What a Derecho Is
Flattened, Iowa Recovers
This October’s Cover Story, on the Iowa Derecho, is hard to fathom in that the National Weather Service measured wind speeds at 140 miles per hour.
Fortnightly Magazine - October 2020
Restoring Iowa from Derecho
Storm Recovery
Iowa rarely, if ever, witnessed a storm that left more devastation in its wake.
Iowa Derecho: Terry Kouba
Interstate Power and Light
“It was far and away the worst storm, the worst damage in the history of this company. With this derecho, we had no warning at all.”
Iowa Derecho: Dusky Terry
ITC Midwest
A derecho recently swept across Iowa with wind speeds reaching one hundred and forty miles per hour. In addition to widespread property damage, nearly six-hundred thousand Iowans were left without power and nearly forty percent of the state's crops were damaged or destroyed. Iowa rarely, if ever, witnessed a storm that left more devastation in its wake. PUF staff talked with Terry Kouba, President, Interstate Power and Light and Dusky Terry, President, ITC Midwest about this costly derecho and extensive restoration efforts.
Utility Execs on Decarbonization and Customers
Promising Pathways
Inspiring utility CEOs discuss efforts to help their customers decarbonize, the impacts they are seeing, and the most promising paths to decarbonization for their companies and their customers.
Decarbonization: Patti Poppe
CMS Energy
“Utilities have an opportunity to orchestrate and optimize supply and demand. This orchestration formula is the path to a clean and lean energy future.”
Decarbonization: Steve Malnight
Duquesne Light Company
“T&D utilities are the center of where the decarbonization discussion is going to happen, because we’ve already seen the beginning of that transformation on the wholesale side.”
Decarbonization: Maria Pope
Portland General Electric
“As we build out a clean energy future, it’s a team sport. We’re working with customers to understand energy needs and have customer-sited generation and storage incorporated into the grid.”
Behavioral v. Structural Energy Efficiency
Oracle Utilities
“The idea behind structural energy efficiency is you’re doing a physical change out to a building, whether a home or commercial building. On the behavioral side, it’s the human component.”
How Much Does Cybersecurity Really Cost?
NARUC
The new USAID-NARUC Cyber Guide is intended to assist regulators in defining tariffs by establishing a regulatory approach to enhance the cybersecurity stance of power systems.