This episode is a graduate-level course on tracking renewable energy from generation to the end user, and the complexities of how policies, processes and markets all interact. My guest is Ben Gerber, the Executive Director of M-RETS, the Midwest Renewable Energy Tracking System based in Minneapolis. And this episode is a first for this podcast as I invite a guest co-host to join me—Tanuj Deora, Vice President of Market Development at Simple Energy. Tanuj is well known in clean energy circles – among his many previous roles he’s served as the Director of the Colorado Energy Office and more recently as EVP at SEPA, the Smart Electric Power Alliance, a role in which he’s been a guest on this podcast before. Ben, Tanuj and I start our conversation with the basics – what is MRETS and what does it do, and how do Renewable Energy Certificates, or RECs, work? We look at how the REC market landscape has been changing for both buyers and sellers, and we get into the debate that’s been happening within the REC community about the value of RECs and if they’ve outlived their usefulness. Tanuj and Ben square off about questions of additionality and look at the extent to which REC policies provide a necessary market incentive to build new renewable generation or whether they can serve as a disincentive in some scenarios. From there we look at the applicability of tracking systems to other sectors such as energy efficiency and energy storage. Then we look more broadly at the implications of RECs for decarbonization, and specifically at how advances in the technology and different market and policy approaches can support meaningful climate action. And we close our conversation with a look at renewable natural gas. We recorded this episode in back in February when Ben was in DC to speak at NARUC’s annual Winter Policy Conference. Though the conversation is a couple months old now, it has aged well aside from Tanuj’s gloating about the Patriots winning the Super Bowl. Show references include: Orange Button Budweiser super bowl ad EPA Webinar: Renewable Natural Gas from Landfill Gas and Sustainability at L’Oréal Recorded February 10, 2019. Published April 29, 2019. Sign up for email news and updates from More Power To You.  Sponsor message: Is the climate crisis stressing you out?  You have a choice in what you do about it. Option 1: Scream into a pillow, or option 2: Drive sustainable corporate behavior through your investments. If you’re like most of us, you probably don’t know what your investment funds are supporting, and there’s a good chance they invest in fossil fuels. Change Finance is a woman-owned and operated Public Benefit Corporation that builds investment funds to change the world. The investments are fossil fuel free, and align with your values without sacrificing returns. Go to change-finance.net/mpty to learn more and start investing today.  Change Finance is a registered investment advisor. This is not an offer to buy or sell any product.

More Power To You

"You came in like a RECing ball", with Ben Gerber and Guest Co-Host Tanuj Deora (Ep. 60)

This is a special episode of More Power to You, in which I bring you an episode of Offshore Wind Insider, a podcast I launched a few months ago for the Business Network for Offshore Wind, which in full disclosure is a client of mine. My guest is Liz Burdock, President and CEO of the Network. Our conversation covers both strengths and challenges facing the US offshore wind industry today. We begin by looking at where the market stands today in terms of its potential capacity, current state commitments and the project development pipeline. We discuss recent lease activity, the entry of major international companies into the US market, what that says about investor confidence and what it may mean for the industry’s growth. We obviously talk about the IPF, the Network’s International Partnering Forum which is just a few weeks away in New York, as well as other activities the Network has planned later this year. Liz shares how the industry’s rapid growth also poses significant supply chain challenges, and she wraps up by looking West and discussing the possibilities for offshore wind in the Pacific. At least I thought she was wrapping up, but then she turns the tables on me and starts asking me questions. So, I share some of what I’ve seen and learned as someone who’s still relatively new to the industry. References: US Offshore Wind Market Update and Insights report 2019 International Partnering Forum Recorded March 12, 2019. Published March 25, 2019. Sign up for email news and updates from More Power To You.  Is the climate crisis stressing you out?  You have a choice in what you do about it. Option 1: Scream into a pillow, or option 2: Drive sustainable corporate behavior through your investments. If you’re like most of us, you probably don’t know what your investment funds are supporting, and there’s a good chance they invest in fossil fuels. Change Finance is a woman-owned and operated Public Benefit Corporation that builds investment funds to change the world. The investments are fossil fuel free, and align with your values without sacrificing returns. Go to change-finance.net/mpty to learn more and start investing today.  Change Finance is a registered investment advisor. This is not an offer to buy or sell any product.

