Energy Central

Wildfires, hurricanes, cyberattacks—utilities are under siege from extreme events. But what if there were a better, calmer, and smarter way to handle them? In this episode of Power Perspectives, host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester are joined by Matt Schnugg, Chief Product Officer at Schneider Electric’s Digital Grid business to talk about a transformative new framework called Holistic Event Management. It’s an approach that moves beyond siloed solutions and reactive decision-making—toward unified, proactive digital platforms that support operators in both blue-sky and black-sky conditions. Drawing from his experience leading the rollout of Schneider Electric’s One Digital Grid Platform, Matt shares how utilities can reduce the **c**ognitive burden on their teams during moments of chaos and build a response strategy that’s not just reactive—but anticipatory. From wildfire preparation to grid restoration, we explore how digital transformation is becoming a lifeline for resilience. Listen in to learn how today’s utility event management got so fragmented and reactive, and how culture, alignment, and digital integration are key to successfully addressing emergencies moving forward. Key Links: Energy Central Post: https://www.energycentral.com/podcasts/post/the-utility-emergency-playbook-gets-a-makeover-2NtReLZGxsmg5zb Schneider Electric on Energy Central: https://www.energycentral.com/SchneiderElectric Video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lg_1xxFAai8 Ask a Question to Our Future Guests: Do you have a burning question for the utility executives and energy industry thought leaders that we feature each week on Power Perspectives? Leave us a message here for your chance to be featured in an upcoming episode: www.speakpipe.com/EnergyCentralPodcast

So you’ve got a lot of data…now what do you do with it? How do we turn a patchwork of energy technologies into a single cohesive model—one that’s scalable, reliable, and ready to deploy? That’s what we’re talking about today: filling in digital gaps with GIS technology. Because doing so doesn’t just mean improving workflows—it can also mean optimizing gains for utilities across the board. Our guest today is Matt Zimmerman, UDC Vice President of Systems Integration. Matt is giving an expert POV on the current state of digitalization, including an impactful case study showing how one utility is pulling off an end-to-end retirement of their paper asset construction—with UDC’s help. This episode is packed with intel on how the design fabric of high-tech utility workflows operates in the real world. This episode is brought to you by UDC. As a GIS-centric systems integrator, UDC specializes in supporting its clients' projects and programs throughout the entire lifecycle—from conception to implementation. UDC’s services are tailored to utilities and infrastructure companies worldwide, offering geospatial technology solutions designed to maximize the return on enterprise digital investments. Celebrating 20 years, UDC is proud to have achieved Platinum status in the Esri Partner Network program and has served over 75 utility organizations on projects related to Digital Design and Construction; Data Readiness and Maintenance; Data Acquisition; Enterprise Architecture; GIS Technology Stack Implementation; Utility Network Transformation; Utility Compliance Management; and Grid Modernization, including ADMS planning and implementation. You can connect with Matt Zimmerman and his UDC team on Energy Central or at udcus.com to explore how to unlock the full potential of your organization’s enterprise digital investments. Read more about UDC’s work mapping the last frontier of the digital utility right here: https://www.energycentral.com/home/post/last-frontier-digital-utility-r-O6rqeouzuP16R9X

How can you build the grid of the future when your field crews are still relying on paper and clipboards? For utilities across the country, that question has become urgent—especially as extreme weather events become more frequent and the demand for accurate, real-time data skyrockets. To help podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester dive into that topic on this episode of Power Perspectives, the podcast welcomes Bob Schultz, a veteran utility data expert and Electric Utility Industry Specialist at Locusview. Drawing from decades of experience—from the era of 90-day GIS lag times to today's near-instant data capture—Bob shares how utilities can modernize field operations, embrace barcode scanning and mobile apps, and meet the expectations of a new generation of digital-native lineworkers. If you’re still managing your assets with manila folders, it’s time to hear what’s next. Key Links: Energy Central Post: https://www.energycentral.com/podcasts/post/field-crews-of-the-future-are-here-PruvhWxaRKcgJuV Robert Schultz on Energy Central: https://www.energycentral.com/member/CBdPIxdafG Locusview on Energy Central: https://www.energycentral.com/LocusView Video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1XWnk3w-4gU Ask a Question to Our Future Guests: Do you have a burning question for the utility executives and energy industry thought leaders that we feature each week on Power Perspectives? Leave us a message here for your chance to be featured in an upcoming episode: www.speakpipe.com/EnergyCentralPodcast

