Energy Central

Reliability has become one of the most urgent topics in the utility sector today. As aging infrastructure meets rising electricity demand and more frequent extreme weather, utilities are facing growing pressure to keep the lights on while modernizing the grid. From vegetation management to conductor fatigue and storm resilience, the question isn’t whether upgrades are needed, but how utilities can make the smartest investments to strengthen the grid quickly, effectively, and affordably. To get the answers to those questions, Energy Central’s Community Manager Matt Chester was joined live at DTECH 2026 in San Diego by Southwire’s Emily Witcher (Manager of Overhead Transmission) and Drew Pearson (Transmission Engineer), and the resultant conversation explored how utilities are tackling reliability challenges in overhead transmission systems. From conductor selection to structural design to accurate engineering models, decisions made for all grid upgrades will dramatically affect ultimate system performance under stress. This episode highlights practical solutions utilities are deploying today, including reconductoring projects that increase capacity without rebuilding entire lines and digital tools that improve engineering analysis and field decisions. With lessons drawn from real-world projects and conversations happening across the DTECH floor, this discussion offers a grounded look at how utilities can strengthen grid resilience now while preparing for the reliability challenges still ahead. Thanks to Southwire for sponsoring this episode. Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

The utility industry is entering a construction boom unlike anything seen in decades. From electrification and load growth to wildfire mitigation and resilience investments, utilities across the country are racing to build and upgrade transmission and distribution infrastructure. But scaling up construction isn’t just about building faster, it’s also about rethinking the entire construction lifecycle, from planning and design to data capture and project closeout. Recorded live on site at DTECH 2026 in San Diego, Energy Central Community Manager Matt Chester sits down with Danny Petrecca of Locusview to explore how utilities are modernizing the way they build the grid. The conversation dives into how digital construction platforms are helping utilities manage massive increases in T&D projects while maintaining data quality, safety, and capital efficiency. From improving the quality of field data to ensuring ADMS and GIS systems stay accurate over time, the episode highlights how digital workflows are becoming essential infrastructure in their own right. The discussion also explores the growing role of digital tools in wildfire mitigation, workforce transformation, and the financial realities of scaling grid investment. And with Itron’s recent acquisition of Locusview adding new momentum to the space, the conversation offers a look at how utilities can modernize construction workflows today to build a safer, more resilient, and more efficient grid for tomorrow. And thanks to our partner, Locusview, for making this episode possible.  Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Urban grids are running out of room , especially in dense cities where rooftop solar is limited, EV charging is complicated, and peak demand keeps climbing. Modernizing and growing utilities thus need new, novel ways to unlock flexibility without massive infrastructure overhauls. In this episode, Andrew Wang of Every Electric shares with host Kinsey Grant Baker his team’s unique approach to “dropshipping” grid flexibility directly into multi-family residential buildings, deploying free home batteries that allow residents to earn money while providing short bursts of load relief during peak periods. From space constraints to split incentives between landlords and renters, Andrew highlights the challenges that urban power companies face. And while distributed energy resources have long been viewed as an answer to the city landscape, he explains that ultimately many DER strategies miss the renters and multi-family buildings that make up the backbone of major cities. Instead of expensive building-wide retrofits, he’s targeting individual apartments to prioritize speed, scalability, and customer participation. The result? New York City’s largest residential battery fleet, deployed ahead of summer heat waves in partnership with Con Edison. Listen in to hear why grid flexibility must become a core planning resource rather than a pilot program, where this model could scale nationally, and what utility leaders should prioritize if they want flexibility to be a reliable, bankable part of the grid of the future. Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

