Episodes
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In this season of Beyond the Meter, we’re taking a closer look at the meaningful impact business energy project have on the world around us. Host John Failla is joined by Jay Harris, Director of Data Center Services and Facilities for Clemson University, and Wayne Johnson, Key Segment Manager for Education at Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions. They discuss their organizations’ collaboration on energy infrastructure projects and provide insights into why these projects are critical to the university’s overall success.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... Data operations at Clemson [04:16] Duke Energy’s role in Clemson’s upgrades [08:10] The partnership structure [11:38] Flexible contracts that grow as the business need grows [15:54] Impactful Projects [21:11] Major benefits of Duke Energy partnerships [28:23] “Outsourcing vs right-sourcing” Key lessons and tips for innovative energy [33:07] Advice for the academic sector [37:00] The Journey to SuccessIn 2007, due to a breaker labeling error, Clemson University had both of its 20-year-old UPS (uninterruptible power supply) o out. That incident led the university to prioritize upgrades. The university would have needed several years to do the research required to fully understand the design and procurement to get the upgrades done. This is when Clemson turned to Duke Energy for guidance.
The university started the conversation with Duke Energy in April of 2007. By mid-November, the university had a new generator, two new UPSs, 250-ton air-cooled water chiller, and four new computer room air handlers. The university went from piecemealing together their strategy to a fully functioning infrastructure.
A Board-Approved Financing OptionClemson University worked with Duke Energy to identify areas that are ready to be improved or equipment that needs to be replaced. The university signed a 10-year agreement with Duke Energy and amortizes the cost across the length of that agreement essentially transferring CapEx to OpEx. Instead of needing the funds upfront to purchase and install equipment, the contract spreads the cost across 10 years.
This structure has made budgeting a lot easier for the university. Approval is easier with an amortization schedule vs. obtaining approval for millions of dollars upfront. Most university campuses are struggling with deferred maintenance costs, especially in facilities. Now Clemson University’s facilities team can propose a solution that removes them from the CapEx competition on campus in exchange for a little more OpEx. Not only will this help with resiliency, sustainability, and efficiency initiatives now, but it will also make sure those goals deliver across the lifespan of those assets.
An innovative business modelPart of what makes Duke Energy’s contracts so successful is their flexibility. Duke Energy has its own in-house structuring, counsel, engineering, and operations teams. These teams determine what each client is good at, and then Duke Energy prices and builds solutions around what the customers do and what they need. As a company, Duke Energy wants to have relationships with customers working collaboratively to deliver solutions across time because that’s where the most significant energy savings and reliability services outcomes are found.
Considerable savings can occur when working together to develop these contracts and partnerships. Rather than simply selling a product and leaving the rest to the customer, Duke Energy is involved in the design, build, operations and maintenance phases. Working through these phases with a single vendor can save money while achieving the comprehensive outcomes, including sustainability, reliability, and resiliency.
Resources & People Mentioned Case Study: Clemson University Information Technology Center Clemson UniversityNote: The above project was performed by Duke Energy’s Business Energy Services team. Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions leverages these specialists to deliver innovative solutions to customers.
Connect With Our GuestsJay Harris - Director of Data Center Services and Facilities for Clemson University
Jay Harris has been the Director of Data Center Services and Facilities for Clemson University’s Computing and Information Technology (CCIT) group since 2009. Among his responsibilities are the oversight and daily operations of Clemson’s two data center facilities, totaling approximately 19,000 square feet of white space, along with directing the enterprise print facility. The primary data center, with an aggregate feed of 5MW, houses a 1.4+ PFLOP supercomputer cluster dedicated to supporting research faculty at Clemson.
Mr. Harris has been with Clemson since 1998, working as a Unix systems administrator with the Computer Science Department before moving to CCIT in 2007 as the hardware architect. Prior to that time, he was a “professional” student.
Mr. Harris earned two BS degrees in Chemistry and Computer Science/Mathematics and a BA degree in Mathematics from Wofford College (Spartanburg, SC) in 1993, an MA degree in Analytical Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1996, and an MS degree in Computer Science from Clemson University in 2001.
Follow Jay Harris on LinkedInWayne Johnson - Key Segment Manager for Education
Wayne Johnson is key segment manager for the education segment at Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions and has a wealth of experience in energy innovation and solution finance. He also spent years as a facilities manager and energy executive in higher education.
Wayne’s out-of-the-box thinking helps him meet the challenges of energy infrastructure and asset management in education. Wayne designs energy solutions to help meet the needs of all project stakeholders, including facilities leaders, CFOs, presidents, heads of schools, faculty, staff, students and local communities. He uses his unique experience to help schools become more energy efficient, sustainable and viable for the future.
Wayne has been invited to speak at conferences and universities across the country about finance innovation for campus energy and sustainability projects. He also works closely with Duke Energy’s Emerging Technology organization to bring behind-the-meter innovation to campuses. Most recently, Wayne has been exploring the role of alternative fuels on campus via pilot project funding.
Wayne enjoys international travel, time on the lake and hiking with his family. Wayne has worked as a licensed electrical and general contractor and is an alumnus of Mars Hill University and The University of South Carolina. His master’s degree is in education administration.
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In this episode of Beyond the Meter, host John Failla is joined by three Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions team members. Mark Adams is the Business Development Manager, Mike York is the Strategic Account Manager, and Wayne Johnson is the Key Segment Manager for Education. These experienced executives walk through practical steps toward gaining approval for resiliency projects.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... Understanding the project [02:21] Making the business case for a project [05:59] The “Money Authority Need” concept [10:14] Barriers to communication [15:21] The DISC profile [20:34] Building consensus [24:03] Risk-adjusted cost [30:22] Before the C-suite meeting [39:58] Making the business caseAchieving internal buy-in for energy managers is a common challenge. Many projects miss the mark on this critical first step in making the business case for a project. Fully understanding the project, need, and goal will lead to precisely what’s necessary for a project to achieve that goal. Starting with the end in mind and understanding the process will direct how the project is communicated.
Everyone has different communication styles, so choosing the right person to present varies by initiative. Typically, engineers can speak to engineers and do a reasonably good job communicating with finance. Still, many engineers would find it a challenge to translate an initiative into business results and talk to executives. The presentation must be succinct, with further data ready for when there are deeper questions. The goal is to give people the information they need to make a reasonable decision and not drown them in detail and minutiae. With data, details can become muddled in the impact, degrading the target outcome’s importance.
Begin with consensusThe default starting point for many projects has been receiving approval from finance. However, finance tends to wait to follow after the authority has expressed initial interest. At that time, a higher priority is placed on the project, and the project will receive more support. The entry point has to be with the individual with the need. Finance tends to look for a simple payback or some framework that may not apply well regarding the replacement of assets. The presenter will need to present the initiative in such a way as to anticipate and overcome objections.
Finance finds comfort in consensus. If approached with a project that already has people from various departments working together to push it forward, finance is much more likely to join. Finance will need cost comparisons, asset lift management expectations, and expenses. Anticipating these questions means knowing the people in finance and how they communicate.
Consider the wider audienceWhen proposing a project to your business, the decision-makers are the primary audience. Often overlooked are the people who don’t have the authority to approve a project yet affect how the project proposal is received. Considering these different perspectives and bringing them on board is crucial in making the business case for a project.
Success is unlikely if a solution doesn’t receive support from the engineering, facilities, and finance departments. This concept applies in other industries as well. In education, the sustainability officer doesn’t typically have much money to spend or authority to leverage but is influential in the process. Being attuned to the broader audience will help gain the project’s approval and its overall success.
Resources & People Mentioned Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions com Connect With Our GuestsMark Adams - Business Development Manager
Mark’s experience with Duke Energy and Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions through his multiple roles has given him the opportunity to meet, listen and understand, through countless customer meetings across a wide spectrum of industries, the challenges and the ever-changing world they live and compete in daily. Through these meetings, he has learned that everyone has their own unique issues and challenges. His learned business development skills have given him the opportunity to work with diverse industries on many innovative projects.
Mark is married to Samona for 35 years and has a 31-year-old married son named Landon.
Mark is an avid golfer and loves working in his yard.
Follow Mark Adams on LinkedInMike York - Strategic Account Manager
Michael York has spent the majority of the past thirty years as an executive responsible for running operations with revenues between $275-$700M annually. During this period, he has managed capital budgets, and engineering staff and has successfully launched numerous service offerings. In addition to these responsibilities he has spoken at events such as Gartner Group conferences, North Carolina State University Executive Roundtable, Minority Economic Forum events and served on the Minority Competitiveness council under the US Department of commerce. He has authored the book Reset, numerous white papers and worked with the VA, Minority Entrepreneurial Council and Raleigh Rescue Mission.
Mike is a graduate of the Strategic Leadership Institute at Villanova University, Adizas Institute and Murray State University. Currently, he works for Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions in the area of sales enablement to facilitate complex deals and build compelling business cases for business developers and customers.
Follow Mike York on LinkedInWayne Johnson - Key Segment Manager for Education
Wayne Johnson is key segment manager for the education segment at Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions and has a wealth of experience in energy innovation and solution finance. He also spent years as a facilities manager and energy executive in higher education.
Wayne’s out-of-the-box thinking helps him meet the challenges of energy infrastructure and asset management in education. Wayne designs energy solutions to help meet the needs of all project stakeholders, including facilities leaders, CFOs, presidents, heads of schools, faculty, staff, students and local communities. He uses his unique experience to help schools become more energy efficient, sustainable and viable for the future.
Wayne has been invited to speak at conferences and universities across the country about finance innovation for campus energy and sustainability projects. He also works closely with Duke Energy’s Emerging Technology organization to bring behind-the-meter innovation to campuses. Most recently, Wayne has been exploring the role of alternative fuels on campus via pilot project funding.
Wayne enjoys international travel, time on the lake and hiking with his family. Wayne has worked as a licensed electrical and general contractor and is an alumnus of Mars Hill University and The University of South Carolina. His master’s degree is in education administration.
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This episode is made in partnership with Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions.
In this season of Beyond the Meter, we’re taking a closer look at the meaningful impact renewable energy projects have on the world around us. In this episode, host John Failla is joined by Darrell Booker, Corporate Affairs Specialist leading the Nonprofit Tech Acceleration Program for Black and African American Communities (NTA) at Microsoft Philanthropies, Cheryl Comer, Senior Strategic Account Manager - Duke Energy, and Tracy Woods, VP, Operations - American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE), to talk about their collaborative efforts on the recently created Diversity In Clean Energy (DiCE) initiative. DiCE, a program to advance equity in clean energy, is an initiative sponsored by Duke Energy’s Strategic Account Management Program. Listen in to learn more about the progress being made to promote diversity in the energy industry.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... AABE’s current activities and work [07:37] Microsoft’s Nonprofit Tech Acceleration Program [16:26] Duke Energy’s Diversity in Clean Energy (DiCE) Program and NTA for Black and African American Communities at Microsoft Philanthropies [20:39] The benefit of effective collaboration [25:26] The roles of the organizations in DiCE [36:46] The potential of the new DiCE | AABE platform [44:17] Making America stronger through diversity [51:54] The American Association of Blacks in EnergyFor nearly 45 years, the American Association of Blacks in Energy (ABBE) has focused on energy policy and the impact of those policies on communities of color. They work on policies and professional development to ensure that their members can be cultural ambassadors in the communities where they live and work. AABE receives many calls from employers seeking diverse talent. To serve this need, they provide scholarships and programs for high school and middle school students interested in careers in the energy field, job postings through their newly revamped Career Center, and numerous programs like Black Energy Awareness Month.
The Diversity in Clean Energy (DiCE) InitiativeDiCE is a program sponsored by Duke Energy to drive visibility and open doors of opportunity for diverse suppliers in the clean energy field. At Duke Energy, DE&I (diversity, equity, and inclusion) is a business imperative inspiring how they work with employees, customers and their communities. They’re taking intentional action for the good of both the community and business.
The idea for DiCE was sparked by a request from T-Mobile via their Energy and Sustainability Program Manager, Amy Bond, who asked Cheryl what Duke Energy was doing to identify, train, track and utilize diverse suppliers. This question inspired Cheryl to open the conversation to her other strategic accounts, as she knew they would all benefit from this conversation around diversity, equity, inclusion, and how that relates to clean energy. Through these discussions, she realized that there was ample opportunity, interest and need for the resources supported by the DiCE initiative.
Collaboration in the energy industryThe energy industry is in the midst of a massive transformation. As one of the largest utilities in the United States, Duke Energy has an obligation to provide reliable, affordable, and increasingly cleaner energy to customers and communities. One of the most efficient ways to initiate change is by cross-industry leaders coming together, pooling resources, and solving complex problems.
While many corporations realize that they want to work with diverse suppliers, they don’t know where to start. The ultimate goal of the DiCE | AABE platform is to facilitate the inclusion of diverse suppliers into mainstream corporate supply chains and to eliminate systemic barriers. Everyone in this collaboration has something different to bring to the table: Duke Energy has the means, AABE has the connections, and Microsoft has the technology. As the DiCE | AABE platform continues to grow, there are endless opportunities to fulfill its mission and we look forward to seeing the positive effect it will have in the clean energy space.
