Katherine’s final episode

10 snips

Dec 19, 2025

Katherine Hamilton shares her incredible journey through over 40 years in the energy sector, from her unexpected start in grid engineering to her influential policy advocacy. She reflects on pivotal moments that shaped her career, including navigating a male-dominated industry and mentoring future leaders. Katherine emphasizes the importance of clear communication in making complex energy topics accessible. With a spirit of optimism, she highlights the progress in renewable energy and leaves listeners inspired as she transitions to new ventures.

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ANECDOTE

Unexpected Path Into Grid Engineering

Katherine Hamilton accidentally entered utility engineering and learned by doing night classes and on-the-job tests.
She loved fieldwork and hands-on projects, like pioneering water-impervious cable splicing with instructions from Japan.

INSIGHT

Technical Credibility Enables Policy Influence

Hamilton used her technical credibility to translate complex lab research into plain language for policymakers.
That translation created influence because officials could grasp technical solutions quickly.

ADVICE

Win Policy Battles With Prepared Materials

Prepare rigorous, actionable materials to win policy fights rather than relying on fundraising alone.
Clear charts and talking points can sway congressional votes and create legislative wins.

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After more than 40 years in the energy industry, Katherine Hamilton is retiring. And that means she’s also retiring from the podcast after a decade behind the microphone.

In this farewell episode, Katherine shares insights into a career that spanned one of the most transformative periods in energy history. We’ll reflect on her accidental entry into grid engineering at Dominion Virginia Power in the 1980s, where she learned to design distribution circuits, calculate load, and build early efficiency projects.

She talks about how those experiences gave her an intuitive grasp of how the grid works — a foundation that shaped her roles at NREL, in federal advocacy, in leading industry associations, and becoming a trusted policy voice in clean energy.

We’re deeply grateful for the clarity and optimism Katherine brought to every conversation. Over the years, she helped listeners make sense of policy upheavals, market shifts, and the messy, unpredictable reality of the energy transition.

This is a chance for us to say thank you. Katherine was an incredibly effective translator for the clean energy industry, and we’re going to miss her deeply.

This is our final episode of the year, but we’ll be back in January with fresh episodes.

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