Podcast Summary: Energy Gang – "Speed to power: how can America accelerate the build-out of the next grid?"

Host: Ed Crooks (Wood Mackenzie)
Special Episode From: ACORE Grid Forum, Washington DC
Release date: November 4, 2025

Overview

This special Energy Gang episode brings together policymakers, innovators, and industry leaders at the ACORE Grid Forum in Washington, DC to dissect the urgent need for accelerating the build-out of the American electrical grid. The show covers politics, finance, regulation, and technology—all centered on the critical theme: “speed to power.” As escalating electricity demand from data centers and manufacturing collides with aging infrastructure, permitting delays, and regulatory fragmentation, the conversation explores bipartisan solutions, financing models, advanced technology options, and the need for rapid, coordinated action.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Political Dynamics and Permitting Reform

Guest: Heather Reams (President, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions)

• Permitting as the Bottleneck:
  “I don’t talk to anyone in Washington or outside of the Beltway who doesn’t say permitting, permitting, permitting.” – Heather Reams [00:04]
  Everyone agrees that permitting delays are the primary obstacle to rapid grid expansion and investment.
• 'All of the Above' Energy Strategy:
  Heather champions an inclusive approach to energy, valuing any technology that reduces emissions, from wind and solar to gas and nuclear—even as partisan debates persist over which technologies should be prioritized.
• Bipartisan Desire vs. Political Reality:
  Both Republicans and Democrats see the need for permitting reform, but ongoing political tensions make consensus difficult.
  “The political dynamics is the challenge. So soothing political dynamics and getting to a place where we can pass some common sense bipartisan permitting legislation is what’s on next.” — Heather Reams [03:26]
• Impact of Regulatory Uncertainty:
  The pendulum swing between different administrations on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and other policies creates uncertainty that hurts investment and global competitiveness.
• Likelihood of Reform:
  Heather is cautiously optimistic, suggesting meaningful permitting reform may be possible ahead of the 2026 midterms if economic conditions provide incentive.
  “If the economy doesn’t continue to improve as the President would want, I can see him putting his hand on the scale and making sure that permitting is a priority before the midterm elections.” — Heather Reams [10:19]

2. Grid Investment & Green Bank Innovation

Guest: Richard Kaufman (Chair, Coalition for Green Capital)

• The Financing Gap:
  The biggest obstacle to the energy transition is not technology but securing financing, especially for distributed energy solutions (rooftop/community solar, storage, etc.).
• Distributed Solutions:
  Distributed generation can be the fastest and most cost-effective way to meet rising electricity demand—often avoiding expensive distribution upgrades.
• Green Bank Model:
  The Coalition for Green Capital (CGC) acts like a “national green bank,” lending where capital is available but not accessible, and building out structures for distributed and community energy financing.
  Case study: New York Green Bank’s work on community solar financing provided a blueprint that commercial lenders eventually adopted.
  “The grid that we have is a grid architecture that was never designed for renewables or distributed solutions.” — Richard Kaufman [17:32]
• Affordability vs. Climate:
  The economics and affordability of electricity now dominate the agenda, but Kaufman warns against seeing decarbonization and cost as a false dichotomy:
  “At some point, the bill is going to come due if we don’t do things in terms of addressing climate change.” [21:05]

3. Grid Planning, Regulation, and the Demand Shock

Guest: Rob Gramlich (Founder & President, Grid Strategies)

• A New Era of Growth:
  After decades of flat electric demand, the US is now confronting a massive demand spike—driven by AI data centers and manufacturing—that is “sharpening minds” for long-term grid planning.
• FERC, Fragmentation, and Order 1920:
  Proactive, regional planning is essential, but fragmented interests and insufficient federal authority slow progress.
  FERC’s new Order 1920 lays groundwork for comprehensive planning, but uncertainty remains around its implementation under new commissioners. “The challenge now is really just in the last two years, this load growth caught everybody by surprise, certainly the transmission planners.” [25:09]
• Affordability and Transmission Investment:
  Investing in transmission saves money long-term by alleviating congestion and supporting large-scale clean energy. Scrimping on proactive investment is pennywise, pound foolish.
  “It would be pennywise, pound foolish to stop spending money on transmission... you’re costing them more on the energy cost side.” — Rob Gramlich [31:10]
• Culture Shift for Speed:
  Rapid deployment now requires technical innovation—like advanced conductors—and a cultural shift away from decade-long planning cycles.

