DER Task Force

FERC Order 2222 is being lauded as landmark for how it will change the role of DERs in electricity markets. But the Order itself is vague in how this will be achieved and leaves ample room for interpretation and exceptions. So will Order 2222 fundamentally change the system, or just be a footnote in electricity history? In the final episode of Season 1, Colleen, Duncan and James attempt to answer...

In this episode, Colleen, Duncan and James explore the nuances of beneficial electrification; can we electrify everything and what does it mean to grid management if we do? This episode was inspired by our meetup with Fei Wang, Grid Edge Research Manager at Wood Mackenzie.  Visit http://www.dertaskforce.com for more information on upcoming meetups, podcast episodes and newly added SWAG #microgrdsa...

The Task Force has covered plenty of topics in the commercial and industrial customer segments, but what’s up with residential DERs? Inspired by our meetup with Kiran Bhatraju (founder and CEO of Arcadia) that you can check out on our youtube channel, we discuss everything from flat billing to the future of EV leases and how Mark Zuckerberg may use our smart meter data one day.  Visit http://www.d...

California doesn't have enough power, yet again is facing its largest wildfires on record, and the transmission and distribution grid continues to be a liability. What's happening, what do solutions look like, and how will this impact the national climate conversation? This is DER Task Force’s first attempt at producing a highly relevant episode, so please let us know how it went! Visit...

Over the DER Task Force's short history we've had two meetup presentations focused on NY’s Value of Distributed Energy (VDER). First was Russell Wilcox's, this show's producer and CEO of Urban Energy, and second was Justin Gundlach's of the Institute for Policy Integrity. Both can be found in our Content Library. In this episode, Colleen, Duncan, and James explore what NY&...

For our first meetup of 2020, Ben Carron of E3 presented on how DER have integrated with wholesale markets over the years. In this episode we try to build on everything Ben taught us, with a focus on today's typical DER monetization strategies, historical wholesale market design implications, and the future of DERs participation. You can find Ben's meetup presentation in our Content Libr...

In 2019, Madison Freeman from Energy Impact Partners presented on trends and predictions for DER-focused venture capital. This episode builds on her presentation as Colleen, Duncan, and James explore the transition from cleantech to climate tech. We explore the avenues of financing by examining David Energy's $1.5 million pre-seed funding round and Scale Microgrid Solutions' $300 million...

In our July 2019 meetup, Colleen Metelitsa, presented on the potential for blockchain as a technology to allow for increased penetration of DERs.    Blockchain hit peak hype in 2017 with over 150 companies pursuing blockchain in energy use cases and hundreds of millions invested in start-ups. In this episode, we dive into the fundamentals around how blockchain could potentially help integrate DERs...

Public safety power shutoffs were our first meetup topic in May of 2019, which means this group is almost a year old now! California’s power system faces an unprecedented challenge — the grid is sparking wildfires, the wildfires are immensely destructive, climate change is exasperating this, and we need to start strategically shutting off the grid to prevent this from happening every year. In this...

Franchise rights are an under-explored topic that are a core component of where utilities’ derive their power over the distribution grid. Figuring out their place in a decentralized future is essential in ensuring a just energy transition. We should be asking: with the ability to build supply almost anywhere with DERs, is the grid a natural monopoly? How do we reconcile the tension between franchi...

Who are we? Where did this come from? What are we trying to do? All the answers are here! See www.dertaskforce.com for more information on upcoming meetups and podcast episodes.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dertaskforce.com/subscribe