Pete Loeffler's Blog

Preparing for the Networked Grid

peteloeffler — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:48:08 +0000

I’m preparing to attend The Networked Grid hosted by Greentech Media in San Francisco next Wednesday. While I’m open to discovering what becomes the big take-away from the event, I think the people will be the best part. The contacts will be crucial in helping with the knowledge transfer to get the smart grid moving in Minnesota.

The agenda is dense with hot topics. Two of the sessions stand out as most relevant to my effort. First, at the morning panel, Real-World Smart Grid Deployments and Policies, utility companies will be sharing their plans for feasible near term smart grid projects. The panel also includes reps from state PUCs to talk about the policies supporting the ramp up. If the caution I found while delving into the MN PUC docket on smart grid adoption is any indicator, learning about policies with a proven track record may be the most useful information of the conference.

The second panel session I am most interested in is Networking Renewable Energy: Integrating Utility-Scale Renewables, Storage and Distributed Generation Resources at Mass Scale. The value here is learning how industry is talking about scaling renewables. This will help define the argument for the smart grid as a necessary step to support renewable energy commitments already in place, such at Minnesota’s 25% by 2025.

To fully engage the conference I’m looking at potential questions to ask during the panel sessions. On the policy side, decoupling, incentivizing energy conservation, and time of use rate structures seem like a good place to start. I’m also curious if the privacy issue has been approached from the policy angle. I’ll be soliciting feedback from colleagues and contacts I’ve been connected to through CEN.

Minnesota Clean Economy Network Launch

peteloeffler — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:41:01 +0000

Last night I attended the launch of the Minnesota chapter of CEN, the Clean Economy Network. The event was sponsored by IREE, the Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment at the University of Minnesota’s Coffman Union. I learned more in the few hours that I spent talking to the entrepreneurs, investors, and policy makers at the event than I had in the past two weeks researching solo. This tied in perfectly with the big take away from the night: developing the cleantech community is essential to building the trust from which collaboration and investment flow.

The three co-chairs of the MN chapter, Hema Gunasekaran, Todd Taylor, and Randy Anderson, did an excellent job of building up excitement around the network and giving it a productive start. By the end of the evening three organizations had volunteered to host the next event and everyone I spoke with was eager to engage.

Sunil Paul, co-founder and chairman of the board of CEN, kicked off the evening by sharing his excitement at the growing cleantech community. He observed that the conversation around cleantech is shifting from wondering if a tax credit is going to be around for another year, to completely changing the entire economy. In order to be effective, the cleantech industry needs a voice as strong as other industries have in Congress. Sunil stressed that the political battles will be broader than carbon and energy policy due to the entrenched interests. Establishing CEN provides the voice cleantech needs to level the playing field. As the policy supporting cleantech stabilizes, aided by the success of efforts such as the We Can Lead campaign, which Sunil related, investment in cleantech will accelerate.

Sunil then joined a panel including Dan Yarano of Fredrikson & Byron, Amol Deshpande of KPCB, and Doug Cameron of Piper Jaffray. The panel fielded questions on cleantech investing, discussing the differences between cleantech and other sectors, the sources of investment ideas, the importance of social networks in connecting entrepreneurs to investors, and early stage funding for startups.

Finally the networking began in full force. I am excited to follow up with the contacts I made yesterday. And I am looking forward to the next CEN event to hear how everyone’s story has developed and meet the next round of players in the cleantech arena. Join at www.cleaneconomynetwork.org to make sure you hear about the next event in your area.

An introduction

peteloeffler — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:10:23 +0000

Welcome to my foray into blogging. I plan to develop understanding, both for myself and anyone tuning in, of the smart grid as a platform for innovation. I believe that the challenges presented by smart grid implementation provide a huge opportunity for early adopters. The innovations that solve the early challenges will form the foundation of significant future economic and societal development, creating value for everyone down the line. And with the ultimate goal of providing a greater degree of responsibility in the use of our resources, smart grid implementation deserves critical focus.

I am specifically interested in promoting the adoption of policies in Minnesota that encourage the smart grid. I have been ramping up research in the past month. Going forward I will share my findings and further the conversation regarding the solutions being fronted to address the challenges posed by the smart grid. The challenges include security and privacy concerns, the standardization process, developing new Public Utilities Commission policy, and consumer education. And there are more! Each an opportunity for innovation.

Tonight I’m attending the launch party for the Renewable Energy Business Network (REBN) and Clean Economy Network (CEN) Minnesota chapters. So my assignment, to kick off the blog, is to report back on the event.