
11/30/2022
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Energy, Money, Power: Insights and analysis for today's power industry. Visit us at http://www.fortn Insights and analysis for today's power industry.
Operating as usual
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Photos from Public Utilities Fortnightly's post
Just for you, Abigail!
It’s National Serpent Day, so today we want to celebrate the 17 snake species that call Minnesota home! 🐍
Snakes play a crucial role in our ecosystem by keeping the food web balanced. Without them, we’d have a lot more mice! They’re generally docile creatures who will hide or flee from most threats.
Check out our pamphlet to learn more about these important critters:
https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/natural_resources/animals/reptiles_amphibians/snake_lizard_mn.pdf
Though the thousand-plus utility execs and financial community folks were running around like crazy for three days at the Edison Electric Institute’s annual financial conference, to fit in just one more analyst meeting about a utility’s performance and prospects, many took the time as they do each year to attend the Moody’s Breakfast Briefing. This year’s featured deeply insightful sessions on Moody’s take on the cybersecurity risks utilities face, the California wildfires challenge for California utilities, and utility rates of return in an era of low and possibly negative interest rates. Of particular interest, Managing Director Jim Hempstead spoke about how thoroughly Moody’s is reviewing cyber risks and Senior Credit Officer Toby Shea evaluated for the audience, in detail, California’s wildfire fund.
AVANGRID, with regulated utilities in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and New York, and the nation’s third largest wind power producer, held its Innovation Forum in Orange, Connecticut on October 10. The forum’s theme, Innovation for Sustainable Development. Cornell University students Shikhar Prakash and Tumani Edwards walked away as winners of the six-month Better Energy Future Innovation Challenge. There were also teams from Harvard University (Milan Bhandari, Charles Hu, Keshav Rastogi), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Janak Agrawal, Talha Faiz), University of Connecticut (Himaja Nagireddy, Feifei Yang), and Yale University (Martin Cilloniz, Marc Potin). During the event, AVANGRID showcased its collaboration with the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale University and signed a three-year agreement with Yale to partner on clean energy research.
The Institute for Electric Innovation held quite the gathering with amazing panels at the Newseum in Washington D.C. on September 24 to celebrate advances in electric transportation. There are now some 1.3 million electric vehicles on the road. In quarter two of this year alone, some three hundred thousand EVs were sold. And based on the passionate keynote from Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow that number is sure to advance quickly as she encouraged all in attendance to storm Capitol Hill to make members aware of the legislation she enthusiastically supports advancing EVs.
The Edison Electric Institute and Canadian Electricity Association co-hosted in Vancouver, British Columbia a two-day public discussion with a global perspective on the future of electric transmission in the twenty-first century. Sessions addressed strategies for maximizing value from existing transmission assets, as well as financing and building new electric transmission infrastructure, opportunities and barriers to greater regional and international regional interconnection, experiences learned in North America, Asia, Europe, and other regions around the world on rate reform and additional regulatory challenges, and more. Industry leaders attended from Bahrain, Barbados, Canada, China, Guyana, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Mali, Netherlands, Saint Lucia, Turks & Caicos, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
You had to be in San Antonio at NARUC’s Annual Meeting. Not just for your fill of regulatory knowledge and Tex-Mex food offerings. It’s a great opportunity to mix and mingle. The PUF team was there too, asking the PUF Question of the Day, each day of the conference. And we handed out fun buttons to those gracious attendees who answered. You’ll enjoy seeing what attendees homed in on. We took great photos too, so you can see your friends in action, doing what they do best, teaching and learning about regulation.
A joyous celebration took place in White Plains, New York on September 25. New York Power Authority became the first North American electric utility to earn the gold standard for asset management, known as ISO 55001. That is an international certification for meeting the most rigorous asset management standards, which included an independent audit from both EA Technology Ltd. and Burns & McDonnell. NYPA CEO Gil Quiniones welcomed folks to the celebration, recognizing the hard work and dedication of NYPA employees.
Veterans in Energy met this year in Washington, D.C. to accommodate growing numbers. The fourth annual event was over two hundred strong and looks to keep getting bigger. While president Jon Smith announced achieving the milestone of nonprofit, 501(c)(3) status, speakers throughout the conference amazed us with percentages of veterans in the industry. Georgia Power's Cassandra Wheeler, also vice president of Veterans in Energy, let us know that veterans make up some eleven percent of those working in our business. Maria Korsnick, CEO of Nuclear Energy Institute, told us veterans comprise twenty-four percent of those in the nuclear industry. And Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said about thirty-six percent of staff at Department of Energy are veterans. Makes sense, as veterans are a great fit for energy companies with a positive work ethic, sense of duty, discipline, and can-do attitude.
