by Jeff Ihnen | Apr 21, 2021 | Energy Rant
“Can I ask a question?” My response to that, in good company, is, “You just did. Would you like another chance?” Now that, my friends, is a paradox. As you ought to know, I’m preparing a mind-blowing three-hour course on decarbonization for AESP’s Spring Training. One...
by Jessica Wagner | Apr 14, 2021 | The Big Why
Like many, I was transfixed in late March by the huge container ship stuck in the Suez Canal. And also, like many, I enjoyed the many versions of the meme of a “little” excavator trying its best to free the enormous ship but making minimal progress. As often happens,...
by Jeff Ihnen | Apr 14, 2021 | Energy Rant
A few weeks ago, we reviewed electricity storage technologies, barriers, and issues. One storage technology is the lowly lead-acid battery, which forms the backbone of uninterruptible power supplies for data centers. They are inexpensive with readily available...
by Jeff Ihnen | Apr 7, 2021 | Energy Rant
You all know people who are always going to do something great but never make it happen. Consider the hapless New Year’s resolution for which someone plans to lose weight. They successfully diet between a cheeseburger and fries for lunch and a mound of pasta with rich...
by Jeff Ihnen | Apr 4, 2021 | Energy Rant
In this week’s Energy Rant, Jeff Ihnen (CEO at Michaels Energy) interviews Doug Houseman (Principal Consultant at Burns & McDonnell) about energy storage. Doug is a leader and visionary in grid and utility modernization. You’ll quickly get a sense of...
by Jeff Ihnen | Mar 24, 2021 | Energy Rant
Based on my victims’ feedback, I am an above-average cook, but my internal modesty says, barely. To achieve such mediocrity, all you must do is follow the instructions and pay little attention. The next step to greatness, I’ve heard, is to weigh rather than...
by Jessica Wagner | Mar 17, 2021 | The Big Why
I love explaining things with diagrams. One thing I have really missed working from home over the past year is not being able to illustrate ideas on a whiteboard in discussions with colleagues[1]. Over the past month, there have been several instances where I needed...
by Jeff Ihnen | Mar 17, 2021 | Energy Rant
“Hey Honey – our energy costs are down, so let’s have another kid.” This is the absurd logic behind studies linked to a Utility Dive post last week. The subject is the retread canard of the rebound effect, specifically the hoax [sic] that if you use less energy, you...
by Jeff Ihnen | Mar 10, 2021 | Energy Rant
Livin’ it Up in Hotel California I’ve written about pay for performance (P4P) programs no less than six times in this blog. I’ll start with a recap of those posts and move the ball forward once again. We’re well within field goal range! In Tooling Pay for...
by Jeff Ihnen | Mar 3, 2021 | Energy Rant
In this week’s Energy Rant, we’re spicing things up with a recording – rather than a blog post – of some hot topics in the energy industry. Tune in to listen to an off-the-cuff recording spurred by the tragedy in Texas. Be prepared to dive into...