The grid is aging fast, and demand is rising even faster. But while much of the conversation fixates on physical infrastructure, there's a critical, often overlooked piece of the puzzle: modeling. How utilities plan for the future—what tools they use, what data they trust, and how they stress-test their assumptions—can mean the difference between billions spent wisely and billions wasted. In this episode, host Kinsey Grant Baker sits down with Alice Yake, Head of Grid Modeling at Breakthrough Energy, to unpack why getting the grid model wrong doesn't just delay progress—it costs communities, ratepayers, and the planet dearly. Alice brings a rare mix of experience: from coding at Enron to intervening in utility rate cases to leading integrated resource planning at Xcel Energy. Now, she's helping build open-source modeling tools designed to work not just for eight U.S. states, but for the world. Alice explains why open-source modeling matters for trust, accessibility, and speed—especially in low- and middle-income countries that can't afford commercial tools but desperately need reliable planning frameworks. She also digs into the data problem: how inconsistent, inaccessible, or outdated data undermines even the best models, and what breakthrough is doing to create a global data store that reduces friction and increases transparency. From distribution system design to fusion and geothermal integration, this conversation explores how modeling helps utilities answer the hardest question of all: What does the grid need to look like in 2050, and how do we start building it today? For utility leaders navigating unprecedented load growth, regulatory pressure, and technological uncertainty, this episode offers a grounded roadmap for making smarter, faster, more equitable infrastructure decisions. And for innovators and startups, Alice shares direct advice on how to get new technologies into planning models—and why that step is make-or-break for adoption. Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Distributech is the electric utility industry’s biggest annual event, and this episode of Power Perspectives breaks down what actually mattered on the ground. Host Kinsey Grant Baker is joined by Energy Central Community Manager Matt Chester to recap the most important conversations, trends, and takeaways from this year’s conference. From affordability and data centers to AI and distributed energy resources, this discussion goes beyond buzzwords to focus on how utilities are defining and redefining problems and (finally) turning those into tangible action. Rather than chasing one-size-fits-all solutions, the industry is grappling with scale, coordination, and real-world constraints that affect customers, regulators, and operators alike. Kinsey and Matt unpack how affordability emerged as a central theme across panels, demos, and side conversations, and why data quality, storytelling, and collaboration are becoming just as important as technology itself. They also explore how AI and DERs are being reframed—not just as challenges, but as tools that can help utilities plan, forecast, and respond more effectively. If you missed the chance to be in San Diego with the movers and shakers of the power sector at DTech 2026, consider this conversation the antidote to your FOMO. Learnings posted by Energy Central during DTech— Keynotes are great, key relationships are better. Let’s really connect at DTech this year! https://energycentral.substack.com/p/keynotes-are-great-key-relationships Standing Room Only at DTech 2026: Day 1 Set the Tone: https://energycentral.substack.com/p/standing-room-only-at-dtech-2026 Bagels, Brainpower, and Big Questions: Kicking Off DTECH the Right Way: https://energycentral.substack.com/p/bagels-brainpower-and-big-questions AI Didn’t Steal the Show at DTech 2026 — It Powered It (Day 2 Recap): https://energycentral.substack.com/p/ai-didnt-steal-the-show-at-dtech When the Industry Starts to Jam: A Day 3 DistribuTECH Recap: https://energycentral.substack.com/p/when-the-industry-starts-to-jam-a Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

For decades, energy policy lived mostly in the background of American politics—important, but rarely decisive at the ballot box. After the 2025 election season, we have evidence of how that’s no longer the case. Rising electricity bills frustrating voters, visible grid strain they want to point to data centers as the culprit, and an overall competing narratives around affordability and climate policy have pushed energy squarely into the center of electoral politics. In this episode, host Kinsey Grant Baker welcomes back a guest who was featured on one of 2025 hottest episodes of Power Perspectives: Andrea Clabough, Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center. In this conversation, Clabough unpacks what the most recent state-level elections reveal about how voters are thinking about energy—and what those lessons signal for the 2026 midterm elections that are already coming into focus. Clabough reflects on the 2025 gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, where energy affordability, grid readiness, and future investment strategies emerged as unexpectedly salient themes, as well as how the first year under Trump 2.0 played out compared with her previous predictions. For anyone who already has November 3, 2026, circled on their calendars, this conversation will serve as your primer for which races to watch, what external factors could influence outcomes, and what the dominant energy narrative may be once the electoral dust settles. AI across AC (AIxAC) initiative: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/issue/artificial-intelligence/ Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

What’s the most notable constraint on the energy transition? It’s not generation or technology, but the biggest slowdown is coming from the grid side and the ability to plan, operate, and scale power systems fast enough to meet demand. That’s according to Sabine Erlinghagen, CEO of Siemens Grid Software, and guest on this episode of Power Perspectives. Erlinghagen joins host Kinsey Grant Baker to explore why the grid has become the new bottleneck and how digitalization is working to turn it into a backbone for electrification, AI-driven load growth, and a net-zero future. Erlingher highlights how advanced grid software, digital twins, and staged automation are changing the way utilities operate. She also digs into what “autonomous grids” really mean in practice, why trust and transparency are critical as automation increases, and how utilities can move step-by-step from operator support to closed-loop control without compromising reliability. For utility leaders navigating unprecedented load growth and complexity, this conversation offers a grounded, practical roadmap for scaling the grid to not just be bigger but also smarter. And thanks to our partner, Siemens Grid Software, for making this episode possible. Siemens Grid Software enables power utilities to accelerate and secure the energy transition. Its unique software and service portfolio empowers transmission and distribution grid operators to plan and operate the grid of tomorrow – today.   Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

