Grid Forward Forum

Pursuing Energy Affordability With Today's Many Grid Challenges

Balancing various stakeholder interests while ensuring affordable, reliable power is the daunting task commissioners face. We spoke with Dave Danner, former commissioner at Washington UTC, about how to balance affordability against all the other demands on today's utilities. He knows: his state of Washington has experienced an increase in wildfire risks, rising rate pressures and mounting legislation to advance clean energy, all while needing to build additional transmission. Dave explains the role of the commission to consider each potential investment, support new business models, improvements in regulation, and much more. 

U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak On Congress's Energy & Grid Priorities

Even as energy rates have steadily risen, reliability has suffered in many parts of the country over the past five years. What is the new Congress prioritizing to help alleviate this challenge? For insights, we turned to U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak (R, N.D.), member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce who also served as past president of NARUC and Commissioner of the North Dakota PSC. Talking with Bryce Yonker, Rep. Fedorchak discusses the need to approach grid modernization with a healthy dose of common sense—don’t retire energy assets too early, look at the lowest cost solutions and ensure any incentives are directed toward those who really need them. The Congresswoman also discusses onshoring the production of grid components, updating the tax code, using a ’scalpel’ to reduce federal expenditures and how to meet energy needs driven by AI increased demands.

 

Rep Fedorchak’s office has an open Request for Information (RFI) available for download requesting insights around the energy requirements from the expanding AI industry.

How Watch Duty Improves Wildfire Situational Awareness, Readiness and Response

When disaster strikes, situational awareness and timely information save lives and property. That's why Watch Duty was the most downloaded iOS app during three recent wildfire events. Nick Russell, Vice President of Operations, joined the podcast to discuss how this nonprofit receives and transmits information to support local responders and utilities before, during and after a disaster strikes. Procurement, validation, and accurate communication takes a large team of people, but with timely information comes the potential to improve readiness and response to wildfires.

AI: The Driver for Expanded Demand and Promising Solutions to Run the Grid Better

In this season-opener of “GridForward Forum,” we are joined by two special guests: Sean Kelly, co-founder & CEO at Amperon, and Xing Wang, global leader of grid modernization at AWS Energy and Utilities. The expansion of energy generation and transmission is a top priority for the grid landscape. Although artificial intelligence is largely driving the need for this growth, AI is also the tool that can be used to help solve many of the major energy challenges. Sean Kelly and Xing Wang discuss how AI is being used to improve forecasting despite weather extremes, streamline complex processes to shorten permitting time and interconnection queues, and provide predictive analytics and solutions for operators in real time. The era of AI on the grid is here.

Grid Forward is hosting its main GridFWD event Oct 6-8 in Monterey focused on the role of AI for the grid. Hope to see anyone interested in and working on this area there with us. More information is at https://gridforward.org/conference/gridfwd-2025/

Impacts to the Grid Under the Incoming Trump Administration, Part 2

The recent U.S. election has raised a lot of questions about future directions for grid-related policies and programs. We reached out to people with a good view on the new administration for their perspectives. In this second special episode, Neil Chatterjee, former FERC Chairman, overviews the impact to IRA and other significant energy legislation. He also talks about the importance of permitting reforms in light of the surge of energy demands for AI, how the incoming administration will focus on expansion of all forms of domestic energy production, and what it means for the U.S. to target ‘energy dominance’. 

Impacts to the Grid Under the Incoming Trump Administration, Part 1

The recent U.S. election has raised a lot of questions about future directions for grid-related policies and programs. We reached out to people with a good view on the new administration for their perspectives. In this first special episode, Bryce chats with Kellie Donnelly, Executive Vice President & General Counsel of Lot Sixteen and a long time lead staff person for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and other Hill positions. They cover how an incoming Trump administration might shift energy policy, impact key federal agencies, and change national energy priorities. Bryce and Kellie also discuss how the Republican Congress may bring back the reconciliation process in a package bill, implications of the Congressional Review Act, and how grid innovation may be impacted under the returning administration.

Season 5 Finale—Assessing the State of the Grid in 2024 with Siemens' Ruth Gratzke

In this season finale, Ruth Gratzke, President of Siemens Smart Infrastructure in the United States, looks back at the state of the grid in 2024 and how the industry should be planning for future needs. In rapid-fire fashion, Bryce asks Ruth about topics from each of the podcast’s episodes in Season 5 to discuss:

• The importance of federal funding in moving modernization forward
• Improving market structures while keeping energy low cost, equitable and sustainable
• Integrating demand flexibility by investing in long-term storage solutions
• The shocking surge in demand growth from the past two years
• Scaling virtual power plants to meet the desired impact
• Maintaining cybersecurity best practices with the introduction of AI

Thank you for listening to this season of GridForward Chats. Be on the lookout for the launch of Season 6 in 2025!

Episode 14, Season 5—Google Reaches for the Next Level of Clean Energy and Added Flexibility

The digital economy, and especially data centers, have become integral to our lives. And with that digital growth comes increased energy demand. Google’s Briana Kobor joins the podcast to discuss how Google’s significant energy demand can increasingly be served effectively by clean energy offerings. Briana discusses the Clean Transition Tariff (CTT) and how important it is for large energy-consuming customers to bring creative solutions for clean energy working directly with electric grid utility operators. The discussion also highlights what it looks like for Google, and other data center operators, to bring more energy flexibility to the table. Listen in to hear where the world driven by innovation at Google meets the reality of operating grid systems.

Episode 13, Season 5 — Regulatory Pathways to Navigate Grid Modernization, Part 2

By nature, utilities are risk adverse. Because of this, some are hesitant to accept innovative solutions to grid modernization. Strong efforts are needed to publicize the positive benefits of rate changes, data sharing and integrated planning. Part two of this discussion with Rich Sedano of RAP and Danielle Sass Byrnett of NARUC focuses on how state commissions and stakeholders can work together to efficiently and positively advance changes to the grid.

Episode 12, Season 5 — Regulatory Pathways to Navigate Grid Modernization, Part 1

Using performance-based regulatory incentives for energy efficiency proved to be successful. Should similar incentives be created for reliability? In part one of this discussion, Rich Sedano, of Regulatory Assistance Project, and Danielle Sass Byrnett, of NARUC, discuss how performance-based incentives set by state commissions may accelerate innovation and provide clearer direction to utilities for grid modernization. They also discuss advanced rate structures that move innovation forward while keeping electricity affordable for the ratepayer.