Offshore Winds 2019, with Liz Burdock, President & CEO of the Business Network for Offshore Wind (Ep. 59)

 My guest this episode is climate advocate Will Hackman. Will hails from America’s heartland, spent three seasons as a commercial fisherman in Alaska, has attended the past three UN climate conferences, and works in DC advancing climate and clean energy policy in the NGO community. We start our conversation by discussing the need for climate action. Why do we need to keep global warming within 2° C, and what will that look like if we’re to take the steps needed to meet that target? Will then sets the record straight on a number of common misconceptions people have about the climate debate. And we close by looking at the federal Administration and at Congress – what impacts have current policies and laws been having, and what are the prospects for more impactful change? Resources mentioned: Three articles written by Will: The Business Case for U.S. Policy Leadership in Combating Climate Change: Part One The Business Case for U.S. Policy Leadership in Combating Climate Change: Part Two The Rise of Cities and States in Fighting Climate Change: Key Takeaways from the 2017 United Nations Climate Conference Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Renewable Energy: A Key Climate Solution (IRENA, 2017) We Are Still In Recorded January 10, 2019. Published January 16, 2019. Sign up for email news and updates from More Power To You.  Dedicated to covering America’s transition to a clean energy economy, the Energy News Network features both original reporting and daily aggregated content. You can subscribe for free to any of its regional services covering the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest and West, or to its national service—US Energy News—at energynews.us.  

Climate Advocacy with Will Hackman (Ep. 58)

In this episode we focus on energy efficiency in rural America. My guest is Mary Shoemaker, State Policy Analyst at ACEEE, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Our conversation focuses on both challenges and solutions, and we cover a broad range of issues, starting with what makes rural America unique in terms of energy efficiency and its overall energy burden.  We discuss a number of topics including what ACEEE has been doing to address the rural space; the importance of broadband; different financing solutions; data and customer engagement, and economic development and job creation. Mary offers a number of specific examples where these programs are being implemented, and we also spend some time talking about Appalachia in particular because Mary is part of a team developing policy recommendations for the Central Appalachian Network. Show references include: ACEEE publications:  Reaching Rural Communities with Energy Efficiency(report) Rural Energy Burdens(report) + accompanying fact sheet State Energy Efficiency Scorecard(report) + accompanying fact sheet Rural Energy Conference(conference page and presentation PDFs) Other references:  Ameren Missouri proposal offers customers fast-charge electric vehicle stations, improved air quality and new choices(Cision PR Newswire) Oncor’s MainStreet Efficiency program Southern Virginia Higher Education Center Efficiency Vermont Co-Mo builds on Connect to launch SmartHub (Co-Mo Electric Cooperative blog post) USDA’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Loan Program (EECLP) USDA’s Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP) Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED)’s How$martKY Minnesota’s Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) Central Appalachian Network (CAN) Natural Capital Investment Fund Rural Support Partners Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia   Recorded December 11, 2018. Published December 17, 2018.  Sign up for email news and updates from More Power To You.  Dedicated to covering America’s transition to a clean energy economy, the Energy News Network features both original reporting and daily aggregated content. You can subscribe for free to any of its regional services covering the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest and West, or to its national service—US Energy News—at energynews.us.  

Rural Energy Efficiency, with Mary Shoemaker of ACEEE (Ep. 57)