As the electric grid faces accelerating pressure from electrification, data center growth, and extreme weather, much of the public conversation fixates on generation shortfalls and capacity additions. But beneath those headlines, some of the most consequential work is happening where customers actually experience the grid: on the wires. In this episode, host Kinsey Grant Baker chats with Kevin Walker, President and CEO of Duquesne Light Holdings, to explore how a T&D–focused utility is redefining what leadership and innovation look like in today’s ever-evolving power sector. And while Duquesne Light may be smaller than many U.S. utilities, under Walker’s leadership they are punching above their weight and demonstrating that reliability, affordability, and resilience are earned through delivery, not scale. Walker shares how DLC thinks about resource adequacy without owning generation assets, how the utility is positioning itself to withstand the twin pressures of decarbonization and electrification, and how their unique flexibility enables smarter risk-taking. Decisionmakers across the power sector can learn a lot from Walker’s approach to leadership and perspective on navigating the urgent and competing priorities across the industry in 2026 and beyond. Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

For decades, load forecasting was one of the more stable disciplines in utility planning. Growth was incremental, assumptions were well understood, and long-term investments could be made with reasonable confidence. That era is over. In this episode, host Kinsey Grant Baker sits down with Darrin Kinney, Senior Vice President of Business Development at Integral Analytics, to unpack why uncertainty—not growth itself—has become the defining challenge for grid planners. With the explosive rise of data centers and AI-driven demand introducing new load profiles and a heightened level of handwringing from planners, we’re seeing previously unseen load profiles: lumpy, opaque, fast-moving, and often speculative. During the conversation, Kinney explains why traditional single-scenario forecasting is no longer sufficient in this environment and shares examples where forecast errors are already showing up across the United States and what those missteps reveal about current planning frameworks. But all is not lost, as advanced analytics and AI tools are already being used to stress-test assumptions, model competing futures, and guide capital investment decisions. Listen in to learn how we can re-instill long-term confidence for utilities navigating an increasingly complex energy system. And thanks to our partner, Integral Analytics, for making this episode possible. Integral Analytics provides utilities with advanced load forecasting and scenario-based planning tools designed to address growing uncertainty from data centers, electrification, and emerging technologies. Their work supports more informed grid planning and long-term system resilience. For more information, or to check out their latest white paper on Data Centers and how to bubble-proof your load forecasting, visit them at https://integralanalytics.com Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe Planning for the Unknown: Data Centers, Agentic AI, and the End of One-Scenario Forecasting: https://integralanalytics.com/data-center/