The biggest threat to grid modernization? It might be hiding in your GIS. Utilities are racing toward smarter, more dynamic grid systems—layering on DERs, EVs, ADMS, and DERMS. But there’s a hidden bottleneck holding everything back: the massive disconnect between field data and back-office systems. In this episode of Power Perspectives, Adrian McNulty, Vice President of Utility Solutions at IQGeo, joins to dig into why real-time, mobile-first geospatial systems are the unsung heroes of the modern grid. Adrian draws from more than two decades of experience in utility software to explain why outdated systems and poor field connectivity are dragging down the potential of advanced grid technologies—and how forward-thinking utilities are fixing it. Tune in to learn why traditional geospatial platforms are falling short in the DER era, what it means to truly unify the field and the office around a single source of truth, and how utilities can streamline tools into one spatial solution. Key Links: Energy Central Post: https://www.energycentral.com/podcasts/post/the-grid-s-secret-weapon-smarter-field-data-vxBI0qelPHARnHf Adrian McNulty on Energy Central: https://www.energycentral.com/member/Hij9uuGDVf IQGeo on Energy Central: https://www.energycentral.com/IQGeo Video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Mr-52iczOUc Ask a Question to Our Future Guests: Do you have a burning question for the utility executives and energy industry thought leaders that we feature each week on Power Perspectives? Leave us a message here for your chance to be featured in an upcoming episode: www.speakpipe.com/EnergyCentralPodcast

“As long as we have the data, the sky is the limit.” The transition to a cleaner, more sustainable energy reality is a massive undertaking—and we all know by now that massive undertakings require a LOT of data. So today on The GISt, we’re exploring how utilities and energy innovators are leveraging GIS to help integrate renewables into the existing grid to make it more diverse and more reliable. We want to get the most out of our renewables investments…and GIS could be the key to doing so. About our guest: Anthony Saylor is GIS Manager for The Ray, a company that aims to transform the transportation infrastructure of the future by building net-zero highways. They’re utilizing solar-powered EV charging, right-of-way solar, climate modeling, a vehicle-to-everything data ecosystem, and more—tons of cool tech powering the future, and much of it brought to life by GIS.

As utilities race to modernize the grid, too often the communication systems needed to communicate with the grid are overlooked. From DER integration and wildfire mitigation to smart meters and real-time situational awareness, none of it functions without robust telecom infrastructure. That reality is why the power utility and telecom nexus is being brought more into the spotlight with each passing year. In this episode, we’re joined by Rusty Williams, President & CEO of the Utilities Technology Council (UTC), a global trade association advocating for the telecom needs of critical infrastructure providers. Rusty brings 30+ years of experience in utility telecom and IT—and he’s here to pull back the curtain on why communications infrastructure is no longer a side topic for utility executives, but instead it must be a a central pillar of the energy transition. From battles over wireless spectrum to debates on pole attachments, this Power Perspectives conversation unpacks the regulatory, policy, and operational issues utilities must navigate to ensure secure, real-time communication across their systems. Key Links: Energy Central Post: https://www.energycentral.com/podcasts/post/this-ceo-wants-you-to-talk-to-the-grid-GBOIxbnT56McnIc Rusty Williams on Energy Central: https://www.energycentral.com/member/3I8Ryirutc Video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Y5L05dJZtGM Ask a Question to Our Future Guests: Do you have a burning question for the utility executives and energy industry thought leaders that we feature each week on Power Perspectives? Leave us a message here for your chance to be featured in an upcoming episode: www.speakpipe.com/EnergyCentralPodcast

How are utilities supposed to balance 1) strategic grid planning with 2) strong stewardship of the tree canopy we all rely on? It requires a new approach to vegetation management—one rooted in global information sharing that transcends competitive bounds. That’s what today’s guests—Dennis Fallon, Executive Director of the Utility Arborist Association, and Justin McQuistan, Corporate Partnerships Manager at the Arbor Day Foundation—are building. And this week, Kim & Lee getting the inside scoop on how they’re doing it. Because trees and vegetation certainly can work in favor of utilities…it’s just about the right tree in the right place. This episode serves as a roadmap for utility leaders who want to redefine their vegetation management approach to go from reactive to proactive. PLUS: The Arbor Day Foundation is giving away free trees. They’ll plant one free tree for the first 200 Piloting the Future listeners who go to this link: https://get.arborday.org/innovationforce Thanks for listening, and go claim your tree now. See you soon.