In this episode we focus on carbon pricing and its prospects both federally and in the states. My guests are Andres Jimenez, Senior Director of Government Affairs, and Jamie DeMarco, State-Level Carbon Pricing Coordinator, for Citizens' Climate Lobby. In a purely coincidental bit of good timing, the morning that our interview was scheduled, a bipartisan group of Congressmembers introduced a major new federal carbon price bill. We start the interview by discussing the bill, what it does and what its prospects are, and then we shift gears and discuss the state landscape for carbon pricing. References include: Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (HR 7173) Bill summary from Rep. Ted Deutch's office  CCL's webpage on the bill Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report 15 Fourth National Climate Assessment Articles: Bipartisan group of lawmakers propose landmark carbon tax (Timothy Cama and Miranda Green, The Hill, Nov. 28) House lawmakers introduce first bipartisan carbon tax bill in a decade (Josh Siegel, Washington Examiner, Nov. 28) A hopeless carbon tax bill that's still worth watching (Ben Geman, Axios, Nov. 28)   Recorded: November 28, 2018. Published: November 29, 2018. Sign up for email news and updates from More Power To You.  More Power To You is sponsored by the Energy News Network. With original reporting on clean energy and daily digests of timely aggregated content, the Energy News Network is dedicated to covering America's transition to a clean energy economy. Subscribe for free to its regional services covering the West, Midwest, Northeast and Southeast, or to its national service—US Energy News—at energynews.us.  

Carbon Price Prospects, with Andres Jimenez and Jamie DeMarco of CCL (Ep. 56)

 In this episode we put on our energy geek hats to focus on demand response, and explore how utilities are implementing demand response programs across the US. My guest is Brenda Chew, an analyst at SEPA – the Smart Electric Power Alliance, and lead author of SEPA’s 2018 Utility Demand Response Market Snapshot report which serves as the basis for our conversation. We begin by discussing how SEPA defines demand response and what it covers for purposes of the report. We look at some big-picture numbers, then go sector by sector, looking at different types of demand response programs and some specific utility case studies. For me, the really intriguing aspect of demand response is how it relates to the broader transition to a smarter, cleaner and more renewable electric grid. And in that vein we discuss some of the customer behavior aspects of demand response, and explore its applications to the energy storage and electric vehicles sectors. We close by looking ahead at how the demand response ecosystem may continue to evolve in the years ahead. Show references include: SEPA's 2018 Utility Demand Response Market Snapshot Stem wins big with 85MW of energy storage in SCE procurement (Greentech Media, Nov. 5, 2014) Maui Electric's EV charging time of use rates information page SDG&E 'Power Your Drive" EV charging time of use information page Arizona utility will use 'reverse demand response' to avoid renewables curtailment, (Utility Dive, Sept. 27, 2017) Recorded October 9, 2018. Published November 12, 2018. Sign up for email news and updates from More Power To You. 

Demand Response, with Brenda Chew of SEPA (Ep. 55)

This is a special episode of More Power To You, the first episode recorded in front of a live audience. Earlier this month the Maryland Clean Energy Center hosted its annual Maryland Clean Energy Summit in College Park, and I moderated a panel titled The Mechanics of Offshore Wind: Moving to the Grid of the Future. The four panelists were: Jason Folsom, Offshore Wind Representative for the Americas for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Prem Pereira, Project Construction Director for Deepwater Wind Markian Melnyk, President of Atlantic Grid Development, and Belton Zeigler, Partner and Co-Leader of the Energy and Natural Resources Team at the law firm Womble Bond Dickinson This wide-ranging conversation touches on a broad range of issues that all relate to offshore wind, including the economics of offshore wind, different approaches to building the offshore transmission infrastructure, grid integration, load balancing and much more. Presenters' slide decks: Prem Pereira: Deepwater Wind Markian Melnyk: Atlantic Grid Development Recorded October 9, 2018. Published October 29, 2018.

The Mechanics of Offshore Wind—Live from the Maryland Clean Energy Summit 2018 (Ep. 54)

  Welcome to the sixth and final episode in a special series of More Power To You, produced in partnership with the Maryland Clean Energy Center for National Clean Energy Week 2018. Each episode spotlights a different clean energy technology, and features some of the people and companies leading the way in Maryland.  In this episode, we focus on bioenergy. My guests are Shawn Kreloff, CEO of the Americas for BTS BioEnergy, and Andy Moss, Technical Director for Planet Found Energy Development. It's a two-part episode as each interview was recorded separately. As you'll hear, bioenergy is a really interesting sector because it has a lot of overlap with the agriculture sector. It poses some interesting challenges but also offers some neat opportunities. Special Offer for MPTY listeners: Next month, the Maryland Clean Energy Center is hosting its annual Maryland Clean Energy Summit, a three-day conference from October 8-10 in College Park. The conference focuses on cutting-edge technologies, modern business models, and innovative regulations and financing solutions to ensure a secure, resilient and transactive power grid. More Power To You listeners will get a 10 percent discount on registration if you enter the coupon code MPTY at checkout.  Recorded September 14 and 17, 2018. Published September 27, 2018.

