Public Power Underground
Public Power Underground

Public Power Underground

Paul Dockery

Overview
Episodes

Details

Public Power Underground is more than a discussion about public ownership of electric infrastructure, the infotaining episodes cover the energy enthusiast trifecta of electrification, markets, and people. The hosts interview industry experts on a broad range of energy industry and energy-industry-adjacent topics at the nexus of electric utilities and the energy transition. The podcast doesn’t take itself too seriously and frequently plays energy inspired games like “energy enthusiasm distilled,” “draw an analogy,” and “say something nice about electric utilities."

publicpowerunderground.substack.com

Recent Episodes

Headliners: Crystal Ball, Mark Nelson, and Emeka Anyanwu @ Gridliance Transmission Symposium
DEC 20, 2024
Headliners: Crystal Ball, Mark Nelson, and Emeka Anyanwu @ Gridliance Transmission Symposium
<p>In a LIVE! recording at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.gridliance.com/">GridLiance</a>’s 2024 Transmission Symposium, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/crystal-ball-872a3418/">Crystal Ball</a> hosts a competition between <a target="_blank" href="https://www.radiantenergygroup.com/about-1">Mark Nelson</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/emekayanyanwu/">Emeka Anyanwu</a> to determine the most creative prognosticator of energy headlines for 2025.</p><p>The episode is un-edited and available on <a target="_blank" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/public-power-underground/id1549717372">Apple Podcast</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/1XMuhZRV4gZiGYRMcNNTds?si=9a13a51c8f194649">Spotify</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. A video recording is also available on YouTube: <a target="_blank" href="https://youtu.be/ABUXJsdjbBc">https://youtu.be/ABUXJsdjbBc</a> </p><p>It’s a special “afterparty” edition, since it was recorded after <a target="_blank" href="https://publicpowerunderground.substack.com/p/eleventy-first-episode-and-energy">the party of special significance commemorating the season and series finale</a>. Thanks for staying subscribed. There may be more afterparties in the future. Stay connected at publicpowerunderground.substack.com</p><p>Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it’s work to watch!</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://publicpowerunderground.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">publicpowerunderground.substack.com</a>
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47 MIN
Afterparty: Frontlining Energy Justice
DEC 17, 2024
Afterparty: Frontlining Energy Justice
<p>[recorded August 28, 2024] Tony Reames and Salma Elmallah discuss their work and research on energy justice in a special episode recorded after the season and series finale.</p><p>In a much anticipated episode recorded on August 28, 2024, <a href="https://thegreenscholar.com/">Dr. Tony Reames</a> and <a href="https://emp.lbl.gov/people/salma-elmallah">Dr. Salma Elmallah</a> join <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/pauldockery.bsky.social">Paul Dockery</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ieRUbOYAAAAJ&amp;hl=en&amp;oi=ao">Dr. Ahlmahz Negash</a> to discuss their paper on frontlining energy justice.</p><p>Elmallah, S., Reames, T.G. and Spurlock, C.A., 2022. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629622003589">Frontlining energy justice: Visioning principles for energy transitions from community-based organizations in the United States</a>. <em>Energy Research &amp; Social Science</em>, <em>94</em>, p.102855.</p><p>The episode is audio-only and un-edited available on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/public-power-underground/id1549717372">Apple Podcast</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/1XMuhZRV4gZiGYRMcNNTds?si=9a13a51c8f194649">Spotify</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. It’s a special “afterparty” edition, since it was recorded after the party of special significance commemorating the season and series finale. Thanks for staying subscribed. There’s at least one more of the after-party episodes.</p><p>Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it’s work to watch!</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://publicpowerunderground.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">publicpowerunderground.substack.com</a>
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68 MIN
Eleventy-first episode & Energy System Analogy World Cup Championship
OCT 11, 2024
