Episode 4 - Simple Energy Efficiency Inventions with Big Impacts w/ Sam Pardue, Indow

Summary

In the latest episode, Elena Mannion and Pete Curtice are joined by Commissioner Tremaine Phillips of the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) for a thoughtful conversation covering a wide range of topics. They discuss Commissioner Phillips' career walk, provide an overview of the Commission, and explore how Michigan is keeping pace to be a center of the vehicle electrification industry, from EV-induction roadways to forging new cross-border drone corridors with Ontario. Other topics include accommodating communities most impacted by the closure of coal plants and delving into resource adequacy.

Commissioner Phillips notes, "I don't think folks truly appreciate how fast this transition is taking place. Just to provide one example--in 2007, 70% of Michigan's electricity generation was derived from coal power facilities. And in 2020, we were at just 22%."

Commissioner Phillips was appointed in 2019 to a six-year term and is currently one of only three Commissioners to serve on the Michigan Public Service Commission. In fact, he points out that there are more NBA players in the United States than Public Utility Commissioners! Despite their small numbers, the MPSC has been busy; in the last year alone, it issued over 510 orders, including the largest on record, several hundred pages long, and responded to over 10,000 customer complaints. The Commissioners are backed by a professional team of 170 who help evaluate, investigate, and regulate the industries over which the Commission has authority.

Additional Resource Recommendations :

• The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future by Gretchen Bakke
• The Energy Transition Show with Chris Nelder on Apple Podcasts
• Plain English with Derek Thompson on Apple Podcasts
• The Russia Contingency with Michael Kofman Archives - War on the Rocks

Transcript Link

Commissioner Ann McCabe was appointed to the Illinois Commerce Commission by Governor Pritzker on February 1, 2022, to a five-year term. This is her second time serving on the Commission, having previously held the position from 2012-2017, during which she focused on grid modernization, power transformation, regional transmission, and nuclear issues. With over 25 years of experience in energy, environmental policy, and regulation across public, private, and non-profit sectors, Commissioner McCabe also served as the US Policy Director at the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP).

In this episode, Pete and Elena speak with Commissioner McCabe about the state of Illinois' energy transition, including the passage of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) and the opportunities and challenges of being the largest nuclear producer among states. Additionally, the conversation delves into energy efficiency as a resource and the bottlenecks to the clean energy transition. Commissioner McCabe also walks through the workflow process for long-term transmission planning projects and how the ICC interfaces with multiple Regional Transmission Organizations.

Additional Readings:

• High Tension by John Riggs
• Telsa: Inventor of the Modern by Rick Munson

In this episode, Elena and Pete welcome Tom Rutigliano, a senior advocate at the Sustainable FERC Project. Tom is part of a coalition of environmental groups housed under the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) that presses for solutions that make our grid more resilient, lower costs, and protect the environment.

Tom’s views on resource adequacy highlight the importance of ensuring that the power grid is reliable and secure at all times. He suggests that resource adequacy needs to be updated to reflect the changing energy landscape, accounting for the growth of renewables and energy storage technologies. By doing so, we can move towards a more sustainable and resilient grid capable of delivering clean and reliable energy to all. 

Additional Readings:

• MIT Press: The Power Brokers by Jeremiah Lambert
• Atlantic: Unfortunately, I Care About Power Lines Now by Robinson Meyer 

Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast, where we explore the cutting-edge world of sustainable manufacturing with Laura Dunford, CEO, and Rachel Green, Head of Customer Experience at Guidewheel. These industry experts will explain how their company uses cloud-powered FactoryOps technology to revolutionize how small and medium-sized manufacturers approach sustainable manufacturing. From the challenges faced by manufacturers today to the innovative solutions that Guidewheel is implementing, this episode is packed with valuable insights for anyone interested in the future of sustainable manufacturing. 

This episode covers the following:

1.33 - Introduction to Guidewheel and what it means to be a Public-Benefit Corporation

10:12 - What skills are most helpful to join this industry and advice

13:45 - Breaking down the idea of “downtime” and the connection with energy efficiency

26:50 - What is the World Economic Forum, and how does one get involved?

29:20 - Reading recommendations

Recommended Readings:

McKinsey: Lean for Green Manufacturing

The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough | Goodreads

Aeroseal is based in Miamisburg, Ohio and has attracted a lot of attention of late, including from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Bill Gates’ climate venture fund.  Why? Because their technology is a game changer for air leaks!

“Buildings are a big culprit of making climate change worse; we can fix it - and we can enable buildings to be net-zero, and that’s our mission” - Amit Gupta, CEO Aeroseal 

This episode covers the following:

00:00

• Today's topic: air leaks and their impact on energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions
• Introduction of guest Amit Gupta, CEO of Aeroseal

01:45

• Overview of Aeroseal's approach to air-sealing homes and commercial buildings
• Explanation of how the product works to seal air ducts
• Importance of technology in addressing air leaks
• Use of analogy to explain concept (leaky gas tank)

05:00

• Overview of current building codes related to energy efficiency and potential changes
• Discussion of the Inflation Reduction Act and its relevance to Aeroseal's business (specifically, sections 45L and 25C)

19:30

• Skills to consider acquiring when starting out in the industry
• Size and importance of cleantech ecosystem in the Midwest
• Role of Aeroseal as a leader in the region
• Recommendations for clean energy resources and reading materials
• Top solutions for people looking to make their homes more energy efficient

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This is a critical moment in time for the energy transition. The U.S. Department of Energy will oversee ~$400 billion through the  Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to galvanize America's energy transition. So what are the questions that policymakers are asking right now? That’s a question Elena and Pete ask Mandy Mahoney, Principal and U.S. Program Director of the Regulatory Assistance Project. Mandy and her team serve as technical advisors to the DOE and policymakers around the country. 

