Public Power Underground

In a LIVE! recording at GridLiance's 2024 Transmission Symposium, Crystal Ball hosts a competition between Mark Nelson and Emeka Anyanwu to determine the most creative prognosticator of energy headlines for 2025.The episode is un-edited and available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. A video recording is also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ABUXJsdjbBc It's a special “afterparty” edition, since it was recorded after the party of special significance commemorating the season and series finale. Thanks for staying subscribed. There may be more afterparties in the future. Stay connected at publicpowerunderground.substack.comPublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicpowerunderground.substack.com

[recorded August 28, 2024] Tony Reames and Salma Elmallah discuss their work and research on energy justice in a special episode recorded after the season and series finale.In a much anticipated episode recorded on August 28, 2024, Dr. Tony Reames and Dr. Salma Elmallah join Paul Dockery and Dr. Ahlmahz Negash to discuss their paper on frontlining energy justice.Elmallah, S., Reames, T.G. and Spurlock, C.A., 2022. Frontlining energy justice: Visioning principles for energy transitions from community-based organizations in the United States. Energy Research & Social Science, 94, p.102855.The episode is audio-only and un-edited available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's a special “afterparty” edition, since it was recorded after the party of special significance commemorating the season and series finale. Thanks for staying subscribed. There's at least one more of the after-party episodes.Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

A party of special significance to celebrate the eleventy-first and final episode with an energy system analogy world cup championship tournament, celebrity guests, and stump speechesFriends-of-the-Underground participated in a special, in-person recording of the eleventy-first and final episode of Public Power Underground celebrating our community of electric utility enthusiasts. The episode includes a live performance of Roll On, Enthusiasts with special musical guest Daryl Wayne Dasher joining Arin Guillory and Ian Bledsoe. It also closes the Season 6 Energy System Analogy World Cup with celebrity judges Debra Smith and Daniel Kirschen picking winners in an 8-analogy, single elimination Championship Tournament. And, just like Bilbo Baggins ended his eleventy-first birthday celebration giving a speech on a stump, the season ends with open-mic stump speeches from electric utility enthusiasts. 07:11 - Short-to-Ground, Analogy EditionTop 8 seeds for Energy System Analogy World Cup Championship TournamentAll 20 Grand Analogies of the Energy System from Season 615:51 - Energy System Analogy World Cup Championship Tournament37:01 - Kurt Miller Stump Speech40:05 - Crystal Ball Stump Speech42:42 - Debra Smith Stump Speech44:02 - Pamela Sporborg Stump Speech45:50 - Robb Davis Stump Speech48:54 - Sarah Edmonds Stump Speech50:34 - Megan Capper Stump Speech52:16 - Scott Corwin Stump Speech54:01 - Farhad Billimoria Stump Speech55:48 - Eric Hiaasen Stump Speech59:07 - Matt Schroettnig Stump Speech1:01:44 - Kieran Connelly Stump Speech1:03:21 - Mary Wiencke Stump Speech1:05:42 - Doug Marker Stump Speech1:09:08 - Nicole Hughes Stump Speech1:10:29 - Conleigh Byers Stump Speech1:12:00 - Chris Roden Stump Speech1:15:02 - Ryan Neale Stump Speech1:16:47 - Humaira Falkenberg Stump Speech1:20:20 - Closing thoughts from Ian Bledsoe, Arin Guillory, and Ahlmahz Negash1:24:00 - Closing thoughts from Paul DockeryIf you stay subscribed to Public Power Underground, you may find interesting items in your feed from time to time. Thank you for being a friend of the underground. I hope you have enjoyed the content and feel valued and appreciated.Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

A discussion of the building blocks of a just energy transition with Professor Erin Baker, the Faculty Director of the Energy Transition Institute at UMass Amherst.Professor Erin Baker visited with Ahlmahz Negash and Paul Dockery in-person at the office of the Pacific Northwest Utility Conference Committee (PNUCC) about energy justice, meaningful metrics, and the Holyoke Community Energy Project. The discussion is wrapped by insightful commentary on energy justice from hosts Conleigh Byers, Farhad Billimoria, Paul Dockery, and Ahlmahz Negash.You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are energy enthusiasts, like us!2:58 - 30 seconds of theoryWhat is energy justice?Jenkins, K., McCauley, D., Heffron, R., Stephan, H. and Rehner, R., 2016. Energy justice: A conceptual review. Energy research & social science, 11, pp.174-182.3 core tenets of energy justiceJenkins, K., McCauley, D., Heffron, R., Stephan, H. and Rehner, R., 2016. Energy justice: A conceptual review. Energy research & social science, 11, pp.174-182.5 categories of energy justice metricsBaker, E., Carley, S., Castellanos, S., Nock, D., Bozeman III, J.F., Konisky, D., Monyei, C.G., Shah, M. and Sovacool, B., 2023. Metrics for decision-making in energy justice. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 48(1), pp.737-760.11:31 - Interview with Prof. Erin Baker58:22 - Debriefing from interview w/ hosts Conleigh Byers, Farhad Billimoria, Paul Dockery, and Ahlmahz Negash1:33:00 - Closing Thoughts from Conleigh Byers & Farhad BillimoriaPublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

The electric sector is evolving like the eras of Taylor Swift; at least that's the hypothesis that Commissioner Ann Rendahl and Gen-Z-Swiftie Scholar, Sherry Zuo, consider in a special episode.Commissioner Ann Rendahl and Sherry Zuo join hosts Paul Dockery and Crystal Ball to consider how the electric sector is evolving like the eras of Taylor Swift. Paul and Crystal joined Commissioner Rendahl at the offices of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission and Sherry joined remotely from Cornell University where she is a PhD candidate in the Mays Group.Agreeing on the eras of the electric sector and how they map to the eras of Taylor Swift is no small task. To facilitate the conversation we put together some reference materials including a summary of the proposed timeline with sector milestones and representative songs.The discussion considered how the eras of the electric sector fell on a quadrant map that mapped along vectors of structured ←→ chaotic and building ←→ optimizing. The quadrant mapping was compared to the eras of Taylor Swift mapped along the vectors of career ←→ romantic and confident ←→ pensive.The conversation also used a 40”x30” histomap of organizing activities across the eras of the electric sector that I presented at the 2024 Macro Energy System workshop. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are energy enthusiasts, like us!For additional reading, Commissioner Rendahl recommends the following:Prophets of RegulationElectricity Regulation in the U.S.The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of NationsYou can also listen to our eras of the electric sector playlist on Spotify!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

a special, bonus episode recorded at the Western Power Pool with celebrity guests Sarah Edmonds, Bob Rowe and Debra Smith Crystal Ball and Matthew Schroettnig host a conversation with Sarah Edmonds, Bob Rowe and Debra Smith about their “Theory of Change” for expanding high voltage, long distance transmission in the West.You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are energy enthusiasts, like us!Western Transmission Expansion Coalition (WTEC) is a West-wide effort to develop an actionable transmission plan to support the needs of the future energy grid.The Western Transmission Consortium aims to support the development of transmission infrastructure in the West through a collaborative process involving infrastructure owners and investors.Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

A trip to the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project to talk about power system inertia with Seattle City Light operators, plus a discussion of popular fallacies and unpopular opinions with the hosts.To experience the visceral sounds and sights of big synchronous generation, an interview with Mike Haynes, Will Andersen, and Brandt March was recorded in-person at Seattle City Light's Skagit River Hydroelectric Project. To start the episode Ahlmahz, Paul, Farhad, and Conleigh discuss popular fallacies of the energy system and share some of their own unpopular opinions.You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are energy enthusiasts, like us!03:17 - Popular Fallacies & Unpopular Opions52:08 - Big Synchronous Generation - Seattle City Light's Skagit River Hydroelectric ProjectPublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Ben Serrurier returns to Public Power Underground to share some maybe-good-maybe-bad-but-definitely-not-thought-out ideas with Ahlmahz Negash, Paul Dockery, and Farhad Billimoria in a returning segment, Half-Baked Ideas. Then Irina Rasputnis, Madeline Kostic, and Eric Strandberg from the Seattle City Light's Lighting Design Lab sit down to talk with Paul Dockery about innovation in building electrification. 13:19 - Half-Baked IdeasInspiration for the segment comes from the Bill Simmons PodcastBen's prior appearances on the podcast52:51 - The Lighting Design Lab1:30:25 - Invitation to the Eleventy-First and Final episode of Public Power UndergroundPublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

