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[Episode #128] – Energy Basics Parts 7–9 – The Electricity Business and Power Markets

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This episode is part of our Energy Basics mini-series. Parts 1-3 of the series can be found in Episode #119, and Parts 4-6 can be found in Episode #126.

If you have found yourself occasionally challenged to follow some of the more technical conversations we have here, or even if you just want to brush up on the fundamentals, this mini-series is for you! We hope these episodes will give you a bit more familiarity with the terms and concepts of energy, and help to fill in some of the knowledge that you were never offered in school.

Each of these three mini-episodes are about 20 minutes in length. Part 7 is available to all listeners. Parts 8 and 9 are available to full subscribers only. You can jump between each part using the chapter functionality in your podcast app.

Episode 128.1 - Energy Basics Part 7 – The Electricity Industry – The evolution of electric utilities; state regulation of utilities; utility restructuring. [00:00 to 30:19]

Episode 128.2 - Energy Basics Part 8 – Electric Utilities Today – The various kinds of electric utilities today; governance; relationship between transmission and distribution utilities. [30:20 to 59:06]

Episode 128.3 – Energy Basics Part 9 – Power Markets and Grid Balancing – How wholesale power markets work; introduction to retail electricity markets; how transmission and distribution grid operators keep supply and demand in balance. [59:07 to 1:26:34]

Guest:

Dr. Paul Komor is the founder of the RASEI Education programs at the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI) and a lecturer in the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Colorado Boulder. Paul also has an active research program in renewable electricity policy, and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in energy technology and policy. Previous, he was a Project Director at the U.S. Congress’ Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), where he worked with both House and Senate Congressional Committees in preparing and evaluating energy legislation. Prior to that, he taught at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University. He holds a B.S. from Cornell University, and a M.S. and Ph.D. from Stanford University.

Website: Paul’s faculty page at University of Colorado Boulder

Recording date: July 17, 2020

Air date: August 19, 2020

Geek rating: 1