DER Task Force

DERVOS, 10/25/24, NYCRenewables have been breaking many of the mechanisms in our power markets, irrespective of structure. Across energy only, IRP, and capacity markets, we have been seeing "weirdness" in price action and regulatory responses as solar and wind continue to dominate new installs. It’ll be an acronym stew: from PCM and RUC buying in ERCOT, adjusting ELCCs in PJM leading to capacity prices 10x'ing, to NEM 3.0 in CAISO. We want to contend with what this means today and then try to map a path into where it all leads tomorrow. Will these existing structures adapt, or will something new emerge?Speakers: Jacob Mays (Cornell), Brian Bartholomew (REV Renewables), Eric Goff (Goff Policy), Andy Reger (PA Consulting)Moderator: James McGinniss (DER Task Force & David Energy) This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

DERVOS, 10/25/24, NYCTim Hade is the co-founder of Scale Microgrids and the godfather of DER Task Force. He’s been an inspiration to so many in our community, so we couldn’t think of a better person to kick us off at DERVOS this year.After this keynote we heard someone say “I’m ready to run through a wall for Tim” and we can’t claim to have felt any differently. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

A truly wild story is unfolding in Pakistan. Over the past few years the country has become the globe’s third largest importer of Chinese solar panels, and yet none of the resulting projects are operated by, or even visible to, the national utility.Simultaneously, demand from the grid has dropped 9.1% over the past 12 months, which has many scared of a potential utility death spiral.Here’s a recent story in the Financial Times on what’s been going on that’s good background.To unpack this, we sat down with Jenny Chase of Bloomberg New Energy Finance. She has been chasing down this story since 2021, when she was the first to report on it.Jenny is also the OG solar analyst and knows more about this space than pretty much anyone. We highly suggesting scrolling through her annual “Opinions About Solar” megathread on twitter.On an unrelated note, DERVOS tickets are selling fast. There’s less than 15 left at the discounted price, so snag yours quickly. Final speakers, sessions, demo-day participants, and more to come out shortly. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

We’re back! This time with Nic Freschi, Senior Associate at Gable Associates and all around PJM wizard. Nic is a friend and OG member of the DERTF. Almost a year ago, Nic’s models began predicting the ~10x increase in PJM capacity prices we saw in the recent auction. How did he know?In this ep, we go deep on every acronym you could ever imagine: ELCC, ORDC, PCM, LSERO, UCAP, ICAP, and so much more. Tune in to learn how ELCCs work, how prices clear in the PJM auction, if renewables can ever proliferate in capacity markets, the future of PJM, whether private traders or public bureaucrats should have their hands on the “ELCC dials”, comparing and contrasting ERCOT to PJM, James getting PJM-pilled, and so much more! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

Last week we were lucky enough to sit down with Arushi Sharma Frank, the policy wizard who while at Tesla Energy helped turn Texas into one of the DER capitals of the world. She gives us the in depth history of of how ERCOT’s VPP program was forged — a story our co-host James was also a part of. We also talk about the rest of her time at Tesla, case studies in Australia and the UK, how regulators still don’t understand organic consumer adoption patterns, the Obamacare of power markets, where residential DERs are headed, and what Arushi is focusing on now with Luminary Strategies. Recording this episode was super fun, so we hope you enjoy it as well. Pretty sure Arushi re-DER-pilled the three of us during this one. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

We’re back! This time with Charlotta Holmquist, President and Co-Founder of Blixt. Blixt is based in Sweden and just closed a fundraise led by Union Square Ventures. Their solid state circuit breaker and x-verter technology have the potential to fundamentally change how we approach building the grid.We’ve never left a conversation so excited about what the future could look like. We discuss everything from transformers for data centers, what the benefits of solid state power electronics are, the implications of them, the possibility of “flexible” interconnections, and so much more. Tune in for one of our favorite episodes in recent memory! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

We’re back for our first solo pod in months! We talk about what everyone is talking about these days… VPPs and load growth from AI. Is all this hype and talk about our space a good thing? Tune in to hear the Task Force unpack and set the narrative straight. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

We’re back, this time with Allison Bates Wannop, DERTF’s policy lead! We cover an absolute ton of stuff in this one:* Allison's background and introduction, Mother's Day acknowledgments* Mary Powell's influence, DER advocacy, the significance of FERC v. EPSA in shaping energy policy* Favorite DER categories, Vermont initiatives, impact of extreme weather on policy, details about the Green Mountain Power programs* Differences between RTOs and ISOs, complexities in regulatory work, challenges with vertically integrated states* DER Task Force goals and approach, community-driven policy development, the impact of virtual meeting technology in policy advocacy* Role of trade associations and NGOs, gaps in current DER advocacy, examples of community collaboration innovative solutions* Load flexibility, redefining Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), DERs as non-wires alternatives, peaker plant replacements This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

