The Pace Energy and Climate Center (Center) is pleased to announce that on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, Janine Migden-Ostrander, one of the Center’s Institute for Energy Democracy Fellows, will join other energy experts in a roundtable to discuss how state power generation can keep pace with the trend toward increased electricity demand. The roundtable will focus on Central Ohio which is in a period of growth and has become a hub for data centers, like Intel, which use large quantities of electricity.
Energy forecasters are scrambling to ensure that there are adequate supplies of electricity. State officials and utilities in Ohio have been focusing on meeting the increased demand by adding more natural gas plants and encouraging fracking. They have also proposed legislation to expedite power plant siting review. In the roundtable discussion available virtually, and in-person at the Columbus Metropolitan Club, Janine Migden-Ostrander will offer an alternative view that promotes least cost options such as wind and solar, battery storage, and energy efficiency and demand response. She will argue that while Ohio has had smart meters throughout a large percentage of the state, utilities and regulators have not tapped into the benefits of using them to manage load and avoid high peak costs and forced blackouts. She will also argue that total reliance on natural gas plants will not benefit Ohio in the long run due to environmental impacts and costs and that the portfolio needs to be diversified to include legitimate clean energy sources.
For more details and to register: https://columbusmetroclub.org/event/all-amped-up-can-ohio-meet-its-future-energy-needs/
Janine Migden-Ostrander’s bio can be found at: https://energy.pace.edu/experts/