The energy industry can be doing all the right things, but what is that good effort worth publicly if no one knows about it? Or worse, if they have the wrong perception of reality? Without controlling the narrative, public and private sentiment can get out of hand fairly quickly. And that's why firms like Echo Communications exist.

On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, Buchanan's John Povilaitis welcomes Chris Moyer, President of Echo Communications Advisors. Chris has nearly 20 years of experience advising U.S. Senators, presidential campaigns, and advocacy organizations on how to influence public narratives and policy outcomes. That includes helping shape legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act and securing billions in clean energy funding.

During the conversation, Chris shares some of the risks and opportunities that energy companies face in the year (and years) ahead, what type of messaging can resonate in our hyper polarized world, and what changes those in Washington, D.C., should make to the narrative on renewables.

To learn more about Echo Communications, visit: https://echocomms.com/

To learn more about Chris Moyer, visit: https://echocomms.com/staff/chris-moyer/

To learn more about John Povilaitis, visit: ⁠https://www.bipc.com/john-povilaitis

Grid expansion is a challenge. On this, almost everyone can agree. But what will it take to expand electric grid capacity and what barriers need to be broken to advance transmission siting and permitting?

On this episode of Alternative Power Plays Christina Hayes, Executive Director at Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (ACEG) and Cici Vu, Director of Energy and Climate Equity at DNV Energy Insights USA, join hosts Alan Seltzer and John Povilaitis for a conversation on ACEG’s Report addressing the important issue of public acceptance of new electric infrastructure projects.

ACEG is a non-profit public interest advocacy coalition focused on the need to expand, integrate and modernize the North American high-voltage electric grid. Christina has 20 years of experience as a regulatory energy attorney, including a decade at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. She previously served as Vice President for Federal Regulatory Affairs at Berkshire Hathaway Energy. At ACEG, Christina has been a leading advocate for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or FERC’s landmark rule reforming regional transmission planning, Order No. 1920.

Cici works to design strategies that address complex environmental and social challenges, with an emphasis on infrastructure, policy, and community-centered planning. She is a co-author of a report came out in January of this year and is called “The PACE of Trust: A Framework by Community Voices for Advancing Transmission.”

To learn more about ACEG, visit: https://www.cleanenergygrid.org/

To learn more about Christina Hayes, visit: https://cleanenergygrid.org/team/christina-hayes/

To learn more about Cici Vu, visit: https://www.iesna.com/speaker/cici-vu/

To learn more about Alan Seltzer, visit: https://www.bipc.com/alan-seltzer

To learn more about John Povilaitis, visit: ⁠https://www.bipc.com/john-povilaitis

Much of the world is seeking to find new ways of cleaning up electricity supplies, reducing emissions, and cutting climate pollution from buildings, transportation and more. On this episode of Alternative Power Plays, hosts Alan Seltzer and John Povilaitis talk with two leaders from Energy Innovation, a non-partisan energy and climate policy think tank, about their latest report examining energy parks as a solution to some of these challenges.

Energy parks are essentially large-scale microgrids that integrate multiple renewable energy source-and-storage solutions like batteries, and co-locate with electricity consumers such as factories or data centers, all of which is connected to the grid at a single point. And while these energy parks sound good in theory, there are a number of regulatory hurdles that need to be overcome to bring them to life.

Eric Gimon, a Senior Fellow at Energy Innovation, and Michelle Solomon Manager in the Electricity Program at Energy Innovation, talk about why energy parks may be the solution to some of our energy hurdles. During the discussion, they share insights into how energy parks work, why they make sense (and for whom they make sense), and what the future looks like for them.

To learn more about Energy Innovation, visit: https://energyinnovation.org/

To learn more about Michelle Solomon, visit: https://energyinnovation.org/bio/michelle-solomon/

To learn more about Eric Gimon, visit: https://energyinnovation.org/bio/eric-gimon-2/

To learn more about Alan Seltzer, visit: https://www.bipc.com/alan-seltzer

To learn more about John Povilaitis, visit: ⁠https://www.bipc.com/john-povilaitis