A discussion about public goods and what classifying services as common pool resources, congestible public goods, or club goods means for grid planning and market design.Lynne Kiesling joins Ahlmahz Negash, Conleigh Byers, Farhad Billimoria, and Paul Dockery to discuss the classification system used in economics to distinguish public goods from private goods and what classifying some services as common pool resources means for grid planning and market design.Lynne Kiesling is an economist focusing on regulation, market design, and the economics of digitization and smart grid technologies in the electricity industry. She is Director of the Institute for Regulatory Law & Economics in the Center on Law, Business, and Economics, and is an Adjunct Professor in the Master of Science in Energy and Sustainability program, both at Northwestern University. She is also a Research Professor at University of Colorado Denver, a member of the External Faculty of the Santa Fe Institute, and a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.In addition to her academic research, she is currently a member of the U.S. Department of Energy's Electricity Advisory Committee, has served as a member of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Smart Grid Advisory Committee, and is an emerita member of the GridWise Architecture Council. Her academic background includes a B.S. in Economics from Miami University (Ohio) and a Ph.D. in Economics from Northwestern University.You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are energy enthusiasts, like us!05:07 - 30 seconds of theoryAhlmahz: Public GoodFarhad: Common Pool ResourceConleigh: Club goodLynne: The pacing problemAhlmahz: The collective action problemFarhad: The tragedy of the commonsConleigh: Induced demandLynne: The Knowledge Problem39:02 - What is and what is not a public good in the electric systemBillimoria, F., Mancarella, P. and Poudineh, R., 2022. Market and regulatory frameworks for operational security in decarbonizing electricity systems: from physics to economics. Oxford Open Energy, 1, p.oiac007.51:06 - Is transmission a Public Good?1:16:22 - Implications for planning and market design1:40:06 - National Treasure, Public Good, or Excludable - a Public Power Underground gamePublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Ari Peskoe describes himself as an electric utility critic and has advice for electric utility enthusiasts.Ari Peskoe is the Director of the Electricity Law Initiative at the Harvard Law School Environmental and Energy Law Program and a prolific writer about regulation of the U.S. power sector on issues ranging from constitutional challenges to states' energy laws to interstate transmission development. The interview is wrapped in commentary from co-hosts Paul Dockery, Ahlmahz Negash, and Farhad Billimoria.You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are energy enthusiasts, like us!03:11 - 30 seconds of theoryFarhad on Cost of Service vs Incentive based regulationJoskow, P.L., 2024. The Expansion of Incentive (Performance-Based) Regulation of Electricity Distribution and Transmission in the United States. Review of Industrial Organization, pp.1-49.Ahlmahz on Procedural JusticeJenkins, K., McCauley, D., Heffron, R., Stephan, H. and Rehner, R., 2016. Energy justice: A conceptual review. Energy research & social science, 11, pp.174-182.11:01 - Ari Peskoe on Governance11/01/2023 - CleanLaw Podcast - Electricity Law InitiativeCleanLaw–Replacing the Utility Transmission Syndicate's Control, Hannah Dobie interviews Ari Peskoe about his new article in Energy Law JournalPeskoe, A., 2023. Replacing the Utility Transmission Syndicate's Control. Energy LJ, 44, p.447.Market Configuration Matters; Effects of Market Choices on Consumers in the Northwest US51:10 - Ranking Governance, Configuration, and Market Design59:37 - Ari Peskoe's Energy System Analogy1:04:48 - Debriefing on transmission, governance, and public power with Ahlmahz Negash and Farhad BillimoriaPublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Rich Glick initiated the proceedings that led to Order 1920 as Chair of FERC, he returns to Public Power Underground with experts Prof. Jacob Mays and Pamela Quinlan to reflect on its adoption--------------------Paul Dockery and Crystal Ball bring their curiosity to an in-depth discussion of transmission planning, transmission investment, and transmission policy with Rich Glick, Pamela Quinlan, and Prof. Jacob Mays.You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are energy enthusiasts, like us!08:48 - Rich, What were you hoping for?FERC 2022 - 2026 Strategic PlanJoint Federal-State Task Force on Electric Transmission32:33 - Pamela, Does this do what you wanted?Building for the Future Through Electric Regional Transmission Planning and Cost AllocationHigh-Level Summary of FERC Order No. 1920 on Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation published by Troutman Pepper (h/t Adrienne Thompson)“Plan for the future with the best available information, select the best plan for consumers and allocate costs according to benefits" - Rob Gramlich on Volts1:05:15 - Jacob, What is missing?Shu, H. and Mays, J., 2024. Transmission Benefits and Cost Allocation under Ambiguity. arXiv preprint arXiv:2403.14803.1:15:48 - Rich Glick's Energy System Analogy: The energy transition is like the 1973 Mets.1:17:55 - Jacob Mays's Energy System Analogy: The 2005 Royals, never say it can't get worse.1:19:09 - Pamela Quinlan's Energy System Analogy: The energy transition is like Game of Thrones.BONUS: Ke Xin (Sherry) Zuo, a PhD candidate at Cornell University in the Mays Group, provided her reflections onTaylor Swift's newest album, The Tortured Poets Department, and its application to the Power System. My (Paul's) favorite: the brilliant insight that “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” is actually about how the power grid has to be resilient during forced outages and extreme weather events. About the guests:Rich Glick is a Principal with GQ New Energy Strategies – a consulting firm he co-founded with Pamela Quinlan. Rich is a former Chair of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). As Chair, Rich initiated several reforms to more efficiently and cost effectively accommodate the evolution of the electric grid. Before being appointed to FERC, Rich was General Counsel for the Democrats on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He has worked for Iberdrola, PPM Energy and PacifiCorp and is also known in the West for his current work with the Committee on Regional Electric Power Cooperation (CREPC) Western States Transmission Initiative (WSTI) and CREPC Transmission Collaborative (TC). Rich's prior appearance on Public Power Underground can be found below.Pamela Quinlan co-founded GQ New Energy Strategies with Rich. She is an expert in energy market regulation and policy. She started at FERC as a Senior Energy Industry Analyst in the Office of Energy Market Regulation. In 2017 Quinlan went to work in then-commissioner Glick's office as a Technical Advisor and was appointed Chief of Staff in January 2021. As Chief of Staff, she was responsible for developing and implementing the strategy behind the Commission's policy initiatives. Before leaving FERC in 2023, Quinlan advised Chair Willie Phillips on Energy Markets and Resource Adequacy. She has also worked for Consolidated Edison (ConEd) and Standard and Poor's.Prof. Jacob Mays is an Assistant Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University where his research focuses on the design and analysis of electricity markets. Jacob holds an AB in chemistry and physics from Harvard University, a MEng in energy systems from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a PhD in industrial engineering and management sciences from Northwestern University. His seminal work (Paul is editorializing by describing it as seminal) on the sequential pricing of electricity was the subject of a stand-alone episode on Season 5 of Public Power Underground, and his collaborations with Jesse Jenkins, Farhad Billimoria, and Rahmat Poudineh have informed our listeners perspectives on electric markets under deep decarbonization. Jacob's prior appearances on Public Power Underground can be found below.Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Conleigh, Farhad, Ahlmahz, and Paul debrief on coverage of FERC Order 1920 then discuss resource adequacy, hedging tail risk, and preview business capability models.Ahlmahz Negash, Conleigh Byers, and Farhad Billimoria scan news stories after FERC's release of Order 1920, then Conleigh Byers explains Resource adequacy, and Farhad Billimoria explains Hedging & Tail Risk in Electricity Markets.You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are energy enthusiasts, like us!03:17 - Short-to-Ground (FERC Order 1920 Edition)On May 13th the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a sweeping long-term transmission planning and cost-allocation rule aimed at modernizing the gridIn the Special Transmission Reform Meeting, Chair Willie Phillips said the U.S. faces "an unprecedented surge in demand for affordable electricity while confronting extreme weather threats to the reliability of our grid and trying to stay one step ahead of the massive technological changes we are seeing in our society."FERC is helping to pave the way for a much-needed investment in our transmission infrastructureThe Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's fact sheet for Order 1920 states that the grid rule contains five major elements:Requirement to conduct and periodically update long-term transmission planning to anticipate future needs.Requirement to consider a broad set of benefits when planning new facilities.Requirement to identify opportunities to modify in-kind replacement of existing transmission facilities to increase their transfer capability, known as “right-sizing.”Customers pay only for projects from which they benefit.Expands states' pivotal role throughout the process of planning, selecting, and determining how to pay for transmission facilities.“Landmark transmission reform could dramatically speed US energy transition”Large Public Power Council's president, John Di Stasio's, written statementAmericans for a Clean Energy Grid's Executive Director, Christina Hayes, applauded FERC for finalizing a, quote, “strong and comprehensive regional planning and cost allocation rule.”Spot market power in the U.S.Wholesale spot prices for the National Electricity Market (NEM)Energy Information Administration's Natural Gas Weekly Update41:03 - Hedging and Tail Risk in Electricity Markets By: Farhad Billimoria , Jacob Mays , Rahmat PoudinehAbstract: A concern persistent in scarcity-based market designs for electricity over many years has been the illiquidity of markets for long-term contracts to hedge away volatile price exposures between generators and consumers. These missing markets have been attributed to a range of factors including retailer creditworthiness, market structure and the lack of demand side interest from consumers. Using a stochastic equilibrium model and insights from insurance theory, we demonstrate the inherent challenges of hedging a legacy thermal portfolio that is dominated by volatile fat-tailed commodities with significant tail dependence. Under such conditions the price required for generators to provide such hedges can be multiples of the expected value of prices. Our key insight is that when the real-world constraints of credit and financing are considered, the volatility of thermal fuels and their co-dependence under extremes may be a key reason as to why electricity markets have been incomplete in terms of long-term hedging contracts. Counterintuitively, in the context of the energy transition, our results show that, ceteris paribus, increasing the penetration of low carbon resources like wind, solar and energy storage, can add tail-diversity and improve contractability.22:16 - The Future of Resource Adequacy in a Decarbonized Grid w/ Conleigh ByersConleigh Byers Resource Adequacy Harvard Energy Policy Seminar 25 4.93MB ∙ PDF file DownloadDownload1:02:23 - Institutions in the electric sector are evolving like the eras of Taylor Swift, but are their business models evolving with them?Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Apoorv Bhargava discusses his work at WeaveGrid optimizing electric vehicle charging within distribution systems. The interview is wrapped by context and insights from the regular hosts: Ahlmahz Negash, Conleigh Byers, Farhad Billimoria, and Paul Dockery.You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are energy enthusiasts, like us!01:21 - 30 seconds of TheoryFarhad Billimoria on Distribution System Operators (DSOs)Conleigh Byers on Transactive EnergyAhlmahz Negash on the Energy Equity Gap10:28 - Apoorv Bhargava on WeaveGrid and the Grid53:38 - Apoorv Bhargava's analogy; the electric grid is like a well stocked bar1:00:27 - Updating our PriorsFred Scweppe: Power systems `2000': hierarchical control strategiesPaul Joskow & Richard Schmalensee: Markets for Power1:20:24 - Community Planning as Energy PlanningWe Need to Make Cities Less Car-Dependent, Scientific American, 2024Car harm: A global review of automobility's harm to people and the environment, Journal of Transport Geography, 20241:28:20 - ESA World Cup StandingsPublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Katherine Blunt joins Crystal Ball and Paul Dockery to discuss her reporting at the Wall Street Journal on the energy industry and her book, California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric--and What It Means for America's Power Grid.Matthew Schroettnig joins Conleigh Byers, Farhad Billimoria, and Paul Dockery for the rest of the episode to cover utility risks, load growth, and the current landscape of America's power grid.You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are energy enthusiasts, like us!03:13 - Short-to-Ground; a segment where we blow a fuse covering the newsEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a suite of standards to cut greenhouse gas emissions as well as toxic air pollution, water pollution, and land contamination from fossil fuel plantsBureau of Land Management (BLM) updated regulations on Broadband Authorization, Cost Recovery, and Vegetation Management for Fire Risk ManagementLetter from twenty-six entities from across the West to the Southwest Power Pool expressing interest in continuing the development of Markets+Portland General Electric is seeking approval for a new, 7.4 mile, 115 KV transmission lineSpot market power in the U.S.Wholesale spot prices for the National Electricity Market (NEM)Energy Information Administration's Natural Gas Weekly UpdateHedging and Tail Risk in Electricity Markets18:39 - Katherine Blunt joins Crystal Ball and Paul Dockery to discuss her reporting at the Wall Street Journal on the energy industry and her book, California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric--and What It Means for America's Power GridCalifornia Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric--and What It Means for America's Power GridWildfires Make Utilities a Tricky Investment. Just Ask Warren Buffett.Big Tech's Latest Obsession Is Finding Enough Energy49:13 - Katherine Blunt's analogy; the grid is like a network of roads and highways51:08 - Updating our Priors1:07:20 - ESA (Energy System Analogies) World Cup Standings1:08:11 - Matt Schroettnig's analogy; electricity is like water in a biomePublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Dr. Kyri Baker, an assistant professor of engineering at the University of Colorado, makes a return visit to discuss the use of artificial intelligence for power grid optimization. Plus, Conleigh Byers, Farhad Billimoria, Ahlmahz Negash, and Paul Dockery wrap the interview with an explanation of AI and all its acronyms.You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are energy enthusiasts, like us!01:19 - 30 second theoryFarhad Billimoria on “What is OPF?”Conleigh Byers on “What's the difference between artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), Deep Learning, Physics Informed Neural Networks (PINN), Large Language Models (LLM), generative AI, and general intelligence?”14:28 - Dr. Kyri Baker: Using AI and Machine Learning for Power Grid OptimizationUsing AI and Machine Learning for Power Grid Optimization: How Neural Networks Can Speed Up Optimal Power FlowBaker, Kyri. "Emulating ac opf solvers with neural networks." IEEE Transactions on Power Systems 37.6 (2022): 4950-4953.Baker, Kyri, and Harsha Gangammanavar. "Locational Marginal Prices Obey DC Circuit Laws." arXiv preprint arXiv:2403.19032 (2024).1:06:14 - Updating our PriorsChatzivasileiadis, Spyros, et al. "Machine learning in power systems: Is it time to trust it?." IEEE Power and Energy Magazine 20.3 (2022): 32-41. APA1:23:26 - ESA (Energy System Analogies) World Cup StandingsPublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!--------photo credit Carl Bower for The New York Times