Thousands of the Utility’s Innovators Gather in Washington D.C. on October 10, 2019 for the latest competition among several hundreds of exhibits vying for the votes of their peers. Though this competition was the main attraction, there was so much more to see and do. For one, Bill Nye the Science Guy gave an extremely funny keynote speech, though on the extremely serious subject of climate change. His theme: we can change the world. Panel discussions included innovative leaders like Ryan Popple of Proterra and James Chen of Rivian. And supporting companies exhibited at the expo too, like ABB, Accenture, Burns & McDonnell, Itron and Oracle.
The Mid-America Regulatory Conference on August 11-14, 2019 was a huge success with a big turnout and lots of great panels. Iowa Board Member and NARUC President Nick Wagner was seemingly everywhere as Iowa pride was on display. The Iowa Utilities Board hosted a reception at the Iowa State Fair, where attendees, along with their families sampled some of the best food the fair has to offer. We sat side-by-side at picnic tables, chatting and enjoying bacon-wrapped ribs, giant pork chops, corndogs, apple pie eggrolls and more. After the reception, attendees saw the infamous Butter Cow, constructed of six-hundred pounds of Iowa butter, and the winner of the Big Pumpkin Contest, weighing in at seven-hundred and sixty pounds.
There was a jam-packed schedule in June 2019 at the American Public Power Association’s National Conference, and the meeting rooms were full. Coleman Smoak, general manager of Piedmont Municipal Power Agency, handed the gavel over to the new chair of the APPA Board, Decosta Jenkins, CEO, Nashville Electric Service.
But all eyes were on Sue Kelly, CEO and president of APPA as in an emotional speech she talked about her pending retirement and said a heartfelt goodbye. It will not be forgotten by anyone in the audience. Kelly noted that a search committee has started the recruitment process for her replacement.
The Alex Radin Award for Distinguished Service, which is the highest award granted by APPA, went to Andrew “Andy” Boatwright, General Manager Zeeland Board of Public Works in Zeeland, Michigan.
The James D. Donovan Individual Achievement Award goes to those who made substantial contributions to the electric industry with a special commitment to public power. The winners in 2019 are Paula Gold-Williams, CEO, CPS Energy, San Antonio and Joel Ivy, General Manager, Lakeland Electric, Lakeland, Florida.
If you missed your opportunity to Keep Austin Weird, the slogan of that special city, here is a pictorial of APPA’s 2019 National Conference.
In the nation’s capital on July 31 and August 1, Dentons hosted many of the globe’s thought leaders on the subject at the Smart Cities & Communities Summit.
Every continent was covered, as were a number or countries and cities, each striving to set the pace in providing smarter services to their public. Five communities were celebrated by Public Utilities Fortnightly as the Fortnightly Smartest Communities 2019: Austin, Columbus, San Antonio, Spokane, and suburban Birmingham.
Keynote speakers included former U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernie Moniz, former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, Ani Dasgupta, global director-World Resources Institute Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, and Lawrence Jones, VP-international programs, Edison Electric Institute.
The PUF team traveled to Dover, Delaware to visit the Public Service Commission, and the timing was perfect. For the PSC turned 70!
Having formed in 1949, the PSC held a reception on September 12, attended by former Commissioners, retirees, elected officials, company executives, and dignitaries to celebrate its platinum anniversary. And there is much to celebrate in this small but mighty state.
The energy sector is innovating rapidly and attendees at the Smart Electric Power Alliance Grid Evolution Summit were thrilled to be there. PUF asked everyone why they attended, and the enthusiasm was palpable.
Some talked of the vital intersection of utility and technology companies. Others said it’s the place to learn from our peers. Several noted it’s because the industry thought leaders attend. Various participants stated it’s the place to communicate what their utility is doing. A number pointed out it draws participants from across the spectrum of the energy ecosystem.
Whatever the reason for coming to SEPA’s Grid Evolution Summit, PUF is certain it was the place to be at the end of July in Washington, D.C.
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