Whose job is it to lead the energy transition?
In previous episodes, we’ve talked about how markets can guide the transition, especially after targeted reforms. We’ve considered the role of regulators, and the problems of regulatory capture and corruption. We’ve asked how local community leaders and elected officials can lead the energy transition from the bottom up, and conversely, how local activists can hinder and undermine the energy transition. We’ve also looked at the role of governments, particularly where no one else seems able to meet a particular challenge, or where that challenge isn’t really anyone’s responsibility.
In this episode, we try to knit together these disparate threads with veteran regulator Audrey Zibelman, who has held senior roles at both utilities and regulatory bodies for more than 30 years. Audrey shares some deep thoughts about why regulators and governments will have to play much more creative, courageous, and ambitious roles in the future to contend with the challenges of the energy transition.
Audrey Zibelman is a Board Member and Global Advisor to organizations and governments engaged in the energy transition. She has had multiple leadership roles in private industry and government in the United States and Australia, where she has been actively engaged and leading the transition to a decarbonized energy system. Among her previous roles were: Vice President of X, Alphabet’s moonshot factory, where she led a team focused on the digitalization of the power system; CEO and Managing Director of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO); Chair and President of New York Public Service Commission; Executive Vice President and COO of PJM; General Counsel for the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission; and Vice President at Xcel Energy. She has also served on the boards of multinational energy efforts including the initiating Chair of the Global Power System Transformation initiative and GO15.
She currently serves as a non-Executive Director of several companies engaged in clean technology, Including EOS Energy, SPAN IO, Squadron Energy and the Rocky Mountain Institute Board of Trustees. She is also a member of the Biden Administration National Infrastructure Advisory Council and the Victorian Government Panel advising on the recreation of the State Electricity Commission.
On the Web: Audrey’s LinkedIn profile
Recording date: June 12, 2023
Air date: August 9, 2023
Geek rating: 10