Podcast
Energy Central
Hosted by Energy Central · EN
Welcome to the Energy Central Podcast Network—your ultimate resource for the biggest ideas, boldest perspectives, and best insights from across the electric power industry.
We publish…
Power Perspectives. From CEOs of major utilities to founders of energy tech startups pushing the envelope, Power Perspectives curates the news, thought leaders, and big picture conversations most important to modern power professionals—every week on Tuesdays.
The Watt & Why. Dive deep into utility business strategies, straight from the minds of the leaders deciding what comes next. Host Mike Smith leverages his own decades of power utility industry experience and leadership to get to the bottom of what inspires, drives, and challenges utility decision makers.
And there’s even more to come.
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40episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
This Tiny Nuclear Battery Could Unlock the Next Era of Space Exploration
2d ago00:38:12Tap to summarizeWhat if a nuclear battery the size of a grain of rice could power critical sensors for decades—or help build the infrastructure needed to explore the Moon and Mars?In this episode of Energy Central’s Power Perspectives Podcast, host Molly Glick sits down with City Labs CEO Peter Cabauy to explore the emerging world of nuclear micropower. City Labs develops long-lasting betavoltaic power sources that generate electricity offering continuous power for applications where conventional batteries and solar energy can fall short.The conversation follows City Labs’ journey from an idea inspired by quantum physics to a major milestone: launching what the company calls the world’s first commercial nuclear-powered satellite aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-17 mission.Peter explains how betavoltaic technology works, why tiny amounts of continuous power can be valuable, and where City Labs sees opportunities—from sensors embedded across the power grid to pacemakers, lunar infrastructure, Mars exploration, and deep-space missions. He also discusses the regulatory and technical hurdles involved in bringing nuclear technology to space.
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Inside the Heated AI Data Center Debate
1w ago00:15:21Tap to summarizeToday’s episode of Power Perspectives tackles one of the most contentious issues in the energy industry today: should states slow or even pause the rapid expansion of AI data centers?Energy Central’s Molly Glick and Carrie Klein break down New York's first-in-the-nation temporary data center moratorium, why more than a dozen states are considering similar policies, and the arguments on both sides of the debate. The conversation explores concerns over rising electricity costs, grid reliability, water use, and whether ratepayers should bear the cost of powering AI infrastructure. At the same time, they examine the economic benefits data centers can bring through jobs, investment, and innovation.Whether you're for or against data center moratoriums, this discussion offers a balanced look at one of the biggest policy debates shaping the future of AI and the electric grid.
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Can Data Centers Actually Lower Your Electric Bill?
2w ago00:33:34Tap to summarizeAs electricity demand surges and customer bills come under increasing pressure, utilities are being challenged to balance affordability, reliability, and economic growth. But can bringing more data centers and large industrial customers onto the grid actually help lower costs for everyone else?In this episode of Power Perspectives, Kinsey Grant Baker sits down with Christine Martin, President of PPL Electric Utilities, to discuss why electricity prices are rising, how utilities can protect residential customers while supporting massive new loads, and why transparent communication has become just as important as grid infrastructure. Christine explains how PPL is preparing for unprecedented demand growth, why "growth should pay for growth," and what utilities can do to build trust with the communities they serve.Whether you're interested in grid modernization, utility regulation, data centers, or the future of electricity affordability, this conversation offers an inside look at one of the industry's biggest challenges.
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The Engineering Debate Shaping the Future Power Grid
3w ago00:35:01Tap to summarizeAs electricity demand surges, utilities are being forced to rethink how they build the transmission grid.In this episode of Power Perspectives, Burns & McDonnell's Brandon Goodwin and Zach Brinker explain why a decades-old debate—lattice towers versus steel poles—is becoming relevant again.They break down the engineering, cost, construction, and reliability tradeoffs behind each approach, and explain how factors like terrain, outage constraints, supply chains, and project scale all influence the right choice.If the grid is going to keep pace with unprecedented demand growth, utilities will need to move beyond one-size-fits-all solutions for building the transmission infrastructure of the future.Thank you to Burns & McDonnell for sponsoring this episode. Discover more about Burns & McDonnell: https://hubs.li/Q04qzfSp0
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Why Keeping The Lights On Is Getting Harder
3w ago00:39:36Tap to summarizeThe North American grid remains one of the most reliable in the world—but is that changing?As electricity demand surges from AI data centers, electrification, and new manufacturing, utilities are racing to keep pace while balancing an increasingly complex mix of resources. So how reliable is the grid today? Where are the biggest risks emerging? And what needs to happen to keep the lights on over the next decade?In this episode of Power Perspectives, Kinsey Grant Baker sits down with John Moura, Director of Reliability Assessment and System Analysis at NERC, to unpack the organization's latest long-term reliability assessment. They discuss why some regions face greater reliability risks than others, how the rapid growth of wind, solar, batteries, and data centers is reshaping grid planning, and why data centers may actually strengthen reliability if integrated thoughtfully. Moura also explains why traditional planning metrics are becoming outdated—and what utilities, regulators, and policymakers should do now to build a more reliable grid for the future.Whether you're planning for the next wave of load growth or navigating the evolving generation mix, this conversation offers a timely look at the challenges—and opportunities—ahead for North America's power system.
