The Year of IDSM | January's Monthly Playlist!

How do we do a year of content around IDSM and not sound outdated?  Better yet, how do we “Courtney-proof” a year of IDSM content?  You see, it’s one of those topics that I just can’t get excited about and if I can’t get excited about it, I have a hard time imagining anyone getting excited about it.  IDSM has been rolling around for a bit now, and I think in 2019 I was way into it; we had designed an IDSM curriculum and were in the process of recruiting our first cohort in early March 2020.  But a global pandemic, a shift from in-person trainings, and five years later…it’s just not hitting for me.  So why are we here?

Well that’s simple...money.    

As with all things in the regulated energy efficiency space, we go where directed. Last July, in D.23-06-055, the California Public Utilities Commission made sure we all would come back to IDSM.

“For many years, since D.12-11-015 and even before, the Commission has encouraged the PAs to incorporate other demand-side management measures besides energy efficiency in their portfolios in an integrated fashion. Historically, the focus had been mostly on integration of energy efficiency and demand response approaches, but could also include fuel substitution, self-generation, and storage as well.”

And that’s all well and true, but without very clear guidance and an explicit allowance to spend ratepayer funds—my observation has always been—the needle doesn’t move.  Efforts towards integrating DSM with EE were there, but not consistently and in a way the market could invest in. This Decision allows each Portfolio Administrator (PG&E, SCE, SDG&E, SoCalGas, 3-C REN, BayREN, IREN, RuralREN, SoCalREN, and MCE) to choose to assign 2.5% or up to $4M of their portfolio budget, whichever is greater, up to $15M on a pilot basis for load shifting that reduces peak consumption.  The Commission opinion sees energy efficiency funding intended as an operational complement to potential capital funding from other sources and takes a meaningful stab at putting forward a more integrated portfolio. Which we’ve needed.

So this year we’re taking a look both backward and forward.  Through hindsight, what can we see?  Are we able to say what worked and what we’ve gotten wrong? And looking ahead can we see an outcome that gets it right?  We’ll do what we always do—take the complex and break it down into easily digestible chunks. We’ll start with “What is IDSM” and all those pieces that make it up.  We’ll look at “Technologies that enable IDSM” and how they can benefit your operations. And we’ll wrap up the year with “Programs that install ISDM” so you know where to go to bring this all into your own facilities and operations. And fingers crossed, you’ll stay with us, and I’ll be able to stay interested!

Courtney’s Picks:
Def Jam

So many things need to come together to make an artist collaboration happen. Even working under the same label there’s negotiations and contracts and money.  Maybe sometimes it is as easy as someone dropping in the studio and adding bars, but pulling this playlist together has led me to believe that notion is a romanticized version of the recording industry. And to the overwhelming realization that the recording industry is even more convoluted than the energy industry.  And when you start digging into a song you start to realize just how many deals and how much coordination goes into artist collaborations. Much the same as adding solar and storage to an energy efficiency project! 

I did stray a bit from keeping everything under one label. It was an intentional choice. Truly.  If we look at each segment of IDSM like its own label, then yes, all the parts have to work at their best.  All of EE has to EE!  But we also need DR.  We need EV.  We need those rates! We need to cross the streams! So, I made the executive decision that I’d lead with a Def Jam artist, but the song needs to cross labels to show that when you bring together distinct components you can make something extraordinary. Like “Monster”.

And listen, I know someone out there is like, “Def Jam?!  You chose Def Jam when Death Row was just out there…with that catalog?!”  And yes.  Yes I did.  We can discuss this later. 

Regulate, Warren G, Nate Dog
Hey Lover, LL COOL J, Boys II Men
03’ Bonnie & Clyde, JAY-Z, Beyonce
Monster, Kayne West, JAY-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj

Samantha’s Picks:
Interscope

As you can tell I went with a label that houses it all.... which made it even harder to choose my favorites. I made sure it would be a fun ride with a mix of genres, which is my ideal playlist.  Hope you enjoy!

The Recipe  Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre
Lately, Eli Derby, 6lack
My Oh My, Camila Cabello ft. DaBaby
Let Me Blow Your Mind, Eve ft. Gwen Stefani and Stevie J

Kelsey’s Picks
Young Money/Cash Money Entertainment

Ah, what better way to start off the year than with some of my all-time artists and an iconic label. Lil Wayne’s record label, Young Money, features some of my favorite artists from the last 10-15 years including MY queen of rap, Nicki Minaj!

Steady Mobbin, Young Money
Miss Me, Drake and Lil Wayne
Where Ya At, Drake and Future
No Frauds, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne

Rochelle’s Picks:
Bad Boy Entertainment

I may be showing my age here but that is quite okay. I am proudly an eighties baby and a nineties kid! That being said, the nineties were a pivotal decade for hip-hop and R&B. Particularly, for crossover collaborations between the two genres and no one did it better than Bad Boy Entertainment. These are some of my favorite tracks that mix soulful R&B voices with the ruggedness of hip-hop rhymes all layered over smooth beats.

Can't You See (feat. Notorious B.I.G), Total
Can't Believe (feat. Carl Thomas & Shyne), Faith Evans
What You Want (feat. Total), Mase
Only You (feat. The Notorious B.I.G. & Mase), 112