Resources & People Mentioned American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) AABE Career Center Nonprofit Tech Acceleration for Black and African American Communities Program Amy Bond - Energy & Sustainability Program Manager - T-Mobile Melody B. - Charlotte, North Carolina, United States | Professional Profile Connect With Our Guests
Darrell Booker - Corporate Affairs Specialist leading the Nonprofit Tech Acceleration Program for Black and African American Communities (NTA) at Microsoft Philanthropies
Meet Darrell, your “techie’s favorite techie” who leads one of Microsoft’s most important racial equity commitments, the Nonprofit Tech Acceleration of Black and African American Communities, a national program designed at leveling the tech playing field for nonprofits serving our most underserved communities. Prior to leading this program, Darrell served in an advisor role helping the world’s largest nonprofits such as The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, American Cancer Society, and the Salvation Army on their digital transformation to the cloud. Darrell has served in CIO and CTO roles in the past leading teams of developers in nonprofit, primarily child welfare, as well as other industries such as automotive and banking. Darrell also has an entrepreneurial spirit, co-founding a tech startup for the fitness industry used in hundreds of gyms across the U.S. and Canada.
Follow Darrell Booker on LinkedInCheryl Comer - Strategic Account Manager in the Sales and Relationship Management Organization at Duke Energy
Cheryl Comer is a Senior Strategic Account Manager in the Sales and Relationship Management organization at Duke Energy. She is responsible for developing and sustaining long-term strategic customer relationships for mutual growth, profitability, trust, loyalty, and risk management. Her assigned strategic accounts are FedEx, Kroger, Microsoft, and T-Mobile. Cheryl brings a wealth of experience from the education and legal industries.
In addition to teaching middle school and high school students music theory, solfeggio, string, symphony orchestra, and music history, she served as a high school principal of an alternative school in Phoenix, Arizona. She managed a school of 350 students and 30 staff members. During her tenure as principal, she learned to effectively balance considerations from competing stakeholders such as state mandates, instructional and support staff, parents, students, and community. Under her leadership, graduation rates and test scores increased.
Cheryl is also a licensed attorney in North Carolina and Louisiana and practiced law at a mid-size, litigation boutique in downtown New Orleans before joining Duke Energy in 2018. She continues to practice law in the capacity of a pro bono attorney with Legal Aid of North Carolina and often lends a hand to family and friends when in need of sound legal advice. She is a community activist in Gaston County and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion champion. Cheryl’s first love, however, is the cello. She began playing in an exploratory program in the 4th grade and never stopped! She plays the violin, viola, cello, and bass but is proficient on cello. Cheryl is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Michigan (where she won principal cellist of the most advanced orchestra). She earned a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit School of Law. She has been a licensed attorney since 2009.
Cheryl’s passions include international travel, spending time on the beach with her family, and enjoying the zest of life. She grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has three children, and resides in Charlotte, N.C.
Follow Cheryl Comer on LinkedInTracey Woods - VP of Operations at American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE)
Tracey Woods is an energy industry veteran with over 3 decades of experience. He currently runs operations for the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE), a policy non-profit serving 2,000 members through 36 chapters across the US. Before coming on staff at AABE, he ran the Construction Services division at Con Edison in NYC. His teams were instrumental in restoring the steam loop after Superstorm Sandy devastated the city. The Empire State Building, The Museum of Modern Art, and the United Nations all use steam for winter heating and summer cooling. He led the effort to ensure these and other businesses had heat for the winter of 2012 after the unprecedented devastation from the most powerful storm to ever hit NYC. His leadership skills had been developed commanding substation operations at Jersey Central Power & Light, and through multiple operations management roles at Exelon utilities in Chicago and Philadelphia. He is a degreed electric engineer who has also worked as a lineman, substation operator, facilities supervisor, and utility trainer.
He is a fan of the great outdoors, jazz, and R&B music, and is working off his bucket list of travel destinations.
Follow Tracey Woods on LinkedIn
Connect with Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions https://sustainablesolutions.duke-energy.com/ Follow DESS on LinkedIn Follow DESS on Youtube Connect With Smart Energy Decisions https://www.smartenergydecisions.com/ Follow them on Facebook Follow them on Twitter Follow them on LinkedIn
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In this episode of Beyond the Meter, host John Failla is joined by Terri Dalmer, Vice President of Solar Business Development at CleanChoice Energy, and Owen Grant, Business Development Manager at Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions. They discuss the broad impact community solar can have on businesses and diverse communities nationwide. You won’t want to miss the insights and reflections they have to share from their over 30 years of experience.
This episode is made in partnership with Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... Growth of community solar [03:52] Massachusetts’ Rowtier project [08:27] Duke Energy and CleanChoice [11:28] Requirements unique to Massachusetts [13:29] What involved Duke Energy in solar? [15:35] The benefits of community solar projects [19:25] The future of community solar [24:23] What is community solar?Community solar consists of facilities that produce less than five megawatts of electrical capacity. It allows residents, small businesses, and other organizations, such as municipalities, to receive credit on their electricity bills for the power produced by these solar arrays. It differs from residential solar in that it is an off-site project with no financial investment from a consumer and serves multiple levels of subscriber offtake.
The impressive growth of solar is due to the diligent policy work at the state level, where legislation is being supported to expand the renewable market. The dynamics of state programs are a significant influence on solar’s success. Currently, about 19 states and DC have a wide variety of programs. Some of the newest markets coming on board currently are Virginia, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania. Solar is a dynamic and growing market that offers a lot of opportunities.
Community solar projects in MassachusettsMassachusetts provides an excellent opportunity to work on ground-mount, front-of-meter projects. A nice feature of the Massachusetts program is that these projects can be operated either as community solar or by directly selling electricity to utility companies. Duke Energy found this quite an attractive project, deciding that the community solar route made more sense financially. That’s how Duke came to work with CleanChoice as a subscription management company to bring in small customers.
Duke Energy and CleanChoiceDuke Energy is a best-in- class company, so they needed a best-in-class collaborator to help with their community solar pilot project. They’ve been pleased with the relationship with CleanChoice and their ability to help Duke Energy navigate the ins and outs of the community solar program’s SMART (Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target) element as well as the utility coordination. Together they’ve created a model project that other companies should consider.
One of the values of Duke Energy is serving its communities. With community solar, the benefits are kept local. It’s an opportunity for both the small and large customers in a community to participate in the project. Having a large anchor tenant allows the project to open up to customers that might not otherwise be qualified to participate in a solar project. The local element of these projects provides a kind of equity of access to renewables as part of the energy transition.
Resources & People Mentioned Solar Energy Industries Association: SEIA Alternative On-Bill Credit FAQ April 2019 Connect With Our GuestsTerri Dalmer - Vice President of Solar Business Development at CleanChoice Energy
Terri Dalmer is Vice President of Solar Business Development at CleanChoice Energy, responsible for overseeing a community solar management services portfolio as well evaluating market expansion opportunities and partnerships with solar as it relates to both management services and project development. Ms. Dalmer has over 20 years of experience in the energy and commodities fields with sales roles at Morgan Stanley and ConEdison Solution. She led the commercial renewable energy retail sales departments for both Crius and CleanChoice, encouraging mid-to-large-sized organizations to embrace green products and advance corporate sustainability initiatives. Terri is a graduate of Trinity College, CT, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History.
Follow Terri Dalmer on LinkedInOwen Grant - Business Development Manager at Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions
Owen Grant is Business Development Manager at Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions where he is responsible for the development and acquisitions of small utility and community solar projects. Mr. Grant led Duke Energy’s first commercial community solar project which came online in 2020. This effort included project acquisition, internal pilot program approval, and external stakeholder engagement. His prior experience includes institutional equity sales at Oppenheimer, and over 13 years of experience in renewable energy including wind and solar energy development, and financial management. Owen has a B.A. from Hamilton College and an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain.
Follow Owen Grant on LinkedIn Connect with Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions https://sustainablesolutions.duke-energy.com/ Follow DESS on LinkedIn Follow DESS on Youtube Connect With Smart Energy Decisions https://www.smartenergydecisions.com/ Follow them on Facebook Follow them on Twitter Follow them on LinkedInSubscribe to Beyond The Meter on
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This episode is made in partnership with Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions.
In this season of Beyond the Meter, we’re taking a closer look at the meaningful impact renewable energy projects have on the world around us. Industry guests discuss how their cleaner energy transitions are driving change, both within their organization and the larger community. Our guest for this episode is Diana Kotler, Executive Director at Anaheim Transportation Network. Host John Failla and Diana discuss one of the hottest topics in the industry: fleet electrification. Diana has extraordinary insights and experience on the topic that we’re excited to share. Listen in to learn more.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... The drivers for Anaheim Transportation Network [04:00] The community and social benefits of electrification [10:01] Anaheim’s transportation fleet [13:57] Community reactions to electric transportation [15:50] The infrastructure needed for electrification [18:06] The benefit of microgrids [25:52] Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions’s role in Anaheim [28:45] Obstacles in expansion [31:12] The finances of electrification [39:01] Early motivation for electrificationDiana is from Southern California, which is known to have the worst air quality in the nation. To ensure that the air remains liveable and breathable, the City of Anaheim had to find alternatives to fossil fuels. They looked to electrification in order to improve air quality and ensure that their developments would allow the city to continue to depend on tourism and convention business. This combined approach created the opportunity to generate local revenues and taxes, which, in turn, provide services to the community.
Interestingly, while the electrification effort in Anaheim started with a focus on air quality and health benefits, most organizations today are getting involved because of the need to decarbonize operations. While they did discuss fossil fuels and reduced carbon footprint, those were just peripheral discussions at the time. Diane says it doesn’t matter so much where the emphasis is placed, as long as the work provides a better environment for future generations.
Community impactAnaheim is on its way to becoming the largest operator of electric buses in Southern California. The city is also beginning to integrate some twelve-passenger electric vans into the fleet for on-demand services that don’t require as much capacity as a bus. They also have 10 slow-speed smaller vehicles that operate in neighborhoods connecting schools, libraries, and eateries downtown. Altogether the city serves about 10 million passengers annually.
The service for the smaller vehicles is called FRAN: Free Rides Around the Neighborhood. It is based in the Colony district of the city, which is rooted in tradition and history. When FRAN was introduced in the neighborhood, it was an immediate success. As FRAN began to go deeper into the neighborhoods, people started asking when it could serve this park or that area. People were fighting to have FRAN serve their community. While capacity declined due to the pandemic, service is slowly but surely being reinstated.
Overcoming challenges in electrificationThe technical expertise and guidance of Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions has been immeasurably valuable to the City of Anaheim. DESS had the in-depth experience connecting a public sector participant with private capital that the city didn’t have the reach to achieve. Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions supports operations and ensures that the infrastructure is robust. The partnership of Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions and the City of Anaheim means that the Anaheim Transportation Network operates not only today but also twenty years into the future.
As more vehicles are added to Anaheim’s fleet, infrastructure needs to adapt. For example, if the city were to switch to another bus manufacturer, the charging technology and chargers would be different. Therefore, standards will be necessary at some point so that any brand of vehicle can use any charging station. Acceptance of electrification is another challenge. At the beginning of electrification, there was a lot of opposition because people were afraid of this unknown entity. Over time, that hesitancy has faded, and people are embracing technology. As with any new technology, there is a learning process of people adapting to change, and change is the hardest thing to accomplish.
Resources & People Mentioned Anaheim Public Utilities FRAN Anaheim Debuts Unique, All-Electric Microtransit Service AMPLY Power - Fleet Charging Simplified Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions: Top Renewable Energy Companiesl Arrival | Zero-emission solutions Connect With Our GuestDiana Kotler - Executive Director at Anaheim Transportation Network
Ms. Kotler’s career includes over 25 years of experience in the transportation field. She began with the City of Anaheim overseeing transportation planning efforts. Since 2003, Ms. Kotler serves as the Executive Director for the Anaheim Transportation Network (ATN). ATN’s mission is to provide public transit services for the residents, visitors, and employees of Anaheim and surrounding communities. Ms. Kotler is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) with an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and Finance. Ms. Kotler also earned her graduate degree from California State University, Long Beach with a concentration in Economics and Urban Planning.
Follow Diana Kotler on LinkedIn Connect with Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions https://sustainablesolutions.duke-energy.com/ Follow DESS on LinkedIn Follow DESS on Youtube Connect With Smart Energy Decisions https://www.smartenergydecisions.com/ Follow them on Facebook Follow them on Twitter Follow them on LinkedIn
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This episode is made in partnership with Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions.
Municipalities across the U.S. experience any number of challenges when building infrastructure projects and energy solutions, but one of the biggest is building with future needs in mind. The issues of resilience and sustainability are front and center in this undertaking, and the guests on this episode are on the front lines of the fight.
