- 15
- Episodes
- 7
- Ratings
- 2023
- First episode
About Back On The Grid
How does the grid work? What are the barriers to making it cleaner? And who has the power to decide? Tune in each week to hear about tech, markets, and policy related to the U.S. electricity sector.
- Publisher
- Nick Sorokin
- Category
- technology
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 20 Mar 2023
- Latest episode
- 27 Oct 2025
Latest episodes
15 episodes in the feed.
27 Oct 2025
PJM Is Dead
PJM is dead. Long live PJM. If you already know about capacity markets, skip to the secret ending at 26:15. Otherwise, hope you enjoy the episode! And to future me listening back - remember VRR curve for demand. Timestamps: 00:00-Intro 02:00-Hello and Goodbye 03:10-Fundamentals Start Here 05:10-Restructuring the Market 06:15-Basic NERC Reliability Standard 07:15-Market Power and Price Caps 10:00-Probability of Reliable Capacity (ICAP, ELCC, UCAP) 12:00-Balancing payment with penalties 13:00-Data Centers 17:45-Renewables and Capacity 18:00-Epilogue 22:40-Complications in Responsibility 24:00-PJM IS DEAD, Long Live PJM 25:10-Capacity Markets are All Made Up 26:15-Secret ending Suggested reading: Analysis of the 2026/2027 RPM Base Residual Auction (https://www.monitoringanalytics.com/reports/Reports/2025/IMM_Analysis_of_the_20262027_RPM_Base_Residual_Auction_Part_A_20251001.pdf) (October, 2025) For reliability standards - look up EUE; LOLH; and LOLE all coming together for risk. Bidding rules - look up MOPR for old utilities that owned a lot of generation but had a ton of customer demand, so they underbid their capacity to distort the price and save money on consumer purchases. For accreditation - look up EFORd and ELCC will probably be changed in the future, so check out slice of day vs seasonal vs marginal and so on.
8 May 2025
Electricity Sector Changes since 2016
Nuclear fusion, space-based solar, and other cool changes are on the horizon. But what has stayed the same over the past decade? This short reflection is the last episode of the show before I graduate with my masters focused on the electric power industry. Timestamps: 0:00-Intro 00:30-Nuclear Fusion vs SMRs 01:30-Natural Hydrogen 02:15-Solar Power From Space 03:50-Selling Electricity Directly to your Neighbors 05:30-AI challenges are new but also old 07:30-Transmission 08:15-Markets and Resilience 09:15-Concluding Thoughts 11:00-Secret Hidden Extras Let me know how the electricity sector has changed since you started following/working/studying the sector. Episode comments are enabled on Spotify or find me on Twitter or Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/backonthegrid.bsky.social Extras referenced at the end: My paper on a small part of PJM’s Capacity Market (https://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/items/f7bbcbf7-4599-4a72-aa00-6a4883260331 ) Building Energy Paper (https://github.com/climatetracecoalition/methodology-documents/blob/main/2024/Buildings/Building%20Sector%20Methodology%20draft2024.docx.pdf)
26 Oct 2024
EPSA Lawsuit and Demand Response Market Manipulation
Is Demand Response a wholesale electricity sale? Not really under the FPA. But should it allowed to bid into wholesale markets? This week we'll explore EPSA, a supreme court case that decided federal authority over DR participating in wholesale electricity markets. Background to start, but for juicy parts on EPSA, skip to Scalia's dissent around 5 mins into this episode. Market manipulation discussed at 14 mins. Bigger summary at 16:30. Timestamps below. Topics covered include: legal no man's land for fed vs state authority, should DR receive full LMP, and how can companies manipulate their demand response payments? Also covers FERC Orders 719 and 745. Timestamps: 00:00-Intro 03:00-Wholesale Markets as Drug Dealers 04:30-Who is EPSA? 5:00-EPSA Dissent from Scalia 07:25-Legal Precedents 12:15-EPSA Summary 12:50-LMP minus G (doesn't make sense!) 14:00-DR Market Manipulation Example 16:30-Wholesale DR the last 20 Years Sources: Demand Response Market Manipulation Case in MISO (2024): https://www.utilitydive.com/news/nipsco-linde-ferc-miso-demand-response-settlement/703888/ (https://www.utilitydive.com/news/nipsco-linde-ferc-miso-demand-response-settlement/703888/) EPSA Supreme Court Case full PDF (2016) https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/577/14-840/case.pdf (https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/577/14-840/case.pdf) Shoutout to the random bus that drove by during the opening seconds of my intro
9 Oct 2024
Power Plant Retirements and Demand Response