Bioenergy—Sixth in a six-part series with the Maryland Clean Energy Center (Ep. 53)

  Welcome to Part Five in a special six-part series of More Power To You, produced in partnership with the Maryland Clean Energy Center for National Clean Energy Week 2018. Each episode spotlights a different clean energy technology, and features some of the people and companies leading the way in Maryland.  This week’s focus is electric transportation. My guests are:  Genevieve Cullen, President of the Electric Drive Transportation Association Mahi Reddy, CEO of SemaConnect, which in full disclosure is a client of mine, and David Clamage, consultant to Generate Capital where he oversees day-to-day operations of customer finance offerings for BYD, the world’s largest electric bus maker  For the interview I sat down in person with Genevieve and Mahi, and recorded David separately. The conversations collectively touch on a range of topics including with the rapid growth of electric transportation, and the evolution of policy, technology and customer awareness. We look at the critical role of EV charging infrastructure, how the paradigm is shifting in terms of how drivers fuel up, and how smart, managed charging can help mitigate the need for new generation capacity. We disuss Electrify America’s massive charging infrastructure investment plan and the job and economic development implications of electrification. In the segment with David Clamage we look at buses and fleets, and touch on financing, public policy and more. Special Offer for MPTY listeners: Next month, the Maryland Clean Energy Center is hosting its annual Maryland Clean Energy Summit, a three-day conference from October 8-10 in College Park. The conference focuses on cutting-edge technologies, modern business models, and innovative regulations and financing solutions to ensure a secure, resilient and transactive power grid. More Power To You listeners will get a 10 percent discount on registration if you enter the coupon code MPTY at checkout.  Recorded July 20 and August 2, 2018. Published September 27, 2018.

Electric Mobility—Fifth in a six-part series with the Maryland Clean Energy Center (Ep. 52)

  Welcome to Part Four in a special six-part series of More Power To You, produced in partnership with the Maryland Clean Energy Center for National Clean Energy Week 2018. Each episode spotlights a different clean energy technology, and features some of the people and companies leading the way in Maryland.  This week’s focus is offshore wind energy, and my guest is someone who’ll be familiar to regular listeners: Liz Burdock, President and CEO of the Business Network for Offshore Wind. Our conversation begins with a review of some major state developments over the past few months. We discuss the importance of scale in developing the offshore wind supply chain, the role of smaller projects in growing the industry, and the importance of state policy and legislation, particularly in Maryland. Liz recounts the history of the Network which she co-founded in Maryland several years ago, and we close by discussing some new Network initiatives including the new Offshore Wind Insider podcast, and look ahead to next year’s IPF, the Network’s signature event. In full disclosure, the Network is a client of mine, and I’m an unabashed supporter not just of offshore wind as a clean energy source, but of the Network. And as an example of just how fast the offshore wind industry is advancing, we recorded this show exactly two weeks ago. As you’ll hear in the interview, we were discussing how New Jersey would be releasing a solicitation some time in the future. Just last week New Jersey issued its solicitation for 1,100 MW of offshore wind, the largest single state OSW solicitation in US history. Special Offer for MPTY listeners: Next month, the Maryland Clean Energy Center is hosting its annual Maryland Clean Energy Summit, a three-day conference from October 8-10 in College Park. The conference focuses on cutting-edge technologies, modern business models, and innovative regulations and financing solutions to ensure a secure, resilient and transactive power grid. More Power To You listeners will get a 10 percent discount on registration if you enter the coupon code MPTY at checkout.  Recorded September 12, 2018. Published September 26, 2018.