Note: This episode was recorded in late November 2025. To keep up with the (many) updates to EPA policymaking, permitting reform, and more that have happened since this conversation...might we suggest the Energy Central Daily Newsletter? The clean energy transition is running into a critical constraint, and it’s not because of technology, capital, or ambition. Instead the bottleneck comes from how energy projects get approved. Permitting has become one of the most consequential—and contested—issues in U.S. energy policy. Transmission lines, renewable generation, and other major infrastructure projects are facing longer timelines, greater uncertainty, and growing political friction. At the same time, demand for electricity is rising fast, and reliability and affordability are back at the center of public concern. In this episode, host Kinsey Grant Baker plays moderator for a friendly but critical debate between two of the country’s leading energy law scholars, James Coleman of the University of Minnesota and David Adelman of the University of Texas. While both agree that permitting is a serious bottleneck, they bring distinct perspectives on why the system looks the way it does and how far reform should go. Drawing on years of research and policy engagement, Coleman and Adelman walk through how today’s permitting framework evolved, where the biggest procedural and political bottlenecks lie, and why recent reform efforts have produced mixed results. Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Physical security has become one of the grid’s most urgent and most misunderstood challenges. While cybersecurity rightly commands attention, attacks on substations and critical infrastructure are rising in frequency, sophistication, and intent. And unlike cyber threats, physical attacks don’t require advanced tools—just access, time, and opportunity. To dive into this essential area of concern for utility leaders, this episodes sees host Kinsey Grant Baker joined by Brent Warzocha, Vice President of Sales at 3B Protection. Brent helps to unpack what’s really changing in the physical threat landscape and what utilities can realistically do about it. From understanding today’s threat actors to implementing pragmatic “deter, detect, delay, respond” frameworks, this conversation focuses on scalable solutions utilities can deploy now. Brent also dives into the real cost of inaction, the friction utilities face in prioritizing physical security, and how leaders can balance budgets, compliance, and resilience without slowing projects down. And thanks to our partner, 3B Protection, for making this episode possible. 3B Protection is in the business of helping organizations protect their people, property and critical assets. The last ten years or so has seen significant ballistic activity in and around electrical substations that are part of the United States’s critical infrastructure and 3B offers a line of product to help protect those substations from malicious attacks. 3B has tested their products to the extreme in a way that far exceeds UL minimums. And not just for ballistics – our walls are thoroughly tested against forced entry, vehicle crashes and blast as well. Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Utility regulation doesn’t usually light up the algorithms on social media, but it’s a topic that quietly determines how much customers pay for electricity, who benefits from new clean energy investments, and whether innovation actually reaches everyday households. In other words, the utility regulation process directly impacts every single household and business and sets the stage for what our energy system of tomorrow will be. So as utilities face rising costs, new large loads from AI and electrification, and growing public scrutiny around affordability, the question isn’t whether regulation matters—it’s whether it’s keeping up. In this episode of Power Perspectives, host Kinsey Grant Baker dives into that question with one of the leaders best poised to give an authoritative answer: Charles Hua, TIME100 Next honoree and Founder of PowerLines. Charles helps us to unpack how modernizing utility regulation can lower bills, build trust, and ensure the clean energy transition works for everyone. From AI-driven load growth to customer equity metrics and performance-based regulation, this conversation offers utility leaders a practical framework for embedding equity and long-term perspectives into decision-making—not as an afterthought, but as a core business strategy. Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

In the current age of artificial intelligence, the challenge for utilities isn’t just how to power AI-driven data centers, it’s also how AI itself is changing grid operations, security, workforce needs, and the overall utility business model. In this episode of Power Perspectives, host Kinsey Grant Baker welcomes Paul Quinlan, Director of Energy Research at ScottMadden to peel back the curtain on what new areas of focus utility leaders need to be aware of as AI grows. Paul breaks down the national security dimensions of AI and energy, the limits of traditional load forecasting and capital planning approaches, and which markets are emerging as early stress points. But it’s not all bad news, as Paul also explores AI as an internal opportunity with real-world examples of how utilities are using AI for predictive maintenance, outage forecasting, and grid optimization, along with how leaders can think more clearly about measuring ROI on AI investments. Finally, this conversation turns to the workforce: how AI may reshape utility roles, what new skills are in demand, and how utilities can balance automation with workforce development and retention. And thanks to our partner, ScottMadden, for making this episode possible. ScottMadden knows energy from the ground up. Since 1983, they have served as energy consultants for hundreds of utilities, large and small, including all of the top 20. They focus on Transmission & Distribution, the Grid Edge, Generation, Energy Markets, Rates & Regulation, Enterprise Sustainability, and Corporate Services. Their broad, deep utility expertise is not theoretical—it is experience based. They have helped our clients develop and implement strategies, improve critical operations, reorganize departments and entire companies, and implement myriad initiatives. Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Setting a zero-carbon target is one thing. Delivering it while keeping power reliable and affordable is something else entirely. In this episode of Power Perspectives, host Kinsey Grant Baker is joined by Rachel Huang, Director of Distributed Energy Solutions at SMUD, one of the first U.S. utilities to commit to a zero-carbon electricity supply by 2030. Rachel sits at the center of that effort, translating long-term climate ambition into practical electrification programs, measurable customer savings, and grid-ready investments. Listen in as Rachel steps through how SMUD defines “zero carbon” in concrete terms, where the utility stands today, and the lessons from this ongoing pursuit. For utility leaders navigating the tension between climate goals, affordability, and public perception, this conversation offers a rare, data-driven look at what it takes to move from aspiration to execution. Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

