Cross-posted from the Power Markets blog.
Thanks to my recent experience in studying the Energiewende and visiting Germany, I've been invited to speak on a panel of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), on November 16 in San Francisco.The theme: Germany's Transition to Renewables: Gutsy or Foolhardy?
As NARUC describes it -- "Some news reports paint an optimistic picture of Germany's efforts to de-fossilize and de-nuclearize its electricity production. Yet industry reports show there are issues, both financial and electrical, to be addressed. We'll ask four experts to react to a particularly upbeat news cast regarding Germany's transition to renewables and help us understand the positive and not-so-positive aspects of that country's energy policies." I'll be joined on the panel by three transAtlantic experts --
- Julia Hamm - Director, Solar Electric Power Assn (SEPA), who recently led a delegation of US energy industry people to Germany.
- Dr. Lola Infante - Dir.of Generation Fuels and Market Analysis, Edison Electric Institute. EEI recently commissioned a paper on lessons learned from Germany.
- Jurgen Weiss - Principal, The Brattle Group, who recently wrote a paper for the US Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) also on lessons learned.
After a roundtable discussion, we each get to present a lesson. Mine will be on the concept of "net demand" and the need to plan for flexibility in a future power system with much more wind and solar power.
I'll post it here afterwards, so come back again.