Welcome Martha, to a wild energy ride.
Is this a great industry or what! I’ve been on quite a thrilling ride myself. My first 23 years were focused on developing T&D technologies at the Georgia Power Research Center. That was followed up with a 25-year meander across the power delivery landscape here at T&D World. This job is smoking cool. I’ve traveled all over the world sharing the latest in technology and strategies. Have a look at some of the trends I’ve reported on recently.
- We are moving from large-scale generation to distributed generation.
- We are moving from coal and nuclear to wind and solar — with gas as the bridging source.
- We are seeing grid-scale storage being built and connected to the grid.
- We are seeing artificial intelligence and machine learning assist us in making better investment decisions.
- We are developing Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems that will enable us to dispatch and control generation and load on a distributed basis.
Reflections
I’d like to reflect back to when publisher Barry LeCerf, brought me on to run the editorial side of T&D World. Barry was a great guy to work for. He loved the impact trade media had on industry. And he loved everything about energy. Barry created a learning and sharing team. And he wasn’t averse to shaking up the organization if it got stale, telling me, “Rick, if you lose your curiosity, you lose your job.” Of course, with all the ongoing changes in power delivery, this never came close to happening. Barry also challenged me to provide the industry with thought leadership.
With technical knowledge gained at Georgia Tech and Georgia Power and with contacts from industry associations including IEEE, EPRI, ANSI, Southeast Electric Exchange, CIGRE and CIRED, I’ve never run out of thoughts and insights to share in this Global Viewpoint column. Just about every time I concluded we were about to conquer our last major T&D hurdle, another one would emerge. I now realize that we are on more of a journey than a destination as our energy world continues to morph into new shapes and sizes.
We also have industry thought leaders share directly with you through our monthly Straight Talk column. And our T&D World Editorial Board continues to share with you in print and on line. Thanks to each of you for sharing your insights and direction!
It is critical that we have thought leaders explain “the why” behind the latest trends. But T&D World goes a step further, sharing “the how” through our utility case studies. Our editors Vito Longo, Gene Wolf, Gerry George, Amy Fischbach, and Dave Shadle are always on the hunt to find the latest industry-shaping projects. Of course, you, our readers are the authors of these case studies that we distribute to your T&D peers. And Nikki Chandler keeps everything humming.
And just as we’ve seen great shifts in power delivery, we have also seen great shifts in trade media. We now deliver webinars, podcasts, newsletters, e-books and T&D How videos.
It’s been a grand ride. But now just having celebrated my 67th birthday, I am looking to free up time as I have grandkids to chase, forests to hike, golf balls to hit and fish to land. So I am shifting to a lower gear.
New Editorial Leadership
I am glad to announce we have new editorial leadership joining us here at T&D World. Martha Davis has accepted the role of senior director of content. She will be over editorial efforts not only here at T&D World but also with our sister property Utility Analytics Institute. Martha is new to T&D World, but not new to the industry. She comes to us from Kansas City Power & Light where she picked up the nuances of the language of T&D. Her most recent stint was in regulatory affairs.
Martha also has experience with natural gas, having worked at regional gas company, Summit Utilities out of Littleton, Colorado.
Prior to that she worked at the Missouri Public Service Commission. Now that must have been a kick. I expect she might have served there when my buddy Jeff Davis was chairman of the commission. Martha is quite driven with two masters’ degrees from the University of Missouri (Business Administration and Public Affairs). And she has designs on adding to that with a PhD. More power to her! Martha joins us with new perspectives and new energy. Martha, let me be the first to welcome you to the adrenaline ride of a lifetime. And let me encourage you, our readers, to reach out and connect with Martha at [email protected] and give her a big welcome.
I’m stepping down but not out. I have a few energy roads yet to travel. I will serve going forward as our editor-at-large. And I’m available to assist Martha as she makes this transition and puts her stamp on T&D World and on the industry.