Katherine Blunt, author of California Burning, joins Crystal Ball and Paul Dockery to discuss the eras of the electric sector (Taylor's Version).To celebrate Taylor Swift's April 19th release of The Tortured Poets Department (and Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology), Katherine Blunt, Crystal Ball, and Paul Dockery recorded a special, bonus, episode dedicated to the Eras of the Electric Sector.Katherine Blunt is the author of California Burning; The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric--and What It Means for America's Power Grid which is the most approachable introduction to the history of the electric sector ever published! The book interprets, unpacks, and conveys the complex history of Pacific Gas & Electric, and, through it, provides an introduction to the history of the electric sector as well. Katherine Blunt joined Crystal Ball and Paul Dockery for an interview that'll be part of an upcoming, regular, episode of Public Power Underground, but while we were together we took some time to record a discussion of the sector's history.In the recording (and attached 20 slide power point) Katherine, Crystal, and Paul explore the history of the electric sector and Pacific Gas & Electric through Taylor Swift's discography. The exploration answers the age old question of what electric sector milestone Taylor Swift wrote “You Belong With Me” about. And, because you know it's what you wanted, there's an official Eras of the Electric Sector Spotify playlist.Yes, my wife and I share a Spotify account. And, yes, my whole family contributed to the playlist including the additions, modification, and resorting of songs like “The Last Great American Dynasty” starting the Efficiency Era instead of “Cardigan” and the addition of Jimmy Carter's sweater speech as an electric sector milestone. But, no, we didn't get a preview of The Tortured Poets Department to include songs from the new album in the playlist. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are energy enthusiasts, like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

exploration of approaches to distribution systems from microcontrollers and software to MOAR HARDWAREDistribution infrastructure, microcontrollers in everything, hardware vs software solutions, and prices-to-devices get covered in a distribution systems episode with Ahlmahz Negash, Conleigh Byers, Farhad Billimoria, and Paul Dockery featuring an interview with the enthusiastic Francis Sammy! A discussion that manages to navigate the nuances of MOAR HARDWARE as an actionable energy transition strategy while articulating the benefit of deploying smart, controllable, and price-responsive devices.You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are energy enthusiasts, like us!01:18 - 30 second theorySchweppe, Fred C., et al. Spot pricing of electricity. Springer Science & Business Media, 2013.Schweppe, Fred C. "Power systems2000': hierarchical control strategies." IEEE spectrum 15.7 (1978): 42-47.08:59 - Short-to-Ground; a segment where we blow a fuse covering the newsThe Major Drivers of Long-term Distribution Transformer DemandCybersecurity baselines for both electric distribution systems and distributed energy resources (DER)Portland-based GridStor announced its acquisition of a planned 450-MW/900-MWh lithium-ion battery storage installationThe National Renewable Energy Lab recently released a report studying the economics of building long-distance, high-voltage transmission linesSpot market power in the U.S.Wholesale spot prices for the National Electricity Market (NEM)Energy Information Administration's Natural Gas Weekly Update23:21 - Francis Sammy provides a practitioner perspective on distribution systems and the energy transitionFrancis Sammy is a licensed professional engineer that works as the supervisor of the Systems Distribution Engineering workgroup for Seattle City Light. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, studied electrical engineering at Howard University, and works on distribution systems for Seattle. Francis lives in Beacon Hill with his family of 3 and says you can find him riding around town on his bike, vibing out at a concert, laboring up the basketball court, or sliding down a mountain face first.54:06 - Francis Sammy's analogy; the grid is like an old, reliable car56:38 - Updating our priors1:17:55 - ESA (Energy System Analogies) World Cup StandingsPublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

John Hairston returns to discuss what BPA is doing to navigate an era of transmission expansion for the grid.John Hairston, the CEO and Administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration, shares his enthusiasm for transmission and people in an interview with Paul Dockery and Crystal Ball. The interview is wrapped in informative discussion on energy industry news, research, and reflection by Ahlmahz Negash, Conleigh Byers, Farhad Billimoria, and Paul Dockery. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are energy enthusiasts, like us!01:36 - How transmission is addressed in seminal textsPower System Economics: Designing Markets for Electricity by Steven Stoft Imperfect Markets and Imperfect Regulation: An Introduction to the Microeconomics and Political Economy of Power Markets by Thomas-Olivier Léautier05:23 - Short-to-Ground; a segment where we blow a fuse covering the news.Wednesday February 28th the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission hosted the eighth public meeting of the Joint Federal-State Task Force on Electric TransmissionRob Gramlich and his team at GridStrategies released a report in February titled “Fostering collaboration would help build needed transmission”Utility Dive published an opinion piece by Will Kenworthy and Boratha Tan titled “Advancing energy justice: A new paradigm in grid equity and reliability analysis”The Bonneville Power Administration identified 14 new transmission projects costing an estimated $3.9 billion in its 2023 TSR Study and Expansion ProcessThe Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC or Commission) has released a draft determination on a 'flexible trading' ruleThe Western Transmission Expansion Coalition announced the members of its Regional Engagement CommitteeSpot market power in the U.S.Wholesale spot prices for the National Electricity Market (NEM)Energy Information Administration's Natural Gas Weekly Update17:17 - John Hairston's interview with special-correspondent Crystal Ball41:00 - John Hairston's analogy; the electric system is like golf45:24 - Crystal Ball's analogy; the electric sector is evolving like the eras of Taylor Swift1:17:33 - Updating our priorsRisanger, Simon, and Jacob Mays. "Congestion risk, transmission rights, and investment equilibria in electricity markets." The Energy Journal 45.1 (2024). Baker, Erin, et al. "Who is marginalized in energy justice? Amplifying community leader perspectives of energy transitions in Ghana." Energy Research & Social Science 73 (2021): 101933.1:15:22 - ESA (Energy System Analogies) World Cup StandingsPublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Conleigh, Farhad, Ahlmahz, and Paul start season six with a discussion of ways to understand the energy system and analogies that can be used to explore its complicationsConleigh Byers, Farhad Billimoria, Ahlmahz Negash, and Paul Dockery discuss various ways of understanding the energy system in the Season 6 Premiere of Public Power Underground. The episode starts with “Short-to-Ground,” a TL;DR segment where the hosts run through summaries of topical news from around the world and then have a short discussion of trends in the industry. Paul then introduces the ground rules for a season-spanning Energy System Analogies World Cup tournament. Lastly, the hosts discuss analogies for the energy system for consideration by future guests on Season 6. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are energy enthusiasts, like us!04:17 - Promotion for Conleigh's upcoming presentation for the Harvard Kennedy School's Energy Policy Seminar: “The Future of Resource Adequacy in a Decarbonized Grid" - March 25, 2024 - Register with the link06:54 - Short-to-Ground; a segment where we blow a fuse covering the news.Increased EV-Charging Demand and Changing Load Profile Underscore Need for Cross-Sector CollaborationUtilities, EV charging companies must collaborate to avoid bulk power system disruptions: NERCAnother tower collapse poses more questions about transmissionPreliminary Thoughts after Preliminary Report: A few early thoughts following the release of the AEMO Preliminary Report into the recent Victorian power system event.Industry to drive tripling of natural gas consumption in India by 2050ISO-NE recommends capacity market reformsISO New England proposes capacity market changes, further 2-year delay for upcoming auctionCAISO Postpones New Interconnection Requests Due to High Volume27:57 - 2024 ENERGY SYSTEM ANALOGIES WORLD CUP33:04 - The electric sector is like the human body37:00 - The electric sector is like a water catchment and irrigation system44:30 - The electric sector is like back country skiiing49:38 - Electric utilities function like a P-I-D controller for the energy system59:43 - The electric sector is like air01:01:20 - The electric sector is like the Mumbai dabbawala tiffin service01:06:03 - The electric sector is like a game of twister01:08:59 - Ways of understanding the energy system are like moral theories for right actionPublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

