Electrification should be a field day for utilities. As we electrify the economy, adding gigafactories, charging stations, and green hydrogen hubs to the grid, the demand for power is growing for the first time in decades. For savvy utilities, there’s a lot of money to be made. But only if they can keep up. 

Utilities face massive challenges to deliver the power needed for electrification – years-long interconnection queues, a shortage of transformers, an uncertain regulatory environment—the list goes on. It’s the electrification gauntlet. 

Can utilities make it through? 

In this episode, Shayle talks to his colleague Andy Lubershane, partner and head of research at Energy Impact Partners. 

They cover topics like:

• Why power demand flatlined over the past twenty years—and what’s changing now
• Big industrial loads like data centers that face delays because utilities aren’t able to deliver enough power 
• The differences between big industrial load growth, like green hydrogen hubs, and distributed load growth, like heat pumps.
• The current EPA’s proposed power plant regulations, which might require carbon capture and storage
• The shortage of electrical transformers 
• Why microgrids might become even more valuable as utilities struggle to deliver power

Recommended Resources:

• Reuters: Global power demand growth to rebound in 2024 after slowdown, IEA says
• Utility Dive: Full industrial electrification could more than double US power demand. Here’s how renewables can meet it.

Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

Are you looking to understand how artificial intelligence will shape the business of energy? Come network with utilities, top energy firms, startups, and AI experts at Transition-AI: New York on October 19. Our listeners get a 10% discount with the code pspods10.

Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you're a startup, investor, enterprise, or innovation ecosystem that's creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more.

Catalyst is supported by RE+. RE+ is more than just the largest clean energy event, it’s a catalyst for industry innovation designed to supercharge business growth in the clean energy economy. Learn more: re-plus.com.