 – Decarbonization goals 

3:14  - Local opposition groups 

8:08 – Peder's experience at Clean Grid Alliance 

9:17 – Issues facing renewable integration into the grid 

11:24 – The importance of transmission to renewable energy 

15:09 – The role of battery storage in balancing the grid 

17:41 – Steps necessary to build a new transmission project 

20:53 – Federal CHIPs and Bipartisan Infrastructure act impact on transmission 

23:14 – Transmission costs 

25:37 – Non transmission alternatives 

27:43 – Electrification and EVs 

29:51 – Intermittency of renewable energy on the grid 

33:17 – Local opposition to large scale renewables and transmission 

39:12 - Policy priorities to leverage Inflation Reduction Act funding 

44:04 – Best model for balancing authority in the Midwest 

47:34 – The importance of building relationships  

"I'm very confident that the future looks good. And, you know, when I retire from this industry, it'll be fun to see how far we've come with the technology around renewable energy resources and all these things. So I do feel good, but it's hard work and, you know, it's a lot of political capital, it's a lot of emotional capital. But as I always say, the most important thing is relationships. And everybody needs to work together, build those strong relationships, build that trust. And if you can do that, you can get anything done." - Peder Mewis 

Live Event at The Energy Fair: Catch Peder at his Rise Up Live Event with host Nick Hylla for a live podcast panel during The Energy Fair! Hear from the guests of Season 4, followed by a Q&A session. Tickets are on sale now at theenergyfair.org/tickets. 

Rev up your knowledge on electric vehicles with Clean Fuels Michigan's Jane McCurry, on MREA's Rise Up Podcast.

As compelling as electric vehicles are, electrifying transportation presents significant policy and market development challenges. EVs represent just over 5% of passenger vehicles on US roads. This is an amazing accomplishment for the industry over the past 5 years but increasing the percentage to 2/3 of new vehicles by 2032 as the EPA is planning for faces real roadblocks.  

Labor issues, supply chain constraints, charging reliability, legal challenges, political opposition, and sticker price are each challenges that the industry, supported by recent federal legislation, is working to address.  

Labor issues. EVs have significantly fewer parts than internal combustion vehicles, require less maintenance, require different maintenance, and the leading EV company has a direct-to-consumer sales process that bypasses the traditional dealership model. This is not to mention that traditional automakers and dealers report that they are not yet making profits on EV sales. All of these characteristics pose workforce and employment issues that state governments, labor unions, business leaders, and training organizations must address.

With such a daunting list of challenges, the biggest question might be “Do we have the talent, vision, tenacity, and capacity to tackle these challenges and take full advantage of the opportunity presented by electric transportation?” After talking with Jane McCurry, the Executive Director of Clean Fuels Michigan, our answer quickly became “Absolutely we do!” I think you’ll see what we mean. 

About Our Guest:

Jane is the Executive Director of Clean Fuels Michigan, a nonprofit trade association dedicated to expanding the clean mobility industries. Jane is also appointed to the Michigan Council on Future Mobility and Electrification to represent policy and technology interests. Before these roles, Jane was the electric vehicles program manager at RENEW Wisconsin. Jane has degrees in Operations and Technology Management and Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin. 

See Jane McCurry at the Rise Up Podcast Live Event during The Energy Fair!

75% of all electricity consumption occurs in buildings. With a goal to fully electrify our building energy use, more buildings will be moving their heating, cooking, and operations systems from natural gas, propane, diesel, and fuel oil to grid electricity. Pair this with home and business electric vehicle charging and the obvious result is that the amount of electricity use in buildings is set to dramatically increase.  

If we reduce building energy use by 20% in both the commercial and industrial sectors today, we could save more than $80 billion annually on utility bills. And according to the US Dept. of Energy Building Technologies Office, the on-site deployment of solar, battery, and energy management technologies to flex electricity demand to better meet supply will lead to between $100 and $200 billion in electricity cost savings. This is a significant saving when considering that the National Renewable Energy Lab Electrification Futures Study estimates that full electrification would increase US electricity system costs by at least $450 billion.  

In short, if we want to keep energy bills down and temper electricity price increases, building energy efficiency and demand flexibility is a critical first step to electrification. Join us in conversation with Elizabeth Turner, founder of Precipitate Architecture, to explore strategies for building electrification and energy efficiency in the Upper Midwest. 

