At Energy Central, we believe the heart of our platform is you—the energy professionals who share insights, start conversations, and build connections across the industry. That’s why we’re thrilled to continue our regular recognition of our Monthly Top Contributors!
Each month, we recognize three standout community members who helped spark conversation, contributed actively, or jumped in as new members with a bang. These top contributors are in three categories: Grid Builder of the Month, Power User of the Month, and Rising Star of the Month.
Here are your June 2025 Top Contributors:
Grid Builder of the Month: Ayat-Allah Bouramdane, Researcher, Climate Change & Energy Flexibility
For starting the conversation that generated the most engagement across the Energy Central platform.
Post: Why is morocco’s vast solar potential still underexploited in its electricity system, and how can storage and system design address it? (10 total comments)
Notable Comments:
Julian Jackson: Morocco was one of the countries in the proposed pan-European Supergrid project around two decades ago: building solar power around the Mediterranean to improve power supply to developing countries and using interconnectors to also send some to Europe. It kinda fizzled out though. It obviously makes sense to have solar power in these sunny regions.
Ayat-Allah Bouramdane: Not quite. Coastal zones (near Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea) can have more clouds, humidity, ..., which slightly reduce solar irradiance, but not dramatically. Inland and southern regions have excellent solar incidence. It’s true that many large population areas are coastal (in the north/west). These areas have slightly lower irradiance than desert regions. Where your point does hold is on economics: the role of income (per capita). I think it affects deployment, not natural potential. Lower GDP per capita can slow rooftop solar adoption, upfront investment capacity...
Power User of the Month: David Gaier, Energy Industry Writer, Corporate Communicator, and Crisis Comms Consultant
For driving community discussion with the most thoughtful and active commenting this month.
Total Comments: 19
Notable Comments:
On Texas & Grid Mismanagement: Indeed, Sandy. URI was not only totally foreseeable, it had already happened in 2011, and ERCOT and all its generators were warned. A report on the the 2011 storm concluded that the storm "underscores the need" for better preparation and that more thorough winterization "could have prevented the outages." It recommended that all entities prepare for winter "with the same sense of urgency and priority as they prepare for the summer peak season." The warnings were ignored: Despite these clear recommendations, the state and ERCOT did not make winterization mandatory. The measures were left as voluntary "guidelines" or "best practices." A 2021 report by the Public Utility Commission of Texas confirmed that the new rules being adopted were simply what regulators including NERC had told the state to do ten years prior after the 2011 storm. And this wasn't a "mere" economic catastrophe; many people died from hypothermia, medical device failure, CO poisoning, even electrocution from faulty home generators. The death toll was likely far more than the official estimate of 246; one estimate was a high as 978. A wholly-avoidable tragedy. Now the Supreme Court of Texas just washed those corpses under the rug. Shameful.
Ten years warning wasn't enough? Evidently. Everything IS bigger in Texas.
On Vogtle 3 and 4 Project: Nothing to Emulate, and a Royal Ratepayer Ripoff: Indeed, and those questions in the main aren't being answered. We can't have a "nuclear renaissance" when we can't economically build and operate units using existing, proven reactors such as AP1000, yet the Chinese can and have. And today, that same renaissance appears to rely on SMRs, which can generate only a fraction of the power, and none of which are in commercial service. We need a national nuclear strategy and an effort focused on getting one or two advanced (SMR or not) reactor types approved and implemented in replicable, safe, economic, and efficient commercial settings. Instead, we have at least 72 small modular reactors (SMRs) waiting to be deployed in the United States, but only one company, NuScale Power, has received full Standard Design Approval (SDA) from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) as of 2025.
Rising Star of the Month: Dhananjay Hanumante, Principal Consultant, Infosys
For jumping into the Energy Central community as a new member and making an immediate impact through valuable contributions.
Member since: March 6, 2026
Highlights: Dhananjay recently joined the community and just shared his first post this month, but it was such a high quality post worth of a full white paper, and his keen insights on data in the world of energy will no doubt be an asset for a long time to come:
EVOLVING DATA ARCHITECTURE FOR AMI 2.0 AND IT’S GOVERNANCE
Starting now, the winners will enjoy a special badge on their Energy Central profile for the next month recognizing their selection.
Maybe next month, you’ll be a top contributor! So keep posting, commenting, and connecting!
Next recognition: First week of June