Transmission Impossible

In today’s episode, we were joined by Mike Malguarnera, previously Director of Market & Transmission Analytics at BW Solar, for a fascinating conversation on why the grid is often far messier, riskier, and more nuanced than it looks from the outside.With experience spanning utilities, cooperatives, power markets, FTRs, IRPs, interconnection, storage siting, and project development, Mike has seen how small assumptions can turn into very expensive mistakes. He brings a rare blend of market knowledge, transmission insight, and developer-side pragmatism.We discuss:Whether the industry really needs more transmission - or better use of what already existsWhy cheap interconnection does not always mean strong project economicsHow an $8m transformer upgrade changed the assumptions behind hundreds of millions in investmentWhy missed tariff deadlines can kill projects almost instantlyThe difference between interconnection modelling and economic modellingWhy consultants are essential - but not always enoughThe case for having internal grid expertise earlier in the development processHow land, queue risk, local opposition, and capital exposure all collideWhy data centers could change the power dynamic between utilities and large-load customersWhere Mike would place a bet in today’s market if money were no objectBooks discussed on the show:https://a.co/d/0awPgkvFhttps://a.co/d/0awPgkvFFeatured on the show:https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-malguarnera-p-e-a6705014/https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-webb-a5605768/

In this episode of Transmission Impossible, I’m joined by Ramsey Ayass, SVP of Grid Strategy at SMT Energy, for a brilliant conversation on what’s really slowing projects down in today’s power market. Hailing from a utility background, Ramsey's experience spans every angle of Grid Strategy and Interconnection. He's borne witness to all of the common pitfalls developers fall into - both generation and load - as well as the trends that separate successful projects from the pack.We discuss:The industry assumption Ramsey thinks people get wrongWhy some projects die before they ever really beginThe overlooked step that can save developers yearsWhat separates strong grid strategy from wishful thinkingWhy ERCOT attracts both believers and scepticsWhat's really happening behind the sceners around large-load interconnectionHow developers can get caught out by “good-looking” sitesWhere Ramsey sees the next real opportunities emergingBooks discussed on the show:https://a.co/d/06GBJlSWhttps://a.co/d/0eS9c6lpFeatured on the show:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayass/https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-webb-a5605768/