Based in Atlanta, Mandy also recently ran for the Atlanta City Council as a climate change candidate and has served as the city of Atlanta’s first sustainability director across two administrations.

This episode covers:

1.44 - Mandy’s background as an environmental steward in the American South

7:55 - Experience as Atlanta City Council’s Climate Candidate 

13:00 - Overview of the Regulatory Assistance Project and U.S. focus areas

14:30 - Inflation Reduction Act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and timing of funding

19:20 - Areas of the IRA that will require further clarification

26.00 - Recommended readings & resources 

On today’s episode energy efficiency meets design as Elena and Pete speak with Sam Pardue, the CEO and Founder of Indow. Indow makes window inserts that improve efficiency, comfort and noise levels without the need to buy new windows. The duo chat with Sam about marketing and the benefits of secondary glazing, how skyscrapers can become far more energy efficient with humble upgrades and Sam’s philosophy on business building, among other topics.

0:00 - What are Indow window inserts? How do they work?

6:50 - Secondary glazing - what is it and why is it so effective for carbon reduction?

9:50 - What do customers care about and how do you motivate people to get excited about energy efficiency-oriented purchases?

20:00 - How has COVID, shift to WFH movement affected Indow’s business?

23:40 - Reducing GHG emissions from buildings is a priority for New York City. What is the impact of its Local Law 97?

26:50 - Companies that Sam admires

30:05 - When you have an idea for a project, what are the first steps you take to figure out if it could even be a viable business idea? 

33:05 - Article and book recommendations

Articles and References

• The New York Times: New York Developers Rush to Reduce Emissions as Hefty Fines Loom
• The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz

Efforts to develop a forward clean energy market (FCEM) are active in both New England and PJM, but starting with New England: Why has this topic come about? Why are state policymakers focused on this topic of integrating markets and policy?  What are the problems they’ve been trying to solve?

Dr. Kathleen Spees, a Principal at the Brattle Group, provides answers to these questions on today's episode. 

1:50 - Introductions

4:20 - Inflation Reduction Act

6:30 - Overview of the Forward Clean Energy Market in New England: 

• Why has this topic come about? 
• Why are state policymakers focused on this topic of integrating markets and policy?  

10:25 - The basics of the Forward Clean Energy Market concept:

• How would it be different from the other existing wholesale power markets?
• Who’s the buyer, who’s the seller?
• What product are they buying?
• Can’t states just increase their renewable portfolio standards up to 100%?  Why a new regional market?
• What makes FCEM better/worse/different/complementary to other solutions like a Carbon Tax or an Integrated Clean Capacity Market (ICCM)?
• How would EE factor into FCEM if at all?

22:30 - If an FCEM were adopted, how significant an impact would there be?

Recommended Resources:

• Briefing materials on a regional clean attribute market. It also includes references to two longer reports on the topic (see a forward clean energy market design paper and New Jersey investigation of resource adequacy alternatives)
  • District of Columbia report on wholesale market reforms for achieving 100% carbon-free electricity which offers a broader overview of power market reforms for supporting clean energy transition
• To follow these activities and their progress to fruition, the places to look are:
  • In New England: States’ Visioning effort and associated report to the governors, as well as the NEPOOL Pathways process
  • In PJM: PJM Clean Attribute Procurement Senior Task Force

In this episode, Elena and Pete speak with Alex Laskey, the Co-Founder and Executive Chair of Rewiring America. Alex gives his fresh take on the Inflation Reduction Act, the landmark climate legislation his organization helped shape and discusses why, despite good intentions, it can be hard to get consumers to switch from fossil fuels to electric. 

Alex previously led OPower, the behavioral Energy Efficiency company he founded with Dan Yates. Under his leadership, Opower grew into a publicly traded company whose cloud-based software is used by more than half of the largest electric and gas utilities in the United States. Today, Opower, now a division of Oracle, delivers more than 6 TWh of energy savings per year and helps homeowners save more than $1B per year on their energy bills. 

0:00 - Introduction

2:05 - Career walk and origins of Opower

11:45 - Rewiring America’s origins 

18:20 - Changing the narrative around combating climate change to a “story of abundance.”

20:00 - Alex’s reaction to the Inflation Reduction Act

25:21 - Overcoming friction in decision-making to move consumers to electric

31:08 - It’s a great time to become an electrician

40:40:28 - Alex’s recommended resources

Recommended resources:

Rewiring America’s IRA Calculator

Rewiring America's Explainer on the IRA

“Smart Power” by Peter Fox-Penner

“The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Ford Motor Company, and Their Epic Quest to Arm an America at War” by A.J. Baime

“Living the Good Life: How to Live Sanely and Simply in a Troubled World,” by Helen and Scott Nearing

“Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals,” by Oliver Burkeman

Suedeen Kelly is a former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Commissioner and a rock star in the clean energy world! She is credited with spearheading meaningful change in numerous regulatory policies. 

In this episode, we will cover …

0:00 - Introduction

3:00 - Energy Markets Overview

4:46 - Day Ahead Market, Real-Time Market, and Capacity Markets

6:55 - Energy Efficiency Participation

12:50 - FERC History of Energy Efficiency as a Market Resource

17:44 - Ideas to Further Enable EE as a Supply-Side Resource

21:48 - How to Become a FERC Commissioner

31:40 - Recommended Resources

New Generation is a new podcast from American Efficient. Please let us know what you think! Email us at newgeneration@americanefficient.com or tweet us at @makeUSefficient! 

Recommended resources:

“Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in the United States” by Michael B. Gerrard and John C. Dernbach, Editors