Renewable Energy Policy with Ari Gerstman

The Amp Hour · 2 May 2023 · 1h 20m · Episode 630

What this episode covers

Ari Gerstman, from the Department of Energy's Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP), discusses the transformative impact of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, which have allocated $100 billion to shift the US energy paradigm. He explains how massive electrification, driven by EVs and heat pumps, is creating unprecedented grid load, forcing utilities to choose between expensive infrastructure upgrades and distributed energy resources like microgrids and batteries. Gerstman highlights the regulatory challenges of investor-owned utilities, the importance of energy efficiency codes, and the social equity issues surrounding flat electricity rates for low-income residents.

Mentioned

Companies
Department of Energy, Siemens, ABB, NYSERDA, Duke Energy
Also
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Catalyst · 14m

    What electric forklifts teach us about creative policy [partner content]

    Wes Whited and Angie Ziech-Malek, consultants at DNV, discuss how the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is accelerating the electrification of industrial equipment, using electric forklifts as a primary case study for utility program design. They explain how utilities can leverage federal rebates and change cost-effectiveness frameworks to overcome customer barriers like first cost, while also highlighting the emerging potential of heat pump water heaters and industrial heat pumps. The conversation covers the critical role of states in shifting from energy savings to greenhouse gas impact metrics and the necessity of public-private partnerships to meet decarbonization goals.

  • Over the Air · 31m

    Managing Energy At The Edge: Navigating The Modern Grid With Itron

    Nick Tumilowicz, Director of Product Management at Itron, discusses the challenges of managing the aging electrical grid amid the energy transition, focusing on transformer capacity limits and the shift to underground infrastructure. He explains how Itron leverages its installed base of smart meters as edge compute devices to enable real-time, autonomous load management for distributed energy resources like EVs and solar. The conversation covers the long sales cycles in the utility sector, the cultural differences in grid adoption between the US and Europe, and the importance of balancing technological innovation with customer incentives.

  • Catalyst · 31m

    Frontier Forum: A new playbook for clean energy growth

    Heather O’Neill, CEO of Advanced Energy United, explains how the trade group shifted its strategy from federal lobbying to state-level advocacy following the 2010 failure of the Waxman-Marries cap-and-trade bill. She outlines a new policy playbook centered on three principles: building clean energy infrastructure quickly, making the grid flexible through tools like virtual power plants (VPPs) and advanced transmission technologies, and ensuring affordability for consumers. O’Neill highlights specific state successes in Michigan, Virginia, and Indiana regarding permitting reform, and discusses the urgent need to address load growth driven by data centers and electrification while managing rising electricity costs.

  • Catalyst · 50m

    Navigating the electricity gauntlet

    Andy Lubershane, partner and head of research at Energy Impact Partners, joins Shayle Khan to discuss the 'electricity gauntlet,' where surging power demand from data centers, battery manufacturing, and EV charging collides with supply chain bottlenecks and regulatory hurdles. They analyze how the flatlining of electricity demand over the past two decades is ending, driven by new industrial loads like green hydrogen and generative AI, which are straining utility capacity. The conversation highlights critical short-term challenges, including a severe shortage of electrical transformers, interconnection queues, and the need for microgrids and carbon-future-proofed gas generation to bridge the gap until renewable firming technologies scale.

  • Catalyst · 46m

    The journey to monetizing DERs

    Mathew Sachs, SVP at CPower, discusses the current state and future of monetizing distributed energy resources (DERs) like EV chargers, thermostats, and batteries. He explains that while technology for aggregation is mature, regulatory hurdles like FERC Order 2222 implementation and static utility interconnection rules remain significant barriers. Sachs highlights V1G as an immediate solution for EV grid stress and predicts EVs will comprise 20-25% of grid services by 2030.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by The Amp Hour. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.