The electric power sector is facing major operational challenges as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Traditional fossil-fuel fired electric power plants have taken extraordinary steps to maintain staff availability in the shadow of contagion. Still, in late March, the EPA suspended enforcement of much of its air and water discharge requirements for electric power facilities unable to comply due to COVID-19-related staffing concerns. At the same time, distributed energy saw over 15% of its workforce furloughed, and new installations slowed or stopped, due to stay-at-home orders.

Jennie Chen, Senior Counsel for Federal Energy Policy, will participate in "Grid Modernization: Infrastructure for the Future," an online panel that will focus on the changes needed to construct a modern electric grid. There are significant edge-of-grid challenges that require updated infrastructure to allow for wind and other renewable energy across North Carolina and beyond. How can electric distribution between rural to urban locations be addressed? Our existing grid does not allow for robust renewable capacity.

Increasing the capacity and performance of electric transmission is key to achieving state goals, from increased resilience to integrating renewables. On this webinar by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ Center for Partnerships & Innovation, experts will discuss improvements in advanced transmission technologies and regulatory options for deploying these solutions.

Moderator: Chairman Sally Talberg, Michigan Public Service Commission

Speakers: 

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will host the seventh annual UNC Clean Tech Summit. The event convenes more than 1,000 students, business professionals, international speakers, policy members, and academics for two days of engagement to foster leadership, share new ideas, and bring growth opportunities to the Southeast’s clean tech economy. The Summit is co-hosted by the UNC Institute for the Environment and the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.

The Aspen Institute in partnership with the Cynthia & George Mitchell Foundation and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation will hold a breakfast roundtable on September 19 in Washington, DC, to formally launch the report Principled Governance of Shale Resources.

Join the Great Plains Institute and the Nicholas Institute at Duke University in Lexington, Kentucky as they present "States and RTOs in Changing Times: An Expert Stakeholder Workshop for States and Stakeholders in the PJM Region" on the important issues facing states and stakeholders in PJM in 2019.

Kate Konschnik, Director of the Climate & Energy Program at the Nicholas Institute, will moderate a panel entitled "Is a Carbon Price Next? Developments Across the U.S." at the Gulf Coast Power Association Conference.

Kate Konschnik, Director of the Climate & Energy Program at the Nicholas Institute, will present "Power Outages: Grid Reliability and Emergency Management" at FEMA PrepTalks: New Perspectives for Emergency Managers.

Join the Great Plains Institute and Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions for an expert workshop for state officials and stakeholders exploring recent energy and environmental policy developments in the PJM region and the potential challenges in 2019.

Jennifer Chen, senior counsel for federal energy policy at Duke's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, will speak at the Federal Energy Policy Summit on Wednesday, December 5. 

Kate Konschnik, director of the Climate and Energy Program at Duke's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, will speak at PURPA @ 40: Renewable Energy Law and Policy in the United States, an event that explores the 40th anniversary of PURPA—one of the nation’s most important renewable energy statutes.

The electricity sector is changing rapidly, causing economic and social impacts in rural areas. On November 9, Kay Jowers, senior policy associate at Duke's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, will speak at the conference, Energy Transitions and Rural Communities, in Chapel Hill. It will explore the challenges of new energy infrastructure and the effects in communities dependent on coal-related jobs.

Register to join Duke's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions for a webinar, 10-11 a.m. ET, Wednesday, October 17, as we explore successful green bank design examples that could be replicated to meet the needs of any state or city in the Southeast.

Jen Weiss, senior policy associate at Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, will discuss "Prioritizing Energy Efficiency in North Carolina’s Next State Energy Plan," on Wednesday, August 15, at the North Carolina Energy Policy Council Meeting. 

How should PJM's capacity market handle resources benefiting from certain public policies? Join Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and the Great Plains Institute for a webinar on Tuesday, August 7 from 2-3 p.m. ET that discusses the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) June 29 proposed framework. PJM, states, and other stakeholders now have the opportunity to comment on and shape FERC's proposed framework. PJM stakeholders likely impacted by the proposal will join us to provide perspective on how it would or would not work for them.

Kate Konschnik, director of the Climate and Energy Program at Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions will moderate Pricing Carbon in Energy Markets, hosted by the Energy Bar Association, on Tuesday, June 5, in Washington, D.C.

Kate Konschnik, director of the Climate and Energy Program at Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, will be on the panel "The State and Federal Divide: Beyond the Headlines" at the New England Conference of Public Utility Commissioners on May 22.

Kate Konschnik, director of the Climate and Energy Program at Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, will speak on the panel "The Evolving Utility Regulatory Paradigm" during the Searle Center on Law, Regulation, and Economic Growth's 5th Electricity Dialogue on Tuesday, May 8.