Fortnightly Magazine - August 2020

Executive Survey: CEO Jeff Guldner

Arizona Public Service

“Can we get that highly efficient, good load factor customer located here, and continue to manage operations, and focus on cost reductions? If we can do that, then we can have a bigger customer base that can spread the cost of new investments around.”

Executive Survey: CEO Calvin Butler

Exelon Utilities

“Our smart grid investments in recent years are providing excellent benefits now. When customers have problems, we can ping the meter to help us troubleshoot rather than dispatch an employee to the customer’s residence.”

Executive Survey: CEO Eric Silagy

Florida Power and Light

“FPL and NextEra Energy have had a pandemic plan in place for many years, which gave us a nice baseline to approach the numerous challenges of operating as an essential service during this global pandemic, while never sacrificing on the safety front.”

Executive Survey: CEO Gil Quiniones

New York Power Authority

“We expect the energy industry transition over the next ten years will be unlike anything comparable since the inception of the electric grid. This new environment will not be easy for our customers – they will be presented with more options for energy products and services.”

Executive Survey: CEO Mark Lantrip

Southern Company Services

“Our strategy includes continued investment in grid modernization including smart grid technology and cybersecurity. Modernizing the electricity grid and finding new technologies for a resilient and reliable grid in a net-zero future are a focus of our R&D.”

Executive Survey: COO Bob Frenzel

Xcel Energy

“Fulfilling our 2050 carbon-free aspirations will require technologies not yet commercially available at the cost and scale needed. Promising possibilities include power to gas, hydrogen, seasonal storage, advanced nuclear or small modular reactors, deep rock geothermal, and carbon capture and storage.”

Supply Chain Cybersecurity: Matt Wyckhouse

Finite State

“We can take the software out of that device, analyze it, and tell you where it came from, concretely. We don’t need to take a vendor’s word for it. We can tell you what vulnerabilities are in there.”

Supply Chain Cybersecurity: Tobias Whitney

Fortress Information Security

“There is a chance we could be exposing the most sensitive, critical aspects of our grid to nations that might be contrary or hostile to the interest of the U.S. That is why the executive order is important.”
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