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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

This episode was originally published on Renewable Energy World's Factor This! podcast.  It's been more than 600 days since the lights went out for millions of Texans during Winter Storm Uri.  The near-total collapse of the Texas grid can be attributed to a number of culprits— and there has been no shortage of finger-pointing.  Promises were made that what happened in February 2021 would never happen again. And a market redesign that's underway is supposed to be the solution.  To better...

A highly anticipated report on the costs and effectiveness of three proposed reforms to the Texas electricity market is here. And the results aren’t great.  One of the proposals, which resembles the California electricity market, would increase the cost of Texas electricity by $22.8 billion over the second half of this decade without significantly improving reliability, according to the report.  How did we get here, and what’s next for ERCOT?  Texas Power Podcast host Doug Lewin is joined...

Texas is saddled with a vulnerable energy system: Winter Storm Uri and this summer’s extended heat wave proved that. Now, distributed energy resources are getting some attention—finally.  State regulators are looking at how aggregated DERs could give the ERCOT grid greater stability. On the table is an 80 MW virtual power plant pilot that could serve as a showcase and building block for a much larger set of DERs.  Amy Heart, who leads public policy at Sunrun, helped craft the pilot as a...

Texas is tackling an energy market redesign not seen in decades. The freeze and subsequent outages from Winter Storm Uri in 2021 left hundreds dead and millions without power. The storm's aftermath also sparked a debate over how to make the ERCOT grid more resilient in the face of extreme weather events and a changing energy mix. On Episode 1 of the Texas Power Podcast, host Doug Lewin is joined by Pat Wood, former chairman of both the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Public...

The Texas Power Podcast is a production of Renewable Energy World and Clarion Energy. Host Doug Lewin, founder of the consulting firm Stoic Energy, guides listeners through the complicated world of Texas energy, focusing on how to build a more reliable, cleaner electric grid. Lewin will provide analysis on the 2021 blackouts during Winter Storm Uri, Texas energy policy, clean energy, energy efficiency, demand response, distributed energy resources, transmission infrastructure, and much...