Last week we sat down with Dave Riess, the CEO and co-founder of Wunder. They’re working hard to scale mid-sized commercial solar projects, where they believe the real TAM is in this market. Dave is an awesome guy who’s been grinding in the space for years now, so we naturally had a ton to talk about.* (00:02:55) Introduction and Guest Overview: Introduction of the hosts and the guest, David Reese, co-founder, and CEO of Wonder (formerly Wonder Capital).* (00:07:33) Network-Based Energy Infrastructure: Discussion on evolving energy infrastructure to a more network-based architecture.* (00:40:42) Commercial Solar Market Challenges: Analysis of why the commercial solar market isn't scaling more quickly.* (00:50:25) Pricing and Merchant Exposure: Examination of pricing strategies and the risks of merchant exposure in solar projects.* (00:57:49) Reducing Transaction Costs: Strategies to streamline the underwriting, structuring, and de-risking processes in solar projects.* (01:27:39) DERs and Market Dynamics: Insights on the role of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and their impact on the energy market.* (01:34:42) Future of the Grid: Speculations on how the main grid might evolve or shrink in favor of the grid edge.* (01:45:03) Technology Development vs. Deployment: The imbalance between resources allocated to technology development and deployment.* (01:46:06) Solid-State Power Electronics: Potential impact of solid-state power electronics on grid infrastructure.* (01:47:24) Energy Market Evolution: The slow evolution of the energy market and the role of capitalism in driving change.* (01:48:38) Solving Energy Problems: Identifying and addressing the primary constraints in the energy market.* (01:50:15) Transformer and Power Electronics: Discussion on transformers, power electronics, and their role in future energy systems.* (01:50:59) DC Microgrids and EV Charging: Potential benefits of DC microgrids and advancements in EV charging technology.* (01:51:34) Capital and Risk Management: Matching capital with the risk profile of solar assets and the importance of certainty in asset performance.* (02:00:39) Revisiting Past Technologies: Reflection on past technological advancements and their relevance today.* (02:01:25) Deployment Focus: Emphasis on the importance of focusing on the deployment of existing technologies.* (02:12:35) CSP 2.0 for Data Centers: Exploration of CSP 2.0 technology for providing clean power to AI data centers.* (02:14:36) Opinions on Emerging Technologies: Mixed views on the potential success of emerging energy technologies like CSP 2.0.* (02:11:57) Solar and AI Data Centers: Discussion on the announcement of a new project for AI data centers using solar thermal energy. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

We’re back! This time with Casey Handmer, founder and CEO of Terraform Industries. Terraform is building a system to turn cheap solar electricity into methane. To pull this off they’ll need to commercialize the most performant and lowest-cost electrolysis, carbon capture, and Sabatier reactors ever seen. Casey had a ton of interesting thoughts about how to pull this off from engineering fundamentals in a manner that is tailored to the capacity factor of solar. We also get into the history of the energy industry, space, incumbency, electricity versus gas distribution networks, utility-scale DERs, and a ton more. This is one for the true energy nerds! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

We’re back! This time we sat down with Quincy Lee, CEO and co-founder of Electric Era, an electric vehicle refueling company. Quincy has a super cool background - starting with designing skyscrapers, then moving on to space technology, and now he’s der-pilled.We talk about all kinds of stuff in this one:* what SpaceX and Starlink were like* why EV charging, or whoops, we mean “car refill”* EV charging reliability* grid constraints limiting EV infrastructure* the role of social media in shaping public opinion on energy* the category isn’t ClimateTech or even EnergyTech - its GridTech* and Deep GridTech is here!* solid state power electronics, quantum-level stuff* where the hell are all the transformers we need?* Quincy: Gundo is “okay”, but come to Seattle* innovation at the grid edge* the grid edge strangler figging the grid?This is a free episode for all subscribers, but if you want access to everything we do and would like to support our work broadly, be sure to visit www.dertaskforce.com and become a paid subscriber for just $5/month. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.dertaskforce.comWe’re back! This time with a VIDEO POD. We recorded this live at DTECH a few weeks ago and haven’t had time to upload it. But this is a fun one that you don’t want to miss.Not only did we finally find out what a DERMS is, but we also became fully converted distribution utility maxis after walking the show floor. We’re all quitting our jobs and starting hardware companies with the Gundo boys! Tune in to hear why!The is a paid episode for the real DERTF heads. If you appreciate our work and want to support it, all while getting access to exclusive paid content, consider subscribing at www.dertaskforce.com.

We’re back, this time joined by Jesse Jenkins - professor at Princeton and lead of the Zero Lab. We cover a ton of ground in this one, including:* Jesse’s DERs journey, including skepticism at times and optimism at others.* A ton of discussion on rate design.* Jesse’s recent pod on rooftop solar.* How the hell is rooftop solar so expensive here versus Australia?* Where DERs are unfairly advantaged and disadvantaged.* How we’re going to deal with load growth, transmission buildout, interconnection queues, etc.The is a free episode, but if you appreciate our work and want to support it, and get access to exclusive paid content, consider subscribing at www.dertaskforce.com. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

We’re back! This time with Lynne Kiesling, Director of the Institute for Regulatory Law & Economics (IRLE) at Northwestern University.Lynne is an Economist who has been working on power systems issues since the early 2000s, with a focus on power markets, transactive energy, and “quarantining the monopoly” as she says.Lynne was a panelist at DERVOS, as paying subscribers know from our previously released episode. We felt her Hayekian perspective (distributed, emergent, local) rounded out those from Matt Huber (big, planned, federal) and Pier LaFarge (distributed, planned, local), and she graciously agreed to jump on the pod to dig in.This is a free episode for all subscribers, but if you want access to everything we do and would like to support our work broadly, be sure to visit www.dertaskforce.com and become a paid subscriber for just $5/month. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.dertaskforce.comBack in November we threw DERVOS, our annual distributed energy summit. It turned out awesome. We really couldn’t be happier or more grateful for how it went. The panels and speakers were great, the crowd that turned up was amazing, and the vehicle to rave afterparty was super fun.Because the talks and panels went so well, we’ve decided to release the r…