#119: How Utilities Can Unlock Capacity Without Building More with Switched Source

Jul 23, 2025

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In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Charlie Murray, CEO and co-founder of Switched Source about a deceptively simple idea with massive implications for the future of electricity: unlocking hidden capacity on our existing power grid without building new wires or generation plants. Switched Source’s power flow technology helps utilities dynamically balance electricity across their distribution circuits — almost like unblocking a three-lane highway at rush hour. Charlie unpacks how utilities can get smarter, not just bigger, to meet the explosive demand from data centers, EVs, heat pumps, and more.

Key Points:

Our Grid Faces a Demand Tsunami: Rising electricity needs from AI data centers, electrification, and heat pumps are outpacing what utilities can deliver, creating bottlenecks that threaten economic growth and reliability.
Building New Infrastructure Isn’t Always the Answer: Traditional solutions like adding more wires or constructing new generation are capital intensive, slow, and often impractical for rapid deployment.
Switched Source Developed a Real-Time Balancing Solution: Switched Source created a pad-mounted device that dynamically redirects power between the three phases of a distribution circuit, freeing up 10–25% more capacity that was otherwise trapped by imbalance.
Charles Murray, CEO and co-founder of Switched Source
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Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability
LinkedIn: Lisa Ann Pinkerton
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Instagram - @LisiAnni
Technica Communications
Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

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