Join my new subscriber chat
A private space for us to connect
Today I’m announcing a brand new addition to my Substack publication: the The Texas Energy and Power Newsletter subscriber chat.
I’ll host an “Ask Me Anything” chat on Substack this Wednesday, May 3 from 11:30-1:00 CST for paid subscribers (see below for info on how to become a paid subscriber or request a complimentary subscription).
This is something new I’m trying out to hear from subscribers. In addition to answering any questions you have, I’d love to hear from you about things you’d like to learn more about and/or you think need more attention which I could then cover in future articles.
If you are not a paid subscriber, please consider becoming one. You can always set up a trial or opt for the monthly subscription at only $6 per month. If you are unable to pay, please email info@stoicenergyconsulting.com and we’re happy to consider a free subscription. We don’t want money to be a barrier to developing deeper knowledge on these topics, so please reach out if it is, especially if you are a student or work at a non-profit.
This AMA will be done through the Substack app using their Chat feature. I’ll likely use the Chat for two purposes going forward: first, I’ll post short prompts, thoughts, and updates as issues develop over the last several weeks of session, and you can jump into the discussion. Think about it as Twitter, but without the mess Twitter has become. I have loved the #energytwitter community but Twitter is now suppressing Substack links and allowing hate speech to flourish. It’s also the cause of a lot of problems detailed in several of my favorite books like Digital Minimalism, Deep Work, and Stolen Focus.
These Substack chats and threads will allow us to engage with each other and have further conversation on energy technologies, markets, and policies, with a focus on Texas. I hope other leading #energytwitter voices will join me and great writers like Lynn Kiesling and Dave Roberts on Substack. If you’re one of them, let me know so I can recommend you (and hopefully vice versa).
Again, please mark your calendar for the first of these conversations in an AMA (Ask Me Anything) in the Chat next week, May 3rd, from 11:30am to 1pm CST. Please pop in, introduce yourself, and ask anything you are wondering about in terms of energy and power issues in Texas and beyond.
To learn how to get started with chat, read the directions below. I’m excited to connect with you more!
How to get started
Download the app by clicking this link or the button below. Substack Chat is now available on both iOS and Android.
Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for my chat inside.
Edit your notifications. Chats are sent via the app, not email, so turn on push notifications if you don’t want to miss the conversation as it happens.
That’s it! Don’t forget our May 3rd AMA, and if you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ.
If you're taking topics in advance, round two:
2) TX legislature bill SB 1212 "Relating to the interconnection and integration of distributed energy resources" from the point of Aggregated Distributed Energy Resources (ADER):
https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=88R&Bill=SB1212
I had considered this something of a supplement to SB 1699 "Relating to the participation of aggregated distributed energy resources in the ERCOT market" since it includes adding the definition of aggregated distributed energy resource and is by the same author (Johnson) and worth supporting based on the author.
However, it is apparently still being opposed by the Texas Solar Power Association, who testified against it in the Senate Committee hearing, and despite it's having been amended twice by the author, presumably to make it better.
? Is it worth supporting, and is there any point in doing so?
It passed the Senate & was referred to the House State Affairs Committee on 4/20 but hasn't been scheduled for a hearing, unlike SB 1699, which is scheduled for hearing today in the same committee.
If you're taking topics in advance:
1) PUCT workshop tomorrow 5/4/23 on docket 54233 "TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS AND INTERCONNECTION PROCESSES FOR DISTRIBUTED ENERGY RESOURCES (DERS)":
Final DER Workshop Proposal Memo:
https://interchange.puc.texas.gov/Documents/54233_44_1291696.PDF
I'm planning to attend but don't know the process or what to say.
a) Do they take public comments & if so do you have to show up early & fill out a speaker's card?
b) Several groups filed earlier requesting that they not make things more difficult for small DER interconnection. What specifically is worth commenting about to this effect? I already filed a comment earlier on behalf of Trinity River Community Solar Systems supporting the Texas Solar Energy Society's filing: would simply repeating that endorsement be worthwhile?
TXSES Filing: https://interchange.puc.texas.gov/Documents/54233_4_1262603.PDF