Spice It Up in August: Kick Off Hot Conversations on Energy Central, Be Entered for a Spicy Prize!

It's August, the hottest month of the year-- but at Energy Central we know that also means it's the month when people may be stepping away from the office for family trips and time off. But we want to motivate you all to keep those hot conversations going, so we're instituting: SPICE IT UP, AUGUST CHALLENGE

Week 1 Winner: Katie McCaskey

Week 2 Winner: Alan Rozich

Week 3 Winner: Michael Keller

Week 4 Winner: TBD, it could still be you!

Here's how it will work: 

• We're offering up a Spicy Gift set - World Traveler Spice Collection - to one Energy Central Community Contributor for each of the following weeks: Aug 9th, Aug 16th, Aug 23rd, Sept 3rd

There are two ways to be entered into the drawing:

1. Share an article to the community on one of the topics listed below that came from our Community Member poll. We will watch the site for your contributions, but to be sure you are included in the drawing, send us a quick email with a link to your submission to community@energycentral.com with the Subject Line 'Spice it Up.'

Digital Topics

• Data analytics
• Use of digital twins in inspection, operations, and maintenance
• Cybersecurity policies and practices
• Non-generation technology practices
• Grid model data management

Generation Topics

• Nuclear micro-reactors
• Nuclear hybrid systems
• Utility-grade battery storage as a DER
• Generating green hydrogen
• Adopt new electric AC motor technology

Grid Topics

• Lessons learned from recent extreme weather events and blackouts
• Smart grid proliferation and smart meter opportunities
• Impact of electric vehicles and V2G
• Load shifting and TOU practices
• Case studies on resilience and reliability
• Grid edge technologies
• The duck curve

Decarbonization

• Shifting away from gas consumption
• Clean energy financing
• Milestones on the path to a net-zero grid
• Resilience of systems in the face of climate change
• Eliminating digital currency that is consuming vast amount of electricity
• Sourcing of carbon credits in particular valuing offshore carbon credits

Utility Business Focus

• The aging workforce
• Aerial inspection processes
• Focus on buying American
• Skills needed in the workforce to meet next decade's challenges
• Shift to consumer ownership of power production
• Integrating equity into the community
• Fire safety practices for equipment and assets
• Redesigning utility bills
• How to implement hybrid work solutions  - the cyber security implications and why it's essential to attract the best next generation workforce
• Rising Customer Expectations for Digital Utility Services
• Revenue and Cost Adjustments
• The possibility of finance problems for the utilities
  
  2. Share your favorite spicy recipes with the group by posting them at the end of this post in the comments section (hopefully, we'll have enough entries to put together an Energy Central Original Spicy Cookbook)

How it will work: 

• Each new contribution/recipe will be considered a new 'entry' into the contest (maximum of two 'entries' per week per community member)
• At the end of each upcoming week in August (i.e., on August 13, 20, 27, and September 3) we'll randomly draw one entry from the total month's entries to win the prize, and we'll get in touch with that winner to coordinate delivery of your World Traveler Spice Collection

Fine print: Four unique winners will be chosen (i.e., no single member can win more than once), and some restrictions may apply based on where we're able to send the prize. 

So what do you say, Energy Central Community? Let's spice up this August!