4. Technology Innovation: Advanced Conductors & Google’s Role

Guest: Theodore Paradise (Chief Policy & Grid Strategy Officer, CTC Global)

• Advanced Conductors as a Fast Track:
  CTC Global’s carbon-composite “hyper performance” conductors double the power-carrying capacity of lines without new rights-of-way. Widely adopted internationally, but less so in the US.
• The Inertia Problem:
  US utilities tend to stick with familiar technology, favoring new construction or simple like-for-like upgrades despite faster, cheaper options.
• The Google Partnership:
  Google and CTC Global have partnered to fast-track deployment of advanced conductors, focusing on speedy requests-for-information and willingness to help with cost allocation. “We can’t buy a time machine, but we have capital to deploy these things to support reconductoring.” — Theodore Paradise [46:04]
• Proof of Speed:
  Projects responding to Google’s RFI are progressing from pitch to negotiation in months, not years—demonstrating the possibility of near-term transmission upgrades if stakeholders cooperate.

5. Summing Up: The Market Exists, Bottlenecks Remain

Guest: Ray Long (President & CEO, ACORE)

• Unprecedented Demand Spike:
  Ray highlights that US electricity demand is set to rise by 120 GW in just four years—equivalent to 12 new New York Cities—far faster than ever before.
  “It’s more than we’ve ever built in that short period of time before.” — Ray Long [53:15]
• Financing and Development Ready:
  The market has buyers, investors, and developers eager to build—what’s missing is government enabling action.
• Permitting Nightmares:
  Permitting times can stretch to up to 17 years for transmission, 5+ for generation. They “should be permitted in about 24 months.”
  “Without addressing those two things, we’re not going to get to a solution by 2030.” — Ray Long [54:16]
• Risks of Inaction:
  Without rapid action on permitting and bottlenecks, the US faces higher power prices and real risks of outages due to untenable supply-demand gaps.
• Optimistic Vision:
  Ray longs for a “technology neutral permitting reform bill” passed within a year, enabling “all of the above” solutions and rapid grid expansion to serve the nation’s needs.
  “We’ve got the opportunity to do this and thrive. And the other technologies should not be taken off the table. This is an all of the above approach.” — Ray Long [59:41]

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “It’s a grid which was never designed for renewables.”
  — Richard Kaufman [00:01]
• “I don’t talk to anyone…who doesn’t say permitting, permitting, permitting.”
  — Heather Reams [00:04]
• “This is a moment of pivotal change in the utility world like I’ve never seen before.”
  — Theodore Paradise [00:09], [41:39]
• “In just four years…we need to increase power…by 120 gigawatts. It’s more than we’ve ever built in that short period of time.”
  — Ray Long [00:13], [53:07]
• “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
  — Rob Gramlich [23:50]
• “At some point, the bill is going to come due if we don’t do things in terms of addressing climate change.”
  — Richard Kaufman [21:05]
• “Speed is now something where, how can we do that faster and more cost-effectively is entering the equation in a way that it hasn’t to date.”
  — Theodore Paradise [40:56]
• “Without addressing those two things, we’re not going to get to a solution by 2030… that’s some pretty heavy increase in prices and some pretty heavy outages.”
  — Ray Long [54:16]

Structural Breakdown & Key Segments

• 00:00–10:54: Political and permitting obstacles (Heather Reams)
• 10:56–22:52: Financing and the green bank approach (Richard Kaufman)
• 22:53–33:39: Grid planning, FERC Order 1920, regulatory uncertainty (Rob Gramlich)
• 33:43–48:48: Advanced conductors, tech partnerships, and culture shift (Theodore Paradise)
• 49:04–60:27: Forum wrap-up, demand and investment landscape, bottlenecks, outlook (Ray Long)

Tone & Takeaway

The episode’s mood blends urgency with optimism, candid about the bottlenecks but enthusiastic about the potential for bipartisan action, innovative finance, and rapid technological adoption. “Speed to power” is not just a slogan—it’s a new paradigm as grid expansion is recast as a race against time, with outsize implications for economic competitiveness, national security, and climate resilience.

For grid wonks, policymakers, tech investors, or anyone keeping an eye on America’s energy transition, this episode is essential listening—a crash course on why speed, collaboration, and bold reforms are needed now.