Texas Power Podcast

• Texas would be 'crazy to penalize renewables,' CPS Energy CEO Rudy Garza says

  Rudy Garza, CEO of CPS Energy, the nation's largest integrated municipal power and gas utility, doesn't mince words when it comes to the effort by some policymakers in Texas to punish renewables for the broad failures during Winter Storm Uri. Garza became CEO a little over a year ago but has deep experience in Texas energy. And as one of the largest generators and customers in ERCOT, CPS Energy has a unique position in the market. Garza, while recognizing the need for more dispatchable resources in the ERCOT market, opposes efforts to penalize renewables, a current legislative focus. "I think it’s crazy to penalize renewables. We need every megawatt on the system that we can get our hands on," Garza said on Episode 8 of the Texas Power Podcast.If you like the Texas Power Podcast, please leave a rating and review!The Texas Power Podcast is a production of Renewable Energy World and Clarion Energy. Check out our podcast for the solar industry, Factor This!You can connect with Texas Power Podcast host Doug Lewin on Twitter and LinkedIn.  TIMESTAMPS2:16 - About Rudy Garza4:29 - About CPS8:03 - Winter Storm Uri 11:12 - Rotating outages15:56 - Market redesign proposals in the legislature18:23 - Attempts to penalize renewables 20:35 - Closing coal units and diversification of energy sources at CPS23:56 - Battery storage25:23 - Deliverability issues with natural gas28:46 - Energy efficiency, virtual power plants, demand response35:20 - Impact of the Inflation Reduction Act, including direct pay for municipal utilities like CPS42:18 - Large scale storage, including CPS’ pumped hydro storage pilot44:58 - Distributed storage47:20 - How CPS empowers customer to reduce costs and increase efficiency51:45 - CPS’s future52:44 - EVs

  --------  

  55:45
• 1-on-1 with Vistra CEO Jim Burke

  The energy transition is daunting to incumbent energy companies— albeit in very different ways.Vistra CEO Jim Burke joined Episode 7 of the Texas Power Podcast with Doug Lewin to discuss how the largest electricity generator in Texas is navigating the energy transition and adjusting to a shifting ERCOT market design.Burke discussed the impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act, his ‘technology agnosticism,’ and Vistra’s current focus on reliability.  He also explored what the ongoing and impending energy transition means for a company that has traditionally relied on fossil fuels and the need to move away from an either/or, overly-simplistic debate in regard to the use of natural gas and renewables. If you like the Texas Power Podcast, please leave a rating and review!The Texas Power Podcast is a production of Renewable Energy World and Clarion Energy. Check out our podcast for the solar industry, Factor This!You can connect with Texas Power Podcast host Doug Lewin on Twitter and LinkedIn.  

  --------  

  51:13
• A Cambrian explosion of distributed energy in Texas

  Texans can now get paid for supporting the grid with their solar panels and batteries as part of a new virtual power plant pilot project.What happens next could lead to rapid deployment of resilient and clean distributed energy resources across the state.But realizing that potential won't be easy. One of the biggest hurdles is customer engagement.Octopus Energy US CEO Michael Lee joined Episode 6 Texas Power Podcast to discuss his extensive background in energy, his company's participation in the VPP pilot, and his vision for bringing the benefits of distributed energy to the masses. This episode builds on Episode 2 featuring  Amy Heart, VP of public policy at Sunrun.If you like the Texas Power Podcast, please leave a rating and review!The Texas Power Podcast is a production of Renewable Energy World and Clarion Energy. Check out our podcast for the solar industry, Factor This!You can connect with Texas Power Podcast host Doug Lewin on Twitter and LinkedIn.  

  --------  

  58:18
• Geothermal energy and the revival of a forgotten renewable

  Tim Latimer was working as a drilling engineer in South Texas when he couldn't shake a newfound curiosity.Latimer was new to the oil and gas industry, and in 2012, the industry was at the height of the shale revolution. He was tasked with navigating the challenges created by high drilling temperatures in the Eagle Ford Shale region.As he did more research Latimer discovered the world of geothermal energy. Fast forward a decade later and his company, Fervo Energy, is leading the revival of what Latimer calls a forgotten renewable.Latimer joined the Texas Power Podcast from Renewable Energy World to discuss his background, geothermal's resurgence, and the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on the industry. Episode notes: -Read this podcast's article on Renewable Energy World-Listen to the Texas Power Podcast episode featuring Texas Geothermal Energy Alliance Chairman Barry Smitherman-Check out this Volts Podcast episode on enhanced geothermal energy's potential

  --------  

  58:26
• Drilling for renewables in Texas

  As if it wasn’t enough that Texas has some of the best wind resource, best solar resource, and largest shale oil and gas deposits in the world, the Lone Star State also has a great geothermal resource. Unlike the others resources, though, geothermal is yet to be tapped. That’s about to change.The Texas Geothermal Alliance launched last year and has grown to nearly 50 members including major oil and gas companies, power generators, and pure play geothermal companies.  On Episode 4 of the Texas Power Podcast, host Doug Lewin is joined by Barry Smitherman, TxGEA’s chairman and president. Barry’s not new to the energy world in Texas though. He’s the only Texan to ever chair both the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Railroad Commission (which regulates oil and gas). He literally has a unique perspective.Barry and Doug talked about geothermal and how perfectly suited it is to a state that has drilled—get this—one million wells. They also discussed the ongoing PUC market design debates and discussions which are reaching a sort of crescendo as the PUC drives toward a January 12 decision just two days after the Texas Legislature gavels in for their biennial regular session. If you like the Texas Power Podcast, please leave a rating and review!The Texas Power Podcast is a production of Renewable Energy World and Clarion Energy. Check out our podcast for the solar industry, Factor This!You can connect with Texas Power Podcast host Doug Lewin on Twitter and LinkedIn.  

  --------  

  54:34

More News podcasts

Trending News podcasts

About Texas Power Podcast