What happens to communities centered on fossil fuels as the clean energy transition accelerates? Because this seismic shift is more than just technical—it'll no doubt bring economic and human impacts to communities that rely on the business of fossil fuels, from coal towns to Texas oil hotspots. With every transition-focused policy, entire regions built around the production of coal and gas must face profound uncertainty about jobs, tax bases, and long-term stability. Today on Power Perspectives, we're exploring what an equitable clean energy future can look like—for both petrostates and electrostates. Host Kinsey Grant Baker is joined by Noah Kaufman, Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy and former Senior Economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Today, Noah leads the Resilient Energy Economies Initiative, which examines how fossil fuel–reliant communities can navigate the transition without being left behind. The conversation explores the real economic risks facing coal, oil, and gas communities, the differences between petrostates and electrostates, and the warning signs policymakers and utilities should be watching for. Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Business as usual? Not going to cut it in today’s energy reality. Embracing cutting-edge tech is the bare minimum to keep up with the modern needs of the modern grid. That’s according to Raiford Smith, Global Head of Power & Energy for Cloud at Google, who joins Mike this week to break down the lessons energy can learn from Big Tech—and the lessons Big Tech can learn from energy. Raiford explains Google’s strategy for big energy swings, the playbook for finding your competitive edge in a tech-enabled energy world, the new definition of “all of the above,” and so much more. Because the clean, affordable, reliable energy future isn’t just about figuring out what works. It’s about figuring out how to get tech solutions to scale quickly. And that’s where utilities and Big Tech can make the biggest dent…together.

Every utility leader wants to know: What can we do to protect an increasingly complex grid from security threats, both cyber and physical? This week on Power Perspectives, Adam Lee, Vice President and Chief Security Officer at Dominion Energy, sits down with host Kinsey Grant Baker to dissect the real, scalable strategies for defending the modern grid from today’s growing threats. And Adam is certainly an expert—complete with a distinguished security-focused background that brought him from FBI to the utility providing power to the Pentagon, naval bases, and some of the world’s most energy-intensive data centers. Listen in for a look at how Dominion is approaching cyber and physical security as a unified discipline and why partnerships across government, law enforcement, and the private sector are becoming essential to grid resilience. Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

What goes through an energy CEO’s mind when thinking about the role of the customer, the fuel mix of the future, the affordability crisis, and the workforce changes shaping power? A lot, unsurprisingly. So today on The Watt & Why, host Mike Smith is bringing in Jay Stowe, founder & CEO of Stowe Utility Group, to break down what modern energy success looks like, the challenges dominating boardroom conversations today, and much more. With decades of combined utility experience, Jay and Mike offer an impactful look at meeting customers where they are, placing the right bets, balancing incentives with competition, and the reality of making decisions about large loads. Listen for a rare peek at what today’s top utility leaders are really prioritizing.

The “duck curve” has become one of the most recognizable symbols in modern energy as an illustration of both the promise and the challenge of solar power. But what if the very technologies creating the problem could also solve it? In this episode of Power Perspectives, host Kinsey Grant Baker welcomes Craig Lewis, Founder and Executive Director of the Clean Coalition, to explore how local solar and storage can flatten the duck curve, cut costs, and build a more resilient grid. Bringing his decades of experiences to the table, Lewis shares how California’s energy transformation can serve as a blueprint for the nation—and why the real battle isn’t just about generation, but about where and how we build it. This conversation challenges conventional wisdom about where the next wave of grid investment should go, emphasizing how “thinking local” may be the smartest way to plan globally. Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe Key Links: Exploding transmission costs are the missing story in California’s regionalization debate: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/exploding-transmission-costs-are-the-missing-story-in-californias-regional/526894/ How to protect California ratepayers, expand clean local energy and avoid bailing out PG&E: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/how-to-protect-california-ratepayers-expand-clean-local-energy-and-avoid-b/554564/ How Two Simple Fixes Can Fairly Compensate the True Value of DERs in California: https://www.tdworld.com/distributed-energy-resources/article/21132853/how-two-simple-fixes-can-fairly-compensate-the-true-value-of-ders-in-california Transmission Access Charges Wasteful electricity transmission spending is hurting California communities. Our reforms will fix this: https://clean-coalition.org/policy/transmission-access-charges/ Flattening California’s Duck Curve with Local Solar: https://clean-coalition.org/news/flattening-californias-duck-curve-with-local-solar-and-battery-storage/

How can we engage with an energy transition without massive swings in power reliability? Is climate change really just a big cop-out for utility leaders? Or is it a larger predicament that we need to strategize around? What’s the best means of reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience for an energy industry in flux? Today on The Watt & Why, host Mike Smith welcome renowned climate scientist Dr. Judith Curry for a wide-ranging conversation about the intersection of energy abundance and climate stewardship. From the challenges to wind and solar proliferation to the timing of pulling off the energy transition to all of the above vs. best of the above…Mike and Judith are breaking it all down in this insightful, provocative conversation.