AESP
Jennifer Szaro is CEO of the Association of Energy Services Professionals.
In late January, AESP held its 31st annual conference, Charging Forward in 2021.
Dispatchable flexible loads can help relieve pressure on the grid during electricity demand imbalances and prevent rolling blackouts as an on-call resource. While this makes them a valuable grid relief asset on a local basis, utilities are recognizing the long-term value of investment in greater amounts of flexible resource management as part of decarbonization strategies.
Here, forward-thinking CEOs talk about how demand flexible resources can act as one component within a utility's decarbonization strategy. Enjoy these excerpts.
Moderator and CEO, AESP, Jennifer Szaro: The topic for discussion with our CEO panel will be integrating flexible loads into utility carbon reduction strategies, a formidable undertaking that many utilities in North America are currently wrestling with. Tell me more about your current decarbonization plans. What's the general approach, and how does demand flexibility fit into your strategy?
CEO, Puget Sound Energy, Mary Kipp: At PSE we announced last Thursday, a goal to be a beyond net zero carbon company by 2045. Part of this goal is aspirational, and part is something we're certain we can do.