Eleventy-first episode & Energy System Analogy World Cup Championship
<p>A party of special significance to celebrate the eleventy-first and final episode with an energy system analogy world cup championship tournament, celebrity guests, and stump speeches</p><p>Friends-of-the-Underground participated in a special, in-person recording of the eleventy-first and final episode of Public Power Underground celebrating our community of electric utility enthusiasts. The episode includes a live performance of Roll On, Enthusiasts with special musical guest <a href="https://g.co/kgs/25oPbsp">Daryl Wayne Dasher</a> joining <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/aringuillory/">Arin Guillory</a> and Ian Bledsoe. It also closes the Season 6 Energy System Analogy World Cup with celebrity judges <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/debra-smith-09b6914b/">Debra Smith</a> and <a href="https://g.co/kgs/zxGx3Ti">Daniel Kirschen</a> picking winners in an 8-analogy, single elimination Championship Tournament. And, just like Bilbo Baggins ended his eleventy-first birthday celebration giving a speech on a stump, the season ends with open-mic stump speeches from electric utility enthusiasts. </p><p>07:11 - Short-to-Ground, Analogy Edition</p><ul><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1cBrgRPuBa5OIW8KCDFyDbnzzRYdzOuYbHQhRoS7LFB8/edit?usp=sharing">Top 8 seeds for Energy System Analogy World Cup Championship Tournament</a></li><li><a href="https://forms.gle/PVooQaNrNFVyqfyi6">All 20 Grand Analogies of the Energy System from Season 6</a></li></ul><p>15:51 - Energy System Analogy World Cup Championship Tournament</p><p>37:01 - Kurt Miller Stump Speech</p><p>40:05 - Crystal Ball Stump Speech</p><p>42:42 - Debra Smith Stump Speech</p><p>44:02 - Pamela Sporborg Stump Speech</p><p>45:50 - Robb Davis Stump Speech</p><p>48:54 - Sarah Edmonds Stump Speech</p><p>50:34 - Megan Capper Stump Speech</p><p>52:16 - Scott Corwin Stump Speech</p><p>54:01 - Farhad Billimoria Stump Speech</p><p>55:48 - Eric Hiaasen Stump Speech</p><p>59:07 - Matt Schroettnig Stump Speech</p><p>1:01:44 - Kieran Connelly Stump Speech</p><p>1:03:21 - Mary Wiencke Stump Speech</p><p>1:05:42 - Doug Marker Stump Speech</p><p>1:09:08 - Nicole Hughes Stump Speech</p><p>1:10:29 - Conleigh Byers Stump Speech</p><p>1:12:00 - Chris Roden Stump Speech</p><p>1:15:02 - Ryan Neale Stump Speech</p><p>1:16:47 - Humaira Falkenberg Stump Speech</p><p>1:20:20 - Closing thoughts from Ian Bledsoe, Arin Guillory, and Ahlmahz Negash</p><p>1:24:00 - Closing thoughts from Paul Dockery</p><p>If you stay subscribed to Public Power Underground, you may find interesting items in your feed from time to time. Thank you for being a friend of the underground. I hope you have enjoyed the content and feel valued and appreciated.</p><p>Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it’s work to watch!</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://publicpowerunderground.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">publicpowerunderground.substack.com</a>
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90 MIN
Energy Justice with Prof. Erin Baker
SEP 27, 2024
Energy Justice with Prof. Erin Baker
<p>A discussion of the building blocks of a just energy transition with Professor Erin Baker, the Faculty Director of the Energy Transition Institute at UMass Amherst.</p><p><a href="https://www.umass.edu/engineering/about/directory/erin-baker">Professor Erin Baker</a> visited with Ahlmahz Negash and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-dockery-70061a30/">Paul Dockery</a> in-person at the office of the Pacific Northwest Utility Conference Committee (PNUCC) about energy justice, meaningful metrics, and the <a href="https://www.energytransitionumass.org/holyoke-community-energy-project">Holyoke Community Energy Project</a>. The discussion is wrapped by insightful commentary on energy justice from hosts <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/conleighbyers/">Conleigh Byers</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/fbillimoria/">Farhad Billimoria</a>, Paul Dockery, and Ahlmahz Negash.</p><p>You can find the podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/public-power-underground/id1549717372">Apple Podcast</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4Pm5OQZ3R2qAKjD9RoOQoY">Spotify</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are energy enthusiasts, like us!</p><p>2:58 - 30 seconds of theory</p><ul><li>What is energy justice?