Join John Failla of Smart Energy Decisions as he hosts a conversation about resilience and sustainability, with his guests Ann Kloose, City of Fresno Manager of Sustainability; Whit Remer, City of Tampa Sustainability and Resilience Officer; and Michael Kilpatrick, Key Segment Manager for State and Local Governments at Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... Ann’s past experience and role in the City of Fresno [1:54] Whit’s past experience and role with the City of Tampa [3:23] Michael’s past experience and role with Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions [5:16] How does resiliency play into an overall sustainability plan? [6:19] What is happening in municipalities across the U.S. [9:51] How infrastructure can be designed in adaptable and user-friendly ways [16:55] The biggest challenges in building future-ready projects [26:54] Unifying stakeholders around common goals [31:21] Specific projects happening in Fresno and Tampa [33:56] Trends being seen across the United States [40:49] How social equity figures into resiliency [43:33] How do Resiliency and Sustainability work together?In Whit Remer’s view, resiliency is the top-line of any sustainability plan. It requires looking at the shocks and stressors that affect the community being served. He says the acronym, E.S.G. — the Environmental, Social, and Governance measurement of energy solutions — is a helpful way to remember what resiliency is all about. Sustainability comes into the picture when the Environmental area is considered. How can we take care of the water, land, and air in a community? A good resiliency plan should include sustainability initiatives to ensure that the provision of energy for the community is not damaging the area, and in fact, is helping to improve the community.
There’s a “Resiliency Movement” happening in municipalities across the U.S.Michael Kilpatrick has the opportunity to see and hear what a variety of communities across the U.S. are doing to increase both the resiliency and sustainability of their energy solutions. He says that in the past, the two were often not tied together. But things are changing now, due to the impacts of COVID and a growing realization that sustainability and resilience support each other. This new approach is benefiting communities across the nation.
Community-wide, resiliency is simply defined as improving the quality of life across the entire population. As an example, the design of streets has an amazing impact on a community. Do they include protected bike lanes? Are they complete and well maintained? Are they aesthetically pleasing? Do they include walking trails or sidewalks as part of their design? These factors and many others create vibrant, connected neighborhoods that provide access to businesses, community features, and public services conveniently and easily.
The biggest challenges when building future-ready projectsIt’s impossible to predict the future, but municipalities have been attempting to wisely forecast future needs when planning infrastructure and improvements. But working to meet future needs doesn’t happen without challenges. Communities around the nation are finding common roadblocks such as…
Communicating effectively about budgetary and timeline needs for large scale projects such as solar arrays Many governments still operate in “siloed” ways, with each department competing with the others for budget, resources, etc., when the real need is for cooperation and coordination between departments to build resilience into every aspect of infrastructure and services. Smaller communities often experience a deficit when it comes to technical proficiency to move forward with resiliency projects. They have neither the budget nor the amenities to attract those with the expertise needed to move in a new direction. Finally, there is the need to address the root causes behind many issues resilience is trying to solve. A prime example is carbon emissions, where mitigation and new approaches need to be implemented on a wider scale.It’s clear that there are many challenges facing cities around the world, but the dedication, cooperation, and expertise of individuals like Ann, Whit, and Michael are making a difference from which other cities can take notice.
Connect With Our GuestsAnn Kloose, City of Fresno Manager of Sustainability
Ann Kloose has over 25 years of combined government and utility industry experience and currently serves as the Sustainability Division Manager for the City of Fresno. She is committed to serving the citizens of Fresno and is responsible for guiding the City’s energy efficiency programs, sustainability efforts, and energy policy issues. Ann’s experience also includes City Council Chief of Staff, Utility Outreach Manager, State Communications Coordinator for the Concord Coalition, and Sr Government Relations at PG&E. She also serves as a Board member on the Fresno Fire Chief’s Foundation, Board Secretary of Jazz Fresno, and is an instructor and Board member at the San Joaquin Valley Political Academy. Ann graduated from Fresno State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
Connect with Ann on LinkedIn
Whit Remer, City of Tampa Sustainability and Resilience Officer
As the City of Tampa’s first Sustainability & Resilience Officer, Whit is advancing Mayor Jane Castor’s commitment to 100% renewable energy and building a more resilient and equitable city. In partnership with international resilience experts and community partners, Whit led the creation of the Resilient Tampa roadmap - an extensive process identifying Tampa’s shocks, stresses, and resilience opportunities in coordination with frontline communities. Prior to joining the City of Tampa, Whit was Counsel and Director of Public Policy for the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), an insurance-backed research organization focused on building safety and community resilience. Whit also held roles for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) as a lobbyist and lead author of the American Infrastructure Report Card. Following the 2010 BP oil spill, Whit worked for Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) in Washington, D.C. Whit holds a law degree from Loyola University of New Orleans, a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree from the University of New Orleans, and a bachelor’s degree in geography and political science from Florida State University. Whit is a member of the Florida Bar, the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), an ENVISON Sustainability Professional, and Courtesy Faculty for the Patel College of Global Sustainability at the University of South Florida.
Connect with Whit on LinkedIn
Michael Kilpatrick, Key Segment Manager for State and Local Governments at Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions
In his role at Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions, Michael is focused on helping State Governments, Cities, Towns, and Villages solve complex energy problems by delivering the solutions that meet their needs. His focus areas include public transit, airports, seaports, water/wastewater, municipal electrics, and smart-city technologies. Michael began his career in energy as an Energy Trader which led him to Duke Energy. During his time at Duke Energy he has also held roles in Natural Gas Transportation, Products and Services Management, and Business Development focused on Distributed Generation. Michael has a strong understanding of organized energy markets, public policy, and renewable energy which he leverages to help Municipalities pursue their sustainability goals. Michael is a graduate of North Carolina State University where he received his Bachelor of Science in Business Management with a concentration in Finance and Accounting.
Connect with Michael on LinkedIn
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Environmental, Social, and Governance factors (ESG's) refer to a set of standards that socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments. ESG's are increasing in importance and many companies are looking to ESGs to guide sustainability decisions and to prove their sustainability commitment to customers and stakeholders.
Join us for this episode as Cari Boyce, Katherine Neebe, and Doug Esamann join host John Failla to discuss the steps Duke Energy has taken in the adoption and implementation of ESGs in moving toward its sustainability goals.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... Introducing this episode’s guests and their experience with renewable energy [2:01] Why Katherine chose to move from Walmart to join Duke Energy [5:30] What is ESG investing and why is it of such importance these days? [10:01] Duke’s 20-year history in sustainability planning and its current goals [18:20] To what degree are ESG goals a business imperative for energy companies? [29:39] The role energy storage and emerging tech will play in Duke’s ESG picture [42:16] Collaboration is key in the energy transition [50:01] The role of investment in moving forward in a greener, cleaner way [53:13] A closer look at the role of ESG in corporate responsibilityESG refers to how a company performs in these three key areas:
Environmental criteria: how does the company perform in terms of its ecological and environmental responsibility to the community?
Social criteria: how does the company manage relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where it operates?
Governance: how does a company’s leadership, executive pay, audits, internal controls, and shareholder rights operate?
Companies that navigate trends in the ESG space tend to outperform companies that ignore those trends. For that reason, ESG's should be a core consideration to a company’s strategy and fundamental to the way the company does business.
Sustainability has been a core value at Duke Energy for 20 yearsDuke Energy, being a major electricity provider, sees itself as a major contributor to the well-being and fulfillment of the people who live in the communities it serves. As a result, the team at Duke has learned to listen to stakeholders, customers, and investors to know what’s important to everyone. The company also pays close attention to the environmental needs and impact of any projects it is involved with.
When it comes to ESG goals, Duke’s emphasis tends to be more on environmental aspects since it is a company that impacts the environment directly by virtue of what it supplies. But the social and governance aspects are just as important. The challenges are many; among them are the pressures to “green” their energy supply while doing it in ways that are affordable for customers. The Duke team is committed to continuing the search for the right balance and proper perspective to make it possible to do both.
It’s imperative for companies like Duke to focus on ESG goalsAs the demand for ESG consideration increases from investors and customers alike, Duke Energy is proving themselves to be a leader in the field. Emerging energy technologies like solar and wind are options customers want to have as energy options, and Duke is providing them.
As proof of its commitment in these areas, to-date, Duke has retired more coal-based power plants than any other industry player and by 2030 Duke will no longer be producing energy via coal within the Carolinas. In Indiana (which is considered “coal country”) it will only be 10 to 15 years before coal-based energy production is no more for Duke. As a result of these commitments, the carbon intensity Duke is serving to its customers is some of the lowest in the country.
Though many who are driving the renewable energy transition want Duke and other energy suppliers to make this transition more quickly, it’s an issue where goals have to be pursued at the proper pace. Duke has a two-fold commitment, to supply reliable energy for customers while at the same time moving the needle forward in the renewable transition.
Resources & People Mentioned The Principles for Responsible Investment RP 101: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP2sujth2AU&feature=youtu.beOR www.duke-energy.com/our-company/irp
The Electric Power Research Institute Connect With Our GuestsCari P. Boyce - SVP Enterprise Strategy & Planning, Duke Energy
Cari Boyce serves as senior vice president of enterprise strategy and planning for Duke Energy. She leads the company’s strategy development and strategic analysis efforts. Her team is also responsible for market fundamentals and load forecasting.
Before assuming her current position in October 2019, Boyce was Duke Energy’s Senior Vice President of Stakeholder Strategy and Sustainability and President of the Duke Energy Foundation. She led the company’s philanthropic activities to address the needs of the communities where its customers live and work. The Duke Energy Foundation annually provides more than $30 million in charitable grants. In addition, she was responsible for developing the company’s stakeholder outreach strategy and overseeing sustainability initiatives and reporting.
Prior to that, Boyce was Duke Energy’s Vice President of Policy, Sustainability, and Stakeholder Strategy. She was responsible for the development, communication, and integration of the company’s position on environmental and energy policy issues, sustainability initiatives and reporting, as well as stakeholder outreach. From August 2016 through March 2017, she also served as the interim lead of the company’s federal government affairs office.
Boyce served as Vice President of Environmental and Energy Policy from 2012 through 2015. She also served as Vice President of Corporate Communications for Progress Energy from 2009 through 2012. Boyce joined Progress Energy in 2006, initially serving in the role of Director, External Communications.
Prior to her employment at Progress Energy, Boyce worked in state government in New York and North Carolina for 15 years. She served as the Director of Communications for the North Carolina governor’s office and was later promoted to the role of Director of External Affairs, where she was responsible for managing the federal and regional offices for the governor, as well as the governor’s communications and constituent relations offices. She also served as a senior adviser for policy and communications for the North Carolina attorney general, and as a legislative assistant in the New York State General Assembly.
Boyce currently serves on the board of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce.
A native of Ticonderoga, N.Y., Boyce earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and history from Siena College. She also earned a Master of Education degree from North Carolina State University. Boyce has one sheltie, Archie.
Follow Cari P. Boyce on LinkedInKatherine Neebe, President, Duke Energy Foundation, VP National Engagement & Strategy, and Chief Sustainability Officer
Katherine Neebe serves as Vice President of National Engagement and Strategy and Chief Sustainability Officer for Duke Energy. She also serves as President of the Duke Energy Foundation. In these capacities, she leads Duke Energy’s stakeholder engagement efforts to develop solutions to meet customer needs for continued reliable and affordable energy – while simultaneously working to achieve the company’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work.
Katherine joined Duke Energy in August 2020 from Walmart, where she led environmental, social, and governance strategy and oversaw stakeholder engagement on behalf of Walmart’s sustainability team.
From 2007-2013, Katherine worked for the World Wildlife Fund where she managed one of the world’s largest corporate-NGO partnerships, a $97 million sustainability-driven initiative focused on water, agriculture, and climate that was active in over 45 countries.
Over the past 20 years, Katherine has worked with a wide range of corporate, government, and nonprofit organizations. Weaving together her intensive business experience and commitment to social and environmental responsibility, she brings in-depth insight to effective stakeholder engagement and an ability to ground sustainability into actionable terms.
Katherine is a First Movers fellow through the Aspen Institute, received her Master of Business Administration from The Darden School at the University of Virginia, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Colorado College.
Follow Katherine Neebe on LinkedInDoug Esamann, EVP Energy Solutions, President, Midwest/Florida Regions, and President Natural Gas Business, Duke Energy
As Executive Vice President, Energy Solutions, Doug Esamann is responsible for corporate strategy and planning, emerging technology, and the company’s regulated and commercial renewable energy operations. Additionally, he has responsibility for sales and services to commercial, industrial and wholesale customers; the development and marketing of products and solutions for all customer segments; and the company’s economic development efforts.
As President of the Midwest and Florida regions, he has responsibility for the profit/loss, strategic direction, and performance of the company’s regulated electric utilities in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Florida. Esamann also serves as President of Duke Energy’s natural gas business, where he oversees all of the company’s natural gas operations in the Carolinas, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
Previously, Esamann served as President of Duke Energy Indiana, the state’s largest electric utility, serving approximately 810,000 customers in 69 of the state’s 92 counties. He was responsible for the company’s regulatory, governmental relations, economic development, and community affairs work in Indiana. He served in that role from November 2010 until June 2015. He assumed added responsibility for the natural gas business in October 2019.
