The Electric Wire

Not only is the energy produced by solar panels clean, but cutting-edge recycling technology makes them fully sustainable as well. On this episode of The Electric Wire, Kristin Gilkes is joined by Chris Stearns, National Sales Director at Cascade Eco Minerals, to discuss solar module recycling and the policies and costs impacting the demand for this process.

We’ve been bringing you the Electric Wire podcast as a way to stay informed on Wisconsin energy and utility news since February of 2020, and we thought it was time to take a look back on some of our favorite moments from the Electric Wire.

Matt Spencer from Madison Gas and Electric joins Kristin Gilkes to co-host a countdown of Ten Powerful Moments (and one honorable mention) from the Electric Wire.

Themes from these top moments include bringing stakeholders together to tackle big issues in the industry; protecting all utility customers; and visualizing the new energy innovations that are propelling the clean energy transition forward.

The latest episode of the Electric Wire is a “hot take” episode, where we’ve conducted four separate mini-interviews, about 5-6 minutes each, to talk about community solar in Wisconsin.

Back in 2017, the Customers First! Coalition put together a whitepaper about the community solar projects and models that fit within the regulatory structure here in Wisconsin. In this podcast episode, we’ll follow up on some of those innovative projects mentioned in the whitepaper.

Our guests include:

Links mentioned in Episode

2017 CFC Community Solar Whitepaper

Electric Wire Podcast Episode: Utility Regulation and Protecting Customers

Electric Wire Podcast Episode: EV Road Trip

On this episode, our goal is to help listeners better understand how energy assistance is administered, how pandemic-related funding is being distributed, and what resources are available to in-need households as Wisconsin’s moratorium on disconnecting electric customers from service comes to an end on April 15.

Our guests include:

You’ll find answers to these questions and more:

The following resources are mentioned in this episode:

Energy Benefits & Eligibility

www.energybenefit.wi.gov - Home Energy Plus Application

1-800-506-5596 – On-demand energy assistance application and customer care center

Public Service Commission Resources

Call 1-800-225-7729 to talk to a customer care representative at the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin or visit www.psc.wi.gov to find information or file a complaint online. More information from the PSC can be found in this press release: PSC Urges Consumers to Seek Assistance before Moratorium on Utility Disconnections End

Noted in the podcast: Customers should reach out to their local utility provider first to begin the process of working out a payment plan if they’re at risk of disconnection for non-payment.

Widespread power outages and skyrocketing customer bills due to a frigid February freeze in Texas are raising questions about the way the state regulates power providers.

We brought in a panel of experts to weigh in on questions about regulation, reliability, and what went wrong in Texas. Our panel:

We’ll address the following questions in this roundtable discussion:

Links Referenced

“The real problem in Texas: Deregulation,” Opinion Column by Paul Griffin, Utility Dive,

“Texas Energy Co-Op Files For Bankruptcy After Storm, High Bill,” NPR,

Other Readings

“Texas Electric Bills Were $28 Billion Higher Under Deregulation,” Wall Street Journal,

“Texas Overcharged $16 Billion for Power During Freeze, Monitor Says” Wall Street Journal,

“The $16 Billion in Texas Power Overcharges? Monitor Says Only $3.2 Billion Can Be Undone,” Wall Street Journal,

“Texas PUC doubles down on refusal to reprice $16B market 'error' under pressure from leg, governor,” Utility Dive,

Other Podcast Episodes

The Energy Gang Podcast: “The Texas Grid Failure,”

Columbia Energy Exchange: “Making Sense of the Texas Energy Crisis,”

https://columbiaenergyexchange.libsyn.com/making-sense-of-the-texas-energy-crisis

With so much breaking energy news, co-hosts Kristin Gilkes (CFC) and Tom Content (CUB) first review recent headlines, including: the announced closure of the coal-fired Columbia Energy Center in Portage, WI; a new solar/storage proposal from WEC and MGE; diversity and equity reporting requirements at the PSCW; recent WI state budget and legislative news; and the devastating electric system failures in Texas. We are joined by a panel to discuss coal plant closures and the clean energy transition from the perspective of several different stakeholders, including Todd Stuart of the Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group, Scott Smith of Madison Gas and Electric, and Dan Litchfield of Invenergy. Panel begins at 21:00.

We’re talking utility regulation! We start with a simple question – why are utilities regulated? (Ok, this question technically doesn’t get asked until minute 7:56, but who’s counting?) We also sort through some common terms on this topic, including discussion about deregulation, restructuring, and retail choice. These topics were central to the founding of the Customers First! Coalition over twenty years ago.

Our first interview is with Commissioner Ellen Nowak of the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. We discuss some basics of utility regulation from a regulator’s perspective, as well as her take on topics like retail choice and performance-based ratemaking.

Next, Bill Malcolm of AARP joins to discuss his views on regulation and protecting utility customers. Follow Bill on Twitter @RTOWatchdog. He’s also available to connect on Facebook and LinkedIn. AARP web site: https://www.aarp.org/

Interview with Commissioner Nowak begins at minute 3:30.

Interview with Bill Malcolm begins at minute 35:00.

CUB Illinois: Report: Since 2015, IL Customers Have Lost $1 Billion With Alternative Suppliers

Link to download referenced 2019 Illinois Commerce Commission report: https://www.icc.illinois.gov/downloads/public/July%201%20ORMD%20Final%20PR.pdf

What was the energy story of 2020? What about the "shock" of the year? Who's got the next bright idea for 2021? On the latest episode of The Electric Wire podcast, we've got an outstanding roundtable to help review the year of 2020 and look ahead to some brighter days in 2021. 

Links Mentioned During Podcast:

Keep Wisconsin Warm Fund:

Annual Renewable Energy Summit Registration Link: 

Wisconsin State Journal: Xcel Energy proposes microgrids to improve reliability for large customers

In this episode of the Electric Wire, we take a look at polling and the 2020 Presidential Election results with pollster Charles Franklin, @pollsandvotes. Later in the podcast, we host a Customers First! Coalition member roundtable with some of the government affairs representatives for CFC members, including Matt Spencer of Madison Gas & Electric, Jennifer Shilling of Dairyland Power Cooperative, Joseph Owen of WPPI Energy, and Rob Richard of Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association.

Interview with Franklin begins at 7:10

Government Affairs Roundtable begins at 33:55

Kristin Gilkes is joined by Marge Anderson, Executive Vice President at Slipstream, to discuss green buildings and the upcoming October Energy webinar series hosted by the Customers First! Coalition and Slipstream. Kathy Kuntz, Acting Director of the Dane County Office of Energy and Climate Change also joins to discuss the Dane County Climate Action Plan’s recommendations on buildings and more. We discuss measures listeners can take today to make their homes and businesses more energy efficient.

Interview with Kathy Kuntz begins at 14:13.

Register for October Energy webinars: www.customersfirst.org/events

Information about Oregon, WI School District new net-zero elementary school: https://www.nationalsolartour.org/event/forest-edge-elementary-school