Panel Discussion - Open to the Public

Last month a weather driven sequence of events left millions without power for multiple days in Texas, America’s energy heartland.  The last two years have also exposed vulnerabilities in California’s power supply infrastructure, with both elective Public Safety Power Shutdowns and capacity-driven forced rolling blackouts.  Is California on a path to have a Texas sized power disaster?

Though there are important differences, there are many similarities between Texas’ power infrastructure and California’s: from wholesale market design, to high amounts of renewable generation, to the fact that both markets have experienced generation capacity shortages recently.  Furthermore, many of the trends that exist in both markets, coupled with trends in weather patterns, may exacerbate the capacity issues experienced recently.  So far California has been spared from a Texas-sized failure, but industry experts disagree as to whether California is equally vulnerable or possibly headed in that direction.

Our discussion will illuminate the key factors that led to the Texas blackout and relate those factors to how California is currently situated and where the state is expected to be in the near future.  We will also cover the various mechanisms that can be used to improve power infrastructure resiliency, e.g., revised incentives/regulations, energy storage, distributed generation, smarter grids, and demand-side management.  Tune in to hear a broad range of viewpoints on these issues from our panel of experts, moderated by an experienced industry analyst.

MIT Alums:

Please make sure you are a current member of your local club before registering. If you are unsure please ask your club representative or if you would like to join MIT Club of Northern California, click here.

If you just renewed your membership, the system requires 24-48 hours to update and recognize new members. For events within a day of renewal, please email clubadmin@mitcnc.org to verify membership and receive a direct link to registration.