Prior to that, Esamann was Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy for Duke Energy, where he led the company’s strategy development and business planning efforts, including load forecasting and market fundamentals. Following the merger between Duke Energy and Cinergy in April 2006, Esamann served as Group Vice President of Strategy and Planning for Duke Energy’s regulated utilities, with responsibility for integrated resource planning, environmental compliance planning, transactional support, customer market analytics, load research, and renewable energy compliance.
With Cinergy, he served as Senior Vice President of Energy Portfolio Strategy and Management for Cinergy’s commercial business unit, with responsibility for fuel management, environmental risk management, generation dispatch, power purchases and sales, portfolio analytics, load forecasting, generation asset planning, demand-side management planning, and environmental compliance planning.
Esamann began his employment with Public Service Indiana (predecessor of PSI Energy) in 1979. In the course of his PSI/Cinergy career, he held a variety of leadership roles, including Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the commercial business unit from 1999 until 2001, and president of PSI Energy from 2001 until 2004.
Esamann has been active on a number of community and industry boards. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board for Energy Systems Network, a nonprofit industry initiative focused on clean technology development. He is a member of the board of directors for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). He also serves on the board of trustees for Discovery Place, a hands-on science and technology museum for visitors of all ages based in Charlotte, N.C.
A native of Plainfield, Ind., Esamann earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Indiana University. He and his wife, Kimberly, have two daughters, a son, and six grandchildren.
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We’ve all heard of the new electric vehicles that Tesla and other manufacturers are producing, but when you look at electric vehicles from a broader fleet perspective, the possibilities for reducing carbon emissions long-term are exciting! The Smart Energy Decisions team believes this issue of fleet and public transportation conversion to be a key component in moving the energy transition forward, so this conversation was especially interesting to us.
Our guests on this episode are Catherine Kummer, Climate Advisor for the American Cities Climate Challenge to the City of Charlotte, NC, and Michael Luhrs, Vice President of Market Strategy and Solutions for Duke Energy. Speaking from their unique positions, each of them provides a wonderful perspective on the issues driving the move toward fleet and public transportation electrification, how it’s being accomplished on the ground, how the issue impacts corporations, and what role utilities like Duke are playing in making the transition possible. It’s exciting to hear what’s happening and what is projected to happen in the years to come. Don’t miss this enlightening and encouraging conversation.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... Catherine Kummer’s background in renewable energy and transportation [1:44] Michael Luhrs’ work with clean energy and energy efficiency at Duke Energy [2:39] What is driving interest in electric vehicle pilot programs in cities? [3:42] The key drivers of corporate initiatives to create electrified fleets [11:06] Why utilities are embracing the move toward electrification of vehicles [13:47] Reasons cities and businesses believe electrification of vehicles is essential [17:57] Why the total cost of ownership makes the Electric Vehicle (EV) transition a total win [22:28] The role utilities need to play in the EV transition [33:21] Barriers to making the EV switch and how to overcome them [43:55] Looking 3 to 5 years into the future when it comes to vehicle electrification [49:50] Charlotte, NC is leading the charge in electrifying its fleetsWhen asked what is fueling the drive behind the electrification of municipality fleets and public transportation, Catherine says that, quite honestly, it’s the cities themselves. As the Climate Advisor for the City of Charlotte, NC she has a front-row seat to the initiatives that the City Hall and City Council are taking in this important step toward the smart energy transition.
The city of Charlotte has implemented an aggressive public education campaign surrounding its clean energy goals, which include community outreach and engagement via many platforms. The city has also put into place two new policies that support electrification goals. These come directly from their Strategic Energy Action plan and aim to entirely electrify the city's fleet by 2030. Currently, as part of that plan, they are working toward the addition of 27 electric vehicles to their light-duty fleet, at an investment of over $740,000, which would make 42 total electric vehicles for the city. The city is also ensuring that the charging infrastructure required is part of that expansion. It’s cities like Charlotte that are leading the way nationwide.
Corporate & utility drivers toward electrification of vehiclesWhen it comes to why corporations are moving toward the electrification of their vehicles, Michael puts it best when he says it's about sustainability and efficiency — or being clean and cost-effective. Duke Energy has recognized that its constituents are taking on the mantle of the renewable energy transition. With that, corporations are adapting to provide the value to their customers that they want and need. A significant benefit can also be derived from the cost savings involved when implementing electric vehicles. Maintenance, fuel expenditures, noise and emissions pollution, and more go into these savings.
Utilities see the fundamental shift occurring globally in the form of mandates from many cities around the globe that ban emission-producing vehicles by specific dates. Utility companies like Duke can look across the value chain to both produce and deliver the resources needed. The initial load increase for utilities will only be 2% to 4% in most cases, but long term, that demand will grow. The ability to put the infrastructure needed in place is the strength of the value proposition utilities provide.
The total cost of ownership enables the cost of EVs to make senseMuch of the debate about the cost of electrifying municipal or corporate fleets and public transportation has to do with the initial outlay of cash required to get started. While it is a significant upfront investment, that should not be allowed to be the deciding factor. Why? Simply put, it’s an extremely short-sighted approach.
Both Catherine and Michael speak persuasively about the long-term benefits that come from fleet electrification in terms of cost reduction, emissions reduction, and other infrequently considered benefits. Because of this issue, Catherine has developed her own “Total Cost of Ownership” calculations to show exactly how and when cost reductions will occur in the implementation of the Charlotte plan so that all stakeholders can see the black and white of the issue and make informed decisions that benefit the big picture.
Connect With Our GuestsCatherine Kummer - Climate Advisor American Cities Climate Challenge
Catherine Kummer serves as a Climate Advisor for the City of Charlotte as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies American Cities Climate Challenge—and in partnership with NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council)—which works to accelerate climate action in 25 cities throughout the United States. Catherine joined the Climate Challenge advising the City of Charlotte after spending the last eight years as the Senior Director of Green Innovation for the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing, NASCAR. A native of Raeford, North Carolina, Catherine holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.A. in Sustainability from Wake Forest University and Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership from Harvard University.
Follow Catherine Kummer on LinkedInMichael Luhrs - VP Market Strategy & Solutions
Michael Luhrs serves as Vice President of Market Strategy and Solutions for Duke
Energy. In this role, he is responsible for bringing integrated solutions across the digital
and physical energy infrastructure to provide unique value and solutions nationally.
Michael’s strong focus on innovation, transformation and growth of customer solutions
has proven successful with improving and accelerating departments through disciplined
innovation, strategy alignment, revenue growth, regulatory adaptation and driving cost
efficiencies.
The teams aligned under Michael’s purview are: Home & Business Services, Market Strategy, Connected Communities, Solutions Development, Solutions Partner, Transportation Electrification, and Portfolio Structuring. Collectively, the Market Strategy and Solution team generate approximately $500M in EBIT each year. The functions of these departments lead the evolution of the business from strategy to solutions development to execution across all customer segments. They cover a broad range of solutions from demand response, non-regulated products (such as behind the meter energy protection and insurance/risk mitigation services), digital infrastructure services, small cell and macro wireless, outdoor lighting, and electrification of transportation.
Michael offers more than 20 years of experience in the energy industry. Known for his excellence in business strategy and operations, Michael is a creative thinker and problem solver. He has a knack for developing client-centered solutions and generating a positive impact to the bottom line.
Before assuming his current position, Michael served as General Manager of Business Excellence for Duke Energy. Prior to the merger with Progress Energy in 2012, Michael served as General Manager of Energy Supply Finance for Progress Energy. He has held several other leadership roles including Resource Planning Manager, Audit Manager, as well as roles in Generation Operations. Born in Colorado, Michael holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering, as well as Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Management Finance and Economics, from North Carolina State University. He was also distinguished with Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa honors.
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Institutes of higher education are large consumers of energy. From the lights and heat that are needed to keep students and faculty comfortable enough to learn effectively, to the equipment, technology, and staff required to keep things running, the expense is enormous. But for those same reasons, these institutions have a tremendous opportunity to push forward the move toward sustainable energy solutions, which will result in a cleaner environment and better future, and cost savings for them.
Today, three guests from the realm of higher education join John for a frank conversation about the overall challenges faced by institutions of higher learning when it comes to renewable energy. Join John and his guests, Bill Guerrero of Ithaca College, Dennis Elliot of Cal Poly, and Wayne Johnson of Duke Energy for this enlightening conversation.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... The experience and background of our guests, leaders in Higher Education [0:55] A big-picture view: Energy management and sustainability in Higher Education [7:24] Some of the most productive investments in energy efficiency [16:38] The role of resiliency in energy solutions for Higher Education [24:12] How to pay for the improvements needed [32:56] Master Plans enable colleges & universities to plan toward sustainable energyThere are vast differences in the way institutes of higher education make decisions and implement them when it comes to the capital improvements required to move toward sustainable and energy-efficient solutions for their campuses. The predominant way these institutions move the needle is through the inclusion of sustainability initiatives within the university or college’s Master Plan. These plans are revisited and revamped often because the situation on school campuses is changing all the time. New needs arise and circumstances demand new approaches. It’s a perfect opportunity to move their energy usage toward sustainable solutions.
This conversation highlights the approach two leaders in higher education have taken when it comes to renewable energy improvements on campus. Cal Poly and Ithaca College have both focused on integrating sustainable energy improvements into their Master Planning process, with one of those schools even creating an independent energy Master Plan due to the increased importance of the issue.
The issue of resiliency is of paramount importance for higher educationThe wildfires that have raged across California in 2020 illustrate one of the many reasons colleges and universities need to build resiliency into their energy procurement solutions. Cal Poly discovered that their energy solution was inadequate as a result of the fires. The institution relied on a sole provider and delivery mechanism that was endangered by the wildfires. The impact of a power loss is massive to facilities, educational systems, remote learning, and more.
To address these issues, many opportunities exist to ensure power is not disrupted and education continues. Regional transmission systems with various substations are one solution, as are generators use in a synchronized fashion. On-site batteries can be used to implement load-shifting during peak energy consumption hours, and larger schools are looking into microgrids, co-generation, and combined heat and power sources.
The most effective ways to fund energy improvementsThe COVID pandemic of 2020 has shown all of us that the economic conditions we enjoy one day may be in jeopardy the next. It’s an example of how various crises can shift the focus of an organization or institution to new areas, and environmental sustainability goals could be a regrettable casualty when this occurs. Add to that, the fact that many colleges face serious asset replacement issues shortly. 80% of schools surveyed say they plan on funding those capital improvements through increased enrollment, but because of the pandemic, full enrollment is not expected to happen for many years.
The reality is that sustainability initiatives compete with every other need at institutions of higher learning, and the assets needed for energy projects are behind-the-scenes and not as easily noticed as the other more superficial things like paint, carpet, landscaping, and building facades. Those in charge of energy, facilities, and capital improvements have their work cut out for them in trying to gain the buy-in for energy improvements and upgrades during such times. But it’s entirely possible, and our guests give many helpful suggestions about how to position your budget requests in ways that enthuse and engage your stakeholders.
Resources & People Mentioned Ithaca College California Polytechnic Institute Connect With Our GuestsBill Guerrero, Vice President for Finance and Administration, Ithaca College
Bill has served in the education industry for over 21 years in education and independent schools. Ithaca College is a Private, Residential, Liberal Arts College with about 5,800 students and 1,700 faculty/staff. Bill’s areas of responsibility are Finance & Accounting, Auxiliary Services, Information Technology, and Facilities Services including Environmental Sustainability. With 2.6 M feet of space, the majority of which was built in the 1950s and 1960s, Ithaca’s initiatives have secured it the AASHE Gold Star Rating. The Environment America Research & Policy Center ranks Ithaca College #8 in percent of electricity derived from renewable resources.
Follow Bill on LinkedInDennis Elliot, Director of Energy, Utilities, and Sustainability, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Dennis Elliot serves as the Director of Energy, Utilities, and Sustainability in the Facilities Management and Development Department at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Dennis holds a bachelor's degree from Cal Poly in Mechanical Engineering, is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of California, and a Certified Energy Manager. In his 37 years at Cal Poly in a variety of energy-related roles, Dennis has helped lead operation and maintenance of building HVAC and central plants; design, construction, and commissioning of new buildings and utility systems; utility metering, building automation, SCADA, and building data analytic systems; energy and water conservation programs; renewable energy projects; sustainability educational outreach and curriculum infusion initiatives; LEED Certification and AASHE STARS programs; Master Planning and Strategic Planning; Zero Waste Programs and the campus' Climate Action Plan. Dennis helped found and still mentors Cal Poly's Green Campus Program of student peer educators, serves on Cal Poly’s Academic Senate Sustainability Committee, and chairs the campus Sustainability Advisory Committee.