</li></ul><p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214629615300669">Jenkins, K., McCauley, D., Heffron, R., Stephan, H. and Rehner, R., 2016. Energy justice: A conceptual review. <em>Energy research &amp; social science</em>, <em>11</em>, pp.174-182.</a></p><ul><li>3 core tenets of energy justice</li></ul><p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214629615300669">Jenkins, K., McCauley, D., Heffron, R., Stephan, H. and Rehner, R., 2016. Energy justice: A conceptual review. <em>Energy research &amp; social science</em>, <em>11</em>, pp.174-182.</a></p><ul><li>5 categories of energy justice metrics</li></ul><p><a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-environ-112621-063400">Baker, E., Carley, S., Castellanos, S., Nock, D., Bozeman III, J.F., Konisky, D., Monyei, C.G., Shah, M. and Sovacool, B., 2023. Metrics for decision-making in energy justice. <em>Annual Review of Environment and Resources</em>, <em>48</em>(1), pp.737-760.</a></p><p><br/>11:31 - Interview with Prof. Erin Baker</p><p><br/>58:22 - Debriefing from interview w/ hosts Conleigh Byers, Farhad Billimoria, Paul Dockery, and Ahlmahz Negash</p><p><br/>1:33:00 - Closing Thoughts from Conleigh Byers &amp; Farhad Billimoria</p><p><br/>Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it’s work to watch!</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://publicpowerunderground.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">publicpowerunderground.substack.com</a>
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98 MIN
Commissioner Ann Rendahl & the Eras of the Electric Sector
SEP 20, 2024
Commissioner Ann Rendahl & the Eras of the Electric Sector
<p>The electric sector is evolving like the eras of Taylor Swift; at least that's the hypothesis that Commissioner Ann Rendahl and Gen-Z-Swiftie Scholar, Sherry Zuo, consider in a special episode.</p><p><a href="https://www.utc.wa.gov/about-us/commissioners">Commissioner Ann Rendahl</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherry-zuo/">Sherry Zuo</a> join hosts <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-dockery-70061a30/">Paul Dockery</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/crystal-ball-872a3418/">Crystal Ball</a> to consider how <a href="https://publicpowerunderground.substack.com/p/bonus-eras-of-the-electric-sector">the electric sector is evolving like the eras of Taylor Swift</a>. Paul and Crystal joined Commissioner Rendahl at the offices of the <a href="https://www.utc.wa.gov/">Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission</a> and Sherry joined remotely from <a href="https://www.orie.cornell.edu/research/grad-students/ke-xin-sherry-zuo">Cornell University</a> where she is a PhD candidate in the <a href="https://mays.cee.cornell.edu/current-members/">Mays Group</a>.</p><p>Agreeing on the eras of the electric sector and how they map to the eras of Taylor Swift is no small task. To facilitate the conversation we put together some reference materials including a summary of the proposed timeline with sector milestones and representative songs.</p><p>The discussion considered how the eras of the electric sector fell on a quadrant map that mapped along vectors of structured ←→ chaotic and building ←→ optimizing. </p><p>The quadrant mapping was compared to the eras of Taylor Swift mapped along the vectors of career ←→ romantic and confident ←→ pensive.</p><p>The conversation also used a 40”x30” histomap of organizing activities across the eras of the electric sector that I presented at the <a href="https://www.macroenergysystems.org/mes-2024-workshop">2024 Macro Energy System workshop</a>. </p><p>You can find the podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/public-power-underground/id1549717372">Apple Podcast</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4Pm5OQZ3R2qAKjD9RoOQoY">Spotify</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are energy enthusiasts, like us!</p><p>For additional reading, Commissioner Rendahl recommends the following:</p><ul><li><a href="https://g.co/kgs/UPEHKqE">Prophets of Regulation</a></li><li><a href="https://www.raponline.org/knowledge-center/electricity-regulation-in-the-us-a-guide-2/">Electricity Regulation in the U.S.</a></li><li><a href="https://g.co/kgs/mn9eSGu">The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations</a></li></ul><p>You can also listen to our eras of the electric sector playlist on Spotify!</p><p>Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it’s work to watch!</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://publicpowerunderground.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">publicpowerunderground.substack.com</a>
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87 MIN