Last week we were lucky enough to sit down with Arushi Sharma Frank, the policy wizard who while at Tesla Energy helped turn Texas into one of the DER capitals of the world. She gives us the in depth history of of how ERCOT’s VPP program was forged — a story our co-host James was also a part of. We also talk about the rest of her time at Tesla, cas…

We’re back! This time with Charlotta Holmquist, President and Co-Founder of Blixt. Blixt is based in Sweden and just closed a fundraise led by Union Square Ventures. Their solid state circuit breaker and x-verter technology have the potential to fundamentally change how we approach building the grid. We’ve never left a conversation so excited about…

We’re back for our first solo pod in months! We talk about what everyone is talking about these days… VPPs and load growth from AI. Is all this hype and talk about our space a good thing? Tune in to hear the Task Force unpack and set the narrative straight. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access…

We’re back, this time with Allison Bates Wannop, DERTF’s policy lead! We cover an absolute ton of stuff in this one: * Allison's background and introduction, Mother's Day acknowledgments * Mary Powell's influence, DER advocacy, the significance of FERC v. EPSA in shaping energy policy * Favorite DER categories, Vermont initiatives, impact of extrem…

Last week we sat down with Dave Riess, the CEO and co-founder of Wunder. They’re working hard to scale mid-sized commercial solar projects, where they believe the real TAM is in this market. Dave is an awesome guy who’s been grinding in the space for years now, so we naturally had a ton to talk about. * (00:02:55) Introduction and Guest Overview: I…

We’re back! This time with Casey Handmer, founder and CEO of Terraform Industries. Terraform is building a system to turn cheap solar electricity into methane. To pull this off they’ll need to commercialize the most performant and lowest-cost electrolysis, carbon capture, and Sabatier reactors ever seen. Casey had a ton of interesting thoughts abou…

We’re back! This time we sat down with Quincy Lee, CEO and co-founder of Electric Era, an electric vehicle refueling company. Quincy has a super cool background - starting with designing skyscrapers, then moving on to space technology, and now he’s der-pilled. We talk about all kinds of stuff in this one: * what SpaceX and Starlink were like * why …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.dertaskforce.com We’re back! This time with a VIDEO POD. We recorded this live at DTECH a few weeks ago and haven’t had time to upload it. But this is a fun one that you don’t want to miss. Not only did we finally find out what a DERMS is, but we also became fully converted distribut…

We’re back, this time joined by Jesse Jenkins - professor at Princeton and lead of the Zero Lab. We cover a ton of ground in this one, including: * Jesse’s DERs journey, including skepticism at times and optimism at others. * A ton of discussion on rate design. * Jesse’s recent pod on rooftop solar. * How the hell is rooftop solar so expensive here…

We’re back! This time with Lynne Kiesling, Director of the Institute for Regulatory Law & Economics (IRLE) at Northwestern University. Lynne is an Economist who has been working on power systems issues since the early 2000s, with a focus on power markets, transactive energy, and “quarantining the monopoly” as she says. Lynne was a panelist at DERVO…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.dertaskforce.com Back in November we threw DERVOS, our annual distributed energy summit. It turned out awesome. We really couldn’t be happier or more grateful for how it went. The panels and speakers were great, the crowd that turned up was amazing, and the vehicle to rave afterparty…

We’re back! This time we sat down with Pier LaFarge, co-founder and CEO of Sparkfund. Those who listened to the DERVOS recording released last week may remember Pier pitching a utility-led DER deployment model. It was a pretty interesting idea that we felt deserved its own deep dive on a pod, so we invited Pier on to make the case for what is likel…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.dertaskforce.com Back in November we threw DERVOS, our annual distributed energy summit. It turned out awesome. We really couldn’t be happier or more grateful for how it went. The panels and speakers were great, the crowd that turned up was amazing, and the vehicle to rave afterparty…

Tune in for a chat on why ‘24 is TIME TO DER. Duncan and James reflect on the past 5 years before looking ahead at 2024 and beyond—and why the future is so exciting. We re-hash Dervos, retro our ‘23 new years resolutions, state our ‘24 resolutions, look back on the last 5 years in the space and where it is now, the current tech environment, buildin…

We’re back! This time with a perfect warmup for DERvos in a few days with DERTF OG Ben Carron. Ben has not only worked for FERC, Nat Grid, SunRun, E3, and now Enel X, but also was one of the earliest presenters at our original, pre-pandemic “DG Beers” happy hours. We wanted to have Ben on to get back to our energy market wonkery roots, so don’t wor…

We’re back! And this time just Duncan and James to talk about weird twitter discourse again! Sorry… we promise we’ll go back to talking about wonky energy stuff in the next episodes. In this ep, we talk about Duncan’s Dad’s epic utility pole story, James’ other less successful business ventures, announcing the first ever V2R (Vehicle 2 Rave) applic…

