Grid Evolution, Northwest Style

NorthWestern Energy has one of the largest, and most rural,
service areas in the United States, taking in most of Montana and
South Dakota. In this episode of Grid Talk, host Marty Rosenberg
talks with Bob Rowe, who is the President and CEO of Northwest
Energy, about the challenges of delivering power in rural
America. 


“The entire West is concerned about the ability to meet peak.
Within the Pacific Northwest, that concern has, for a number of
years, been more acute, but for us the arrow has been at red
really going back to our 2015 electric supply plan.”


We’ll hear how NorthWestern Energy is balancing the demand for
power with its objective of providing affordable, reliable, and
environmentally responsible energy. Mr. Rowe also explains the
impact of setting up microgrids in sparsely populated areas.


Bob Rowe has been the President and Chief Executive Officer at
NorthWestern Energy since August of 2008. Mr. Rowe has 20-plus
years of energy and utility industry experience. He is Co-Chair
of the Institute for Electric Innovation, an Institute of the
Edison Foundation focused on advancing the adoption of innovative
and efficient technologies among electric utilities and their
technology partners that will transform the power grid.  He
is the former chairman and commissioner of the Montana Public
Service Commission, and served as president of the National
Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.