Alternative Power Plays

On this special episode of Alternative Power Plays, lead experts from the Brattle Group: John Tsoukalis, Metin Celebi, and Frank Graves, join the podcast for a panel discussion on recent energy market developments in the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), focusing on the extended day-ahead markets (EDAM) and Markets+. Celebi, Graves, and Tsoukalis are Principals at Brattle with exper...

On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, hosts Alan Seltzer and John Povilaitis interview Elliot Anise-Hicks, co-founder and CTO of Oberon Fuels. During their discussion, Elliot discusses Oberon's journey from its start in 2010, initially focusing on biogas, then liquid fuels, and eventually to its current production of renewable dimethyl ether (DME). DME, a clean, non-toxic gas, can significan...

On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, John Povilaitis talks with Sarah Minczeski Delisle, VP of Government Affairs & Communications at Swell Energy. In this role, Sarah navigates the evolving policy environments at local, state, and federal levels to maintain the company's adaptive stance and strategic positioning.    During their conversation, John and Sarah talk about virtual power pla...

Electric vehicles have long been seen as one of the biggest ways society can fundamentally move towards the fulfillment of clean energy goals—as long as they can truly go mainstream. This organization thinks it knows how to make that happen by 2030. On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, Alan Seltzer and John Povilatis welcome Britta Gross, Director of Transportation at the Electric Power Res...

On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, Alan Seltzer and John Povilaitis are joined by Willett Kempton, Professor at the University of Delaware. Willett is a leading expert in vehicle-to-grid (or V2G) technology, which enables vehicles to absorb excess energy from the grid when demand for power is low and returns some electricity back to the electric grid when the demand for power is high.    ...

On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, we welcome a very special guest, Dr. Sunita Satyapal, Director of the U.S. Department of Energy's Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Office. She manages the DOE Hydrogen Program's activities across multiple offices and oversees $1.6 billion in hydrogen and fuel cell research, development, demonstration, and deployment inside the office. She also manages o...

Demand for electric vehicles and building electrification keeps on increasing, yet much of America's electric transmission infrastructure is from the 1960s. There is now an attempt underway to improve electric transmission infrastructure by exploiting existing public rights of way, such as highways. On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, Randy Satterfield, Executive Director of NextGen Highwa...

The movement to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, enhance air quality, address energy cost disparities, and transition to clean energy infrastructure is growing by the day. Neighborhood decarbonization has the power to not only deliver health benefits but positive climate implications as well. On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, Nicole Abene, Senior New York Legislative & Regulator...

In a world where there is more focus than ever on energy efficiency and the need to reduce carbon emissions, one company is offering energy-efficient equipment and software upgrades for businesses looking to lower their energy usage and meet their net-zero goals. On this episode, Alan Seltzer and John Povilaitis welcome Al Subbloie, Chief Executive Officer at Budderfly. Through Budderfly's energy...

While it’s not new, fusion energy generation has long seemed a little too out of reach to be commercially practical. That is, until now. On this episode, Alan Seltzer and Frank Graves welcome Andrew Holland, Chief Executive Officer of the Fusion Industry Association. The Fusion Industry Association is a non-profit organization made up of private companies working to make commercial fusion energy a...

On this episode, Alan Seltzer and John Povilaitis welcome David Arfin, CEO and co-founder of NineDot Energy. NineDot is a true innovator in the urban energy space. The company is developing and implementing clean energy business models for New York City. Evolving from a fuel cell project company started in 2015, NineDot was created in 2021 to build community-scale energy systems that support a mor...

Hydrogen is becoming an increasingly popular fuel in the energy sector. Discussion of the fuel source as an alternative to natural gas has continued to grow. It can be combusted to deliver energy without producing carbon emissions and can come from a variety of sources domestically. But what’s the real story behind hydrogen, and how does it work? On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, our hos...

One of our favorite guests from last season makes a return appearance to discuss the energy space as it relates to our elected officials in Washington, D.C. Ed Hild, a principal in Buchanan’s Government Relations practice in D.C., stops by to discuss the fallout from the midterm elections that left Democrats in control of the Senate and the Republicans with slim control in House. With this new pow...

