VEC Webinar: An Info-Packed Hour on Reliability, Clean Energy, EVs, Cybersecurity and More

VEC’s CEO Rebecca Towne and Innovation and Technology Leader Cyril Brunner tackled a range of subjects on VEC’s recent live webinar entitled VEC and the Modern Electric Grid: What You Need to Know.

The questions from members and other stakeholders who joined focused on power supply, system resilience, flexible load, and the future of the grid and more. (See below for a sampling of questions and hints at answers.) Here is the full recording that includes all the details. 

How is VEC moving into the future?

(By continuing to deliver safe, reliable cost-effective power to members as we transition into a clean energy world. We are now 100 percent carbon free on an annual basis, and our goal is to be 100 percent renewable on an annual basis by 2030. And we have to do this equitably, so all members, no matter their financial circumstances, benefit from this transition.)

Are more and more people generating their own power and deciding to disconnect from the grid?

(Yes, members are interested in generating power – and they can do so through net metering but also through VEC’s very convenient Co-op Community Solar. And - we are not seeing people leave the grid.)

What’s VEC doing to assure the system is secure?

(Quite a bit; it’s a very high priority of course. It’s both physical, to support our substations and other infrastructure - and technical, to protect the technology we use to control the flow of power.)

What is VEC doing to improve reliability?

(Tree trimming, upgrading and undergrounding wire, and more. It is a long-term project that takes time and investment. But we have proof that what we are doing is making our system more resilient.)

What will the electricity system look like in three years? How about five years?

(Three years? Maybe not too much different. Five years? We expect much demand for electricity, and lots of new technologies on the market. As a distribution utility our job is to monitor these developments, and adopt those that will be benefit our membership as we deliver on our core mission. We’re optimistic about the future!)