Host: Nick Hylla, MREA Executive Director 

Guest: Elizabeth Turner, Architect and Passive Building Consultant, Precipitate 

0:20 – Nick introduces U.S. energy consumption 

1:40 – Energy Efficiency’s role in cost savings for an electrified future 

3:30 – Incentives for clean energy technologies 

7:40 – Equity, Electrification, and Energy Efficiency 

9:00 – Weatherization techniques 

11:35 – Energy Efficient Building techniques 

14:33 – Air source heat pumps and the preconditions needed 

16:59 – Priorities and Challenges to Energy Efficiency 

19:29 – Measuring energy efficiency 

23:10 – Building code 

26:27 – Energy Monitoring and management 

27:20 – Federal legislation’s impact on energy efficiency 

31:24 - State efforts to leverage IRA funds 

35:05 – Energy efficiency’s value in the housing market 

-Get Connected: 

Precipitate Architecture: www.precipitatearch.com 

The Energy Fair: www.theenergyfair.org 

Midwest Renewable Energy Association: www.midwestrenew.org

Contact: [email protected] 

The plan is to electrify the economy. Reduce the combustion of fossil fuels for heating and transportation by replacing it with electricity from a grid powered by low-carbon sources like solar, wind, hydro, and nuclear. These are the basics of the energy transition but, there are two competing visions for how we accomplish it.

The first vision is to extend the current utility business model to build the new fleet of generation and transmission in the image of the old, using the same ownership structure, regulatory paradigm, and relationship to ratepayers. The competing vision is a grid optimized for distributed energy resources (DERs). Comparing the two development pathways leads to some pretty clear conclusions. The first scenario, business as usual, may be the quickest to implement (it’s what we’ve always done and it’s what the utility lobby wants) and it’s by far the most expensive. The second scenario, DER optimized, is more affordable, more resilient, and creates more jobs. However, it involves consumers as stakeholders and decision-makers in the energy system.

In this episode, Nick Hylla and Katie Kienbaum discuss the promise of DERs in the energy transition and the policy actions needed to ensure that everyone has access to the social and environmental benefits provided by a DER optimized system.

Host: Nick Hylla, MREA Executive Director 

Guest: Katie Kienbaum, Research Associate - Institute for Local Self-Reliance 

-About Katie Kienbaum: Katie is a Senior Researcher with ILSR’s Energy Democracy initiative, where she researches and writes about equitable and decentralized clean energy and its impact on communities across the country. Before joining the Energy Democracy initiative, she was a Research Associate with the Community Broadband Networks initiative.  

Katie Kienbaum - Live Event at The Energy Fair: Catch Katie at the Rise Up Live Event at The 2023 Energy Fair on Saturday, June 24th at 12p.m. Get your tickets at theenergyfair.org/tickets. 

When it comes to transitioning the electricity system, we are constrained by public policy choices and investment decisions made over the last 100 years. The past decisions have given us the infrastructure, ownership structure, regulatory process, and debts that define how we produce and use electricity. Today, we are poised to further electrify our energy use which will layer investments onto a system already at cross purposes with fundamental goals of transition to a more distributed and open system.  

It begs the question:  Could we better align our social goals and the goals of the monopoly owners of the electricity system? Could we, in a sense, all be rowing in the same direction? Or is the regulated monopoly system ultimately inadequate to address the challenges and take the best advantage of the opportunities present in a clean energy transition? 

With these questions in mind, we’ll begin the conversation with Andrew Kell, Policy Director at Renew Wisconsin. We’ll take a deep dive into utility regulation, and we’ll discuss regulatory strategies that enable DERs and local, clean energy development as central to the energy transition in the Midwest. We cover a lot of territory so grab a coffee and get comfortable. 

Welcome to a new Rise Up Podcast season focused on the energy transition in Midwest states!

 In this podcast season, MREA Executive Director Nick Hylla talks to a range of professionals working to improve the energy system in Midwest states. The discussions focus on the decisions we'll need to make in regard to electric utility regulation, distributed energy resources, building energy efficiency, large-scale solar, and wind development, transmission build-out, small modular nuclear reactors, electric vehicles, critical mineral needs, workforce readiness, energy justice, and more. For each episode, we’ll also share background research and resources for you to continue exploring topics that interest you. 

The plan is to electrify the economy. Reduce the combustion of fossil fuels for heating and transportation by replacing them with electricity from a grid powered by low-carbon sources like solar, wind, hydro, and nuclear.  With a trifecta of federal legislation, the federal government is investing in this process at an unprecedented scale. The investment, however, will meet a complex, capital-intensive, and calcified energy market with layers of decision-making and differing and often opposing views of the future at every level.  The actual impact of the legislation will depend on the implementation of its many provisions.

