EnergyHub VP of Analytics published in new book from the Council on Foreign Relations

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) has announced the release of a new book, “Digital Decarbonization: Promoting Digital Innovations to Advance Clean Energy Systems.”

The book is the culmination of a CFR workshop held in February of 2018, which brought together experts from across the globe to discuss the potential for digital technologies to drive the decarbonization of the energy and transportation sectors. Focus areas included venture financing, the electric power system, mobility, data science, cybersecurity, and public policy.

“Digital Decarbonization” contains essays from 12 of the experts who were invited to lead panel discussions in the workshop, including EnergyHub VP of Analytics Ben Hertz-Shargel.

Hertz-Shargel’s essay, “How Distribution Energy Markets Could Enable a Lean and Reliable Power System” outlines the barriers distributed energy resources (DERs) face in wholesale energy markets today, and the fundamental limitation of these markets to solve the distribution challenges that DERs themselves pose to utilities. It argues for the eventual establishment of distribution energy markets, whose real-time, granular prices would incorporate grid constraints, empowering DERs to help balance the grid while earning increased revenue.

“It was a privilege to contribute alongside such an incredible group of people from across government, industry and academia,” said Hertz-Shargel. “This book captures an enormous trove of insights into both the opportunities and risks of the digitalization of energy, from markets to cybersecurity to electric and autonomous vehicles. It should be required reading for those of us on both sides of the meter, making the clean energy revolution happen.”

A PDF version of “Digital Decarbonization” is available for free download on CFR’s website, with Kindle and paperback versions available on Amazon.

Insights from the book are also featured in op-eds in Scientific American and Axios by the book’s editor, Varun Sivaram. Sivaram is the Philip D. Reed Fellow for Science and Technology at the Council on Foreign Relations.