The next season of Public Power Underground is coming soon with a new format and new regular hosts. Subscribe to make sure you don't miss the season premiere!After a short break, Public Power Underground is coming back for its sixth season of energy enthusiasm! This season Paul Dockery and Ahlmahz Negash will be joined by world-renowned energy researchers Conleigh Byers and Farhad Billimoria to investigate energy industry and energy-industry-adjacent topics by bringing together expert insights with practitioner perspectives. The episode format for Public Power Underground has evolved for Season 6, which will include a new, season-spanning energy-inspired game. Tune in for the season premiere for more.Season 6 ContributorsPaul Dockery is a Senior Manager of Energy Resource Strategy & Planning for Seattle City Light and the Creative Director of Public Power Underground. Ahlmahz Negash is a Principal Data Analyst for Tacoma Power, an energy system researcher, and Executive Producer of Public Power Underground.Conleigh Byers is an Environmental Fellow at the Harvard University Center for the Environment based at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She uses tools from operations research, electrical engineering, and economics to design decarbonized energy systems, with a focus on power systems operations and planning. Her current research focuses on achieving resource adequacy under deep decarbonization, hosted by Professor William Hogan. She holds a doctorate in Electrical Engineering from ETH Zürich and a dual masters in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science and Technology & Policy from MIT.Farhad Billimoria is the Director, Electricity Markets for S&P Global and a Visiting Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. He has previously served as a Principal in Market Design at the Australian Energy Market Operator and has a background in international infrastructure and energy finance, investment and capital markets.The Sisterhood of the Traveling ElectronDuring the Season 5 Finale, friend-of-the-underground Jordan White referenced the buildout of transmission infrastructure as a “Sisterhood of the Traveling Electron”. As an enthusiast of both romantic comedies and electric utilities, the cross-over merch idea was too perfect to pass up. After-all, just like the magical pants from the early-aughts classic The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, transmission keeps us connected across distances during tough transitions.Public Power Underground doesn't have a storefront to sell merch anymore, but there is a feature where I can share a design for others to order from Printful. There's no revenue coming to Public Power Underground from the sale and I provide no warranty or guaranty for the merch. But I did promise that if I ever translated concept to merch, I'd send it to subscribers of the newsletter. For links to Sisterhood of the Traveling Electron merchandise subscribe on substack at publicpowerunderground.substack.com.

“This paper argues for the centrality of real-time markets, which are cleared sequentially with a single binding interval.”Prof. Dr. Jacob Mays and Paul Dockery have an in-depth discussion in Hollister Hall at Cornell University about Prof. Mays recently released working paper on Sequential Pricing of Electricity. The discussion is only available as a podcast and is published uninterrupted and unedited.Mays, J. (2023). Sequential Pricing of Electricity. Working Paper, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University.You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are electric utility enthusiasts, like us!The conversation explores the paper in 8 parts. 1. The goal of the paper“The goal of this paper is to promote a shift in the discussion of price formation in wholesale electricity markets from a static to a dynamic modeling framework. While the design and analysis of systems with significant reservoir hydropower have long relied on dynamic models, most other systems have come to rely on simpler static models that have nevertheless been useful in contexts with limited variability, uncertainty, and intertemporal constraints. The entry of large quantities of renewable and battery storage has increased the salience of all these factors, necessitating a richer modeling framework.” p. 40“This paper argues for the centrality of real-time markets, which are cleared sequentially with a single binding interval.” p. 3.2. Framework to assess the effect of price formation proposals on market outcomes“This paper develops a framework to assess the effect of such proposals on market outcomes, investigating how choices made by wholesale market operators regarding algorithms for commitment, dispatch, and market clearing can affect incentives for operation and investment.” p. 2“Step 1: specifying the model for operations” Section 3.2.1, p. 15“Step 2: specifying a parameterization” Section 3.2.2, p. 15“Step 3: specifying a pricing policy” Section 3.2.3, pp. 15-163. Static vs Dynamic modeling frameworks“The paper's conceptual goal is a shift from the static picture of the merit-order curve in thermal-dominant markets to a dynamic understanding of price formation. Electricity prices are often colloquially described as the cost to serve an additional unit of load for a given period. In a static, convex economic dispatch model, prices that maximize efficiency both in short-run operations and long-run investment can be calculated as the dual variables corresponding to power balance constraints equating supply and demand. With no intertemporal operating constraints, dual values are typically determined by the fuel cost of thermal resources. In a dynamic model, an additional unit of load in a given period not only entails a direct cost in the present period, but also places the system in a slightly different state entering the subsequent operating period (e.g., with more or less energy stored in batteries). Dynamic models have been long been understood as necessary to the design and analysis of markets in regions with significant reservoir hydropower (see, e.g., Pereira and Pinto (1991) as well as more recent reviews in Steeger et al. (2014) and Aasg ̊ard et al. (2019)). In other regions, including the U.S. systems that serve as the primary motivation of this paper, markets have evolved in a context where storage was negligible. This state of affairs is set to change rapidly over the coming decade, as models typically find that decarbonized electricity systems will feature substantial quantities of storage (Jenkins et al., 2018; Williams et al., 2021; Frazier et al., 2021).” p. 24. Importance of dynamic models to regions with storage hydro. p. 385. Section 5. Evaluating price formation policies, pages 36-37“The broader point of the examples is to establish the need for the proposed framework in evaluating price formation: even with the limited scope of tests included here, the models produce a wide range of price outcomes.” p. 376. Flexible Ramping Products vs Fast Start Pricing“We note several differences between the (DLAC − NLB − θ) and (DLAC − RT − θ) policies. First, while we assumed in Section 4.3 that net load biasing would not result in any binding forward financial positions, the (DLAC −RT −θ) policy directly affects the quantity of reserves procured in the binding interval.” p. 307. Policy and parameterization are choices that matter: Section 5.3 Long-run consequences, pages 39-40“The choice of operating policy can have a significant impact on the total revenue across all resources. [...] In general, resource-specific revenues track the total charges.” however “storage is a notable exception with revenues deviating significantly from that seen by the market as a whole.”“They indicate the potential for substantial misallocation of investment due to inefficiencies in spot price formation.”8. Policy Recommendation: Advocate for high-fidelity simulation tools“Accordingly, a second policy recommendation is to advocate for high-fidelity simulation tools enabling system operators to compare operational performance and pricing outcomes with alternative algorithmic choices and reserve product specifications, putting them in position to credibly demonstrate the value of new reserve products and parameterize them efficiently.” p. 5.-----If you haven't listened to prior discussion with Prof. Mays, you can check out prior conversations:Prof. Jacob Mays on Electric Markets and Resource AdequacyPaul Dockery·January 27, 2023Jacob Mays, PhD, Matt Schroettnig, Ahlmahz Negash, PhD, and Paul Dockery discuss a paper Prof. Mays co-authored on contractual form in electricity reliability obligations, how it applies to the program getting developed in the Northwest, and what perspective he has on electric market development in the Northwest.-----Electric Market Enthusiasm, pt. 1: Professor Jacob Mays on Electric Market DesignPaul Dockery·May 19, 2022Jacob Mays, Assistant Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University, answers Paul's remedial questions on how electric markets function and what the Pacific Northwest should be considering when approaching market expansion incrementally in a wide ranging and engaging conversation.-----Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Inspired by the YouTube series *Hot Ones*, Whitney Muse (Senior Policy Advisor in the White House Office of Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation), Mark Lauby (Senior Vice President and Chief Engineer at North American Electric Reliability Corporation), and Jordan White (Executive Director, Development at GridLiance) join co-hosts Paul and Crystal to discuss increasingly controversial topics while eating a series of increasingly spicy wings. The conversation triangulates hot topics in the energy industry from engineering, policy, and business perspectives.You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are electric utility enthusiasts, like us!Round 1: Mild Spice - ERO Report / Texas & Utah Inverter caused outagesRound 2: Medium Spice - No Transition without Transmission & Regulatory Frameworks for ChangeRound 3: Hot - Joint Federal-State Task Force on Electric Transmission  & Western States Transmission InitiativeRound 4: SpicyPublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Steve Pantano from Rewiring America and Danielle Walker from the Department of Energy's Office of State and Community Energy Programs join Ahlmahz Negash, PhD and Paul Dockery for a discussion of electrification. The crews discuss the Inflation Reduction Act's Home Energy Rebates, Rewiring America's IRA Savings Calculator, best practices in building electrification, and the newly announced American Climate Corp!You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are electric utility enthusiasts, like us!08:41 - Hierarchy of Electrification17:53 - Home Energy Rebates Program30:44 - Rewiring America Calculator44:34 - Building Electrification Best Practices - ACEEE report50:31 - Workforce!           American Climate Corp          Clean Energy Corp59:27 - Alhmahz's Insightful Question of the Week1:06:29 - Electrician for a Day1:12:52 - Danielle Walker's Closing ThoughtsPublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

