One Trillion Dollars for Tomorrow’s Green Grid

Federal spending of one-trillion dollars is aimed at transforming
the electric grid and transitioning to clean energy. In this
episode of Grid Talk, we talk with Sheri Givens, president and
CEO of the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA). The discussion
focuses on the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. 


“In looking and listening to our many members and regulators who
are involved in accessing those funds, I think it’s an exciting
time for clean energy investment and investment in
infrastructure,” said Givens. 


There are still many questions about how the influx of funding
will flow down into actual projects.


 “I know it takes a while to ramp up such large targeted
investment and I know a lot of the utilities and the stakeholders
are waiting for clear guidance from the federal government,”
Givens said. 


Other challenges include implementing new ideas.


“Sometimes innovation can be stymied by the regulatory process.
There’s going to need to be some openness and some agility and
some flexibility to allow for utilities and third parties and
other entities to come in and to make some of these innovative
solutions available to customers nationally.”


Sheri Givens joined SEPA as president and CEO in November 2022.
Her professional experience includes nearly twenty years in
legal, regulatory, legislative, and external affairs in both the
public and private sectors. She previously served as vice
president of US Regulatory and Customer Strategy at National
Grid. Prior to joining National Grid, she consulted on utility
consumer education and regulatory policy issues in energy markets
nationwide.


Givens earned a Bachelor of Arts in government from the
University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctor from the
University of Houston Law Center.