Follow Dennis on LinkedInWayne Johnson, Duke Energy’s Key Segment Manager For EducationWayne has served as a Facilities Management and Energy Executive in Higher Education and brings a wealth of experience to Duke Energy. Wayne has also managed safety and accreditation processes for his campus and has provided oversight and program responsibility for a regional K-12 outsourced facilities management firm. Wayne has a passion for “out of the box” thinking that generates a creative process in meeting the challenges facing energy infrastructure and asset management in education. Wayne strives to create a “synergy” that builds solutions to meet the needs of all campus constituents: Facilities leaders, CFOs, Presidents, Head of School, faculty, staff, students, and local communities. His unique perspective and experience when combined with Duke Energy’s ability to execute can be of great support as schools look to become energy efficient, sustainable, and viable for the future. Wayne enjoys international travel, time on the lake and hiking, especially when his extended family and wife can join in the adventure. Wayne has worked as a licensed electrical and general contractor and has degrees from Mars Hill University and The University of South Carolina where his advanced degree is in Education Administration.
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While many people know Kroger as the nation’s largest traditional food retailer, few know that they are effectively the fifth largest consumer packaged goods manufacturer in the nation and have more than 2800 retail food stores under a variety of banner names. In this episode, we learn that Kroger is committed to protecting people and the planet by advancing positive change in their company and communities and realizing that they could have multiple environmental and social impacts through their own operations, through the supply chain, and in other areas.
Zero Hunger, Zero Waste is what Kroger named their social impact plan to end hunger in their communities and to eliminate waste in their company by 2025. This plan was launched in September of 2017 and was inspired by their purpose to feed the human spirit. They are always looking to the future and have recently announced their new, and very ambitious, 2030 ESG Goals. Joining Smart Decisions Founder John Failla for this closer look are Kroger’s Lisa Zwack, Head of Sustainability, and Denis George, Category Manager – Energy.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... [1:58] A brief scope & scale of Kroger and Lisa & Denis’ roles and responsibilities [5:00] Drivers and commitments related to Kroger’s sustainability and energy management [8:30] Drivers behind Kroger’s energy programs [10:50] Safety and quality are paramount [12:30] The role that investor interest has played [20:45] More about Kroger’s approach to Climate Impact [25:08] Two key ideas for getting store-level associates to buy into the idea of saving energy [29:17] the La Habra Baking Project [34:01] What role, both internally and externally, do you see relationships playing in pursuit of your ESG goals? [41:45] What is unique about Kroger’s relationship with Duke Energy? [43:57] Talk about the future and where things are headed Stakeholder/Investor EngagementStakeholder engagement is a great way for Kroger to learn what their key internal and external stakeholders think about what they are doing and what they think Kroger should be doing moving forward. Kroger engages with its stakeholders through its materiality assessment early in the year. It is a great focused opportunity to get input from their various stakeholders, investors, NGOs, and any number of people outside of the company as well as inside the company. Kroger wants to hear what is most important to their leaders as well. Investors are a key audience. There is increased investor interest in how companies are managing climate risk and climate impact and how they are reducing energy usage and moving to more renewables and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Kroger is generally always trying to increase and improve the amount of transparency that they use when they talk to their stakeholders as they know that they are trying to get more decision-useful information for their purposes of making investments in different companies. Kroger prides itself on being very in tune with what investors are looking for and being responsive to that. They also took part in a qualitative climate risk assessment late last year. Kroger assesses and manages risk as a company overall, but this assessment was a great foray into the more dedicated climate risk assessment process, which is something else investors are looking for companies to do.
Historically Driven by Expense SavingsTwenty-some years ago, when Denis started with the company, they were more “Zero Energy, Zero Waste” before they were “Zero Hunger, Zero Waste.” Denis states that if they can fulfill their mission to their customers by using less energy, that is just a smart way to operate a business. They learned long ago that through energy efficiency they could achieve that very quickly and very uniformly. They have also found that one can achieve cost reduction in many other ways - through contract negotiations, better rates from utilities, items of that nature, and, as renewables continue to come on and there are more and different ways to engage in renewable energy acquisition those costs are coming down. This is very consistent with Kroger’s desire to reduce expenses, to maintain reliable well-lit stores, keep food safe and tasty while ensuring the quality of their food, as well as to contribute to the environment. Denis comments that it is wonderful when all those goals that can sometimes seemingly conflict come together and, by doing what they have been doing with reducing the amount of energy and starting to bring on additional renewable purchases, that they are beginning to achieve a lot of the goals all at the same time.
Safety and Quality are ParamountThree of Kroger’s four drivers mentioned in this podcast come up in varying order. Cost reduction is number one nearly 80 percent of the time, followed by greening the environment, but the one most interesting point of the conversation is the notion of food safety because that is a unique and very important driver for the entire food industry.
You could save a lot of money by turning everything off, but ice cream doesn’t work well in a zero-energy environment. Everyone’s been inside a grocery store and knows how much energy it uses, but milk has to maintain a certain temperature, the quality of ice cream depends on how cold you keep it - too cold is actually as bad as too warm. There are not only a lot of state, federal, and local food requirements to follow but a lot of other things Kroger wants to do to maintain freshness as well. Those are the rules by which Kroger must live that perhaps might not be needed in a clothing retail store or an auto parts place where humidity and temperature would not affect the product as much as it does fresh produce and fresh meat. Kroger must respect those guidelines and principles to sell their product to their customers in a very safe and comfortable environment.
Resources & People Mentioned Duke Energy CDP Climate Questionnaire Kroger 2020 ESG Report Kroger Zero Hunger Zero Waste Sasb.org Standards Connect With Our GuestsLisa Zwack, Head of Sustainability
Lisa is the Head of Sustainability at The Kroger Co., the nation’s largest grocery retailer, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. In this role, she leads and executes on Kroger’s sustainability strategy across a variety of topics, including the company’s progress towards its 2020 sustainability goals as well as goals for the next decade. Previously, Lisa served as Sustainability Manager for Staples, Inc. for nearly five years, where she played a key role in implementing and communicating the company’s global sustainability vision. She earned her MBA from the Ross School of Business and her MS and BS degrees from the School for Environment and Sustainability, all at the University of Michigan, during which time she worked with several leading companies on sustainability-related projects.
Follow Lisa Zwack on LinkedInDenis George, Category Manager – Energy
As Category Manager — Energy for The Kroger Co. (www.thekrogerco.com) — one of the Nation’s largest grocery and retail companies — Denis George manages the Company’s renewable energy acquisition, gas & electricity contracts, utility agreements, regulatory intervention, and related matters. From 1998 to 2016, Denis served as Kroger’s Corporate Manager — Energy with responsibilities that also included energy efficiency initiatives, carbon footprint calculations, mechanical system design, and Energy Star program compliance. Over these years, Kroger received numerous national and regional awards for energy efficiency and sustainability, including the Energy Star “Partner of the Year” Award (twice), the Alliance to Save Energy's top award — the "Galaxy" Star of Energy Efficiency, and an “Award of Excellence” from Platt’s Publications. Mr. George has presented before numerous Commissions and Associations, including the Edison Electric Institute, American Public Power Association, Touchstone Energy Partnership, Green Retail Decisions, Smart Energy Decisions, and the Critical Consumer Issues Forum. He serves on the Customer Advisory Board of Smart Energy Decisions and has previously served on numerous utility customer advisory groups. Denis also served two terms on the State of Ohio Public Benefits Advisory Board, a non-compensated Board advising the State of Ohio and utilities on low-income consumer energy needs. From 1980 to 1997, Denis worked at The Dayton Power and Light Company, serving in several legal and management positions that included appearances and representation before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio as well as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Mr. George received a Juris Doctor Degree in 1985 from The University of Cincinnati College of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics/Business Administration, cum laude, from Wittenberg University in 1980. He remains a licensed Attorney at Law in the State of Ohio. Denis and his wife, Alice Sutherland George, live in Loveland, Ohio.
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Most of us live day to day in our city of choice without giving much thought to the infrastructure and services that living in the city provides. But when a natural disaster or outage happens, we immediately recognize that vitally important things were going on behind the scenes that we benefit from directly.
This episode highlights the steps the city of Greensboro, NC has taken to begin its “Smart City” initiative, which includes a number of renewable energy approaches. You’ll enjoy hearing from three officials from the city of Greensboro and how their varied roles provide unique looks at the challenges of becoming a Smart City.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... The guests on this episode and their role in energy & renewables [0:58] How Greensboro started its “Smart City” journey [4:48] The overview of Greensboro’s energy management evolution [9:01] Greensboro’s actions compared to other municipalities [12:59] The consequences associated with power outages for cities [18:08] How does resiliency intersect with renewable energy sources? [26:25] Greensboro’s kiosk program: why it was created and what it’s accomplished [28:43] How Duke and other energy suppliers can partner toward renewables [33:46] Prioritizing investments in smart city and renewable energy projects [35:41] Are energy-as-a-service programs helpful for municipalities? [40:10] Emerging priorities for cities and the communities they serve [47:17] The Smart City journey the City of Greensboro is onThe city of Greensboro, North Carolina started its journey to becoming a Smart City when neighboring cities began working on fiber installations. Greensboro’s leadership began investigating its own options for fiber installations since high-speed data connections are foundational to the technology needed to implement Smart City approaches. From there, many additional developments have come about.
In their current approach, the city’s leaders are continuing to ask, “How can we leverage the Smart Cities approach for growth and economic development?” Some of the initiatives they’ve implemented so far are the city’s smart connected corridor, which includes informational kiosks visitors can use to find out about the city, locate destinations, and connect with public transportation. Find out more by listening to this conversation!
Why resiliency is vital for municipalities like GreensboroThe situation in Greensboro mirrors the reality of many municipalities around the nation. For Greensboro, 30 out of 80 facilities are emergency-related, so when the power for the city experiences a disruption, there’s not only a dollar impact, it can also create a logistics nightmare. A tornado a few years ago made it abundantly clear that resiliency for the city’s power grid was of the utmost importance.
Greensboro’s CIO, Jane Nickels says that if the data center goes down, everything in the city shuts down, and it would take days to get the data center back up. For that reason one of the resiliency measures they are adopting is a migration of everything possible to the cloud. As well, all projects — Smart City related or not — have resiliency in mind. From the creation of “battery buses” to the use of solar power to charge them, the city is well on the way to making its power needs resilient.
How Greensboro pursues financing through partnershipsCity budgets are not known for being lavish and the budget in Greensboro is no exception. The city had no budget at all set aside for Smart City initiatives when the idea came to the forefront, so those leading the charge had to look for partners. When they keep their ears open to what’s going on in the city and do the legwork of discovering what projects are slated by other companies, they can often find ways to attach a Smart City initiative to that project. These are collaborations that enable them to leverage Smart City ideas into the projects other organizations are already budgeting. Listen to learn more about how Greensboro is utilizing smart energy and building resilient systems.
Resources & People Mentioned Smart City Media Duke Energy
Connect With Our Guests
Michael Kilpatrick, Key Segment Manager, State Governments, Municipalities, and Co-ops
Michael leads strategic planning and engagement within state government, municipal, and co-op segments and is tasked with expanding revenue, profitability, and customer satisfaction by delivering solutions from an array of Duke Energy products and services, including but not limited to renewables, microgrids, and other energy-as-a-service offerings.
Follow Guest Name on LinkedInJane Nickels, CIO, City of Greensboro
As CIO for the City of Greensboro, Jane Nickles serves in the executive capacity as the director of Information Technology and Enterprise Solutions. Under Jane’s leadership, the City of Greensboro has been recognized as a Top 10 Digital City by the Center for Digital Government since 2014. Jane led the TriGig Regional High Speed Broadband initiative to bring competitive gigabit internet services to Greensboro and surrounding areas. Other areas of focus include Data Driven Government, Open Data strategies, Digital Equity, Smart City initiatives and continuous innovation.
Follow Guest Name on LinkedInButch Shumate, Facilities Manager at City of Greensboro
Butch is an experienced Division Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the government administration industry. Skilled in Budgeting, Contractors, Government, Project Estimation, and Facility Management (FM).
Follow Butch on LinkedInSergey Kobalev, Energy and Sustainability Management Engineer
Sergey Kobelev serves as the Energy Management Engineer for the city of Greensboro facilities, a position he has had since 2017. In this role, Sergey works to improve sustainability and energy efficiency in over 80 buildings and structures of the city of Greensboro Facilities. His primary focus is on improving existing energy conservation policies and developing new ones, often by incorporating emerging technology for the City facilities to achieve financial and sustainability goals set by the City Council.
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Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy were each crisis situations in their own right and one of the sectors impacted that brought the issue of power resilience to the forefront was healthcare. It’s easy to see how life and death are on the line when power outages or disruptions impact a care facility. Join host, John Failla as he speaks with Eric Bennett of Duke Energy and Matt Stiene of Novant Healthcare as they discuss the current state of resiliency in healthcare systems, the challenges faced in becoming more resilient, and what the future may hold.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... The role and responsibilities of today’s guests [1:12] Resiliency is an important consideration for the healthcare sector [3:05] How does compliance impact the application of resilient measures? [7:27] The unique challenges to adopting new technologies in light of regulations [10:16] Utilizing partnerships to move redundant systems and projects forward [19:11] Energy management budgets and the challenges organizations face [21:47] Guidelines Novant uses to consider financing renewable energy structures [28:35] The greatest challenges in resiliency management going forward [31:33] What’s next for Novant and the healthcare industry in terms of energy? [36:45] Healthcare resilience can easily be an issue of life and deathLife support and medical systems of all kinds that are typical to health systems require power to operate. Those in charge of running healthcare facilities and those responsible for their construction have to think through how to provide that power in an uninterrupted fashion so that patient care is not compromised.
