Monthly archive

USEA Power Sector Podcast Episode 151: Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions President Heather Reams

June 27th, 2025

Listen on Apple Podcasts!

Dr. Martin O. Saar

Job Title: 
Chair for Geothermal Energy and Geofluids
Organization: 
ETH Zurich

Professor Saar founded the Geothermal Energy and Geofluids group at ETH Zurich in 2015. The GEG researchers come from a wide range of geoscience fields and from engineering, computer science, and techno-economics. The group investigates reactive subsurface fluid and energy transfer, ranging from geothermal energy extraction to CO2 sequestration and, in particular, combinations thereof. One such combination is CO2-Plume Geothermal (CPG), which Prof. Saar co-invented and which combines CCS with geothermal energy extraction, resulting in full CCUS. In March 2023, Prof. Saar founded the CPG Consortium, which is scheduled to enter Phase II in the fall of 2025. The joint industry-academia consortium investigates a wide range of combinations of CCS and geothermal processes and synergies, including, besides CPG, Geothermal Derisking of CCS (GDC), whereby geothermal energy extraction precedes later potential CCS operations at the same location, thereby reducing the financial risks of CCS while providing early revenue. Both CPG and GDC are simulated by TANGO (Techno-economic ANalysis of Geo-energy Operations), a numerical simulator developed by the GEG group.

Prof. Saar received his MSc. in Geology in 1998 from the University of Oregon and his Ph.D. in Geophysics in 2003 from UC Berkeley. After a postdoc at the University of Michigan in 2004, he was Professor and Gibson Chair of Hydrogeology and Geofluids at the University of Minnesota from 2005 through 2014 until arriving and building up his group at ETH Zurich in 2015.

Credentials: 
Ph.D.

USEA Congratulates Vitalii Zaichenko on Ukrenergo CEO Appointment

June 26th, 2025

Washington, DC—The United States Energy Association (USEA) extends its sincerest congratulations to Vitalii Zaichenko on his appointment as Chief Executive Officer of Ukrenergo, Ukraine's national electricity transmission system operator, exclusively managing the country's high-voltage power lines.

Peter Ferrell

Job Title: 
Director of Government Relations
Organization: 
National Electric Manufacturers Association
Experienced Political Director, fundraiser, and Board manager with a proven history of working in the public policy industry and non-profit sector. Strong community and social services professional skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Governmental Affairs, Grassroots Organizing, Government, and Coalitions.

Debra Lew

Job Title: 
Executive Director
Organization: 
Energy Systems Integration Group
Debbie is the Executive Director of ESIG. She has over 30 years of experience in the energy industry with a focus on power system studies. She previously worked at GE Energy Consulting, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and was seconded to the Hawaiian Electric Company. She is a Fellow of the IEEE and the Past Chair of the IEEE Power & Energy Society’s Renewables System Integration Coordinating Committee. She is a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Board on Energy and Environmental Systems. She has a PhD in Applied Physics from Stanford University and BS degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics from MIT.

Grace Relf

Job Title: 
Policy Researcher
Organization: 
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Grace Relf is a policy researcher in the Energy Markets and Policy Department at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She conducts technical, economic, and policy analysis of energy topics centered on the U.S. electricity sector, including focuses on electric system planning, utility programs and regulation, and distributed energy resources (DERs). Prior to joining Berkeley Lab, Grace acted as the Chief of Policy and Research at the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission where she led development of electric utility performance-based regulatory frameworks, next generation DER programs, and resource procurement processes. Grace also worked at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, researching utility-sector energy efficiency programs and policies. Grace holds a Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University, a Bachelor of Science with Distinction in Energy and Environmental Policy, and a Bachelor of Arts in French both from the University of Delaware.

Jason Rodriguez

Job Title: 
CEO and Co-Founder
Organization: 
Zpryme and Froliq
Jason S. Rodriguez is the CEO and co-founder of Zpryme, a research, media, and events company for the energy industry. He leads the strategy and the direction of the company's market research, events, and advisory work in the clean-tech and energy industry. Mr. Rodriguez has helped energy companies enter and succeed in complex and intensely competitive markets globally.

Kevin Brancato

Job Title: 
Senior VP of Product Strategy
Organization: 
TechnoMile
Kevin Brancato is currently the Senior VP of Product Strategy at TechnoMile, where Kevin guides the company's vision and strategy in delivering an innovative cloud platform for government contractors. Prior to this role, Kevin held various positions at Bloomberg Government, including Acting Vice President and General Manager, Product Management Director, and Director of Government Contracts Research. Kevin also has experience as a Management Scientist and Cost Analyst at RAND, where Kevin studied cost estimates of space systems and analyzed manpower policies for enlistees and officers in the U.S military. Kevin holds a BA in Mathematics-Statistics from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in Economics from George Mason University.

Jan Vrins

Job Title: 
CEO
Organization: 
Cleartrace
Jan Vrins is Chief Executive Officer at Cleartrace. Cleartrace is a data and analytics platform providing companies tools to manage their entire portfolio of energy and carbon assets holistically and efficiently from a single source of truth. Cleartrace’s suite of products includes tailored solutions for utilities, energy suppliers and corporate buyers. Cleartrace addresses the needs of the entire ecosystem, thereby enhancing the experience of suppliers and buyers in an entirely unique way.
With over 30 years of experience in the energy and utilities industry, Jan Vrins is a trusted advisor, board member, and strategic partner for executive leaders who want to develop and operationalize their strategy and achieve sustainable excellence. He has a proven track record of delivering value across the entire energy value chain, from generation to retail, in both regulated and deregulated markets, and in different regions of the world. As advisor to several energy transition investment funds, I work with clean tech companies on overall strategy, capital raise, product development and go to market to improve sales and accelerate revenue growth.

Matt Villante

Job Title: 
Earth Scientist
Organization: 
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Matt Villante is a geologist with a diverse background in geothermal energy, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Matt joined Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in 2024 as an Earth Scientist, where he serves as principal investigator for two DOE Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) carbon dioxide removal projects and supports other projects focused on development of monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) protocols for CDR, subsurface mineralization storage, and in-situ critical mineral recovery. His research interests primarily aim to address commercialization barriers for carbon storage and geothermal energy to support U.S. market leadership in critical emerging technology sectors. Prior to joining PNNL, Matt worked as a geologist/project developer for Carbfix in Iceland, supporting development of the world’s first commercial-scale CO2­ mineralization storage facility at the Hellisheidi geothermal plant, DAC+mineralization projects, and global assessments of in-situ mineralization feasibility. His role developing geologic models for the site supported Carbfix successfully obtaining the world’s first onshore CO2 storage permit under the EU CCS Directive. Matt’s research on low-temperature geothermal energy production together with colleagues at the University of North Dakota culminated in a 1st place award in the U.S. DOE Geothermal Collegiate Competition in Spring 2021, and 2nd place award in the 2022 Geothermal Collegiate Competition. Matt was awarded the Marcelo Lippmann Graduate Scholarship Award from Geothermal Rising in 2022 and was a Johnson Scholar for Leadership and Integrity at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA where he received a B.S. in Geology and B.A. in Chinese in 2020.

Pages