Offshore Wind Energy—Fourth in a six-part series with the Maryland Clean Energy Center (Ep.51)

  Welcome to Part Three in a special six-part series of More Power To You, produced in partnership with the Maryland Clean Energy Center for National Clean Energy Week 2018. Each episode spotlights a different clean energy technology, and features some of the people and companies leading the way in Maryland.  In this episode we focus on distributed energy solutions. My guests are:  Geoff Oxnam, CEO of American Microgrid Solutions Eric Wachsman, Director of the University of Maryland Energy and Innovation Institute, and CEO of Ion Storage Systems Michele Mitch-Peterson, Senior Business Consultant at Honeywell Our conversation covers a range of issues that all stem from the electricity transition we’re in the midst of—from the old, centralized power grid to a smarter, networked and more distributed grid. We discuss how new technologies and ways of integrating them can make the system more efficient; reduce carbon emissions; improve grid security, reliability and sustainability; and serve as a huge job creation engine. Special Offer for MPTY listeners: Next month, the Maryland Clean Energy Center is hosting its annual Maryland Clean Energy Summit, a three-day conference from October 8-10 in College Park. The conference focuses on cutting-edge technologies, modern business models, and innovative regulations and financing solutions to ensure a secure, resilient and transactive power grid. More Power To You listeners will get a 10 percent discount on registration if you enter the coupon code MPTY at checkout.  Recorded July 23, 2010. Published September 25, 2018.

Distributed Energy Resources—Third in a six-part series with the Maryland Clean Energy Center (Ep. 50)

  Welcome to Part Two in a special six-part series of More Power To You, produced in partnership with the Maryland Clean Energy Center for National Clean Energy Week 2018. Each of these episodes spotlights a different clean energy technology, and features some of the people and companies leading the way in Maryland.  In this episode, the second in the series, we focus on solar energy in Maryland. My guests are David Murray, Executive Director of MDV-SEIA; Cyrus Tashakkori, President of Open Road Renewables; and Corey Ramsden, VP of Go Solar at Solar United Neighbors.  In our conversation we examine different segments of the solar industry including utility scale, residential rooftop, and the commercial and industrial sectors. We discuss the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard and the importance of state policy in growing the industry; we look at energy equity issues, the economics of solar, and close with ahead towards next year’s legislative session. References SEIA’s Solar Spotlight—Maryland fact sheet Benefits and Costs of Utility Scale and Behind the Meter Solar Resources in Maryland (April 10, 2018 Draft), Daymark Energy Advisors EARN Maryland GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic CivicWorks Power52 Clean Choice Energy Special Offer for MPTY listeners: Next month, the Maryland Clean Energy Center is hosting its annual Maryland Clean Energy Summit, a three-day conference from October 8-10 in College Park. The conference focuses on cutting-edge technologies, modern business models, and innovative regulations and financing solutions to ensure a secure, resilient and transactive power grid. More Power To You listeners will get a 10 percent discount on registration if you enter the coupon code MPTY at checkout.  Recorded August 29, 2010. Published September 24, 2018.

Solar Energy in Maryland —Second in a six-part series with the Maryland Clean Energy Center (Ep.49)

  Welcome to a special six-part series of More Power To You, produced in partnership with the Maryland Clean Energy Center for National Clean Energy Week 2018. Each of these six episodes spotlights a different clean energy technology, and features some of the people and companies leading the way in Maryland.  In this episode, the first in the series, we focus on Energy Efficiency in the Built Environment. My three guests all wear multiple hats: they run small businesses and also serve in leadership roles in industry associations. Nakita Reed is a Principal at Encore Sustainable Design and Chair of the Maryland Green Building Council Michelle Griffith, is a Manager at DeVere Insulation Home Performance and Chair of the Maryland Building Performance Association Michael Giangrandi is the owner of A.J. Michaels Company and Chair of the Maryland Alliance of Energy Contractors. In our conversation we look at how the energy efficiency sector is a big employer of local jobs, but finding trained employees can sometimes be a challenge; and how standards and policy have driven change within the industry. We discuss different ways of financing energy efficiency upgrades, including the Empower Maryland program; we look at the unique challenges and advantages of older, historic properties; and we close with a look ahead and how the industry may continue to evolve.  Special Offer for MPTY listeners: Next month, the Maryland Clean Energy Center is hosting its annual Maryland Clean Energy Summit, a three-day conference that runs from October 8-10 in College Park. The conference focuses on cutting-edge technologies, modern business models, and innovative regulations and financing solutions to ensure a secure, resilient and transactive power grid. More Power To You listeners will get a 10 percent discount on registration if you enter the coupon code MPTY at checkout.  Recorded July 23, 2018. Published September 23, 2018.