Should power plants be allowed to retire whenever they want? And what the heck is demand response--wholesale, retail, or something else? This episode will start exploring reliability must run (RMR) power plant designations and touch on the Sierra Club's lawsuit focused on two coal power plants receiving RMR payments while not having their supply included in PJM's capacity market. Also, is the grid just a big sandwich shop when it comes to demand response? Tune in for a day ahead market vs real time showdown. Sources: (1) https://www.utilitydive.com/news/pjm-reliability-must-run-rmr-capacity-auction-ferc-complaint/728398/ (https://www.utilitydive.com/news/pjm-reliability-must-run-rmr-capacity-auction-ferc-complaint/728398/) (2) https://www.ferc.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/energy-primer-2020_0.pdf (https://www.ferc.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/energy-primer-2020_0.pdf ) Timestamps: 00:30-Reliability Must Run (RMR) Power Plants 09:15-Demand Response (DR) 10:30-Electricity Markets as a sandwich shop 15:00-Futures vs Spot Market for DR
25 Sept 2024
Grid Scale Battery Storage
If the grid was Goldilocks, what type of battery would it want? This episode is a bit denser than usual and explores some basic differences between flow, iron-air, and lithium ion batteries; plus the basics of how batteries participate in markets. Also covers some technical stuff towards the end. Listen at your own peril--you may become a flow stan. Timestamps: 00:00-Intro 01:00-What Type of Energy Storage is Best? 02:23-Long Duration Storage vs Short Duration Storage 04:00-Flow Batteries 05:50-Issues with Flow Batteries 08:00-What is Grid Scale Storage Used For? 10:25-How are batteries regulated? Who knows! 11:30-Lithium Ion Batteries for the Grid 12:31-Technical Notes 15:00-Salton Sea 15:50-Future BESS References: CAISO Report on Battery Storage Market Participation https://www.caiso.com/documents/2023-special-report-on-battery-storage-jul-16-2024.pdf (https://www.caiso.com/documents/2023-special-report-on-battery-storage-jul-16-2024.pdf) Redox Flow vs Li-ion Batteries https://energy.sandia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/6_Wittman_Reed_SNL_WIPSC_Session5_6-23-21.pdf (https://energy.sandia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/6_Wittman_Reed_SNL_WIPSC_Session5_6-23-21.pdf ) 2024 EIA Update On Grid-Scale Battery Use https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=62405 (https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=62405 ) Nanoparticle Flow Batteries - https://spectrum.ieee.org/flow-battery-2666672335 (https://spectrum.ieee.org/flow-battery-2666672335 ) Form Energy Specs - https://formenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Form-Energy-Navigating-the-Pacific-Northwest-Energy-Challenges-06.26.2024-1.pdf (https://formenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Form-Energy-Navigating-the-Pacific-Northwest-Energy-Challenges-06.26.2024-1.pdf)
16 Sept 2024
Oil for Electric Power
When someone mentions oil, you probably think of cars, ships, planes, or plastic. But what about electric power? This episode explores where and why oil is used for electricity in the United States through a few case studies and will get you up to speed on some basic industry terms. Timestamps: 0:00-Intro 01:00-What States Use Oil for Electric Power? 04:30-Petroleum Basics 07:00-Crude Oil Characteristics 08:15-Oil for Electric Power 09:15-New York Oil for Electricity 10:00-Issues with Oil for Power 12:00-EIA Data Trends Sources: Fossil Fuel Consumption for Electricity Generation by Year, Industry Type and State (EIA-906, EIA-920, and EIA-923) - https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/state/ (https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/state/) Miranda Wilson, E&E News, New England clean energy goals slam into oil reality (https://www.eenews.net/articles/new-england-clean-energy-goals-slam-into-oil-reality/) (January 18, 2023) PSE Health Energy, MA Peaker Power Plants (May, 2020) (https://www.psehealthyenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Massachusetts.pdf) Potomac Economics, 2023 State of the Market Report for the New York ISO Markets (https://www.potomaceconomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/NYISO-2023-SOM-Full-Report__5-13-2024-Final.pdf), (May 2024) New York City Council, Council Votes to Expedite Phasing Out Fuel Oil Grade No. 4 in Boilers Across the City, Resulting in Cleaner Air, Especially in Environmental Justice Communities (February 2023) EIA, Heating oil explained (https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/heating-oil/use-of-heating-oil.php)
