S2Ep1 - Markets, Reliablity and Resilience
Season 2 kicks off with a great episode Markets, Reliability and Resilience featuring Rob Gramlich, President of Grid Strategies, LLC, and Alison Silverstein, energy consultant, strategist and writer who DEO hired to write this summer’s Staff Report on Electricity Markets and Reliability. Alison also led DOE’s 2003 Blackout Investigation and Report. The DOE staff report was the summer’s somewhat controversial highlight of an ongoing energy debate involving words like “baseload,” “reliability,” “fuel assurance,” and “resiliency” and everyone who is anyone chimed in. All that can be said about it has been said. Or maybe not. Regardless of what you think about the study, the issues it attempts to address – namely, grid reliability and resilience in the midst of a rapidly transforming energy system – are critical. Hurricanes Harvey and Irma (and maybe its friends Jose and Maria) are demonstrating the supreme importance of figuring out how the system can withstand and respond to serious grid disturbances like hurricanes. On today’s episode, Alison and Rob discuss reliability and resilience-related grid needs and the role of wholesale markets (or not) in addressing these needs. Oh, and as lead consulting author, Alison may have a bit to say about the evolution of and findings in the DOE report as well. (Host Allison Clements)