Getting to Know RTO
Families and businesses across the West are feeling the burden of high energy costs. At the same time, we’re dealing with the effects of increasingly extreme weather events, meaning more stress on our energy grid from hotter and colder temperatures, wildfires, hurricanes, and more.
But even as we face similar challenges, the West still operates like a series of energy islands. This type of fragmented grid makes it harder to keep the lights on and prevent blackouts — and it’s also more expensive.
So what can policymakers do to make our energy more reliable and more affordable? How can states work together to meet the energy needs of millions of electricity customers all across the western United States?
Experts and advocates weigh in about a potential three-letter solution to the West’s power woes.
Getting to Know RTO
'It's really not rocket science.' Former FERC commissioner reflects on benefits, opportunities of a Western RTO
In this episode, former FERC commissioner Suedeen Kelly talks with with Advanced Energy United’s Leah Rubin Shen, where she provides some keen insight into FERC’s role in regionalization and speaks to the benefits of establishing a west-wide electricity grid.
About Suedeen:
Suedeen is currently a partner at Jenner & Block where she works on a broad variety of energy issues, and she’s also a former commissioner for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Suedeen was nominated for three terms as a commissioner — first by president George W. Bush and then by president Barack Obama. She is credited with spearheading regulatory policy changes in the realms of transmission interconnection and planning reform, as well as the integration and deployment of renewables and smart technology into the grid.