About
Learn about our mission and the people behind it.
Our goal is to bring down the barriers to education for the electricity industry and empower people across disciplines to work together to reimagine the industry that powers modern life.
Pearl Street Studio is a non-profit collaboration between industry professionals and academic researchers, building interdisciplinary educational resources that empower students and professionals to shape the electricity industry.
The Four Pillars of the Electricity Industry
To reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the electricity industry, our content is organized around four pillars. Most industry professtionals work within only one or two pillars. Our goal is to break down the silos between each pillar to improve interdisciplinary understanding of the electricity industry.
Engineering
How the electric grid works, how power plants generate electricity, and other technical foundations of the electricity system.
Markets & Economics
How electricity is bought and sold, how resource value changes over time, and the economic considerations behind building and operating power plants.
Regulation & Public Policy
How regulatory frameworks and policy decisions shape the way the electricity industry operates.
Environmental & Social Impacts
How energy resources and infrastructure affect the human health, the environment, and local communities.
Content Development Principles
We're building a different kind of educational experience, one we wish had existed earlier in our own careers. Our content is designed with six core principles in mind:
Collaborative
Pearl Street Studio is built by a broad network of contributors with domain expertise, coordinated by a core team to ensure the content is cohesive, structured, and of high quality.
Iterative
Our lectures are living materials. They are released early, reviewed by experts and practitioners, refined through student feedback, and updated regularly to stay accurate and effective.
Publicly Accessible
Education on an industry as important as the electricity industry should be accessible to everyone, not just those who can afford to pay for it. Access is not blocked by university admissions or huge tuition pay walls.
Relevant
Academic content can feel abstract or disconnected from the real-world. We tie concepts directly back to industry examples, so students can clearly see how what they're studying applies in practice.
Unbiased
Information on the energy sector is often shaped by commercial or political interests. As a non-profit, we have no ties to specific technologies or agendas. We are committed to objectivity, accuracy, and transparency.
Multi-Media
We complement traditional formats with podcasts featuring industry professionals, interactive data visualizations, and mathematical animations to make complex ideas more accessible and engaging.
Content Development Pipeline
As a part of our multi-media approach, we're developing different kinds of content to support learning through different mediums.
Courses
Our prerecorded courses are accessible to anyone and are designed to build core knowledge across the electricity industry.
Library
A curated collection of textbooks, books, and papers recommended by our contributors, including summaries and reviews.
Podcasts
(In development)Conversations with industry professionals about their career paths, how they entered the electricity sector, and where they see their work heading into the future.
Electricity Industry Dictionary
(In development)A practical reference for the industry's terminology, acronyms, and jargon.
Live Interviews & Information Sessions
(In development)Live events tied to our podcast efforts, where viewers can listen in real time, ask questions, and engage directly with contributors and guest experts.
Discussion Channels
(In development)Community spaces for commenting on lectures, discussing industry topics, and suggesting ideas for future content.
The Lecturer
Meet the lead lectuer behind Pearl Street Studio's courses and content development.
Alessia K. Levante
Lead Lecturer
Alessia believes that accessible education is essential to empowering people around the world to participate in creating an affordable, reliable, and clean energy future. While building her career in the energy sector, she noticed that even as a working professional, it was hard to piece together how technology, policy, markets, and socio-environmental impacts all fit together. That experience is why she founded Pearl Street Studio — to build the kind of resource she wished she'd had. At Pearl Street Studio, she is creating a culture that is committed to developing educational content on the electricity industry that values collaboration, continuous iteration, public accessibility, relevance, unbiased perspectives, and promoting learning through different mediums.
Professionally, Alessia is an energy data scientist at Lineage Logistics working on industrial energy optimization for cold-storage warehousing and heavy-duty trucking. Her work spans global energy asset investment strategy, electricity hedging strategies, microgrid controls, and demand response for cold-storage warehouses.
Alessia holds a B.S.E in Energy Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley with concentrations in electric power systems and telecommunications for the grid.
Contributors
Pearl Street Studio is made possible by the dedicated individuals who contribute their time, expertise, and passion to create accessible educational content.
No contributors available.
Academic and Industry Advisory Board
Advisors
Pearl Street Studio is guided by experts from industry and academia who provide strategic direction and ensure the quality of our educational content.
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Interested in getting involved?
We're always looking for organizations and individuals who share our commitment to accessible energy education.