Electric Perspectives

All Aboard: Supporting the Transition to Electric School Buses (Part 1)

When we think of the acceleration of electric transportation, the spike in light-duty vehicle sales comes to mind, but it’s not just passenger vehicles that are scaling up. Medium- to heavy-duty vehicles, including school buses, are increasingly becoming electrified, much to the benefit of the communities they operate in.   

This episode takes a deep dive into electric school buses and how electric companies and other stakeholders are working together to ensure a smooth and equitable transition. EEI Senior Director of Electric Transportation Kellen Schefter discusses a new white paper titled “Electric School Buses: Accelerating Equitable Deployment through Understanding Grid Impacts and Policy Solutions” with three co-authors of the report: Exelon Director of Clean Energy Initiatives Chris Budzynski; CALSTART Lead Project Manager, Northeast School Buses Ian Fried; and Sue Gander, World Resources Institute Director of the Electric School Bus Initiative.  

Be sure to tune in to our next episode for more on electric school buses! Schefter will join Consumers Energy Product Manager of Commercial Electric Vehicles Bethany Tabor to discuss how the Michigan-based company is helping to support 11 school districts in its service territory to deploy and operate electric school buses. 

EEI President and CEO Dan Brouillette Takes the Helm

Dan Brouillette joined EEI as president and CEO-elect in October 2023, and became EEI’s president and CEO at the start of this year. Before joining EEI, Brouillette served as president of Sempra Infrastructure, a leading global energy transition company. He previously served as the 15th U.S. Secretary of Energy and before that as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy, the chief operating officer of the department. Brouillette is the only person ever to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve in both roles. In the private sector, Brouillette has held leadership positions at USAA, where he served as a senior vice president and corporate officer, and at Ford Motor Company, where he was a vice president and served on its North American Operating Committee. 

On this episode, Brouillette discusses policy priorities for the electric power industry in 2024, how the industry will balance the growing demand for clean energy with reliability expectations, opportunities and challenges facing the industry, and more! 

Implementing New Programs Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

On this episode, Sandi Safro, EEI associate general counsel of energy and technology regulation, and Patrick Arness, EEI senior director of government relations, discuss a few recent Department of Energy program announcements funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including the Grid Innovation and Resilience Partnerships (GRIP) Program and the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Program, which will help enhance energy grid reliability and resilience, advance the use of hydrogen as a clean energy source, and improve broadband access for unserved and underserved communities. 

 

Tom Kuhn Reflects on His More Than 30 Years of Service in the Electric Power Industry

At the end of the year, after serving America’s electric companies and their customers for more than 30 years, EEI President and CEO Tom Kuhn will step down from his current role. Kuhn has effectively worked with America’s electric companies to navigate major policy issues in Congress, throughout the federal agencies, and at the state and local levels. He also has led the development of strong-industry government partnerships, and has been extremely engaged in international dialogues that aim to advance the shared vision for an affordable and resilient clean energy future for all customers. 

On this episode, Kuhn discusses his decades of service, his sources of pride and inspiration, and his expectations for EEI’s member companies and the industry moving forward.

Hawaiian Electric Testifies in Maui Wildfire Hearing

In late September, the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations held a hearing on the role of electric infrastructure in the wildfire that occurred in Lahaina on Maui on August 8. Hawaiian Electric President and CEO Shelee Kimura, along with Hawaii Public Utilities Commission Chair Leo Asuncion, and Hawai’i State Energy Office Chief Energy Officer Mark Glick, provided testimony and answered questions from the committee members, who had launched an investigation into the wildfire and each entities’ response.

This hearing was a significant step in initiating a broader, national conversation about what needs to be done to make electric companies, and the communities they serve, more resilient against increasing climate risk and extreme weather events. The growing threat created by wildfires is a problem that challenges not only Maui, but the nation and the world. The hearing raised questions about how electric companies, regulators, private property owners, and other stakeholders can take a holistic, collaborative approach to address these increasing risks.

The entire hearing ran around two hours, but this episode features key audio segments, including Shelee’s responses about Hawaiian Electric's application for a grid hardening project that had been pending with the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission since last year, Hawaiian Electric’s wildfire protocols, and the obstacles to undergrounding power lines. You can watch the entire hearing on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce's YouTube page: https://youtu.be/Jc2SIl6kiY4.

Know the Signs to #StopScams

November 15 is Utility Scam Awareness Day, and we’re raising awareness of tactics being used by utility impostor scammers that target customers of electric, gas, and water companies. Customers of all ages and backgrounds should be vigilant because anyone can be a target of this type of scam, but scammers especially target low-income or elderly customers. On this episode, Monica Martinez, executive director of Utilities United Against Scams, and Chris Peters, vice president and chief security officer of Entergy, discuss utility impostor scams, new scam tactics that customers should know about, what to do if you suspect you’re being scammed, and more. 

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month With EEI Chair Pedro J. Pizarro

EEI is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, and on this episode, we have a special guest to help us recognize this cultural observance. EEI Chair Pedro J. Pizarro, president and CEO of Edison International, joins Courtney Peterson, EEI vice president, chief diversity officer, and chief human resources officer, to discuss what it means to be EEI’s first Hispanic board chair, how he stays connected to his culture, the leadership lessons he has learned as head of one of the largest electric companies in the country, and more!

EEI 2023 Highlights: IRA, Natural Gas, Financing Transmission, and Clean Energy Transition Equity

This episode is part of our EEI 2023 highlights series. In this episode, you will hear conversations about topics including Inflation Reduction Act customer tax incentives and rebates, the future of natural gas, new approaches to financing transmission, and keeping the clean energy transition equitable and affordable. The speakers are:

• Dan Hahn, Partner at Guidehouse,
• Dr. Michael Webber, Chief Technology Officer at Energy Impact Partners and Josey Centennial Professor in Energy Resources, Author, and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas,
• Duke Austin, president and CEO of Quanta, and
• Mary Sprayregen, Global Head, Regulatory Affairs and Market Development at Oracle/Opower.

You can also visit EEI's website to read EEI 2023 recap newsletters, see photos from our annual thought leadership forum, and watch videos of the keynotes.

Jigar Shah on Investing in Clean Energy Infrastructure

The Inflation Reduction Act established the Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) Program under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Loan Programs Office and appropriated $5 billion to help fund certain clean energy and carbon reduction projects through fiscal year 2026. In June, the Loan Programs Office released new guidance for the Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program, which includes the EIR Program.

On today’s episode, Jigar Shah, director of DOE’s Loan Programs Office, joins Alex Bond, EEI deputy general counsel of clean energy and climate, to discuss this guidance and to address some of the most common questions about the program. Listen to our episode “Reinvesting in Energy Infrastructure,” which also featured Jigar, to learn more about the program.

EEI 2023 Highlights: Clean Energy Policy, Workforce Development, and Grid Resilience

This episode is part of our EEI 2023 highlights series. In this episode, you will hear conversations about topics including clean energy policy and implementation, workforce development, and grid resilience featuring:

• Breakthrough Energy Senior Director, U.S. Policy and Advocacy, Robin Millican,
• Carolyn Amon, Research Leader, Power, Utilities & Renewables at the Deloitte Research Center for Energy & Industrials and Karen Cunningham, Managing Director of Human Capital Power, Utility & Renewables, and leader of the Global Sustainability, Climate and Equity practice at Deloitte,
• Arron Lewis, Vice President and Energy Utility West Region Leader at Black and Veatch, and
• GridX Vice President of Marketing Brad Langley.

You can also visit EEI's website to read EEI 2023 recap newsletters, see photos from our annual thought leadership forum, and watch videos of the keynotes.