As the electric power industry navigates passage through the most significant era of transition since its origin, key questions regarding reliability are emerging. Most importantly, can the industry continue to offer the near-certain level of reliable service that is among its modern day hallmarks? And if not, what are the implications?
Through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Congress has authorized nearly $400 billion[1] to be invested in U.S. energy infrastructure over the next decade. The combined policies provide an unprecedented amount of federal funding available via grants, tax credits, loan guarantees, and incentive payments. The IIJA and IRA collectively present a unique, once-in-a-generation opportunity for energy companies and utilities to update their aging infrastructure, improve system reliability and resilience, develop clean energy projects, and reduce emissions, while limiting rate impacts for customers.
Jenny Denver, manager, joined ScottMadden in 2022 and works within the firm’s corporate and shared services practice. With 20 years of experience dedicated to the study of human behavior and well-being, she specializes in talent and change management. She holds a master’s in research and experimental psychology from the University of Tennessee Chattanooga in addition to a master’s in social work and a Ph.D. in cognitive and developmental psychology, both from Louisiana State University.
Prior to the 1990s, investor-owned utilities (IOUs) were largely vertically integrated, housing each utility function—generation, transmission, and distribution—under one roof. This structure, and the large, centralized nature of generation resources at the time, gave rise to a planning process that involved forecasting customers’ demand, building generation to support that demand, and then planning for the necessary transmission and distribution to support energy delivery.
Each year, a cohort of utility, technology, and other industry executives join Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) to learn about the adoption and acceleration of clean energy in markets worldwide and gather information on practical lessons and best practices to bring back home. In the SEPA TV episode below, CPS Energy’s Lisa Lewis, TECO’s Archie Collins, ScottMadden’s Cristin Lyons, and SEPA’s Sheri Givens unpack some significant takeaways from the 2022 Fact-Finding Mission to Australia.
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