Pat Wood on Texas grid reform and George W. Bush’s aha moment on renewables

09/29/22 • 61 min

Texas is tackling an energy market redesign not seen in decades. The freeze and subsequent outages from Winter Storm Uri in 2021 left hundreds dead and millions without power. The storm's aftermath also sparked a debate over how to make the ERCOT grid more resilient in the face of extreme weather events and a changing energy mix.
On Episode 1 of the Texas Power Podcast, host Doug Lewin is joined by Pat Wood, former chairman of both the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Public Utility Commission of Texas. He helped deliver former Texas Gov. George W. Bush's deregulation agenda in the 1990s.
Doug's conversation with Pat Wood covered the state's market redesign efforts, the enabling technologies that can support grid resilience, and the moment when then-governor Bush was first drawn to renewables.
If you like the Texas Power Podcast, please leave a rating and review!
The Texas Power Podcast is a production of Renewable Energy World and Clarion Energy. Check out our podcast for the solar industry, Factor This!
You can connect with Texas Power Podcast host Doug Lewin on Twitter and LinkedIn. Show notes:
-Episode article
-Subscribe to the free Renewable Energy World newsletter

Previous Episode

Introducing: Texas Power Podcast

The Texas Power Podcast is a production of Renewable Energy World and Clarion Energy.
Host Doug Lewin, founder of the consulting firm Stoic Energy, guides listeners through the complicated world of Texas energy, focusing on how to build a more reliable, cleaner electric grid.
Lewin will provide analysis on the 2021 blackouts during Winter Storm Uri, Texas energy policy, clean energy, energy efficiency, demand response, distributed energy resources, transmission infrastructure, and much more.
The Texas Power Podcast aims to serve an audience of energy professionals, policymakers, and academics, but will also be accessible to a general audience by explaining key topics and acronyms.
Subscribe today to the Texas Power Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! And be sure to check out Renewable Energy World's solar industry podcast, Factor This! For sponsorship inquiries, please email [email protected]

Next Episode

Texas eyes a Texas-sized role for DERs

Texas is saddled with a vulnerable energy system: Winter Storm Uri and this summer’s extended heat wave proved that. Now, distributed energy resources are getting some attention—finally.

State regulators are looking at how aggregated DERs could give the ERCOT grid greater stability. On the table is an 80 MW virtual power plant pilot that could serve as a showcase and building block for a much larger set of DERs.

Amy Heart, who leads public policy at Sunrun, helped craft the pilot as a member of the ADER task force. She joins the Texas Power Podcast to discuss lessons learned from past weather events, talk about current market redesign efforts, and offer insights into the future for DERs in Texas. If you like the Texas Power Podcast, please leave a rating and review!
The Texas Power Podcast is a production of Renewable Energy World and Clarion Energy. Check out our podcast for the solar industry, Factor This!
You can connect with Texas Power Podcast host Doug Lewin on Twitter and LinkedIn.