Matt Stiene shares how Novant Healthcare is committed to multiple sources of power for its facilities, with secondary systems many times taking the form of backup generators that can power entire facilities for long periods if needed. But even so, the desire to move toward sustainable sources of energy is becoming a greater consideration. Listen to hear how Novant is addressing these challenges and how the healthcare sector is doing at addressing the energy challenges it faces.
The application of microgrids promises great potential for healthcareThe latest statistics reveal that the healthcare industry is the 5th largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world. With the amount of power required for the average healthcare facility, that shouldn’t be a surprising figure. But given that healthcare should be focused on overall health, including how health is impacted by the environment, those figures are dominant on the radar of many senior leaders in the healthcare sector.
Microgrid solutions, built on-sight as power backups are one option being pursued. Two of Novant’s facilities only have one primary service available either in terms of the source the power comes from or in the means of delivery the provider employs. An on-sight battery storage facility is one microgrid option the organization is pursuing in those situations. Matt admits that due to the limitations of how battery systems work, it’s not a long-term fix but could allow for uninterrupted operations for a significant time while getting the facility’s primary power systems back online.
How do renewables fit into the resiliency picture?Healthcare organizations are taking a closer look at renewable energy these days. That’s because leaders in the industry see it as their responsibility to contribute to the overall health of those in their communities, not just to the acute or responsive care that’s typically provided in a healthcare facility. For Novant, the mission of “Improving the health of our communities one person at a time” is taken very seriously and sustainability figures into that. He says that the internal pressure to move toward sustainable sources of energy is growing and also says that the communities they serve are expressing growing concern about the issue as well.
But the metrics around costs make it challenging. Novant shoots for energy projects that they can pay back within two years and many others in the sector consider a three to five-year payback of capital acceptable. But when power from the regular power grid can be bought for less, it can be a hard sell to the finance department. Listen to hear how Novant and other organizations are addressing these issues with the help of their energy partners, like Duke.
Connect With Our GuestsEric Bennett - Duke Energy, Key Segment Manager Health Care
With over 15 years of experience in the energy industry, Eric leads Duke Energy One’s Health Care segment. He works with customers and stakeholders across the Health Care segment to identify emerging trends, technological developments, and market Solutions.
Follow Eric on LinkedInMatthew Stiene, VP Construction and Engineering, Novant Health
Matt has a 20-year history of solid accomplishments and excels developing high-performing teams, creating metrics to track performance for continuous improvement, developing and implementing infrastructure capital renewal plans, developing facility and land use master plans, and developing and implementing energy reduction strategies. Active in his profession and the community, Matt is a past-president of the International Facility Management Association, Charlotte chapter, a member of the American Society of Healthcare Engineers, the North Carolina Healthcare Engineers Association and a professional member of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. He serves on the board of directors of the Hospitality House of Charlotte, the Town of Harrisburg Fire Advisory Board, as well as a youth baseball coach.
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Lower emissions are one of the many goals being set by corporations across the country to reduce their carbon footprint and exercise corporate responsibility. Naturally, every company has its own unique set of hurdles to overcome in setting and attaining such goals. In this conversation Amy Bond, Energy and Sustainability Program Manager at Sprint explains how Sprint started looking into what it could do to procure energy from renewable sources back in 2008, but nothing fit their situation at that time. Fast forward to 2018 and it’s an entirely different story.
Join Smart Energy Decisions Founder, John Failla as he speaks to Amy about Sprint’s journey. Joining the conversation is Scott Macmurdo, Business Development Director at Duke Energy, Sprint’s partner in its recent Virtual Power Purchase Agreement.
Outline of This Episode [0:33] John’s introduction of this conversation from the 2019 Renewable Energy Sourcing Forum [1:20] Amy Bond’s big announcement: Sprint’s first PPA with Duke Energy Renewables [4:20] The beginning of Sprint’s journey, the SED conference in Austin, TX [6:20] Starting on the journey with no overarching climate goals [8:09] Internal and practical obstacles faced in getting the deal done [12:36] Explaining the opportunity across departments [15:17] Key things corporate buyers should be thinking about [21:13] How the CEO was enlisted as an ally early in the process Sprint’s first Power Purchase Agreement in partnership with Duke Energy RenewablesAt the recent 2019 Renewable Energy Sourcing Forum, Amy shared the culmination of Sprint’s journey for the first time. It’s a 12 year Virtual Power Purchase Agreement that Duke Energy has put together. Duke will build and operate a 182-megawatt wind farm in West Texas and Sprint will purchase 95% of the output from the facility for use in its facilities. Amy says that amount us almost 30% of Sprint’s entire energy consumption.
But please understand, Sprint did not come to this place overnight. Their journey toward sustainability goals that made sense for them as a company was begun in 2008. Ten years later, it’s finally coming to fruition.
Ten years of trying, iterating, and striving to come to renewable energy successSprint first launched its environmental goals in 2008 and hoped to meet them by 2017. One of those goals was to acquire 10% of the company’s energy from alternative sources by 2017. Those goals were not met. The first option the company considered was the purchase of hydrogen fuel cell racks in 2008. The project proved to be impractical from a cost perspective.
The first VPPA Sprint ever considered came in 2014, but again the economics didn’t make sense at the time. But Amy says that the unexpected by-product that came from those efforts was that an internal renewable energy team was assembled, so when 2018 came around all of those team members were still with the company and were still interested in working toward a way to reduce emissions as a company. This gave them a jump start on moving projects forward once the costs were more aligned with their goals and needs.
Sprint had no overarching climate goals - but engaged with renewable energy anywayThe goals Sprint generated back in 2008 were never realized. When Amy came to see that the practical and financial limitations previously experienced were no longer the case, she began pitching the idea to key stakeholders right away. Through months of discussion and hard work, the team cooperated with Duke Energy Renewables to put a plan in place that everyone involved could sign off on.
Notice something important - Sprint had no renewable energy goals in place at the time but the company was able to move forward anyway. Don’t let any perceived lack in your renewable energy policy or goals hold you back from moving to reduce emissions for your company. You can do it!
Key things for corporate buyers to be thinking aboutWhen looking at a potential VPPA deal, there are many things to pay close attention to in order to move the deal forward. First, you need to work hard to frame the project in ways that make sense within your organization. Amy also stresses that you need to look closely at your developer (Duke Energy Renewables, in this instance). The relationship will be a 12-year relationship in Sprint's case. It’s important to feel comfortable and confident - and to know that all the stakeholders can feel the same - as you move into that kind of relationship.
Scott points out that corporate buyers should understand that the timeline you work from initially will not remain intact. It’s not that anyone is communicating wrongly or misrepresenting the deal, it’s that hurdles will arise and you'll have to find workarounds. Because that’s always the case - be sure you seek help. Third-party consultants that specialize in renewable energy are worth having on board. Even though they will result in higher initial costs, they enlarge the pie for everyone by equipping your organization with the knowledge you need to get the deal to the finish line.
Resources & People Mentioned The Renewable Energy Sourcing Forum Duke Energy Renewables Cinemark Sustainability Efforts Cargill Sustainability Efforts The Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit Sprint’s Corporate Sustainability Goals Connect with Amy and Scott Amy Bond on LinkedIn, Scott Macmurdo on LinkedIn Connect With Beyond The Meter https://www.smartenergydecisions.com/podcasts/beyond-the-meter
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More and more companies are making corporate sustainability pledges - and it’s a good thing. Corporations are some of the largest consumers of energy in the world. When these companies take steps to reduce their carbon footprint by procuring their energy from renewable sources, they have a significant impact on the overall environmental issues our world is facing.
This conversation inspires hope because it illustrates how a communication industry giant is leading the way in the sustainability movement. That company is AT&T. Guests on this episode are Shannon Carroll, Director of Global Environmental Sustainability at AT&T, and Scott Macmurdo, Business Development Director at Duke Energy Renewables. Their companies recently partnered on a renewable energy project that illustrates the kind of steps that can and should be taken by companies large and small. You will enjoy this conversation.
Outline of This Episode [1:01] The background of each guest in the sustainability arena [8:09] The role corporate sustainability goals have in driving asset sourcing [12:37] The involvement of the C-suite in sustainability pledges [17:18] Who are the main stakeholders in the AT&T pledge toward sustainability? [21:36] AT&T’s journey in renewable energy sourcing [27:26] The anatomy of a renewable energy purchase [34:40] The challenges that had to be overcome in the recent Duke / AT&T deal [40:15] What’s the future of renewable energy hold? The AT&T 10X Goal for environmental responsibility and sustainabilityWhen it comes to corporate sustainability pledges, AT&T has set the bar pretty high. Not only are they committed to lowering their own operational carbon footprint as much as possible they are also committed to enabling their customers to reduce their carbon footprint as well. That’s where the 10X Goal for Environmentally Responsibility and Sustainability comes in.
The AT&T pledge is this:
We’ve set a goal to enable carbon savings 10 times the footprint of our operations by 2025. We’re calling this our 10x Carbon Reduction Goal, or more simply, our “10x” Goal. To meet the goal, we’re making our network more efficient and we’re working with our customers to deploy technology that can help reduce GHG emissions, save water, and more. AT&T is also teaming up with companies to measure the GHG emissions reduction of specific products.
The AT&T energy team worked with experienced third party consultants in the renewable energy space to come up with the strategy and then put it into place officially. Listen to this discussion to learn how they made it happen.
The fastest and most significant way to reduce your company’s carbon footprintIn recent years we’ve seen record rates of sustainability goals by corporations. Not coincidentally, we’ve also begun to see record levels of corporate renewable energy procurement. Simply put, companies are taking the initiative to sidestep traditional forms of carbon-based energy to use renewable energy instead. Undoubtedly, this is the best way to dramatically draw-down on a company's CO2 footprint in the least amount of time.
As explained by the guests on this episode, there are a handful of things companies could do to be true to their commitment to corporate sustainability. Some of the solutions are:
Moving toward energy efficiency The build-out of renewable energy sources of their own Changing gas-powered fleet vehicles to electricWhile good and needed steps, in most cases, these are not the way to create a significant change in a short amount of time. Then how are they doing it? Through large-scale renewable energy procurements. Think of it as the largest “ROE” - return on effort. Limited resources demand the biggest bang for the buck - which is accomplished through switching energy sourcing to large scale solar or wind projects.
Goal alignment and good communication drive corporate sustainability effortsAs the AT&T team began to make efforts to reduce the company’s CO2 footprint, many options were considered and tried. But by far, large scale Power Purchase Agreements became the fastest and best way to make a difference. The team researched what would best meet the needs of the company and best serve the customer and solicited the help of third parties from the renewable energy industry who could advise about best-practices.
The key to aligning stakeholders was to stay focused on their common sustainability goals and to talk to all the teams involved: energy -supply chain - finance - C-suite - and on-the-ground managers. Their goal was to ensure that the projects being considered made sense across the board, while at the same time understanding and quantifying the risk openly. In the AT&T approach, the upside had to outweigh the risks.
Trends that impact the future of corporate renewable energy sourcingWill more companies follow AT&T’s lead and develop renewable energy pledges of their own? It’s likely, for several reasons.
FIRST - The cost of renewable energy is going down overall. This translates into better value for buyers, who in this case, would be corporations.
SECOND - Customers are gaining a better understanding of the risks involved and are learning to mitigate those risks effectively by shifting it to developers.
THIRD - Many new renewable energy companies are coming into the marketplace. The competition that is developing makes overcoming supply-chain hurdles and cost factors, less of an issue.
You’ll be inspired by the commitment to corporate sustainability the AT&T goals represent and after listening, you’ll have a good idea of the challenges and benefits of developing a renewable energy plan of your own. Please listen!
Resources & People Mentioned The AT&T 10X Goal The AT&T CSR page AT&T flexware product Emerson’s “Grind To Energy” AT&T’s climate change tool, developed with Argonne National Labs The “We Are Still In” Movement Science Based Goals RE100 Charlene Lake, AT&T Chief Sustainability Officer AT&T’s recent renewable power purchase deal with Duke Energy Renewables The Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit Walmart’s Project Gigaton Connect with Shannon and Scott Shannon Carroll on LinkedIn Scott Macmurdo on LinkedIn Connect With Beyond The Meter https://www.smartenergydecisions.com/podcasts/beyond-the-meterSubscribe to Beyond The Meter on
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As one of the largest energy providers in the United States, Duke Energy is positioned to make a significant impact on the move toward renewable sources of energy. Duke provides electricity to 7.7 million retail customers in six states. While some might see the renewable energy movement as a threat to a company like Duke, its leadership sees renewable energy as the future of energy providers across the nation.
As a result, Duke’s commercial business owns and operates diverse power generation facilities in North America, including a growing portfolio of renewable energy assets. The company is leading the way with the modernization of its energy grid, generating cleaner energy to create a smarter energy future for customers. This conversation features Doug Esamann, Executive Vice President of Energy Solutions at Duke and Chris Fallon, Vice President of Duke Energy Renewables. Listen to learn how energy providers like Duke are positioning themselves to serve customer needs through renewable energy.
