In this episode, we will learn more about the 81 cities, towns and villages across Wisconsin that own and operate a municipal electric utility. These municipal utilities are organized together through the Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin (MEUW),  and we brought together a panel of experts to share more about the unique benefits of public power, including: Tim Heinrich, President and CEO of MEUW; Tyler Vorpagel, Director of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs at MEUW;  Troy Adams, General Manager, Manitowoc Public Utilities; Jill Weiss, Utilities Director at Stoughton Utilities; and, Rick Wicklund, General Manager, Sun Prairie Utilities.   

Note: MEUW is a member of the Customers First! Coalition. 

Links from Episode:   

Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin  

https://www.meuw.org/   

Manitowoc Public Utilities 

https://www.mpu.org/ 

Sun Prairie Utilities 

https://www.sunprairieutilities.com/   

Stoughton Utilities 

https://stoughtonutilities.com/   

Great Lakes Utilities 

https://www.greatlakesutilities.org/   

WPPI Energy 

https://wppienergy.org/

We take a closer look at the investor-owned utility model with Jeff Keebler, Chairman, President, and CEO of Madison Gas and Electric. Jeff shares more insights on how investor-owned utilities work, how they're regulated, and the new technologies changing the power dynamics in the industry.  

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) electric power sector survey data, almost 3,000 electric distribution companies—or utilities—are operating in the United States. EIA classifies utilities into three ownership types: investor-owned utilities, publicly run utilities such as municipal utilities, and cooperatives.   

This episode features investor-owned utilities, or IOUs, which are large electric distributors that issue stock owned by shareholders. Almost three-quarters of utility customers get their electricity from these companies.   

Upcoming episodes will discuss municipal utilities and electric cooperatives.   

Note: MGE is a member of the Customers First! Coalition, which produces the Electric Wire podcast.   

Links and additional reading:   

Energy Information Administration (EIA):  https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=40913    

Madison Gas and Electric https://www.mge.com/   

Wisconsin Utilities Association https://www.wiutilities.org/  

Edison Electric Institute https://www.eei.org/  

American Gas Association https://www.aga.org/   

Public Service Commission of Wisconsin https://psc.wi.gov/   

Public Service Commission of Wisconsin: Electric Service Territory Maps https://maps.psc.wi.gov/portal/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=bb1a9f501e3d472cbde970310540b466   

Wisconsin Legislative Council: Overview of Wisconsin’s Public Utility Regulatory System https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lc/information_memos/2017/im_2017_01

Laurel Peltier of the Maryland Energy Supplier Reform Coalition joins to discuss her first-hand experience with retail choice in Maryland. Laurel helps customers decipher their energy bills and has found countless examples of customers who would be saving money if they had stayed with their regulated utility.   

Laurel's web site:  https://www.energysupplierhelpdesk.org/ 

Laurel's recommendation for saving money on energy bills starts with energy efficiency! Wisconsin customers can get information on energy efficiency audits and energy saving measures from Focus on Energy, here: https://focusonenergy.com/

[Note: Audio Only Episode] New Ford F150 Lightning owners Nick and Alicia Schmidt join the Electric Wire to share some of their experiences as the first recipients of Ford's F150 Lightning EV. We discuss EV charging, the Lightning's infamous "frunk", and their experience towing an Airstream behind the Lightning.   

Link to NPR story on Nick and Alicia from earlier this summer:  https://www.npr.org/2022/06/20/1104920656/ford-electric-f150-lightning-electric-vehicles-automakers

Andy Bochman, Senior Grid Strategist, Idaho National Lab and Bob Stone, Business Manager, IBEW 2150, join host Kristin Gilkes to discuss a range of issues including preserving jobs and reliability in the coal to cleaner power transition, and how Andy's coined the term "global weirding." A must-listen episode that serves as a follow up to our recent conversation with Brent Ridge of Dairyland Power Cooperative about their exploration of nuclear energy.

Brent Ridge, President and CEO, Dairyland Power Cooperative, and Phil Montgomery, former Wisconsin legislator and PSCW Chairperson, join host Kristin Gilkes, Executive Director, Customers First! Coalition, to discuss the future of nuclear power in Wisconsin and how new small modular reactor (SMR) technology may help facilitate the clean energy transition.

