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Bruce Podwal Seminar Series

Navigating the Long Tail of the Grid’s Edge:

Opportunities and Challenges in the Evolving Energy Landscape

Yael Parag, Professor

Vice Dean & Head of the Energy Program

Reichman University (IDC) Herzliya

12:30– 1:30 pm, Tue, Oct. 17, 2023

Civil Engineering Department, Room 105, Steinman Hall

Abstract   The energy sector is undergoing a transformative shift, akin to the "long tail" concept in business, as decentralization, digitalization, and liberalization redefine electricity systems and markets. This evolution brings forth diverse technologies, new players, and innovative business models, shaping a new energy landscape at the “edge of the grid.” The proliferation of small-scale renewables, smart technologies, and electric vehicles epitomizes the long tail effect. While this trend holds promise for reducing emissions, enhancing resilience, and fostering social equity, it also poses challenges such as load and grid defection, as well as regulatory adaptations. The lecture will portray the various transformations that occur at the grid's edge and explore the challenges and opportunities these changes pose for policymakers and stakeholders.

Biography: Yael Parag is a professor of energy and climate policy. She is the Vice Dean and Head of the Energy Program of the School of Sustainability at Reichman University, Israel. She holds a BSc in biology and an MA and PhD in social sciences (all from Tel Aviv University). Between 2005 and 2011, she was a senior researcher in the Energy Group at Oxford University's Environmental Change Institute (ECI). Her research is at the forefront of addressing critical energy challenges, with a primary focus on future and decarbonized electricity systems, energy security, and innovation at the grid's edge. She studies prosumer markets, peer-to-peer energy trading, microgrids, electricity islands, community energy, demand flexibility, EV charging management, consumer behavior, and consumer engagement with smart and innovative energy technologies.

In addition, Prof. Parag is studying radical carbon mitigation policies, such as personal carbon trading, while also developing the “middle-out” perspective to analyze the roles of intermediary actors in promoting the energy transition. 

Prof. Parag won prestigious and competitive research grants, and her work has been published in leading academic journals. She serves as an editorial board member of the journals “Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews” and “Energy Research and Social Science”.