three energy historians join public power underground for an infotaining and slightly irreverent discussion of the major milestones for the electric industry in the northwest--------------------Mark Ohrenschall, Shauna McReynolds and Crystal Ball join and Paul Dockery to discuss the history of the electric industry in the Northwest from acronyms to statutes and a myriad of institutions along the way. There were three primary texts used for the conversation. NewsData's list of Western Energy Acronyms Public Power Council's excellent guide to Public Power in the Pacific Northwest, the Public Power Chronicle Public Generating Pool's famous Organized Market Retrospective.  The recording ends with Mark Ohrenschall's closing thoughts on his final day as Executive Editor of NewsData.You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are electric utility enthusiasts, like us!03:27 - Acronym Anagrams13:06 - Historian's ranking of major milestones38:13 - Preference48:03 - Whoops56:25 - Energy Policy Acts58:42 - The Energy Crisis1:06:57 - Market Evolution1:21:10 - Mark Ohrenschall's Closing ThoughtsPublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Lorenzo Kristov and Josh Keeling join Ahlmahz and Paul to talk about maximizing the deployment of distributed energy resources but first we make them say something nice about electric utilitiesLorenzo Kristov and Josh Keeling join Ahlmahz Negash, PhD and Paul Dockery for a discussion of FERC 2222, maximizing the distribution-level customer value of distributed energy resources, international examples of unbundling the functions of distribution utilities, and 80/20 advice on how to make the most progress toward DER deployment. First, we make them compliment electric utilities.You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are electric utility enthusiasts, like us!12:17 - say something nice about electric utilitiesLorenzo and Josh brought a lot of great compliments and some not-so-nice compliments. Among the list of compliments they didn't get to but shared by Josh Keeling afterward: Pretty good at the poles and wires game Never get confused about the differences between “useful life” and “economic life” Captain planet-like super team of lawyers, economists, engineers, and accountants Never scared to pilot something Always happy to explain what “you just don't understand” about distribution engineering Very optimistic: can always find a way to point out how “used and useful” things are Really good at finding new ways to apply the word “innovation” Never too quick into something “at scale” Really are the best of both world between trudging local government and greedy corporate monopoly 15:51 - discussion of FERC Order No. 2222 FERC order 2222 NREL summary NARUC status update 25:05 - maximizing the distribution-level and customer value of DERs Catalyst w/ Shayle Kahn episode on electrification40:06 - international examples of unbundling the functions of distribution utilities48:58 - 80/20 of DER interconnection Volts episode with Saul Griffith  Interstate Renewable Energy Council, DER interconnection best practices 1:00:05 - Ahlmahz's insightful question of the week1:03:10 - DER for a day1:08:20 - Josh Keeling's closing thoughtsPublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Ric O'Connell and Anna Sommers join Ahlmahz Negash, PhD and Paul Dockery for a deep dive into power planning best practices including planning for extremes, open source models, and best in class computational techniques.You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are electric utility enthusiasts, like us!09:41 - how to explain power planning to a five year old19:00 - best practices in power planning58:10 - Ahlmahz's unfair question of the week: what about AI?1:03:50 - PUC-for-a-dayfor more about open source planning, GridLab recently collaborated with RMI on an open source modeling report. you can find it here.Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Transmission experts talk about horror stories from permitting Idaho Power's Boardman to Hemmingway transmission line and react to a regional planning organization scorecard--------------------Adam Richins, Christina Hayes, and Pam Sporborg join Paul Dockery at Paddy's Bar & Grill for an after-hour conversation about transmission in the West. The recording starts with another edition of Energy Enthusiasm, Distilled where the experts distill complicated topics in infotaining ways while on a clock. The conversation then tackles the 3Ps of transmission policy (Planning, Permitting, and Paying-for) and closes out with a new, unscripted game: FERC-for-a-Day. Permitting: Horror Stories from Boardman to Hemmingway (B2H) Planning: Transmission Planning & Development Regional Report Card Paying-for: Importance of transmission to Clean Energy Pathways We also discussed briefly the cultural importance of the Bonneville Power Administration's rate hearing room for the energy community in the northwest, which led me (Paul) to bring up an Ezra Klein podcast about cultural evolution. A link is included here for those who want the background information.You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are electric utility enthusiasts, like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Prof. Dr. Destenie Nock joins Dr. Ahlmahz Negash and Paul Dockery for a conversation about what the grid of the future *should* look like. The discussion dives deep into (1) the energy equity gap, (2) a methodology for finding the optimal expansion of a power system under the objective of maximizing social benefit, (3) the Gini coefficient, and (4) how to use the Strategic Objective Hierarchy combined with the expertise of social scientists to translate community input into rigorously measurable inputs into an optimization model!You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are electric utility enthusiasts, like us!09:24 - A benefit maximization approach to utility planningDestenie Nock, Todd Levin, Erin Baker, Changing the policy paradigm: A benefit maximization approach to electricity planning in developing countries, Applied Energy, Volume 264, 2020, 114583, ISSN 0306-2619, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.114583.28:13 - Amplifying community leader perspectivesErin Baker, Destenie Nock, Todd Levin, Samuel A. Atarah, Anthony Afful-Dadzie, David Dodoo-Arhin, Léonce Ndikumana, Ekundayo Shittu, Edwin Muchapondwa, Charles Van-Hein Sackey, Who is marginalized in energy justice? Amplifying community leader perspectives of energy transitions in Ghana, Energy Research & Social Science, Volume 73, 2021, 101933, ISSN 2214-6296, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.101933.Prof. Dr. Destenie Nock explainer videos: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.destenienock4164/videos48:53 - Unveiling hidden energy poverty using the energy equity gapCong, S., Nock, D., Qiu, Y.L. et al. Unveiling hidden energy poverty using the energy equity gap. Nat Commun 13, 2456 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-30146-5 Video link to “The Energy Equity Gap: Unveiling Hidden Energy Poverty” presentation for Energy Seminar Series at UC Davis Video link to Destenie Nock: Identifying Hidden Forms of Energy Poverty Video link to Energy Nerd Show NOAA's Meteorological Development Lab's work on Wet Bulb Globe Temperatures NOAA's experimental tools for calculating Wet Bulb Globe Temperatures and how it compares to heat index Evaluating the 35°C wet-bulb temperature adaptability threshold for young healthy subjects 1:07:38 - What should the grid of the future look like?1:12:42 - Ahlmahz's insightful question of the week: What's the overlap between energy justice and energy assistance?“Jenkins et al. [49] review three core tenets of energy justice: 1) distributional justice, relating to equal distribution of both the costs and benefits of the energy system; 2), recognition justice, relating to the fair representation of individuals; and 3) procedural justice, providing equal access to decision making processes.”From Who is marginalized in energy justice? Amplifying community leader perspectives of energy transitions in Ghana, Section 1:1:18:27 - from Human Batteries to Solarpunk - a new Public Power Underground game! Ezra Klein podcast: What the heck is going on with UFO stories? Monk and Robot series by Becky Chambers Futurama The Fifth Element The Matrix Avatar Men in Black WALL-E Strange World Mad Max Iron Man Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Debra Smith, Randy Hardy, Bill Drummond, and Steve Wright recorded an info-taining conversation live on-stage at NWPPA's 83rd Annual Conference and Membership Meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. Debra hosts the three former Administrators of the Bonneville Power Administration who continue to engage in energy policy. The discussion ranges from greatest regrets to reasons for optimism, and proudest moments. At the end Paul Dockery joins to facilitate an energy inspired game called Energy Enthusiasm Distilled.The episode was edited prior to the news of Debra Smith's surgery. For updates on her recovery you can find updates on Caring Bridge. Her electric utility enthusiast friends wish her a speedy and full recovery!You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are electric utility enthusiasts, like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

We discuss how utility risk management is a lot like dungeons and dragons: creatively managing risk by leveraging strengths to maximize the likelihood of beneficial outcomes when solving problems.Kevin Nordt, Paul Dietz, Ahlmahz Negash, PhD, and Paul Dockery talk about managing market risk from utility risk managers perspectives. Including (1) putting uncertainty in perspective, (2) organizational and customer risk tolerance, (3) translating risk tolerance strategies for risk management, and (4) risk based thinking in the context of power supply. Plus the crew answers an insightful question from Ahlmahz and they discuss the set up of an energy inspired dungeons and dragons campaign.You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are electric utility enthusiasts, like us!07:59 - Risks as friend or foe15:18 - Risk tolerance32:39 - Risk awareness52:06 - Risk based thinking in the context of power supply1:02:52 - Ahlmahz's insightful question of the week1:14:14 - Dams and Distribution; setting up an energy industry inspired Dungeons and Dragons campaignPublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Ben Serrurier, Lea Fisher, Matt Schroettnig, and Paul Dockery share some energy themed maybe-good-maybe-bad-brainstorming ideas during a special windowless conference room in-person recording.Ben Serrurier, Lea Fisher, Matthew Schroettnig, and Paul Dockery were all in Anchorage, Alaska for NWPPA's 83rd Annual Conference and Membership Meeting so they decided to borrow a windowless conference room for an informal brainstorming session about energy and energy-adjacent ideas. The format for the bonus episode is inspired by a Bill Simmons segment with Kevin Wildes on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” called “Half-Baked Ideas”1. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are electric utility enthusiasts, like us!05:50 - Cowpoke ISO09:20 - Kids & Grids Our Hidden Powers14:18 - “Space: The Energy Frontier” - Space Elevator w/ Space Solar & Wireless Transmission PG&E & Start-Up Solaren Corp. Plan To Beam Solar Power From Space21:38 - Wireless Transmission, just on it's own24:09 - District cooling Deep Lake Water Cooling System27:32 - Cut me off, conservation36:28 - Text-to-bid for price responsive demand; $ for % load reduced https://twitter.com/kyrib/status/1544018634762231808?s=20&t=7ewwz-xBMUixjkXEXe0BCw45:30 - Connect & Manage for generator interconnection https://twitter.com/jacob_mays/status/1655966663135600640?s=2050:02 - crypto as a battery; mandatory demand response programs for crypto mining facilities52:02 - explain the grid to kids with jump rope https://twitter.com/NicoleKelner/status/1631352402086354945?s=2052:57 - slower planes55:58 - “Opt-in to save the distribution lines” // community infrastructure opt-in https://twitter.com/waDNRPublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!1 the half-baked ideas segment starts at the 1:13:00 mark of the Bill Simmons Podcast episode

