- Michael Ramsey, AEG Fellow
As a New England coastal city, Boston experiences a wide spectrum of weather conditions. With climate change, the weather events Boston is so well known for are projected to increase in frequency and intensity. Boston will have to respond the increasing impacts of extreme temperatures, enhanced precipitation, coastal storms, and sea level rise. These natural events negatively impact Boston in countless ways, but one major threat is the disruption of the energy infrastructure. As the life-force for every city, a reliable supply of energy at all times is of critical importance.
The City of Boston is well aware of these threats to its energy infrastructure and is taking measures to mitigate their impacts. Boston has joined 100 Resilient Cities, a network of over 1,000 cities around the world undertaking resiliency initiatives. Boston’s strategy included appointing a Chief Resilience Officer, and creating Climate Ready Boston, a comprehensive strategy to combat the effects of climate change. Although wide-ranging, Climate Ready Boston includes multiple strategies to ensure reliable energy supplies. Some strategies include:
- Assessment of threats to critical energy infrastructure in different flooding scenarios.
- Establishing an Infrastructure Coordination Committee (ICC), to develop resilience and performance standards for critical energy assets.
- Utilizing the Boston Community Energy Study to develop district-scale energy solutions with local generation, microgrids, and energy storage.
On Wednesday March 14, 2018, key public and private stakeholders involved in developing Boston’s energy resiliency strategies will be convening for Advanced Energy Group (AEG)’s Q1 Boston Advanced Energy Breakfast. These discussion leaders include:
- Alison Brizius, City of Boston’s Director of Climate and Environmental Planning
- Sandy Taft, National Grid’s Director of Environmental and Sustainability Policy
- Penni Conner, Eversource Energy's Chief Customer Officer & SVP
- Matthew Futch, energy expert from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
- Karen Morgan, President, and CEO, Dynamic Energy Networks
- Mark Kalpin, Energy and Natural Resource Partner, Holland & Knight
This discussion will be moderated by AEG’s Executive Director Peter Kelley-Detwiler in order to facilitate the cross-sector dialogue necessary for a complex energy transformation.
In advance of this event, the AEG Podcast hosted a conversation with Terry Sobolewski, Chief Customer Officer for National Grid, discussed the many initiatives that National Grid is working on to enhance service, resiliency, and customer engagement
For highlight videos, recaps, and other content aimed at facilitating Boston's energy transition, please visit the Boston Advanced Energy page.
BAE Q4 2017 Highlight Video - Mobility & Transportation
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