8 Sept 2024
Energy System Lock-In
If someone asked you why it’s so hard to decarbonize the electricity sector, what would you say? Maybe you think we haven’t found the right combination of technologies yet. Maybe you’d argue that we lack the political will to change. Or maybe it’s the economic or social sides of the equation. How about all of the above? This episodes explores several influential papers on technological lock-in, with a special focus on nuclear, cars, learning by doing, and network effects. Works referenced: Gregory Unruh, Understanding carbon lock-in (2000) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301421500000707 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301421500000707) Robin Cowen, Nuclear Power Reactors: A Study in Technological Lock-in (1990) https://www.jstor.org/stable/2122817 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/2122817) Richard Perkins, Technological “lock-in” (2003) https://www.isecoeco.org/pdf/techlkin.pdf (https://www.isecoeco.org/pdf/techlkin.pdf) Arrow, The Economic Implications of Learning by Doing, 1962: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2295952 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/2295952) Terraform Industries - https://terraformindustries.com/ (https://terraformindustries.com/) NET Power - https://netpower.com/ (https://netpower.com/) Timestamps: 00:00-Intro 01:00-Technological Lock-in 01:30-Carbon Lock-in (Gregory Unruh, 2000) 02:20-Natural Gas Concerns 03:00-Terraform Industries & Net Power 03:35-Nuclear PWR Lock-In (Robin Cowen, 1990) 05:20-Early Nuclear Policy and Subsidy Help 07:00-Learning by Doing for Nuclear 07:20-Steam Cars vs Gas vs Electric 08:30-HORSES 09:14-Network Effects (Perkins, 2003) 10:25-Learning by Doing (Kenneth Arrow, 1962) 14:00-Future of Energy Systems 16:00-Lock In
4 Sept 2024
U.S. Electricity Markets Overview
This podcast is a primer on electricity markets in the United States for people who don’t have time to read 200 page reports (though you totally should). We'll start with what's on your bill, look at wholesale auctions for electricity + bilateral trading, and wrap with some market issues like fraud, supply chains, and stranded assets. Recommended reading to add wrinkles to your brain: https://www.monitoringanalytics.com/reports/PJM_State_of_the_Market/2024/2024q2-som-pjm-sec3.pdf (https://www.monitoringanalytics.com/reports/PJM_State_of_the_Market/2024/2024q2-som-pjm-sec3.pdf ) Timestamps: 00:00-Intro 00:38-Structure of the episode 01:10-T&D Part of Bill 01:45-Energy Part of Your Bill 02:20-Who Sells Power? 03:50-Example of a Bilateral Trade 05:30-Wholesale Electricity Auctions: ISO/RTOs 07:50-Nodal Pricing 08:30-Market Power Example 09:30-Market Fraud 10:46-Public Utility Commissions 12:17-Power Capacity & Ancillary Service Markets 13:28-Power vs Energy; MW vs MWh 14:00-Issues with Current Markets 16:00-Rider Chargers on Your Bill 18:00-Rooftop Solar vs Average Market Prices 20:00-Future Reading: INCs, DECs, UTCs, FTRs
27 Aug 2024
Big Tech: Renewable Energy Champion or Climate Pariah
Data center growth, REC accounting concerns, and behind-the-meter nuclear contracts. What the heck is going on with big tech companies and carbon emissions these days? Works Referenced – check em’ out! Rhodium Group, Taking Stock 2024: US Energy and Emissions Outlook, July 2024, https://rhg.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Taking-Stock-2024_US-Energy-and-Emissions-Outlook.pdf (https://rhg.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Taking-Stock-2024_US-Energy-and-Emissions-Outlook.pdf) Princeton REPEAT Lab, Climate Progress 2024: REPEAT Project's Annual U.S. Emissions Pathways Update, August 2024, https://zenodo.org/records/13345138 (https://zenodo.org/records/13345138) Goldman Sachs, AI is poised to drive 160% increase in data center power demand, May 2024, https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/AI-poised-to-drive-160-increase-in-power-demand (https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/AI-poised-to-drive-160-increase-in-power-demand) Bloomberg, AI Is Already Wreaking Havoc on Global Power Systems, June 2024, https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2024-ai-data-centers-power-grids/ (https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2024-ai-data-centers-power-grids/) Financial Times, Big Tech’s bid to rewrite the rules on net zero (August 2024), https://www.ft.com/content/2d6fc319-2165-42fb-8de1-0edf1d765be3 (https://www.ft.com/content/2d6fc319-2165-42fb-8de1-0edf1d765be3) Utility Dive, Talen Energy defends interconnection agreement for Amazon data center at nuclear plant (June 2024), https://www.utilitydive.com/news/talen-amazon-data-center-interconnection-agreement-nuclear-pjm-aep-exelon/720139/ (https://www.utilitydive.com/news/talen-amazon-data-center-interconnection-agreement-nuclear-pjm-aep-exelon/720139/) Katie Tarasov, CNBC, Generative AI requires massive amounts of power and water, and the aging U.S. grid can’t handle the load (July 2024), https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/28/how-the-massive-power-draw-of-generative-ai-is-overtaxing-our-grid.html (https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/28/how-the-massive-power-draw-of-generative-ai-is-overtaxing-our-grid.html) Timestamps: 00:00–Data Center Growth 01:55–Data Center Installs Fossil Fuel Plant 2:50–Talen AWS Nuclear Deal in Pennsylvania 3:30–Positive News! Ok No. 3:40–Greenwashing with RECs 4:58–Power Offtake Agreements 6:20–Do Companies Even Care About Emissions? 6:48–In Defense of RECs 7:50–Thought Experiment: Marginal Benefit of 1 MWh renewable energy 8:50–Solar vs Solar: Individual Project Lifecycle Emissions 9:30–RECs seem wrong! But probably still useful 10:00–Google’s Solution 10:21–Verdict 11:15–Long-term power contracts
22 Aug 2024
Chevron Deference and the Future of Solar QFs
The Supreme Court eliminating Chevron deference has been made out to be a huge deal. But what is it exactly and who cares? Today we’ll take a look at the original oil refinery case that created Chevron deference in the 1980s, the fishing observer case that eliminated it last month, and some practical implications for our energy system – including a FERC ruling that may decide the future of many solar plus storage projects. Sources and recommended reading: Congressional Summary of 1977 Amendment to Clean Air Act (https://www.congress.gov/bill/95th-congress/house-bill/6161 ) Broadview Solar Brief, Montana Solar Plus Storage Facility (https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22-1246/280603/20230927124449134_230917a BIO for efililng.pdf) Michigan Law Review: Chevron in the Circuit Courts (2017) (https://repository.law.umich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?params=/context/mlr/article/1667/&path_info=) Southern Gas Association, Breaking News: Overturned Chevron Deference (June 2024) (https://southerngas.org/2024/06/breaking-news-overturned-chevron-deference/) NYT Justices Limit Power of Federal Agencies, Imperiling an Array of Regulations (June 2024) (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/28/us/supreme-court-chevron-ruling.html) Timestamps: 00:00-Introduction 01:00-Historical Context 01:55-EPA Bubble Theory 2:50-NRDC Lawsuit 3:20-Two Part Test for Chevron Deference 4:40-Chevron Deference Throughout the Years 7:40-The Elimination of Chevron Deference: Loper Bright 9:00-Energy & Climate Rule Impacts of Chevron Going Away 9:37-Solar Plus Storage Issues in Montana – PURPA 12:30-Courts before Chevron Deference 13:00-Does Deference Even Matter? 14:15-Chevron Deference May be Back One Day
4 Jan 2024
Controversial Energy Opinion To Start 2024
I was asked during an interview recently what my most controversial opinion on energy was. And while I would like to think I have more than one controversial opinion, because otherwise what’s the fun, I’d like to dive more into the answer I gave, which was about the ramp rates of nuclear power. Key questions: how does solar PV fit into power grids with a lot of nuclear? And conversely, how does nuclear fit with high renewables systems? References and recommended reading: Residential Solar PV Systems in the Carolinas: Opportunities and Outcomes (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.5b04857 ) (2016) Example of Nuclear Power ramp rate for South Korea APR1400 (https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-power-reactors/advanced-nuclear-power-reactors.aspx) (2021) Overview of Nuclear Ramping Constraints (https://www.ferc.gov/sites/default/files/2020-08/W4B-1_Zhou.pdf ) by Argonne National Labs and MIT (2020) EIA visual of new capacity being added to grid in 2023 (https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=55419#)(2023) TerraPower (https://www.terrapower.com/) The Duck Curve (https://elements.visualcapitalist.com/the-solar-power-duck-curve-explained/) Illustration Thanks so much for listening and I hope to see you in future episodes this year. If you have insight on ramp rate concerns other than the Xenon-135 buildup, please let me know!
