DER Task Force February Newsletter
DER Task Force February Newsletter
February 2022 Edition
Announcements + Updates
The latest episode of the DER Task Force Podcast is live! This one covers the not-at-all controversial topic of nuclear power and the role it plays in the future of a decarbonized grid. Want to share a thought or comment on the episode? Feel free and @ us @DER_Task_Force! And don’t forget to listen to the episode here or on your preferred podcast platform.
As many of you are likely aware, the conflict in Ukraine that erupted in late February is having massive negative impacts on the Ukrainian people, most especially the civilians attempting to flee Russian attacks on major cities. This is all complicated by the fact that it is the tail end of winter in Eastern Europe, a time not notable for its warmth. Footprint Project, who you should all know from the fundraiser we ran for victims of Hurricane Ida, are working with organizations on the ground in Ukraine to fund mobile heating, lighting, and charging equipment for the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees in-transit at various European borders. You can read more and donate to the effort here.
From the community
Networking
DER Task Force member Kristen Frick raised an important question regarding network building in the energy industry - how do you meet the right people and chase after the job opportunities that are interesting to you when you have no connections in the space? That sparked an idea to build a repository of advice and tips from this community on how to do that. So, if you have a story you want to share or tips on how you managed to do this fill out this form. We’ll share the responses with the Task Force to spread the networking love!
Culture
The Task Force had some takes on the plethora of EV commercials during this year’s Super Bowl (Go Rams!). The full list of commercials is summarized here if you’re curious. The gist of the DER TF comments was surprise at Polestar trying to take on the big car companies (Tesla, VW, etc) and general annoyance at implied safety concerns of charging an EV with the “wrong” charger. You can join the conversation on EV Super Bowl commercials and more in the #general channel.
Feedback
DER Task Force member Isaac Maze had the great idea of starting a channel to ask for or provide feedback on projects that folks in the community are working on, data or resource recommendations, and interviews or coffee chats. Check it out in the Slack at #give-or-take!
What we’re reading
Jaden Crawford, Task Force member, policy extraordinaire at Leap, and now published author, penned a piece for PowerGrid International on ERCOT’s market reforms after the disaster that was winter storm Uri. You can check the piece out here.
Big newsletter for Leap and Isaac Maze, both catching their second mention here. Isaac shared an article he wrote summarizing a study Leap conducted in collaboration with WattTime looking at the impacts of DERs on the historically most emissions-intensive hours on the grid. Check out his thread in #news if you have any follow-up questions or feedback!
Want to read more? Join the #news channel in the Slack. Did we miss a piece? Let us know about it here.
Jobs
David Energy is hiring a Director of Energy Engineering - you can learn more about the role and apply here. Feel free to reach out to Sophia Cowles for any questions
Keyframe Capital, an NYC-based investment fund, is hiring for an Associate to sit on its investment team. You can apply for the role here, and be sure to reach out to Alex Brown with any questions
Berkeley-based Olivine is hiring for several software roles - Lead Software Engineer, Sr Full Stack Developer, and a Software Engineering Manger. Reach out to Beth Reid for more
PA Consulting Group is hiring an Electric Utility Consultant to support their growing business focused on the energy transition. Shoot an email to Nicole Noonan at nicole.noonan@paconsulting.com to express your interest in applying.
Don’t worry, there are way more jobs than listed above - find our full job board here and be sure to join the #jobs channel in Slack.
Have a job and want to share? Fill out this form to get it in our database.
DER of the Month
This is not a DER but rather a Spotify playlist inspired by hours on hold at FERC - which, if you’re into DERs, you may have experience with. H/t to Pamela Wildstein for this one.
Thanks for reading!
— DER Task Force Leadership Team