Energy Efficiency in the Built Environment—First in a six-part series with the Maryland Clean Energy Center (Ep.48)

 In this episode of More Power To You we explore the nexus of electrification, transportation and industrial marine ports. My guest is Christine Houston, Manager of Sustainable Practices at the Port of Long Beach, the 2nd largest port in the country and a national leader in electrification. In our conversation we touch on a range of issues including why the Port is pursuing electrification in the first place, what’s involved in electrifying a massive marine port, the implications of electrification for managing load, and what port electrification and automation mean for jobs and workforce development. References include: The Port's Energy Island Initiative brochure Video of the Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) at the Long Beach Container Terminal  POLB electrician training partnerships with Long Beach City College and IBEW: https://academy.polb.com/career/electrician/ Recorded August 23, 2018. Published September 10, 2018.  Sign up for email news and updates from More Power To You.  More Power To You is sponsored by SemaConnect, the leading provider of smart, networked electric vehicle charging stations. SemaConnect’s integrated solution combines its elegantly-designed charging station with its cutting edge cloud-based network, making it easy for drivers to manage their charging experience on their laptop, tablet or mobile device. Unlike some of its competitors, SemaConnect’s support for open standards and interoperability, combined with its robust dashboard, data analytics and reporting, make it an ideal solution for public utilities who want to manage and operate their own charging networks. And SemaConnect’s turn-key experience allows property managers to easily add and manage charging stations at their properties. American-owned, SemaConnect designs, assembles and distributes all its products at its headquarters in Maryland. Learn more about SemaConnect and its best in class service and warranty at SemaConnect.com.  

The Greening of a Marine Port, with Christine Houston of the Port of Long Beach (Ep.47)

 In this episode we take a regional look at energy efficiency in the Southeastern U.S. My guest is Mandy Mahoney, President of the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, or SEEA. We start off by discussing the concept of energy efficiency and what it means these days, and then dive into SEEA’s energy efficiency work in the South, including the energy equity work that SEEA is doing in high poverty and often rural communities. Mandy, a native-born Southerner, shares her perspective on some of the economic and cultural nuances that can make it challenging to advance energy efficiency and clean energy in the South, but we also explore some innovative approaches that work. We then get into some of the interesting ways in which SEEA is expanding its energy efficiency focus to include electric transportation, storm resiliency and even healthcare. We close with a preview of SEEA’s upcoming annual Conference which will be held in Atlanta this October. Resources mentioned include: Collaboration: One Key to Arkansas' Success (slide deck by Arkansas PSC's Matthew Klucher Ouachita Electric Cooperative's HELP PAYS (Pay As You Save) Energy Efficiency Program Partnership for Southern Equity Green and Healthy Homes Initiative FORTIFIED Home™ standard for resilient construction ACEEE Rural Energy Conference fusion (2018 SEEA Conference) Recorded August 22, 2018. Published August 27, 2018. Sign up for email news and updates from More Power To You.  More Power To You is sponsored by SemaConnect, the leading provider of smart, networked electric vehicle charging stations. SemaConnect’s integrated solution combines its elegantly-designed charging station with its cutting edge cloud-based network, making it easy for drivers to manage their charging experience on their laptop, tablet or mobile device. Unlike some of its competitors, SemaConnect’s support for open standards and interoperability, combined with its robust dashboard, data analytics and reporting, make it an ideal solution for public utilities who want to manage and operate their own charging networks. And SemaConnect’s turn-key experience allows property managers to easily add and manage charging stations at their properties. American-owned, SemaConnect designs, assembles and distributes all its products at its headquarters in Maryland. Learn more about SemaConnect and its best in class service and warranty at SemaConnect.com.    

Energy Efficiency, Southern Style -- with Mandy Mahoney, President of SEEA (Ep.46)

Podcasting about the policy and politics shaping our clean energy economy.