3 Apr 2023
U.S. Hydroelectric Power Overview
There’s this idea that hydropower is dead in the U.S. Little capacity is being built. There’s a bunch of environmental concerns. The works. But is that really true? Here's what’s going on with hydroelectric power plants in the United States. Sources and recommended reading: Improving Fish Migration at Hydropower Dams (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/improving-fish-migration-hydropower-dams) Bipartisan Infrastructure Act Funding for Hydropower (https://www.hydro.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/DOE-EERE-Water-Power-BIL-FY22-jf-web150.pdf) U.S. Hydropower Market Report Update (October 2022) (https://hydrosource.ornl.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/US_Hydropower_Market_Report_2022_0.pdf) Pumped Storage Hydropower Wind and Solar Integration and System Reliability Initiative (https://www.energy.gov/eere/pumped-storage-hydropower-wind-and-solar-integration-and-system-reliability-initiative) Army Corps of Engineers Hydropower Program (https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/hydropower/) National Hydropower Association (https://www.hydro.org/)
27 Mar 2023
Georgia's New Nuclear Power Capacity
The near-term future of nuclear power projects in the U.S. may hinge on Georgia's new units at nuclear plant Vogtle, which is estimated to cost over $30 billion (https://apnews.com/article/business-environment-united-states-georgia-atlanta-7555f8d73c46f0e5513c15d391409aa3). This episode explores cost concerns related to nuclear fission from a public service commission perspective, methods to uprate existing nuclear plants, and my perception of risk comparing small modular reactors (SMRs) (https://www.energy.gov/ne/advanced-small-modular-reactors-smrs) versus conventional nuclear plant projects in the face of Vogtle's cost overruns. Sources: Nuclear Regulatory Commission List of Approved Uprated Nuclear Units. ( https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/power-uprates/status-power-apps/approved-applications.html) IEA article on 'Repurposing Fossil Fuel Power Plant Sites with SMRs to Ease Clean Energy Transition' (https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/repurposing-fossil-fuel-power-plant-sites-with-smrs-to-ease-clean-energy-transition ) published in 2022. Southern Company Annual Report to Investors (https://investor.southerncompany.com/home/default.aspx?gclid=EAIaIQobChMItunI7Y_7_QIV5PbjBx0_DAzuEAAYASAAEgJQiPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) for the year 2022, published February 2023.
20 Mar 2023
Massachusetts Residential Solar in 2016: Net Metering, SRECs, and Apple Pie
This episode is about my experience supporting the solar renewable energy credit program in MA in 2016. Timestamps and recommended reading below. Timestamps: 00:00-Intro 00:30-Why has Massachusetts invested over $10 billion into solar PV? 01:20-Where does Massachusetts get its electricity from? 03:00-Solar PV Incentives Overview 03:40-How does Net Energy Metering Work? 04:40-Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) Overview 06:00-How do you sell SRECs? 06:40-SREC aggregation companies and the difference between bundled vs unbundled RECs 08:00-How do you report solar production in Massachusetts? 09:00-My experience supporting residential PV owners with production data reporting (+ apple pie offers, which I did not accept) 010:30-Price per watt comparisons for popular solar installers 11:20-SREC I and SREC II Program Review 11:50-SREC + ITC + NEM 12:30-MA Solar Tariff Program (SMART program) 13:30-Industry Concerns with the SMART program in 2016 14:00-Government philosophy in reducing incentives over time 15:30-Conclusion Recommended Reading: https://www.masscec.com/production-tracking-system-pts (https://www.masscec.com/production-tracking-system-pts) https://www.mass.gov/info-details/pilgrim-nuclear-power-station (https://www.mass.gov/info-details/pilgrim-nuclear-power-station) https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=MA (https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=MA) https://www.masscec.com/srec-reporting-requirements (https://www.masscec.com/srec-reporting-requirements) Quick correction: at 15:55 - I meant to say 860 MW of residential solar, instead of 860 kW.
20 Mar 2023
Introducing: Back On The Grid
How does the electricity grid work? What are the barriers to making it cleaner? And who has the power to decide? Hi, I’m Nick Sorokin, a master’s student at Duke University studying energy and the environment. And welcome to my new show, Back on the Grid. There was a time when I worked in clean energy, but now, I'm all washed up. This weekly show is my journey to learn new things about the electricity sector and will hopefully culminate in my pivot back in a career in clean tech. Thanks for listening and I hope to see you in the first episode, where I'll cover my experience supporting residential solar PV in Massachusetts in 2016.
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