Pam Sporborg, Spencer Gray, Joe Taylor and Paul Dockery debrief and synthesize the discussion from an SPP Markets+ Leadership Forum hosted by Tacoma Power, NV Energy, and the Bonneville Power Administration on May 12th, 2023.05:04 - Benefits, Opportunities and Barriers to Market Expansion18:18 - Long-run resource portfolios adapted to market design30:00 - Seams41:49 - The toughest outstanding issues for market expansion in the west56:13 - Final PredictionsYou can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are electric utility enthusiasts, like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

learning lessons about deeply decarbonized electricity markets from around the world including optimal prices in non-convex markets, reliability insurance, and system securityFarhad Billimoria, Conleigh Byers, PhD, Ahlmahz Negash, PhD, and Paul Dockery discuss adaptation of market design for the energy transition including fat tails and increased exposure to extremes; batteries and price responsive demand; natural gas fragility and marginal pricing; and inverter-driven resources and system security. Then the team plays a new game where they synthesize expert explanations of convex vs non-convex pricing and reliability insurance. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are electric utility enthusiasts, like us!05:30 - Lessons Learned on deeply decarbonized electric systems from electricity markets around the world with “Handbook on Electricity Markets” and P.L. Joskow's “From hierarchies to markets and partially back again in electricity: responding to decarbonization and security of supply goals” as background07:06 - Lesson 1: natural gas fragility and marginal pricing17:20 - Lesson 2: batteries and price responsive demand24:23 - Lesson 3: fat tails and increased exposure to extremes38:20 - Lesson 4: Inverter based grids and system security (synchronous condensers and grid inertia)48:15 - Wonky energy game synthesizing expert explanations Farhad Billimoria provides a 2 minute 20 second explanation of A reliability insurance overlay on energy-only electricity markets1; followed by the rest of the crew's interpretation Conleigh Byers, PhD, provides a 2 minute 20 second explanation of Long-run optimal pricing in electricity markets with non-convex costs2; followed by the rest of the crew's interpretation (and discussion of computational time for a solution using the Convex Hull pricing34) 1:27:36 - Ahlmahz's insightful question of the week1:32:18 - Conleigh Byers, PhD's Closing ThoughtsPublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!1 Farhad Billimoria, Rahmatallah Poudineh, Market design for resource adequacy: A reliability insurance overlay on energy-only electricity markets, Utilities Policy, Volume 60, 2019, 100935, ISSN 0957-1787, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jup.2019.100935.2 Conleigh Byers, Gabriela Hug, Long-run optimal pricing in electricity markets with non-convex costs, European Journal of Operational Research, Volume 307, Issue 1, 2023, Pages 351-363, ISSN 0377-2217, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2022.07.052.3 P. Andrianesis, D. Bertsimas, M. C. Caramanis and W. W. Hogan, "Computation of Convex Hull Prices in Electricity Markets With Non-Convexities Using Dantzig-Wolfe Decomposition," in IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 2578-2589, July 2022, doi: 10.1109/TPWRS.2021.3122000.4 C. Byers and G. Hug, "Flexibility Compensation with Increasing Stochastic Variable Renewable Energy in Non-Convex Markets," 2022 17th International Conference on Probabilistic Methods Applied to Power Systems (PMAPS), Manchester, United Kingdom, 2022, pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1109/PMAPS53380.2022.9810627.

Emily Grubert, PhD, Frank Incropera, PhD, Ahlmahz Negash, PhD, and Paul Dockery discuss natural gas distribution system obsolescence, energy security during the transition away from fossil fuels, the magic of heat pumps, increased reliance on electric utility reliability, and the wickedness of the problem of a just energy transition.You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are electric utility enthusiasts, like us!07:03 - Discussion of what constitutes a wicked problem and whether the mid-transition qualifies     - Climate Change: A Wicked Problem by Frank Incropera, PhD, Chapter 1 - Energy, economics, and climate change     - Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge | Department of Energy     - News Releases - Rheem Manufacturing Company44:57 - Natural Gas distribution systems' obsolescence     - Designing the mid-transition: A review of medium-term challenges for coordinated decarbonization in the United States     - Grubert, E., & Hastings-Simon, S. (2022). Designing the mid-transition: A review of medium-term challenges for coordinated decarbonization in the United States. WIREs Climate Change, 13( 3), e768.59:19 - Electrification of end-uses and the need for reliability     - Climate Change: A Wicked Problem by Frank Incropera, PhD, Chapter 10 -      - The ethics of climate change1:12:03 - Ahlmahz's insightful question of the week1:19:49 - Dr. Frank Incropera's Closing ThoughtsPublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Laura Trolese, Tyler Wolford, Matt Johnson, and Paul Dockery recorded an episode at a spas about how power contracts could change during a transition from bilateral to centrally dispatched markets.In a special, bonus episode recorded at the One Ocean Resort & Spas in Atlantic Beach, Florida during The Energy Authority's 2023 Energy Symposium, Laura Trolese, Tyler Wolford, Matt Johnson, and Paul Dockery discuss the impact of transitioning from bilateral markets to centrally dispatched day-ahead markets on long-term wholesale power supply agreements.Caution: it gets extremely wonky.You can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are electric utility enthusiasts, like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Rob, Kathleen, Ahlmahz, and Paul discuss the transmission expansion: it's importance, it's barriers, and it's path forward.Rob Gramlich, Kathleen Staks, Ahlmahz Negash, PhD, and Paul Dockery discuss transmission policy, planning, and funding in light of the increased need for an interconnected grid due to electrification of end-uses, new generator interconnections, and increasing footprint of extreme weather events.07:34 - Department of Energy's Grid Deployment Office release of a draft National Transmission Needs Study23:43 - The Quagmire of Transmission Investment and Cost Recovery Rob's 3 Ps of Transmission Policy Reform Rob's tweets about the importance of solving the cost allocation quagmire A brilliant quote by Rob on the conundrum of transmission investment in a New York Times article Ahlmahz's articles (part 1 and part 2) on the Grid as a Public Good 48:26 - Why transmission and market expansion is important to commercial and industrial customers Seattle utilities consider massive efforts that could help green our grid by Brendan Kiley in the Seattle Times59:48 - Interconnection queues and solutions for clearing them Prof Jacob Mays hot take about Connect and Manage and how it relates to Resource Adequacy Prof Jesse Jenkins solutioning on #energytwitter 1:09:50 - Ahlmahz's insightful question of the week1:15:07 - Kathleen Stak's Closing ThoughtsPublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!You can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are electric utility enthusiasts, like us!

With quotes from the hit comedy “Shrinking”, Paul navigates the vibes after a Regional Expansion Summit hosted by Seattle City Light, Portland General Electric, and the Bonneville Power AdministrationJan Smutny-Jones, Mary Wiencke, Jim Shetler, and Chris Robinson join Paul Dockery to debrief and synthesize the participants shared understanding after a California/Northwest Regional Expansion Summit hosted by Seattle City Light, Portland General Electric, and the Bonneville Power Administration on March 10th, 2023.In true Public Power Underground fashion the topics were introduced with quotes from the first two episodes of the new Apple TV comedy Shrinking starring Jason Segel, Jessica Williams, and Harrison Ford who all play psychologists. The timestamps for the quotes are included in the show notes, just in case you want to get some laughs before diving into the discussion.05:03 - History of Market Development in the West“Classic compassion fatigue, we ask questions, listen, stay non-judgmental and you don't make that face” - Dr. Paul Rhoades played by Harrison Ford (Episode 1, 10:13)19:12 - Benefits, Opportunities and Barriers“Look, I don't have people in my home, it's not that I'm antisocial. I know that you do this [referring to Jimmy and Gaby asking probing questions] to shame me because I'm a somewhat private person, but it just strengthens my resolve. I'm pro boundaries, my family is for me, my home is my fortress of solitude” - Dr. Paul Rhoades played by Harrison Ford (Episode 2, 7:54)48:12 - Decarbonization pathways and the role of Regional Markets“I know someone does [i.e., who “gets it”], he's tall and he calls me too much.” - Dr. Paul Rhoades played by Harrison Ford (Episode 2, 17:16)1:03:55 - A shared understanding of the mutual benefits of ongoing collaboration“Hey, anybody that helps us raise our kids with love and respect, we should be grateful” - Dr. Paul Rhoades played by Harrison Ford (Episode 2, 12:43)You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Jackie Flowers, PE, Humaira Falkenberg, Karen Heim, and Ahlmahz Negash, PhD discuss pathways to workforces that are representative of our communities in an all-female-cast episode of Public Power Underground.05:07 - Introduction of Diverse Workforce of the Future article by Jackie Flowers, PE, in NWPPA's Monthly Bulletin24:14 - Lessons learned from Tacoma's experience with the Math-Engineering-Science-Achievement (MESA) program that could apply to open positions at peer utilities today An insightful Venn Diagram of belonging1 The Waymaker by Tara Jaye Frank 46:15 - Sharing wisdom in mentorship and sponsoring57:38 - Ahlmahz's Insightful Question of the Week1:17:03 - Short to Ground Billi Kohler, the General Manager of West Oregon Electric Cooperative, is featured in a national rural electric magazine story about workforce changes Lane Electric's 7-member board of directors now includes 6 women working with Debi Wilson, the first female general manager in the co-op's 83-year history 1:19:40 - Humaira Falkenberg's Closing ThoughtsYou can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

LIVE! from the main stage at The Energy Authority's 2023 Energy Symposium, Paul and Laura moderate a panel on market disruptors with energy executives and leadersPaul Dockery and Laura Trolese moderate a panel on disruptors to resource adequacy, day-ahead, and real-time markets at The Energy Authority's 2023 Energy Symposium with Melie Vincent, Richard Dillon, and Jamie Mahne. After a serious discussion of disruptors, they tackle less serious energy analogies in a game called “Disruptors or Duds”.07:34 - Large weather patterns changing evaluation of resource adequacy21:40 - Accounting for new uncertainty in day-ahead markets32:32 - Volatility of natural gas and real-time markets46:38 - Disruptors or Duds: a niche pop culture or sports reference as an analogue to an energy industry topicYou can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, where you're valued and appreciated.