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Why This Utility Shut Off Power Before Disaster Hit
4w ago00:43:48Tap to summarizeWildfire risk is changing—and so is the way utilities respond. In this episode of Power Perspectives, we take an inside look at Arizona Public Service's first-ever Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) and the high-stakes decision-making behind intentionally turning off power to prevent catastrophic wildfires.Host Matt Chester is joined by Wade Ward, Manager of Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Science at Arizona Public Service, and Steve Vanderburgh, Vice President of Weather & Risk Solutions at Technosylva. Together, they explain how advanced weather modeling, wildfire analytics, and operational planning helped guide one of the utility's most difficult decisions. They also discuss how utilities can balance reliability with public safety, why today's wildfire threat extends far beyond California, and what lessons every utility can apply before the next extreme weather event.Whether you're working in utility operations, emergency management, or simply interested in how critical infrastructure adapts to growing climate risks, this conversation offers practical insights into one of the industry's most important challenges.Thank you Technosylva for sponsoring this episode. Learn more about Technosylva here: https://hubs.la/Q04psJRr0
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The New Market That Could Make Power Cheaper
Jul 1400:33:13Tap to summarizeAs electricity demand grows and the grid becomes more complex, utilities are looking for smarter ways to deliver reliable, affordable power. In this episode of Power Perspectives, Kinsey Grant Baker sits down with Mike Wilding, Vice President of Energy Supply Management at PacifiCorp, to explore the Extended Day Ahead Market (EDAM) and how it could reshape electricity markets across the western United States. Mike explains how EDAM builds on the success of the Western Energy Imbalance Market by enabling utilities to optimize power generation and transmission a full day in advance rather than only in real time. The conversation covers how better forecasting and regional coordination can lower costs for customers, improve reliability during extreme weather, and make more efficient use of renewable energy resources. Mike also shares the years of collaboration, technology upgrades, and regulatory work required to launch EDAM, along with lessons for utilities considering similar market models. If you're interested in the future of grid operations, regional electricity markets, and utility innovation, this episode offers an accessible look at one of the industry's most significant developments.
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From wildfires to the Olympics: Inside one utility's resilience overhaul
Jul 700:32:31Tap to summarizeIn January 2025, the LA wildfires became one of the most destructive weather events in American history—and LADWP, the largest municipally-owned utility in the United States, had to respond in real time…while simultaneously planning for the World Cup, the Super Bowl, and the 2028 Olympics.This is how they did it.In this episode, host Kinsey Grant Baker sits down with Zoraya Oliver-Griffin, LADWP's Chief Resiliency and Emergency Officer, to talk about what it actually takes to build a utility that can withstand anything.From standing up a state-of-the-art emergency ops center to stress-testing infrastructure through back-to-back global events, Zoraya breaks down how LADWP is turning hard-won lessons into a long-term resilience strategy—and why she thinks every major utility needs a role like hers.
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Can DERs save the power grid?
Jun 2500:36:44Tap to summarizeOver 80% of installed DER capacity isn't enrolled in a virtual power plant. The technology is ready. The economics are increasingly compelling. What's missing is the regulatory alignment and system-wide planning to bring it all together.In this episode, host Kinsey Grant Baker sits down with Audrey Zibelman—former CEO of the Australian Energy Market Operator, former Chair of the New York Public Service Commission, and former executive at Alphabet's X moonshot factory—to talk about what it will actually take to get distributed energy resources from promising concept to essential grid tool.From the S-curve of solar adoption in Australia to rethinking how utilities make money, this is a blueprint for what a smarter, more flexible grid can look like.Check out the Pew report Audrey mentions throughout the episode here: https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2026/04/distributed-energy-can-unleash-the-resilient-affordable-grid-of-the-future
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How to build a smarter grid on a tighter budget
Jun 2300:48:49Tap to summarizeUtilities have more data than ever before—AMI readings, drone footage, transformer sensors, SCADA signals. The question is no longer whether to collect it. It's how to actually turn it into decisions that keep the lights on.In this roundtable, host Kinsey Grant Baker sits down with Christina Park of Skydio, Mark Gabriel of United Power, Trevor Stiles of ATC, and Sean Vanslyke of SEMO Electric to explore how utilities are evolving their approach to asset management in real time—moving from gut-call prioritization to condition-based maintenance, getting their teams on board with new technology, and building toward a future where failures get caught before they happen.This episode is brought to you by Skydio.Skydio helps utilities move beyond outdated time based maintenance to smarter, safer and more scalable condition-based maintenance. Powered by autonomous remote operated drones, over 280 utilities trust Skydio. Because with real time aerial data and remote inspection, utilities can spot issues early, reduce forced outages and make confident, efficient, cost effective decisions.Learn more about Skydio here: https://www.skydio.com/solutions/utilities
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