ferc

America’s dramatic shift towards renewable energy generation in remote areas will require a substantial transmission build-out in the years ahead, potentially doubling or tripling the current grid. In other words, there is no transition without transmission. While it's crucial that we expedite the construction of large power lines at a much faster clip, there's another technology solution that demands equal attention. This parallel approach involves the use of Grid-Enhancing Technologies (GETs). GETs offer a modular, cost-effective path to enhancing our existing infrastructure while also significantly amplifying the efficacy of new transmission investments. To gain deeper insights into how GETs can help us meet the needs of the 21st-century electric grid, accelerate the clean energy transition, and lower energy costs, Gil Jenkins and Manish Chaturvedi spoke with Julia Selker, Executive Director of WATT Coalition.

Links:

WATT Coalition 

• WATT Coalition Website
• What are Grid Enhancing Technologies?
• Whitepaper: Building a Better Grid: How Grid Enhancing Technologies Complement Transmission Buildouts (WATT Coalition & Brattle Group, April 20, 2023)
• WATT Coalition LinkedIn
• WATT Coalition X

More on Julia: 

Julia Selker is Executive Director of the WATT Coalition and Director of Policy and Strategy and Chief Operating Officer for Grid Strategies. She previously worked for the Business Council on Sustainable Energy, the technology startup Faraday Grid, and interned with Congressman Peter DeFazio focused on energy and climate policy. Prior to coming to Washington, DC, Julia worked on the launch of Monterey Bay Community Power through the public relations agency Miller Maxfield, Inc., in Santa Cruz, California. Julia previously worked for the Bulleit Group, a San Francisco public relations agency. She has a bachelor’s degree in physics from Reed College. 

• Julia Selker LinkedIn
• Julia Selker X
• LinkedIn Post: The grid fairy godmothers of the energy transition (Julia Selker, August 3, 2023)

Episode recorded December 8, 2023

Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, and Hilary at climatepositive@hasi.com or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod.

Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, and Hilary at climatepositive@hasi.com or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod. 

Travis Fisher has worked at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy and is now the director of energy and environmental policy studies at the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C. In this episode, Fisher explains why the energy-related provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act could ultimately cost taxpayers close to $3 trillion, the “Californication” of our electric grid, the mess in Congress, and why federal subsidies for wind and solar, combined with the EPA’s proposed rules are undermining the reliability of our electricity system. (Recorded October 25, 2023.)

In this episode of The Vivek Show, host Vivek Ramaswamy explores the paradox of carbon reduction advocates opposing nuclear energy and discusses the complexities of US energy policy with guest Neil Chatterjee, former Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). They delve into FERC's role in overseeing competitive wholesale power markets, the challenges faced by differing state policies on decarbonization, and the consequences of shutting down coal plants on communities. The conversation covers the role of public policy and market forces in shaping the energy landscape, touching on the controversial topic of carbon capture pipelines and the potential for fostering nuclear energy without subsidies. Throughout the episode, Ramaswamy and Chatterjee engage in a thought-provoking discussion on the future of US energy policy and the potential for reforming key regulatory agencies.

--

Donate here: https://t.co/PE1rfuVBmb

For more content follow me here:

Twitter - @VivekGRamaswamy

Instagram - @vivekgramaswamy

Facebook - http://facebook.com/VivekGRamaswamy

Truth Social - @VivekRamaswamy

Rumble - @VivekRamaswamy

--

Indranil "Neil" Chatterjee is a prominent American lawyer, political advisor, and former member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). He served twice as FERC Chairman, from August 10, 2017, to December 7, 2017, and October 24, 2018, to November 5, 2020. Prior to FERC, Chatterjee was an energy policy advisor to United States Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and held roles with the United States House Committee on Ways and Means, and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Throughout his career, he has been committed to shaping balanced energy policies that promote both energy production and environmental stewardship.

--

Time-codes:

00:00:00 - Mystery of carbon reduction advocates not supporting nuclear energy

00:01:19 - Possible anti-growth agenda in the US

00:02:53 - Introduction of guest Neil Chatterjee

00:08:21 - Structure of FERC for independent judgment

00:09:37 - Constitutionality concerns over independent agencies

00:11:59 - Oversight and nomination process reining in radical FERC agenda

00:16:12 - FERC's role in competitive wholesale power markets

00:17:58 - Implementation of a minimum offer price rule

00:20:56 - Reversal of the minimum offer price rule after 2020 election

00:34:36 - Vivek questions the need for a top-down energy transition

00:36:19 - Neil's support for solar plus storage

00:38:57 - Impact of shutting down coal plants on communities

00:40:41 - Neil's opposition to burdensome EPA regulations

00:43:50 - Vivek's skepticism on government-subsidized carbon capture pipelines

00:44:53 - Biden administration's clean energy transition and transmission line challenges

00:46:20 - Opposition to energy infrastructure built near homes

00:52:06 - Bilateral contracting in energy markets

00:53:07 - Roles of RTOs and ISOs in energy markets

00:56:49 - Fostering nuclear energy without subsidies and private capital's role

00:57:38 - Public Utility Commission's role in evaluating utility rates

00:58:38 - Challenge of short-term thinking for long-term energy projects

01:01:04 - Vivek's proposal for a new nuclear energy regulatory agency

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 

In 2021, U.S. President Biden signed an executive order with the directive to achieve 100% carbon-pollution free electricity in the United States by 2030. The goal is certainly achievable: currently wind and solar are the cheapest forms of electricity generation, the installed capacity of utility-scale solar and wind has increased more than 2000% in the last 15 years, and there are already 1.3 terawatts (TW) of clean energy generation + storage projects seeking to connect to the grid, roughly enough for the grid to reach 80% zero-carbon electricity. But it is one thing to plan clean energy generation facilities, and another to build and connect those facilities into the national power grid, which is done with the oversight of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

FERC is required to regulate the interstate transmission of natural gas, oil, an electricity, which means they work to ensure that a hypothetical wind project in Iowa transmitting electricity to Chicago, Illinois follows all federal and state permitting requirements along its entire path. That gets complicated, and currently those 1.3 TW of clean energy projects are sitting in a backlog that is taking several years to process. Neil Chatterjee, Chairman of FERC in 2017 and again from 2018-2020, joined Climate Now to explain why getting new clean power connected to the grid is so difficult, how the process can be streamlined, and why that is so critical to reaching the U.S.’s climate goals. Stay tuned!

Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Contact us at contact@climatenow.com

Visit our website for all of our content and sources for each episode.