RISE UP MIDWEST!

Rise Up’s season 3 finale is a special episode highlighting some of the great speakers and presenters that’ll be present at the 2022 Energy Fair. Guests join MREA Executive Director, Nick Hylla, to introduce themselves, preview their workshops at the Fair, as well as highlight some of their favorite Fair activities to get you in the spirit of the Fair!

Don’t miss out, get your tickets to the 2022 Energy Fair being held between June 24, 2022 - June 26, 2022 in Custer, Wisconsin at https://www.theenergyfair.org/.

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Show notes:

(0:44) - Lisa Kivirist, Author, Homemade for Sale and Soil Sisters

(8:56) - Christopher LaForge, Principal CEO, Great Northern Solar

(16:39) - Amanda Haffele, Solid Waste Director, Portage County Solid Waste

(19:21) - Sam Dunaiski, Distributed Resources Director, RENEW Wisconsin

(25:21) - Amber Westerman, Owner, Amber Westerman Building Design

(29:46) - Jeremy Solin, Co-Owner, Tapped Maple Syrup, LLC

(33:50) - Mindy McCord, Co-Founder, Siren Shrub Co.

(36:20) - Huda Alkaff, Founder & Director, Wisconsin Green Muslims

(41:10) - Jordan Kaiser, Solar Design & Sales, Northwind Solar

(47:04) - Jared Schumacker, Financial Advisor, Third Coast Advisors

(50:08) - Andrew Lewandowski, Pediatrician, Group Health Cooperative

(55:26) - Don Wichert, Owner, Eudai Energy, LLC

(59:59) - Todd Strother, Senior Technology Consultant, Wisconsin Center for Technology Commercialization

Brian Walsh, Technology Commercialization Consultant, Wisconsin Center for Technology Commercialization

(1:03:36) - Jessica Miller, Naturalist, Mosquito Hill Nature Center

(1:07:12) - Francisco Sayu, Director Emerging Technology, RENEW Wisconsin

(1:12:13) - Cory Neeley, Director, Solarshare Cooperative

(1:16:23) - Heather Talbot, Director, Solar on La Crosse Schools

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Links:

The Energy Fair 

MREA's website 

Volunteer Opportunities at MREA 

On this episode of the Rise Up podcast, we feature a double interview  with 2022 Energy Fair keynote speakers, Bob Blake and John Farrell,  hosted by MREA Executive Director Nick Hylla. Bob Blake is the founder  and CEO of solar installer, Solar Bear, as well as the executive  director of the non-profit, Native Sun Community Power Development. John  Farrell is the co-director of the Institute for Local Self Reliance and  the director of Energy Democracy Initiative.

The final part of this episode features a conversation with Ellen Barlas, the MREA's Solar Workforce Manager. She discusses the clean energy career fair, solar workforce development, and the Midwest Solar Job Resource Center, solarenergy.jobs.

Get your tickets to the 2022 Energy Fair being held between June 24, 2022 - June 26, 2022 in Custer, Wisconsin at https://www.theenergyfair.org/.

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Show notes: 

(2:44) - Bob Blake explains the origins of his idea for a tribal EV charging network 

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Links:

The Energy Fair

MREA Executive Director Nick Hylla hosts Shimekia Nichols, Executive Director of Soulardarity, an environmental non-profit based in Highland Park, Michigan. Soulardarity's mission is to build community power in Highland Park through community-owned solar streetlights. In their talk, Shimekia explains the origins of Soulardarity, how she came to be involved, and highlights the work Soulardarity has done and continues to do in its community.

Get your tickets to the 2022 Energy Fair being held between June 24, 2022 - June 26, 2022 in Custer, Wisconsin at https://www.theenergyfair.org/.

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Show notes:

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MREA links:

The Energy Fair

Soulardarity links:

Soulardarity's website

In today’s episode, MREA Executive Director Nick Hylla hosts Peter Murphy, the MREA’s Associate Director. Nick spoke with Peter about the development and growth of the Grow Solar Group Buy program, the strength of collective buying power in solar curious communities and methods to improve access to the benefits of solar. Peter details how group buy programs are saving consumers money while offering a better community experience.

MREA Development Coordinator, Kyle Galloway ends the episode by highlighting how you can connect with the MREA Grow Solar staff during the 2022 Energy Fair (June 24, 2022 - June 26, 2022 in Custer, Wisconsin).

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Links:

The Energy Fair

MREA website

Grow Solar program

Volunteer Opportunities at MREA