Sarah Edmonds, Crystal Ball, Ahlmahz Negash, PhD, and Paul Dockery discuss a how resource adequacy design theory applies to resource adequacy program design, why FERC asked questions about market based rate authority, what it means for a program to be interoperable, and where inter-regional transmission is coming from. 06:08 - Reminder for friends and fans of Therese Hampton to RSVP for her Celebration of Life and information about the Therese Hampton Endowed Scholarship for Economics and Business1at Portland State University.09:53 - translating theory into a program, debriefing from the interview with Prof. Jacob Mays23:55 - Market Based Rate Authority and the status at FERC FERC Wants More Western Resource Adequacy Program Information Western Power Pool's response to FERC's deficiency letter 35:45 - Interoperability of a resource adequacy program with multiple marketsWestern US regional grid, reliability efforts reach crossroads in 202347:57 - Interregional transmission and the West FERC Staff-Led Workshop on Establishing Interregional Transfer Capability Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation Requirements FERC urged to set interregional transfer capacity requirements to boost reliability, lower costs Inter-regional planning and transmission could help keep the lights on during extreme weather 1:05:55 - Short to Ground; where we TL;DR our way through the rest of the news BLM Proposes Solar Plan Expansion to Include 11 Western States Harris Attends Ten West Line Groundbreaking NRC Certifies First U.S. Small Modular Reactor Design Federal Government Says 'Not So Fast' on Diablo Canyon Extension Billions in federal dollars could make the Pacific Northwest a hub for renewable hydrogen Day-Ahead Market Enhancements decision to be deferred Spot Market Power La Nina NOAA Climate Forecasts WY2023 Water Supply Forecast You can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, where you're valued and appreciated.---------------1 At the hyperlink go to “Search All Funds” and either find or search for the Therese Hampton Endowed Scholarship for Economics and Business. Image below.

Jacob Mays, PhD, Matt Schroettnig, Ahlmahz Negash, PhD, and Paul Dockery discuss a paper Prof. Mays co-authored on contractual form in electricity reliability obligations, how it applies to the program getting developed in the Northwest, and what perspective he has on electric market development in the Northwest.06:52 - discuss recently published article by Professor Mays and Han Shu Shu, Han, and Jacob Mays. "Beyond capacity: contractual form in electricity reliability obligations." arXiv preprint arXiv:2210.10858 (2022). episode from the last time Prof. Mays was on Public Power Underground 23:54 - applying Prof. Mays insights to the Western Power Pool's Western Resource Adequacy Program47:27 - thoughts on the NYT article on electric utility deregulation Why are Energy Prices so High? Some Experts Blame Deregulation by Ivan Penn twitter thread by @MichaelGiberso3 in response to the article substack post on  Knowledge Problem by Lynn Kiesling RTO Insider article in response to the NY Times piece Ari Pesckoe twitter thread in response to the article 54:56 - New Segment!: Ahlmahz's Insightful Question of the Week!1:01:43 - Short to Ground; where we TL;DR our way through the rest of the news NWPCC: NW Needs More Reserves to Maintain Resource Adequacy Pause in Storms Allows Utilities, State Responders Valuable Time to Regroup Washington State Report: Salmon Remain ‘In Crisis' IOUs Report Significant Demand Reduction With Time-of-Use Rates With EVs PG&E, Energy Vault Seek OK for Biggest U.S. Long-Duration Storage System Eugene Board Votes to Develop Decommissioning Plan Goforth, T., Nock, D. Air pollution disparities and equality assessments of US national decarbonization strategies. Nat Commun 13, 7488 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35098-4 Texas PUC nears market redesign decision amid criticism performance credit will not spur new generation Rachel Dibble has been named the vice president of bulk marketing at the Bonneville Power Administration Spot Market Power La Nina NOAA Climate Forecasts WY2023 Water Supply Forecast 1:11:53 - we talk a lot more about Texas's controversial Performance Credit MechanismYou can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, where you're valued and appreciated.

Kyri Baker, PhD, Karen Heim, Ahlmahz Negash, PhD, and Paul Dockery address topical energy issues and share stories in the latest episode of Public Power Underground.06:36 - hot takes and lessons to be learned from Winter Storm Elliott oral history of the winter storm elliott takes on #energytwitter compiled by Brian Bartholomew TVA and Duke Energy notices of level 3 Energy Emergency Alerts PJM, MISO, and SPP energy emergency alerts paper co-authored by Prof Baker on the Texas freeze of February 2021 19:26 - debrief from White House Electrification Summit RTO Insider coverage recording of the event Dafoe, S., Krarti, M., and Baker, K. (March 7, 2022). "Optimal Designs of Grid-Connected Energy Efficient and Resilient Residential Communities." ASME. J. Eng. Sustain. Bldgs. Cities. February 2022; 3(1): 011004. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4053908 33:00 - transformer shortages and why distribution needs to be taken more seriously in discussion of electrification Utility Dive coverage of transformer shortages by Robert Walton APPA survey of its members shows that production of distribution transformers is not meeting current demand Inaction on electric transformer crisis adds to reliability concerns, APPA warns 43:25 - Short to Ground; where we TL;DR our way through the rest of the news Power restored to 4 Pierce County utility substations after Christmas Day vandalization FERC Orders NERC Reevaluation of Substation Security Standards Following Attacks by Greg Mason in Clearing Up C. Crozier, A. Pigott and K. Baker, "Spatial Arbitrage through Bidirectional Electric Vehicle Charging," 2022 IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting (PESGM), 2022, pp. 1-5, doi: 10.1109/PESGM48719.2022.9916944. Senate passes bill to increase EV battery recycling as part of defense budget Power Supply Negotiations End for Washington Aluminum Smelter by Dan Catchpole in Clearing Up A Changing Landscape: Native American Tribes Turn to Renewable Energy by Iolande Bloxsom in California Energy Markets 19 Participants Formally Commit to WRAP's Binding Phase by Dan Catchpole in Clearing Up Two Northwest Clean Hydrogen Proposals Advance in Federal Grant Program by Dan Catchpole in Clearing Up Atmospheric Rivers Deluge California, but No Relief for Long-Term Drought by Linda Dailey Paulson in California Energy Markets NuScale Submits Standard Design Application for Small Modular Reactor With NRC by Steve Ernst in Clearing Up Spot Market Power La Nina NOAA Climate Forecasts WY2023 Water Supply Forecast Energy-Themed Carols to Liven the Holiday Season from Clearing Up You can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