Matthew Spencer of Madison Gas & Electric joins host Kristin Gilkes for a short conversation previewing an upcoming event hosted by the Customers First! Coalition to discuss state policies impacting electric vehicle adoption.   

The event is titled "CFC Power Dialogue: A Candid Conversation about Electric Vehicle Policies" and will be held from 2 pm - 6 pm on Tuesday, May 3, 2022 at the Madison Club in Madison, WI.   

Register to attend the May 3 Power Dialogue event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cfc-power-dialogue-a-candid-conversation-about-electric-vehicle-policies-registration-315742663807  

Watch the Power Dialogue event on Wisconsin Eye live on May 3, 2022 beginning at 2:30 pm CST:  https://wiseye.org/live/

Rebecca Ryan and Lauren Azar join the Electric Wire for a conversation about change in the energy industry and in our world. Rebecca, one of the nation’s leading futurists, discusses local and global trends that everyone should be preparing for. Lauren, one of America’s most respected utility attorneys, leads the conversation about change in the energy industry, as they answer the following questions, and more:

· How do we get those in the utility industry to start thinking like futurists?

· How important are governmental or industry goals to get where we want to go?

· What does the future look like for EV’s and electrification?

· What are the craziest changes coming by 2050 that we haven’t thought of yet?

Cari Anne Renlund, Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Madison Gas and Electric Co., joins Kristin Gilkes, Executive Director of the Customers First! Coalition, as co-host (and bonus guest) for a lively and inspiring conversation about the direction of the industry.

Links from the Episode:

More on MGE’s 2030 and 2050 Carbon Reduction Goals:

IPCC: Sixth Assessment Report

Note from Rebecca: The Good Judgment Project (https://www.gjopen.com) makes predictions on EV penetration and MANY other things. The Good Judgment Project was founded by the author of Superforecasting, Phil Tetlock who found that regular people can learn to do foresight as well or better than trained CIA agents.

Long Bets is also does long term wagering about the future, fueled by a bunch of futurists and thought leaders. I just dropped on and Steven Pinker has a challenge about Bioterrorism.

How to Become a Cyborg from MIT Technology Review:

On February 23, 2022, several legislators invited representatives from Wisconsin’s investor-owned utilities to provide information to legislative offices at the Wisconsin State Capitol about the higher-than-average costs of natural gas heating bills this winter.

On this episode of the Electric Wire podcast, we share a recording of the briefing, including information provided by Bill Skewes, Executive Director, Wisconsin Utilities Association; Rich Stasik, Director of State Regulatory Affairs, WEC Energy Group; Sara Mead, Director of Gas Supply, WEC Business Services; and, Matt Vincent, Senior Manager of Energy Markets and Fuel Supply, Alliant Energy.

Energy Information Administration: Fluctuating weather this winter has significantly affected natural gas prices…

“Natural gas prices in the United States fluctuate during the winter months due to a variety of factors, including the levels of natural gas inventories, production, consumption, exports, pipeline congestion, availability and competition with other energy sources in electricity generation, and weather.

Unusually cold winter weather events result in increased demand for space heating and may be accompanied by production disruptions (such as well freeze-offs) or natural gas infrastructure disruptions (such as compressor outages).”

Link:

We Energies: Understanding the PGA line on your bill

“Natural gas is bought and sold on the commodities market, similar to goods like oil or milk. The price we pay for the gas is the same price you pay — there is no mark up.”

Link:

Related Resources

Home Energy Plus Application

Keep Wisconsin Warm Fund

Episode 21 of the Electric Wire podcast features a conversation about wind turbine blade recycling with Nicholas Killen, Director, Head of Manufacturing Lifecycle Services, Regional Manufacturing AME, Vestas Blades. Commissioner Tyler Huebner of the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin joins Kristin Gilkes, Executive Director of the Customers First! Coalition, as a co-host.

The interview addresses the following questions and more:

How do wind turbines work and how long do they last?

What is the process for recycling wind turbine blades?

What does the recycled material become at the end of the recycling process?

What is the future for the recycling of blades?

What are the costs and benefits of recycling the blades?

Both Killen and Commissioner Huebner share what they’d do with “all the power” in the industry for the final question of the episode.

Video of episode is available on the Customers First! Coalition YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/IebcxHpMf5M

Public Service Commission of Wisconsin on Twitter: @PSCWisconsin

Nicholas Killen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-killen/

Electric Wire on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theelectricwire