On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, Anul Thapa, a Principal with the Brattle Group, discusses New England’s natural gas supply, transmission and distribution system and the challenges it faces in this winter. Anul has more than a decade of experience applying economic and finance principles in complex oil and gas-related litigation, arbitration, and regulatory proceedings. He co-authored “...

On this episode, Alan Seltzer and John Povilaitis welcome two Power Players who are helping revolutionize the energy space by developing technology that they say will allow existing electric power generation plants to use natural gas with absolutely zero carbon emissions. Brothers Joel and Jeff Haas say, unlike other carbon emission technology that requires significant upfront cost and a major ove...

Natural gas has always been a focus on Alternative Power Plays. From its use in CHP facilities and much more, it is the dominant fuel source for electric power across much of the country. On this episode, the focus has shifted to discuss another strong influence on the future of natural gas – the increasing pressure on utilities to shift away from natural gas to conservation, electrification, and...

Hosts John Povilaitis and Alan Seltzer of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney are joined by a former member of PA’s House of Representatives, Jaret Gibbons. Gibbons is the current executive director of the Appalachian Region Independent Power Producers Association, a non-profit whose mission is to turn coal waste into an energy source. Connecting back to our episode on the blockchain coalition, this p...

On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, Buchanan, Ingersoll, & Rooney attorneys and podcast hosts John Povilaitis and Alan Seltzer shift from the usual renewable energy discussions to welcome Pennsylvania Blockchain Coalition president, Dominic Folino, to discuss the history of blockchain technology and the connection it has with conversations around energy. The episode begins with the int...

Welcome back to another episode of Alternative Power Plays, the podcast from Buchanan Ingersoll and Rooney and The Brattle Group. Alan Seltzer, an Energy attorney at Buchanan, and is joined by his colleague at Buchanan and co-host John F. Povilaitis, a shareholder at Buchanan. On this podcast, the pair talk to companies across industries about the new and innovative ways in which they are getting...

Traditionally, Alternative Power Plays has been about speaking with companies across industries about the new and innovative ways in which they are getting electricity to their facilities, buildings and other sites. On this episode, however, At Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, energy attorneys and podcast hosts John Povilaitis and Alan Seltzer want to take that energy discussion to an even higher...

On the second part of our two-part series, focusing on the impact of the war between Russia and Ukraine on global gas and oil markets, Frank Graves of the Brattle Group is joined by Steve Thumb, a nationally noted oil & gas expert, to explore the long-term impacts of the war on global energy markets. The conversation continues with the recent history of the energy industry and forecasts what f...

Between the war between Russia and Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic, our global energy consumption habits have become a major point of concern. In a special episode from the Brattle Group, principal Frank Graves talks with Steve Thumb, a nationally noted oil & gas expert, who was in charge of oil and gas forecasting for three decades at the widely used source, Energy Ventures Analysis. Steve...

In Alternative Power Plays, we talk all about the new and innovative ways in which businesses are getting electricity to their facilities, buildings and other sites. John Povilaitis a shareholder at Buchanan, Ingersoll and Rooney and is joined by Alan Seltzer, an Energy attorney at Buchanan. The pair focus our legal practice in the energy and public utility space, with specific work helping client...

Welcome to Alternative Power Plays, a podcast from Buchanan Ingersoll and Rooney and the Brattle Group. In Alternative Power Plays, we talk all about the new and innovative ways in which businesses are getting electricity to their facilities, buildings and other sites. John Povilaitis, a shareholder at Buchanan, Ingersoll and Rooney in the firm’s energy practice, and is joined by Alan Seltzer, a f...

On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, Metin Celebi interviews Ted Borer and Tom Nyquist both from Princeton University! As the Executive director of Facilities Engineering and Campus Energy, Tom Nyquist is responsible for HVAC, electrical distribution, utility plant capacity additions, energy budget, underground utilities and energy conservation. As for Ted Borer, he has three decades in the...