Outline of This Episode [1:10] The background and involvement Doug and Chris have in energy utilities [4:00] Duke Energy’s history in renewable energy procurement [7:41] In deregulated markets, Duke has been very active. Here’s how [9:16] The role renewable energy has played in the company overall [13:10] How Duke communicates with customers regarding renewable energy [18:20] A wide range of customers in renewable energy projects [24:56] The biggest obstacle for Duke’s renewable energy projects: uncertainty [29:35] Why Duke is bullish about renewable energy [34:40] How the “Energy Integrator” concept impacts the approach of utilities like Duke The renewable energy story at Duke begins with commercial businessThe leadership at Duke energy could see the writing on the wall as more and more states were becoming focused on renewable energy in the development of legislated energy standards. It meant a change for the way Duke creates and supplies energy to its customers, but the team was ready to respond.
Renewable energy at scale was a natural fit for Duke to consider as it sought to offer utilities to municipalities and cooperatives who were under the requirements to meet renewable standards. At first, justifying the investment in renewable options was difficult from a price perspective but the company’s leadership was committed to sustainably growing the business. As costs have come down in regulated markets and tax credits have made renewables competitive with traditional options, Duke has looked to replace coal plants and other carbon-free options with cleaner forms of energy.
Balancing profitability with customer needs and CO2 emission goalsTraditionally, energy suppliers like Duke have looked for opportunities of a long-term nature that allow the company to build out a power plant or facility and be able to rely on a return on that investment coming back over time. While not the same thing structurally, renewables allow customers with good credit history to provide a similar long-term opportunity for Duke through longer-term contracts. This provides the same secure deal structure but allows Duke to vary its supply chain considerably.
At the same time, renewables present an opportunity to couple investments in new generation sources of energy with the company’s CO2 emission reduction goals. Duke’s current goal is to reduce its carbon emissions by 40% by the year 2030. Its efforts have been so encouraging there is consideration within the company of shooting for an even larger CO2 reduction. Duke’s leadership understands that they have a unique responsibility to embrace renewable sources of energy as a way to get to its environmental goals while still being able to provide reliable, affordable power to its customers.
The customer’s perspective matters to the team at DukeModern customers want to be more responsible with their energy choices. They also want the opportunity to select the kind of energy they want to purchase for their homes and places of business. Duke has developed customized solutions using its resources and options from outside the regulated utility space. The way the company sees it, it’s about being more focused on the customer. No more building products then trying to sell those products into the market - the model is now flipped upside down with customer needs and desires coming first.
It’s an ever-evolving path that the Duke team is walking and it has required a cultural shift within the company. But it’s a decision that’s being taken seriously, manifested in part through the creation of the position of Chief Customer Officer, and tapping Barbara Higgins to lead the way in understanding the customer first when it comes to renewable energy and other issues.
The uncertainty of the renewable energy puzzle is difficult for energy suppliersThe move toward renewable energy for a large energy supplier like Duke is fraught with difficulties. One of the most frustrating issues comes from the uncertainty inherent in this stage in the development of renewable energy. Regulations regarding renewable energy are in a constant state of flux, so deals that are already under contract can change overnight and the Duke team has to adapt to stay within costs and meet their commitments in spite of the changes.
But the good news is that costs for renewable energy continue to come down, making the future of renewable energy projects a given for providers like Duke. As well, energy storage costs are becoming more affordable all the time, which can make the intermittency of renewable energy less of an issue for large suppliers. There’s also the likelihood that taxes or penalties for carbon emissions could soon be in place. That too would push the necessity and demand for renewable energy forward.
If you take the time to listen to this conversation you'll see how large energy suppliers are making real changes toward a cleaner energy future.
Resources & People Mentioned Duke CEO Lynn Good REC Solar Duke Energy Renewables PIedmont Natural Gas (a Duke company) The FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) Connect with Doug Esamann and Chris Fallon Doug Esamann on LinkedIn Chris Fallon, Vice President of Duke Energy Renewables Connect With Beyond The Meter https://www.smartenergydecisions.com/podcasts/beyond-the-meterSubscribe to Beyond The Meter on
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One of the high profile corporate renewable energy initiatives in the news recently has been the unveiling of Home Depot’s sustainability goals. Home Depot is among the increasing number of corporations working to make renewables a significant part of their energy procurement strategy. But for Home Depot, this new direction is not fueled by a desire to become sustainable, it began because it makes financial sense.
On this episode of Beyond The Meter, join host John Failla and his co-host Craig Noxon, Vice President for Enterprise Sales at REC Solar, a Duke Energy Renewables Company as they speak with Craig D’Arcy, Director of Energy Management for Home Depot. You’ll learn how Home Depot started its journey toward the use of renewables, how early successes encouraged further efforts, and how both the financial and efficiency benefits of using renewable energy has motivated them to keep innovating. The Home Depot approach is a great example of how corporations can make use of renewables and increase the bottom line at the same time.
Outline of This Episode [1:05] The background and role of each participant in regards to renewable energy [3:25] Home Depot’s energy management strategy: key elements [5:41] The primary drivers for the Home Depot strategy [8:13] Comparing Home Depot’s approach to the work other companies are taking [11:56] Technologies Home Depot has employed, renewable energy and otherwise [16:57] The role renewable energy plays for Home Depot [20:42] Which programs are most important to Home Depot (on-site or off-site)? [25:11] The challenge of getting stakeholders aligned toward renewable energy [27:50] Tips for those trying to get the attention of the C-suite for sustainability efforts [29:35] Advice about how to enlist the financial teams to help make the case [32:36] What’s next for Home Depot’s energy management strategy? [35:54] The challenges of energy providers in light of renewable energy innovation [40:36] Energy as a service concepts: Do they work for large companies? Home Depot’s energy policy goals made renewables a viable optionThere are typically three drivers behind a corporation’s consideration of renewables as an energy source. The first is cost, the second is the company's conscious sustainability goals, the third is increased resiliency. Craig D’Arcy says there is no doubt that all three play some role in Home Depot’s approach, but the first attempts to roll out renewable energy projects were entirely focused on the financial benefits. Renewables simply made financial sense for increasing efficiency and bottom-line profitability.
As early successes with renewable projects were achieved, they were able to investigate other options and expand their efforts toward sustainability. It's led to their sustainability story becoming public, which has driven internal excitement and created momentum for the renewables side of their energy procurement strategies. Listen to hear how Home Depot continues to consider all sorts of energy solutions, including any renewable sources that make sense for their broader goals.
3 critical elements of the Home Depot sustainability approachWhen thinking of the renewable energy movement, it’s common to assume that those pushing for the use of renewables are only concerned about global issues of sustainability, but there’s incredible motivation to implement renewable energy alternatives from a variety of standpoints. In the case of Home Depot, three primary concerns guide their energy decisions...
1 - Foremost, Home Depot views everything they do through caring for their stores so that associates and customers are served well
2 - Every energy sourcing project must make sense financially
3 - Leadership has passed down a mandate to be as innovative as possible to accomplish those first two, which makes their decision-making technology and structure agnostic
Listen to hear how this plays out for Home Depot as Craig D’Arcy explains the fit renewable energy has in that three-pronged approach.
Sustainability efforts are significant for Home Depot's futureNo company can survive if it is not profitable. Home Depot is no different, so it is no surprise to find out that from a financial standpoint, renewable energy is being leveraged to lower the net rates paid for energy throughout the company. But the benefits of renewable energy go far beyond that...
Home Depot has become known as a sustainability brand, recently releasing its own science-based targets for its energy policy, which includes renewable energy as a significant part. And finally, renewable energy provides natural, beneficial hedges against volatile energy pricing in the markets. Power Purchase Agreements with energy providers enables this hedge and has proven to be a huge benefit to the company.
Advice for convincing the C-suite to consider sustainability projectsThe C-suite of any company must be on board if a move toward sources of renewable energy is going to take place. Both Craig D’Arcy and Craig Noxon offer their advice for how to secure the buy-in of company executives.
First, map out the process. Have a clear projection of how and why renewable energy sources will be investigated, selected, and implemented.
Next, understand what the stakeholders care about and be sure your roadmap adequately addresses those concerns. In doing so, work hard to uncover potential landmines and head them off proactively.
Finally, be sure you know how are you going to sell the upside of procuring energy from renewable sources. Bottom-line benefits for the company will be a significant and compelling consideration for anyone in the C-suite.
Home Depot’s sustainability efforts provide an excellent case study from which other corporations can take their cues - and this conversation provides keen insight into the why, how, and what of moving toward renewables as at least a portion of a profitable energy procurement strategy.
Resources & People Mentioned Home Depot’s Corporate Responsibility Goals Connect with Craig D’Arcy and Craig Noxon Craig D’Arcy on LinkedIn Craig Noxon on LinkedIn Connect With Beyond The Meter https://www.smartenergydecisions.com/podcasts/beyond-the-meterSubscribe to Beyond The Meter on
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The use of renewable energy is becoming more and more common on campuses of higher education across the country - and it’s not surprising. Institutions of higher education are both massive consumers of energy and are in the business of learning and teaching. That combination makes them ideal laboratories for innovation and advancement in the field. This episode features two guests, Wolfgang Bauer and Scott Therian who are both uniquely positioned to speak on renewable energy sourcing and adoption as it relates to higher education.
Wolfgang is Associate Vice President for Administration at Michigan State University. His expertise is in renewable power systems integration, micro-grid management, energy efficiency, and sustainability. Scott is Project Development Manager at REC Solar. He has spent the last 9 years in the solar industry after getting his education in electrical engineering with a focus on power systems, energy conversion, and renewable energy sources.
Join these two renewable energy experts and host, John Failla of Smart Energy Decisions for this intriguing and insightful episode.
Outline of This Episode [1:05] What are the drivers for renewable energy sourcing in higher education? [8:02] How renewable energy fits into the energy sourcing of many colleges [18:09] Why are universities moving slowly on renewable energy sourcing? [26:42] Will higher education institutions accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles? [29:52] What is happening in universities by way of innovation to drive renewable energy adoption? [39:27] Final comments about the topic from Wolfgang and Scott University campuses are huge energy consumers. Is it possible for them to use renewable energy?Most universities are strategizing around the use of renewable energy, both in terms of how to use more renewable energy for current needs, and how to increase the use of renewable energy through establishing their own sources of RE in the future. But there are many variables that either support or hinder the adoption of renewable energy in these institutions. One advantage is that universities are long-standing institutions, which provides stability and inertia that can be leveraged toward multi-year contracts with renewable energy companies. But other factors can make the adoption of renewable energy difficult. For example, many land grant institutions have the advantage of developing their own sources of renewable energy, while urban universities have less opportunity to do so.
What are the drivers for adoption of renewable energy in higher education?For institutions of higher learning, as well as other large organizations, a choice no longer has to be made between environmental sustainability and fiscal sustainability. Both can be a reality. The levelized cost of large scale solar and wind power is now lower than that of fossil fuel generated power - even with the historically low cost of natural gas that has resulted from Fracking. For this reason, cost is a significant driving factor for the adoption of renewables at universities.
But also, due to political pressure, more and more universities are making progressive pledges that put them at the forefront of the renewable energy stage. They want to be seen as leaders in this innovative and future-oriented field. As a result, many universities are entering into cooperative agreements with public sector organizations to bring the reality of renewable energy on campuses to life. Listen to hear more drivers for the adoption of renewable energy at these institutions.
Renewable energy sourcing is not something universities are used to doingThe adoption of renewable energy is challenging for universities because it’s not like any procurement the administration is used to doing. In the past, energy needs would simply be procured from the local utility company. But the marketplace has changed and now schools have many options for meeting their energy needs. And the transition from old energy models to renewable energy involves complex projects that require much foresight and planning, which often gets bogged down in committee.
But many universities are beginning to move in the right direction - restructuring their administration to take energy needs into account with the creation of administrative positions such as Director of Sustainability or Director of Energy and Utilities. As well, the use of third party consultants is becoming more commonplace since most universities don’t know exactly what they need when it comes to renewable energy. Consultants can help the institution get through the decision-making process in an informed way so they can more quickly lay out exactly what they need. This facilitates the bidding process to get adoption projects underway.
The complex and multi-faceted needs of universities are driving innovationThe fact that higher education is an intriguing market for developers and renewable energy contractors makes it a natural fit for universities to become laboratories for innovation in renewable energy - from a business model standpoint, from a financing standpoint, and from a technological standpoint.
Partnerships between universities and renewable energy companies are becoming more and more common as a result. For example, REC Solar has developed a renewable energies lab at California Polytechnic University where students can learn, the educational offerings of the university are enhanced, and the team at REC is learning how to operate their own assets better. Over time, it’s almost certain that more and more evolutions of this kind will be created between private and public sector organizations to move the renewable energy movement forward.
There are so many topics discussed in this episode, you’ll want to hear the entire thing, so be sure you listen.