We’re building the grid of the future today, but how can we do so without fully knowing what’s already underground? That’s the uncomfortable truth facing utilities, city planners, and infrastructure developers as they charge ahead with clean energy, broadband, EV charging, and transmission upgrades. In today’s episode of Power Perspectives, we confront the chaos beneath our feet, and introduce one leader’s bold vision to fix it. This episode’s guest is Itzik Malka, CEO of 4M Analytics, the company currently using AI, satellite imagery, and geospatial analytics to create the first scalable, dynamic map of underground infrastructure. Think “Google Maps” for what’s buried underground—built without boots on the ground, at global scale. In this conversation, we dive into the risks of outdated or missing subsurface data and the cascading costs of uncertainty in construction. And we explore how AI is not just a shiny new tool—but a necessary lens for utilities and contractors to see clearly, collaborate better, and avoid catastrophe. Key Links: Energy Central Post: https://www.energycentral.com/podcasts/post/how-ai-is-mapping-the-invisible-grid-underground-84vRiBufx5Kyby9 Itzik Malka on Energy Central: https://www.energycentral.com/member/u5ABP7pagw Video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MDtkoKef1c4 Ask a Question to Our Future Guests: Do you have a burning question for the utility executives and energy industry thought leaders that we feature each week on Power Perspectives? Leave us a message here for your chance to be featured in an upcoming episode: www.speakpipe.com/EnergyCentralPodcast

At the core of running an efficient, resilient power system, there’s one singular need: interoperability. Do you have one place where everyone, across teams and structures, can go to get the real-time information they need when they need it? Without that, utility leaders are setting themselves up for failure to meet the rising expectations from consumers. But the good news? Maps make interoperability like second nature. And this week on The GISt, we have a step-by-step how-to for utilities that want to strengthen their collaboration. In the last of three top-notch episodes of The GISt with our partners at Esri, we’re joined again by Director of Electric Utility Solutions Bill Meehan & Director of Electric Industry Solutions Pat Hohl. And these two? They’re breaking down some of the coolest ways utilities are sharing information in real time—as it’s happening—to avoid redundancy, become more effective across teams, and nail the three Cs of power: collaboration, coordination, and communication. This episode is brought to you by Esri. Esri is the global market leader in GIS software, location intelligence, and mapping. With Esri software you can add the power of location to modernize how you work. Esri helps to digitally transform utilities by enabling users to create, discover, share, and use maps anywhere, anytime, on any device. The Esri ArcGIS system is a comprehensive GIS allowing organizations to analyze and share their data across the organization. Operators and managers access ArcGIS for improved operational awareness and decision making. Field and office staff use ArcGIS to manage, update, and analyze information about customers, network assets, and work orders. To find out how to digitally transform your utility visit [www.esri.com/electric] to learn more.

Artificial Intelligence promises to revolutionize the utility industry, from predicting outages to integrating distributed energy resources. But between headlines and hype, a dangerous pattern is emerging: AI fatigue. Too many pilots, too many proof-of-concepts, and not enough actual results. Utilities risk getting lost chasing the “next shiny object” instead of tackling the biggest, most urgent operational challenges staring them in the face. In this episode, we’re joined by Kim Getgen, Founder & CEO of InnovationForce, who has made it her mission to cut through the noise and help utilities focus. Kim’s team has analyzed more than 600 grid modernization plans to identify critical challenges hidden in plain sight — and she’s on a mission to help utilities match those challenges with real, utility-grade solutions. If you care about real progress — not just buzzwords — this is an episode you won’t want to miss. And if you’re pulled in by Kim’s inspired perspective on innovation, you can catch more on the ‘Piloting the Future’ podcast she hosts, part of the Energy Central podcast network. Key Links: Energy Central Post with Episode Transcript: https://www.energycentral.com/podcasts/post/breaking-utilities-out-of-pilot-purgatory-TaXe0xDDYFpfkqb Video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8EZkaTqC3d0 Kim Getgen on Energy Central: https://www.energycentral.com/member/7aue97w7Ti Latest Episode of Piloting the Future, Co-Hosted by Kim Getgen: https://www.energycentral.com/podcasts/post/piloting-the-future-how-to-scale-with-simplicity-ft-it-s-electric-9uYSJNa0LuJgRoR Ask a Question to Our Future Guests: Do you have a burning question for the utility executives and energy industry thought leaders that we feature each week on Power Perspectives? Leave us a message here for your chance to be featured in an upcoming episode: www.speakpipe.com/EnergyCentralPodcast