We’re back! Well, 2/3 of us are. In the first ever duo episode, Duncan and James wade deep into CDR, degrowth meme analysis, more thoughts on nuclear, and corporate environmentalism. They talk about climate week, CDR, the narrow focus of mainstream environmentalism on carbon and where the tree huggers at, comparing the popular memes of population d…

We’re back! And this time we peeled away from climate week events to record a late night ep with self-proclaimed Nuclear Bro, Mark Nelson. Grab a drink for this marathon of an episode and sink in as we wax poetic about one of our favorite religions, Nuclear Power. And we mean that in the best way. Tune in as we discuss Mark’s journey into nuclear a…

We’re back! And this time with a solo ep, for free! Going forward, we’re un-paywalling all eps and going NPR style: PLEASE think about donating $5 anyways. Here’s why: We are launching a policy team! The policy team will be focusing on enforcing the DERTF Bill of Rights. In order to do that, we need to raise money to pay a part-time or full-time po…

We’re back! This time with Nick Van Osdol of “Keep Cool”, who is… pretty damn cool himself. Nick has a refreshing perspective and lens on climate reporting: equal parts skeptical, optimistic, empathetic, and rational. If only more people could engage like he does. In this wide-ranging ep we talk nuclear fusion, how to think about climate risk, if w…

Ever found yourself tangled in the labyrinth that is energy policy? This episode offers a unique perspective, with Mike, an industry insider, shedding light on the nitty-gritty of acquiring permits for energy projects. He shares his six-year-long odyssey in Kern County, unveiling the engineering challenges and triumphs he encountered on the way. Ha…

We’re back! And this time we hosted OG DERTF Heads James McWalter (the better James) and Kyle Baranko from Paces at the David Energy HQ. They are working on one of the gnarliest problems in the entire clean energy space: permitting and interconnection. We go deeeep on the problem, so you don’t want to miss this. We are massive fans of them and what…

By JP Warren

We’re back! And this time with THEE GOD Julian Spector. It’s our longest episode ever because we just couldn’t help ourselves going in with a member of the OG GTM Mafia. It’s worth it. Julian just had some super rad reporting on how the South is building a vibrant clean energy manufacturing hub, and we sat down to discuss. We nerd out on this one f…

On this episode Mike and JP discuss the recent move in California to begin to communicate environmental impacts of foreign sources of oil and what that potentially means for policy makers. We discuss Biden visiting California and his clean power initiatives and how it affects more than just California. We discuss the recent increase in gas prices i…

We’re back! And this time with Alfred Johnson, Founder and CEO of Crux. Crux just raised a seed round led by Lowercarbon Capital and is building a marketplace to help climate companies unlock billions in IRA tax credits. If you want to understand the IRA, look no further! We nerd out on everything from the ins and outs of transferability, what the …

Mike and JP sit down with a very special guest Duncan S Campbell, one of the founders of Scale-Smartgrids, and DER Task Force. It was great hearing his perspective on the current energy and electricity grid capacity of today. We dived into the future of energy, the realities of a healthy energy mix, and some exciting technology advancements in the …

The oil & gas industry has historically been a place of low public communication, not trying to influence or change its perception, and have not taken the center stage with energy demand and benefits of locally produced energy. Now is the time for this to change. Mike and JP discuss what they have been busy with over the last week, as well as dive …

JP and Mike take a dive into the goals, mandates, and targets of recent headlines when it comes to energy. How does the leap into "green energy" affect everyday consumers? Has this been thought through with real-world examples and circumstances? Engaging in energy conversations and how to begin a dialogue. #energy #energypolicy #headlines…

We’re back! And this time with Matt Huber, an absolute legend and advocate for centralized public power. This was a different ep, but one of our favorite in awhile. In it, we talk about Marxist geography, how bizarre peak oil discourse was, the coming shift to electricity from oil, becoming un-DER-pilled, the possibilities of a centrally-planned de…

Join Mike and JP as they discuss the new executive order by Gavin Newsom as he plans to put together a strike force and bypass the bureaucratic red tape that plagues government agencies. JP sounds skeptical, and Mike is extremely optimistic and hopeful. How will this shake out? Time will tell, but clearly, it's a step in the right direction. #calif…

Join JP and Mike as they delve into the hot topic dominating headlines—the natural gas appliance ban. In this engaging discussion, they explore the true implications of this proposal. Is it a genuine step toward achieving its intended goals, or merely another NIMBY policy? Discover the realities behind electrification and the future of natural gas …

