# Fixing interconnection

- Show: [Catalyst](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst)
- Published: 2023-09-21
- Length: 42m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-09-21-fixing-interconnection

## Summary

Tyler Norris, a PhD candidate at Duke University and former VP of Development at Cypress Creek Renewables, explains how ERCOT’s 'connect-and-manage' interconnection process enables Texas to install 40+ gigawatts of wind and 19 gigawatts of solar, outpacing other states despite having half the peak load of PJM. He contrasts this with the rest of the US, where FERC Order 2023’s shift to cluster studies has not yet solved the systemic delays caused by reliance on System Impact Studies to identify and fund grid upgrades. Norris argues that other markets can adopt Texas’s model by separating proactive transmission planning from the interconnection queue, allowing generators to connect quickly while bearing curtailment risk, thereby accelerating the energy transition.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-09-21-fixing-interconnection#t=0) Introduction: Catalyst rebranding and sponsor reads
- [2:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-09-21-fixing-interconnection#t=168) The Interconnection Bottleneck and Q Backlog
- [6:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-09-21-fixing-interconnection#t=403) FERC Order 2023 and Cluster Studies
- [17:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-09-21-fixing-interconnection#t=1066) ERCOT’s Performance: Wind and Solar Growth
- [20:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-09-21-fixing-interconnection#t=1250) ERCOT’s Connect-and-Manage Process
- [29:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-09-21-fixing-interconnection#t=1777) System Impact Studies and Reliability Concerns
- [36:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-09-21-fixing-interconnection#t=2183) Inefficiencies of the Current US Model
- [39:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-09-21-fixing-interconnection#t=2347) Proposed Reforms for Non-Energy-Only Markets

## Topics

- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- ERCOT (other)
- FERC (other)
- PJM (other)
- Energy Hub (company)
- Bloom Energy (company)
- Tara (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Managing Energy At The Edge: Navigating The Modern Grid With Itron](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2024-09-05-managing-energy-at-the-edge-navigating-the-modern-grid-with-itron) (Over the Air)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-09-21-fixing-interconnection. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Catalyst.