Fortnightly Magazine - October 2022

Innovating at AEIC

They Keep the Lights On

AEIC is celebrating its achievements this October at the 138th annual meeting of AEIC’s members in Scottsdale, Arizona. With unprecedented legislative and technological challenges coming, AEIC believes in working together to address the industry’s greatest operational needs.

Readying for the Climate

EPRI

Conversations with NOAA Chief Scientist Sarah Kapnick, Southwest Power Pool COO Lanny Nickell, Eurelectric Secretary General Kristian Ruby, and EPRI’s Morgan Scott and Andrew Phillips.

Readying for the Climate: Sarah Kapnick

EPRI

“There’s this effort to create climate science and data across the U.S. That was a reason NOAA got involved with EPRI. We also signed an MOU with EPRI to work on advancing climate resilience and climate adaptation in this sector.”

Readying for the Climate: Lanny Nickell

EPRI

“We’ve often used the analogy of being the air traffic controller for the power grid. Another analogy I’ve heard used to describe our market-based services is when we act like Wall Street. We make sure buyers and sellers are aligned.”

Readying for the Climate: Kristian Ruby

EPRI

“We’re dealing with heat waves and droughts in Europe. That means a significant reduction of available capacity of nuclear and hydropower. Hydropower because water has evaporated behind the dam, and nuclear because water is getting too warm to be used in cooling.”

Readying for the Climate: Morgan Scott

EPRI

“As regulators see these results coming out and are making decisions, it’s our aim that by creating a consistent, replicable methodology, they can have comfort and understanding that this approach is scientifically and technically defensible. It is a well-informed approach to thinking about vulnerability and response prioritization.”

Readying for the Climate: Andrew Phillips

EPRI

“The main part of my team’s work is in this vulnerability assessment of the T&D system. We also have been playing an important role in helping the climate scientists understand what we will use the data for so they can provide the best climate data for each T&D application.”

Leading BPA

Power Markets

“There was a 2.5% rate decrease in our last rate case on the power side. Business is promising. I wouldn’t be surprised if we can manage our rates at least flat or in the zone of keeping them flat, this upcoming rate case.”

New Nuclear's Role in Decarbonization

NEI, Breakthrough Inst.

“As difficult as it might seem to build a nuclear power plant, building multi-state transmission has proven more difficult. The Princeton study shows need for 3 or 4 times as much new transmission capacity added if you do the whole job with just renewables versus firm clean generation from things like nuclear.”
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