In this episode of Energy Facts Chats, hosts Mike Umbro and JP Warren delve into the topic of electrifying port and rig fleets in California. They explore the implications for consumers and the challenges that come with moving goods around the country in an all-electric vehicle (EV) fleet. Join them as they discuss the practical realities of this a…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.dertaskforce.com We’re back with a solo ep! And yeah, this one is paid. The NYT wrote an article on decarb bros and we have some thoughts. Tune in to listen to us talk about our first ever eco rave in LA right after we serve up a taxonomy of bros and their varying ethics: the decarb …

On this episode, Mike and JP catch up as to what they have been up to. They discuss the recent move by California politicians to move to all EV fleets of rigs, as well as the environmental impact of foreign sources of oil.By JP Warren

We’re back! This time on a FULLY SOLAR POWERED POD with absolute legends Corey and Xtina of the Solar Punks Club. We threw the first proper Eco Rave—a solar + storage powered party—at their HQ in LA. Tune in to hear us chat about it the night before the event, and check out more from the day of here. We talked about how they got DER-pilled as non-e…

On this episode Mike and JP start off ranting what's going on in the global energy market, as well as what it could mean for energy security. We then dive into the recent natural gas appliance direction California is taking, and discuss this decision and what this potentially means for the every day consumer.…

During Mike's quick trip to Houston, we were able to get together to have a quick conversation about everything he's been working on, as well as the progress and goals of Californians for Energy & Science. (www.energyandscience.com)By JP Warren

JP and Mike discuss his presentation at the SIPES Houston event last week. The need to educate people about the realities of poor energy policy is our goal, as oftentimes NIMBY mentality has detrimental impacts on the environment while local leaders cover it up, or don't talk about it. Accepting the benefits of hydrocarbons is essential during our …

Talking what's going on with California's refinery penalties and what that means for consumers.By JP Warren

In this Energy Facts Chats JP Warren and Mike Umbro pick up where they left off. Bringing it back to the basics on why Energy Facts Chats was formed, discussing the environmental/community impact from foreign sources of oil (hint: they are to more greenhouse gasses and cancer), what his community is saying about the energy situation in California f…

On this episode of Energy Facts Chats, Mike and JP discuss the recent notice to California residents that their electricity and gas bills would double (or even triple) from the previous month. We dive into what's causing this price fluctuation, and we discover it's simple economics: natural gas supply and natural gas demand. Join us as we explore h…

We’re back! This time with John Berger, the CEO and Founder of Sunnova. Sunnova is not only one of the largest solar and storage installers in the country, they are also one of the most innovative in their offerings to customers. From VPPS in Texas to free batteries and micro utilities in CA, Sunnova is setting the tone for a distributed future. Tu…

Colleen, Jimbo, and Duncan are back, this time joined by Noah Smith of Noahpinion. While fellow energy nerds might know Noah for his posts Don’t be a doomer, Why I’m so excited about solar and batteries, or Battery-powered appliances!, his reach goes well beyond our small corner of the world. Noah’s an economist and techno-optimist who engages in a…

We’re back! And this time we sit down with Troy Cross, a twitter chameleon of sorts. He’s an environmentalist, philosopher at Reed College, and avid bitcoiner. And depending on who you talk to, you’ll get a different answer as to what he’s all about. We just know him as an intelligent, interesting, super good dude who we love talking to! This is a …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.dertaskforce.com We’re still figuring out this whole substack thing. We released this paid ep last week for paid subscribers, but didn’t send out an email or a preview to our unpaid subscribers. So, we’re resending to give the unpaids a snippet of this tasty ep. If you’re an unpaid s…

The crew is back with another episode, this time sitting down with Arcady Sosinov, Founder and CEO of FreeWire. In this episode we talk about doing things that really, really don’t scale, gearheads in an EV world, utility vs O&G company cold war + the breakdown of 7 Powers in an abundant energy future, FreeWire’s core product innovation and the val…

We’re back! This time we sit down with Sam D’Amico, CEO and co-founder of Impulse Labs, an induction stove start-up based out of San Francisco. Listen on for nearly 2 hours of physics, macro, cooking, and much more: * (1:30-22:45 ) Getting DER-pilled (thermal events anyone?), nerding out about college extra-curriculars, Sam’s favorite DER and James…

We’re back with a solo ep to talk about Doomers and why you shouldn’t be one! Tune in to ring in your new year with a heavy dose of optimism and why 2023 is going to be insane heat. This time we talk Duncan getting saved by a Christian Scientist, the average person thinking casually that we’re screwed, why having kids is good, Jordan Peterson’s and…

Welcome back to another episode of the pod! This week, we sat down with Neha Palmer, CEO and Co-founder of Terawatt Infrastructure. Check out the show notes below: * (0:00-13:00) Getting DER-pilled at PG&E, favorite DER, extra-curricular activities and protecting powDER, Neha’s ideal last job, and hottest energy takes * (13:00- 22:30) The Terrawatt…