Resources & People Mentioned Michigan State University REC Solar California Polytechnic University The Smart Energy Decisions Forums Connect with Wolfgang and Scott Wolfgang Bauer on LinkedIn Scott Therian on LinkedIn Connect With Beyond The Meter https://www.smartenergydecisions.com/podcasts/beyond-the-meter
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Naturally, as any consumer technology becomes available to the public, the supporting infrastructure has to be developed right alongside. That’s the only way it can become widely accepted. But it’s not as easy as “just doing it.” There are many obstacles, financial hurdles, and unforeseen difficulties that have to be overcome. This conversation dives into what’s happening behind the scenes in the electric vehicle industry to deploy EV charging infrastructure across the nation.
John’s guests are Rob Threlkeld and Craig Noxon. Rob is the Global Manager of Sustainable Energy, Supply, and Reliability at General Motors, one of the many automotive suppliers leading the way toward EV adoption. Craig is Vice President of Enterprise Sales at REC Solar, a Duke Energy company. Both men have a unique insider’s view of what’s happening to build out the infrastructure necessary for wider adoption of electric vehicles, so be sure you listen to hear what’s happening on the ground across the nation to promote the purchase and use of electric vehicles.
Outline of This Episode [1:10] The increasing demand for EV infrastructure - what’s your experience? [7:06] Obstacles in meeting the demand for EV infrastructure [11:09] How retailers can benefit from investing in EV charging infrastructure [13:13] Can commercial fleet electrification over tax the electrical supply? [23:33] What could accelerate adoption of Electric Vehicle infrastructure? [37:00] The hot topics to watch over the next few years [41:00] Final thoughts: Corporations and individuals need to get involved Retailers can gain an advantage by investing in the EV charging infrastructureMany businesses across the country are noticing the advantages that can be had by providing EV charging stations at their retail locations. When customers who own and drive electric vehicles have a place to park and recharge their vehicles, it naturally follows they will frequent the establishment that provides it - and make purchases there.
In retail, that's worth noticing. Anything that produces a competitive advantage is going to be seriously considered. Rob and Craig discuss how retailers, automakers, and local utilities are working together to roll out more EV charging stations at retail locations, on this episode of Beyond the Meter.
20 million EVs on the road in the next 10 years - what will that require from an energy perspective?As more and more electric vehicles hit the road, many things will be needed to both support and sustain the shift away from traditional fossil fuel vehicles. What sort of things need to happen?
There will undoubtedly be Increases the amount of energy that utilities must provide for EV useThis means that infrastructure decisions and innovations must be top of mind now so that when the demand arrives, we’ll be able to meet it.
The demand for EV infrastructure will continue to growIt’s not only the electrical suppliers that need to think about the infrastructure - employers, corporations, and even leaders of municipalities need to be involved, taking steps to ensure that the technology and innovation needed to serve their communities is happening. Demand drives supply - always.
Storage issues will need to be consideredImagine the energy demand required if a good majority of those 20 million EVs were charging at the same time. Would the electrical supply chain be able to handle it? It will if we think ahead about the storage needs required to pull it off. We need to ensure that energy produced during “non-peak” times can be stored effectively and economically so that it can be used during peak times - which means the storage technologies we have now need to be improved and increased across the board.
EV as a service could be a very real possibility in the near futureOne of the most encouraging things happening around the move to electric vehicles is that partnerships between energy suppliers and automotive manufacturers are being formed to help consumers make the transition. Plans are being considered to provide “EV as a service” to interested consumers.
These agreements - much like a traditional automotive lease - would potentially provide not only the vehicle, but also the energy, access to the charging infrastructure, and more. Imagine it - consumers would be able to receive a complete EV solution from one provider.
The “sharing economy” might come into play as well. Conversations are happening around the idea of “stranded assets” such as fully charged electric vehicles that are sitting idle, being used to provide electricity back to their local utilities, for other users to “borrow,” and more. Listen to learn some of the great ideas being considered.
What to expect 18 months from nowThe move to EVs is happening rapidly. That means many more changes could happen in just the next few years. As the conversation wrapped up, John asked his guests what they see coming in the next 18 to 24 months.
Both agree that more electric vehicles will be on the road, more will be offered by a wider variety of auto manufacturers, and additional investments in battery technologies will be made, enabling batteries to be produced with decreased costs.
At the same time, the challenges of scaling EV infrastructure will become evident. As demand increases, cracks will be discovered in the existing infrastructure that will have to be addressed. And, many strong players in the industry will emerge and begin to lead the way toward innovation and further changes.
Finally, John believes that a more solid and definitive business case for the electrification of commercial fleets will be made within the next few years. Data, showing the benefits of fleet electrification will begin to have an affect. That will lead to more definitive and strong plans by utilities to support fleet conversions.
Resources & People Mentioned Duke Energy REC Solar Bechtel Engineering OnStar Shell Connect with Rob and Craig Rob on LinkedIn Craig on LinkedIn Connect With Beyond The Meter https://www.smartenergydecisions.com/podcasts/beyond-the-meterSubscribe to Beyond The Meter on
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When considering both the future of the planet and the future of both industry and human thriving worldwide, the renewable energy outlook is of paramount importance. Renewable energy is of vital concern simply because cultures worldwide consume energy as part of everyday life. Renewable sources of energy are of such great importance for two main reasons:
Renewable energy sources, by definition, never deplete Renewable energy options provide a way for humanity to step away from environmentally damaging fossil fuelsThis conversation is an exploration into the renewable energy outlook for the near future, led by Smart Energy Decisions founder, John Failla. John speaks with Chris Fallon, Vice President of Duke Energy Renewables and Kyle Harrison of Bloomberg NEE about the future of renewable energy through the lens of varied approaches and ideas. You’ll receive a broad overview of the current state of the renewable energy industry, hear the challenges being addressed currently, and gain an optimistic perspective relating to what can be done to make renewable energy more available and useful in the future. And keep reading below to see some of the specific topics addressed in this conversation.
Outline of This Episode [2:20] Why a tangible commitment to sustainability goals is the first step for companies [5:15] What’s happening with companies regarding ESG investing and Green bonds? [9:18] The economics of renewable energy: a double-edged sword [13:18] Community Solar: the opportunities and challenges [16:38] The future of large scale virtual Power Purchase Agreements [22:22] Utility green tariff programs: what’s the future? [27:33] Retail supply products in the renewable energy outlook [30:56] Are there opportunities to integrate RE procurement with other initiatives? [33:00] What might accelerate or slow the growth of renewable energy? The renewable energy outlook relies heavily on companiesCompanies, both large and small, are by far some of the largest consumers of energy worldwide. That means if companies make a commitment to renewable energy use rather than traditional fossil fuel use, the renewable energy industry will take a giant step forward. As of 2018, 42% of companies have stated both renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction goals. Today, just over 190 companies have set target dates by which they intend to offset 100% of their energy consumption with renewable energy. Those are promising facts, which will require aggressive emissions reduction steps - and buying clean energy is one of the best ways to do so.
Listen to hear the stories of companies that are striving toward their renewable energy goals and to understand the challenges they face in doing so.
The economics of renewable energy: a double-edged swordTwo of the most obvious and in-demand sources of renewable energy are wind and solar. Costs have come down in both of those branches of the industry, which has made clean energy more attractive for corporate buyers. But though the low cost makes renewable energy very attractive, there are difficulties to be overcome. Kyle Harrison refers to this conundrum as a double-edged sword.
Both wind and solar operate at zero marginal cost - which means that in some markets there is an over-saturation of renewable energy produced by solar or wind generation. When this happens, prices are depressed, which in turn decreases the profitability of the installations generating that power. When that’s the case, it makes signing energy procurement deals in those particular markets that work financially for both provider and consumer, difficult at best.
In this conversation, you’ll also learn how some corporate customers are looking at renewable energy as a risk mitigation play - taking advantage of the tax incentives offered by the government for using renewables by trying to lock in the benefits of low rates for a longer period of time.
The opportunity of community solarWhen we talk about “Community Solar” projects, we’re referring to local solar facilities that are shared by multiple community subscribers (companies in most cases.). Those subscribers receive credit on their electricity bills for their agreed-upon share of the power produced. It’s a model of solar production and usage that is being adopted nationwide. Companies that participate receive the flexibility of an on-site project under purchase or lease agreements.
Not only does a subscriber company benefit by transferring some of their energy supply to renewable energy they also receive the benefit of having a good PR story to tell to the media and customers and shareholders. Unfortunately, Community Solar is not an effective way to meet the overall energy demands of most companies.
Listen to hear why Community Solar is one of the fastest-growing segments within the solar market, why there is a great deal of interest in community solar, and how companies can participate in Community Solar projects in spite of the limitations of their own facilities.
Retail supply products are promising, but present challenges of their ownBoth Kyle and Chris believe there is a great opportunity for an aggregator or integrator to look at the total energy supply and find ways to meet customer desires to become more green through providing renewable energy products on a retail basis. So far, these programs have not scaled up very rapidly because of the questions surrounding “additionality.” This simply means that companies are eager to contribute to renewable energy development that is truly new to the power grid, thus additional.
In this conversation, you’ll learn more about how retail supply products could serve specific customers well, what the challenges are for companies who use this model, and how they are overcoming them.
Resources & People Mentioned Ball Corporation NV Energy Dominion Energy The Green Source Advantage Duke Energy Carolinas Duke Energy Progress Constellation NRG Calpine Energy S K Hynix Connect with Kyle or Chris Kyle Harrison from Bloomberg NEF Chris Fallon, Vice President of Duke Energy Renewables Connect With Beyond The Meter https://www.smartenergydecisions.com/podcasts/beyond-the-meter
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Renewable energy is a big topic these days - and it will undoubtedly become a bigger topic as we move further into the 21st century. It’s not just that we want to develop more efficient and environmentally friendly energy solutions, it’s that we must. Our future and the future of our planet depend on it.
I’m John Failla, Founder and Editorial Director at Smart Energy Decisions, the first web-based information resource dedicated exclusively to addressing the information needs of commercial and industrial electric power customers. Our goal is to serve as a catalyst for change in support of the dramatic energy transformation taking place in the electric power market. To that end, we want to elevate the conversation around the topic of renewable energy, and this podcast, produced in partnership with Duke Energy is one way we are doing that.
Join us for “Beyond The Meter” - a series of conversations highlighting what’s happening in the field of renewable energy. In this series, we’ll discuss how companies and municipalities are beginning to transition, how innovation and technology are making it possible, and what YOU can do to join the movement. You can subscribe to these conversations in a number of ways, which you can find at the bottom of these notes. Thank you!
Outline of This Episode [0:32] Who is Craig Noxon? [1:16] The three “C”s behind the use of renewable energy in corporates [6:22] The increase in use of distributed energy sources [12:35] The utility companies are a significant part of the renewable energy transition
How and why corporations need to transition toward renewable energyCorporations are under increasing pressure due to the global competition they face. The rise of the internet alongside other digital technologies enables competition from around the world to reach out to their markets. For this reason, the leadership at corporations across the world are discovering that they need ways to do more with less.
When it comes to doing more with less, energy has been a bit stubborn. It’s been hard to reduce costs in that area and still provide needed resources, but all that is changing, for a few very encouraging reasons…
1 - Policy changes have occurred that allow for more choice. Corporations are realizing that the loggerheads they once experienced when choosing utilities and energy solutions are no longer the same.
2 - Innovation in both financial and technological ways are allowing for options that didn’t exist before. Wind and solar are now able to compete with the traditional energy grid to drive down the cost per kilowatt hour. Corporations are finding this very appealing. Imagine the difference it could make to a manufacturing company to reduce its energy costs company-wide!
Control and Costs are huge considerations when it comes to renewable energyThe rise of renewable energy has had a wonderful impact on the ability of corporations to exercise greater control in how they go about using energy. They can now manage risk more effectively and plan for the future due to the options available - EVs, solar, microgrid storage, and more. These allow businesses to have a greater degree of resiliency and increased capacity. The increased usefulness of storage technologies is the glue that helps the distributed generation technologies work together.
It’s encouraging to realize that there is not a single technology that makes distributed energy solutions work. The technologies that exist are able to work together in ways unheard of previously.
Utility companies play a huge role in making the transition to renewable energyIt’s to be expected that a transition of the magnitude needed in the energy industry is going to take time and require many people and entities to participate. One of the beautiful things is that we now have solutions beyond what a typical regulated utility company can provide. For example, Duke Energy is the owner of REC Solar. Why? It gives Duke access outside its typical markets and the potential to own and operate energy assets long term. More and more partnerships like this are happening and it’s serving the public good by utilizing the strengths of the long-standing energy companies alongside the innovations found in renewable energy technologies like wind and solar.
Subscribe to this podcast to hear more about what’s happening in the industry, what you can expect to see in terms of innovation and adoption as time rolls on, and how you can be part of the renewable energy revolution.
Resources & People Mentioned REC Solar Wal-Mart’s Project Gigaton SED’s Distributed Energy Forum The Megawatts Comic series from REC Smart Energy Decisions Connect with Craig Noxon On LinkedIn Connect With Beyond The Meterhttps://www.smartenergydecisions.com/podcasts/beyond-the-meter