LIVE from the Lounge at NWPPA's Power Supply Conference hosts Paul Dockery, Ahlmahz Negash, PhD, and Dan Catchpole play an energy-themed analogy game; Arne Olson and Laura Trolese make sports analogies to electric markets in a continuation of Season 4's Electric Market Enthusiasm Series; and Debra Smith joins to rant about energy and energy-adjacent topics in a rant wheel segment inspired by Lovett or Leave It.03:22 - the Underground vs OpenAI: a game of energy-adjacent analogies with contestants Doug Gilmore and Matt Schroettnig16:30 - Electric Market Enthusiasm pt 5.1: sports analogies for electric markets w/ Arne Olson and Laura Trolese35:47 - the rant wheel w/ Debra Smith; and special contributors Crystal Ball and Matt SchroettnigYou can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Nicole Hughes, Karen Heim, Ahlmahz Negash, PhD, and Paul Dockery address topical energy issues and share stories in the latest episode of Public Power Underground.06:43 - debrief from The NY Times article on the opportunities awaiting electric utilities How utilities can maximize IIJA and IRA benefits a new way to reference the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (aka the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) 24:34 - another run at transmission siting reform SEEC releases Policy Brief on Permitting Reform for the Clean Energy Future REPEAT project report on Electricity Transmission Michael Cembalest's 12th annual energy report We recorded on Monday December 5th. Permitting reform legislation has gained some momentum in the days since. If we recorded again today, we'd probably have more to say! 39:34 - Southwest Power Pool Markets+ detailed design proposal  Coverage in Utility Dive by Robert Walton Coverage in Clearing Up by Dan Catchpole 57:11 - Short to Ground; where we TL;DR our way through the rest of the news BPA Proposes New Transmission Line Near Tri-Cities by Stever Ernst in Clearing Up NuScale SMR Project Still on Track, While Costs Rising by Steve Ernst in Clearing Up Southern California Natural Gas Supplies Good, Barring Extreme Cold by Linda Dailey Paulson in California Energy Markets CPUC Allows PG&E to Exit Enhanced Oversight Process by Anne Ernst in California Energy Markets Clark Public Utilities Acquires Output From Box Canyon Dam by Steve Ernst in Clearing Up Hydropower Uneconomical in Willamette Project, DEIS Says by KC Mehaffey in Clearing Up NuScale, Shell, others to develop hydrogen production concept with heat from small modular reactor by Stephen Singer in Utility Dive Spot Market Power La Nina NOAA Climate Forecasts WY2023 Water Supply Forecast You can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Goodbyes are hard and tend to be cringeworthy. WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A SPECIAL EPISODE!!! The original cast of Public Power Underground gets together for a nostalgic recording with a throwback script to celebrate Ian Bledsoe's promotion to Senior Power Analyst, and acknowledge Paul Dockery's last day at Clatskanie PUD.3:48 - Celebration of Ian Bledsoe's promotion to Senior Power Analyst!8:06 - Conveyance of Anadromous Championship smelt belts for best friends of the underground because they kept coming back12:03 - Paul gives a pep talk on the difficulty of transitions while Ian plays the ukelelePublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Lea Fisher, Ahlmahz Negash, PhD, Dan Catchpole, and Paul Dockery cover electric utility and electric-utility-adjacent news in Season 5, Episode 3.06:32 - introduce Ahlmahz Negash, PhD as new co-host for Public Power UndergroundAhlmahz has been a recurring guest on Public Power Underground and even accepted the designation of a Special Correspondent during earlier seasons. She has a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington, was recently the Chair of the Pacific Northwest Utility Conference Committee's System Planning Committee, is a recipient of PNUCC's “Albert Einstein Award”, and is currently on sabbatical from Tacoma Public Utilities where she is a Senior Power Analyst. [I forgot to do an adequate introduction during the recording because I figured y'all knew Ahlmahz, but then I realized I shouldn't take knowledge for granted and am hopeful y'all will look here.]09:18 - a lot going on with WRAP BPA's draft close out letter and workshop materials coverage of draft closeout letter by Steve Ernst in Clearing Up Dan Catchpole's coverage in Clearing Up on deficiency letter from FERC Comments filed by the Power Pool acknowledging BPA's unique statutory obligations (WRAP22 0011 - Edmonds/Western Power Pool) 27:05 - tensions/tradeoffs of the incremental approach to markets coverage of Markets+ two-day, in-person development session by Tom Kleckner in RTO Insider presentation from workshop on implementation cost of Markets+ (slide 14) an earlier presentation on RTO West implementation costs 43:22 - reliability assessment: Not Great coverage of NERC's 2022-2023 Winter Reliability Assessment by Rory Sweeney in Clearing Up North American electric grid faces ‘unprecedented' widespread risk this winter: NERC by Robert Walton in Utility Dive NERC's announcement with links to full assessment and infographic 53:55 - Short to Ground; where we TL;DR our way through the rest of the news Decade-Long Effort to Remove Klamath Dams Gets Final OK by KC Mehaffey in Clearing Up FERC, States Hash Out Independent Transmission Monitor Concept by Jason Fordney in California Energy Markets Boardman to Hemingway Power Line Approved by Oregon EFSC by Greg Mason in Clearing Up Study: Coal Facility Closures Could Increase Available Western Water by Linda Dailey Paulson in California Energy Markets BPA Rate Cases Kick Off; Settlement Calls for Keeping Rates Flat by Steve Ernst in Clearing Up Diablo Canyon Selected for $1.1-Billion Federal Boost by Jim DiPeso in California Energy Markets Heat-Wave Power Sellers Argue Their High Prices Were Justified by Jason Fordney in Clearing Up Spot Market Power La Nina NOAA Climate Forecasts WY2023 Water Supply Forecast 1:04:07 - Paul shares some personal newsYou can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Travis Kavulla, Abigail Sawyer, Dan Catchpole, and Paul Dockery cover electric utility and electric-utility-adjacent news in Season 5, Episode 2.05:51 - energy angles to election coverage Abigail Sawyer coverage of elections in the Southwest in California Energy Markets Anne Ernst coverage of California elections in California Energy Markets Dan Catchpole's coverage of NW election results in Clearing Up 21:15 - Travis Kavulla acts as the Underground's Special Correspondent from the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners' (NARUC) Annual Meeting in New Orleans White Paper on approaches to State-Federal Cooperation in a Decarbonizing Electricity Sector Twitter Wager between Rob Gramlich and Travis Kavulla 32:57 - Travis Kavulla's take on bifurcating spot market price formation45:33 - legislative mandates for RTO participation from a former regulator's perspective story on Nevada legislation from Utility Dive story on Colorado legislation from Utility Dive job opening for Executive Director of the California Electric Transmission Authority 55:58 - Short to Ground; where we TL;DR our way through the rest of the news California Public Utilities Commission releases NEM 3.0 WECC's 2022 resource adequacy assessment Powerex committed to joining SPP's Markets+ NW Groups Compete for Slice of $7B From Feds for Clean Hydrogen Hub Joe Manchin won't hold a renomination hearing for FERC's Rich Glick Mike Hummel, CEO and general manager of Salt River Project, announced he will retire in May 2023 PacifiCorp Proposes Nearly 26 Percent Rate Increase for California Customers the Public Utility Commission of Texas released a study of Market Reform Options Travis Kavulla quoted in the Wall Street Journal Spot Market Power La Nina NOAA Climate Forecasts WY2023 Water Supply Forecast You can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Kieran Connolly, Dan Catchpole, Abigail Sawyer, and Paul Dockery kick off the Season 5 premier of Public Power Underground.06:11 - what evolution into a centrally dispatched market means for a hydro-centric region SPP Sees Markets+ as Potential Path to Full RTO in the West Carrie Simpson to serve as Southwest Power Pool's director of western services development California Independent System Operator released its draft final proposal for the Extended Day-Ahead Market (EDAM) 18:42 - how does increased deployment of wind and solar in the Northwest impact hydro operations Biden Signs Inflation Reduction Act; Permitting Reform Next Step Rural Electric Co-ops Glad to Be Included in Inflation Reduction Act Benefits Twitter memo on Ira versus I-R-A The definitive podcasts on the content of the Inflation Reduction Act 29:05 - thoughts on SMRs in a hydro dominated region like the Pacific Northwest PacifiCorp, TerraPower to Study Deploying Five More SMRs by 2035 TVA developing plans for 20 small nuclear reactors to power Tennessee Valley by 2050 TVA takes step to build small modular reactor near Oak Ridge 38:52 - hydro operations under stressed grid conditions California Avoids Rolling Blackouts in Record Heat; Energy Prices Surge Pacific Northwest heat wave was a freak, 10,000-year event, study finds An energy emergency alert 3 for CAISO in August of 2020 Extremely constrained system in the Northwest in March of 2019 53:46 - Short to Ground; where we TL;DR our way through the rest of the news SPP membership elects two new directors Western Power Pool Approves Nominees for New Independent Board of Directors SRP coverage by Abigail Sawyer Southwest elections preview by Abigail Sawyer Coverage of PPC pressing Columbia Basin Collaborative by K.C. Mehaffey Fusion coverage by Dan Catchpole Product switch coverage by Dan Catchpole Hydrogen project coverage by Steve Ernst Drought coverage by Linda Dailey Paulson Briefs in Clearing Up Spot Market Power La Nina NOAA Climate Forecasts WY2023 Water Supply Forecast You can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

In the fifth installment of Public Power Underground's Electric Market Enthusiasm series, an expert panel including Laura Trolese (Senior Market Design & Policy Analyst, The Energy Authority), Carrie Simpson (Director - Western Markets, Xcel Energy), and Jeff Spires (Director - Power, PowerEx) discuss different choices made in market paradigms and how it all makes sense. Specifically the discussion is framed as a compare and contract episode of different market design choices, but in a fun, infotaining way using professional sports analogies whenever possible. The notes from the analogies are available as a google sheet (← link works).05:59 - Resource Adequacy is like Roster Management for professional sports leagues25:24 - Real Time Markets are “the game”43:34 - Day Ahead Markets are like practice / training / coaching55:50 - Transitioning from bilateral to centrally dispatched markets make comparisons complex01:09:23 - Transmission cost recovery is as controversial as who pays for professional sports stadiumsYou can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Richard Glick, the Chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), joined Crystal Ball, Matt Schroettnig, and Paul Dockery for the fourth installation of our Electric Market Enthusiasm series. We try to keep it light while discussing transmission, batteries, price formation, the incremental approach to market expansion, governance, and FERC's recently published five year strategic plan. To close it out we played an outro game called "Which FERC is the best FERC?".06:02 - Discuss elements of FERC's FY22-26 Strategic Plan FERC FY22-26 Strategic Plan | Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Fact Sheet | Strategic Plan FY 2022-2026 | Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 15:01 - New merch idea15:12 - Benefits of Transmission Regionalization The Pacific Northwest/Pacific Southwest Intertie MISO board approves $10.3B transmission plan to support 53 GW of renewables the Organization of MISO States 24:28 - Governance and the incremental approach to market expansion27:58 - “I think it's inevitable”31:46 - Outro Game: Which FERC is the best FERC?You can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Paul Dockery, Jason Fordney, Abigail Sawyer, and Dan Catchpole field listener submitted questions from all types of energy enthusiasts. Plus, we have a Bluey Inspired intermission game with the Honorable Katie Mapes, Matt Schroettnig, and Jon Hart.03:12 - Dan Campbell wonders about the DER value proposition for Public Power13:24 - Dr. Kyri Baker pitches an airline idea for electric utilities27:13 - Travis Kavulla has a contracting question34:46 - Mary Wienke wants to know how we think about new technology development Ben Serrurier's work on A Fair Green Deal for the Last Coal Plant in Mississippi Family Guy's recurring bit with the Kool Aid Man 44:51 - Robert Cromwell asks a bunch of questions about transmission MISO board approves $10.3B transmission plan to support 53 GW of renewables, coverage by Utility Dive57:04 - Intermission Game - energy industry Bluey Scholars on character parallels1:20:40 - TL;DR segment called “Just a Text” Mike Bloomberg from Groundwork Data Bryce Johanneck of Quanta Technology Therese Hampton proposes a conundrum Bill Drummond poses a question  Simon Mahan wants to talk about squirrels Mary Wienke with a testimonial 1:31:04 - New Merch: “Objectively Enthusiastic”We hope you enjoyed the Fourth Season. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts, like us! Share the link to merch on shopify. And podcast links on Apple Podcast and Spotify. Subscribe on here so you don't miss Season 5 or any bonus content in between.Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!