In Simple Terms: Your Guide to Energy

Host Chris Armstrong talks with Mark Duquaine, Executive Director of Transmission Planning and Service, to explain how the transmission team moves generation to load, manages congestion, and helps lower electricity costs. The episode covers congestion explained with simple analogies, how FTRs and ARRs hedge price risk, auction timing and layering strategies, key drivers like outages and weather, and the team’s member-facing work and culture.

Executive Director of Portfolio Management Andy Schoettle breaks down the day-ahead energy market in simple terms: how regional transmission organizations (RTOs) aggregate demand and supply, how weather and fuel prices drive forecasts and market prices, and how traders decide whether generators run. He explains the balance between economics and reliability and why reserves and retirements affect blackout risk. This episode gives a clear, practical overview of the roles, processes, and trade-offs involved in keeping the power system running.

Welcome to 'In Simple Terms', where host Chris Armstrong and Matt Owens, ACES' manager of operations for the Midwest RTC East Desk, break down real‑time energy operations. They explain which territories PJM and MISO cover, what the real‑time desk does day‑to‑day, and how tickets, market deadlines, and communication keep the grid balanced. Matt describes coordinating generation, discusses capacity shortages, external tags, and LMP spikes, and shares training advice for new traders. Practical examples and clear steps show how the desk reacts to emergencies and supports small communities by keeping the lights on.