Energy Central

The EC Network

Welcome to the Energy Central Podcast Network—your ultimate resource for the biggest ideas, boldest perspectives, and best insights from across the electric power industry.

We publish…

Power Perspectives. From CEOs of major utilities to founders of energy tech startups pushing the envelope, Power Perspectives curates the news, thought leaders, and big picture conversations most important to modern power professionals—every week on Tuesdays.

The Watt & Why. Dive deep into utility business strategies, straight from the minds of the leaders deciding what comes next. Host Mike Smith leverages his own decades of power utility industry experience and leadership to get to the bottom of what inspires, drives, and challenges utility decision makers.

Piloting the Future. Hosts Kim Gergen and Lee Krevat go deep with the leaders, innovators, and forward thinkers responsible for not just imagining where our power future is headed…but building it day by day.

The GISt. This action-packed limited series demystifies the rapidly evolving world of Geographic Information Systems through focused, expert-led deep dives into the most future-defining GIS topics.

And there’s even more to come.

Energy Central is a community where 250K electric power professionals share, learn, and connect in a collaborative environment. Want to join in? Visit www.EnergyCentral.com to register for free.

Episodes

Mentioned books

Jan 31, 2022 • 27min

67. 'Inclusively Engaging The Capital Region With Efficiency, EVs, & More' With Will Ellis Of PEPCO

When it comes to the role that utilities are playing, today sees power providers filling more roles than ever before. Gone are the once-per-month bills being the only touch point a customer had with their utility, and here are the days of social media engagement, energy efficiency programs, advocating for new energy technologies, and more. Utilities really have evolved into a core pillar of the communities in which they serve, and they can only play this part effectively when they are filled with forward-looking leaders who embrace the benefits and challenges these shifting responsibilities bring. This week's episode of the Power Perspectives Podcast brings to the audience one of those esteemed professionals who is helping out their community in countless ways with their role in the local energy company. Will Ellis is the VP of Government and External Affairs at PEPCO in Washington DC, but that title only begins to describe what he brings to the table. Eager to share the community-benefitting programs he's bringing to his neighbors, the educational efforts that he's championing, and more, Will shares in this wide-ranging conversation with podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester all the ways PEPCO is looking to embrace its role in the wider capital region. Listen in to hear the enthusiastic conversation. Key Links Energy Central Post with Full Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-67-inclusively-engaging-capital-region-efficiency-evs-more-will-ellis Link to register as a member of the Energy Central Community: www.energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts

Jan 22, 2022 • 27min

66. 'Are You Overlooking A Critical Utility Tool' With Jaime Crawford of Critigen

Episode #66: 'Are You Overlooking a Critical Tool for Solving the Most Pressing Challenges Your Utility Faces?' with Jaime Crawford of Critigen [an Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast] Mapping out the world of the utility with accurate and granular data has rapidly become one of the most essential functions for power providers to ensure they are providing reliable, affordable, and even clean energy to their customers every day. If you walked the halls of a utility industry conference just a decade ago, you may have been met with vague or uncertain answers when asking to chat about the geospatial programs at these companies, whereas today GIS departments are regular and necessary for utilities to continue to deliver on those goals. How did the world of geospatial data grow so quickly, and what exactly do GIS tools bring to the decision-makers at utilities? Those are the questions that Jaime Crawford of Critigen is here to answer as she joins the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast. Jaime is the Senior Vice President of Strategic Industries at Critigen and she joined podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester to highlight the critical role that GIS plays and share insights on the forward-looking applications that even the most geospatially advanced utilities may not yet recognize. Further, Jaime was able to make an important announcement regarding her company that the Power Perspectives Podcast is eager to share with our listeners, and we dig into what this announcement says about the state of the industry today. Key Links: Energy Central Post with Full Episode Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-66-are-you-overlooking-critical-tool-solving-most-pressing-challenges Jaime Crawford's Energy Central Profile: energycentral.com/member/profile/jaime-crawford Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

Jan 17, 2022 • 23min

65. 'Taking Small Modular Reactors From Hype To Reality In Ontario' With Robin Manley, OPG

Episode #65: 'Taking Small Modular Reactors From Hype To Reality In Ontario' With Robin Manley, Ontario Power Generation [an Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast] To foster the clean energy transition, the power sector has been seeking out all the carbon-free generation sources possible. Existing nuclear plants have long held a key role in providing clean energy to the grid, but North America has largely stalled when it comes to new nuclear power plants to take on more of the growing power demand patterns, owed to high capital costs, lengthy construction timelines, and more. Looking to take advantage of the carbon-free nature of nuclear power while avoiding those common pitfalls, small modular reactors (SMRs) have become a key area of focus for many industry stakeholders. SMRs are still a future consideration, though, with none yet commercially connected to the grid. That's closer than ever to changing though, as Ontario Power Generation recently made waves in their selection of the SMR model they're going to implement, the GE Hitachi BWRX-300. Ontario Power Generation is making a big leap by being the first mover in this space that has countless eyeballs following it, so podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester were thrilled to welcome Robin Manley, OPG's VP of New Nuclear Development to discuss the selection process and what it means for the utility to pioneer this space. Key Links: Energy Central Post with Full Episode Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-65-taking-small-modular-reactors-hype-reality-ontario-robin-manley Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

Dec 20, 2021 • 35min

64. ‘Revisiting the Hottest Episodes of 2021 in Our 2nd Annual Podcast Year in Review'

Dec 13, 2021 • 24min

63. 'Equitable Energy Access And Microgrids For Island Nations' With Tom McGeehan Of E-Finity

Different parts of the world must approach their power sector in unique ways to account for the specific needs and the unique challenges presented by local geographies, populations, economies, and more. While that means utilities in one corner of the globe may look different from the other side of the world, one of the most valuable tools for energy leaders is to look at what lessons can be learned from those various unique circumstances. Our guest on the Power Perspectives Podcast today has worked extensively tackling the energy landscape in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Being in the Caribbean, that means that the local energy stakeholders are dealing with the annual threat of hurricanes, elevated energy prices and the need for fossil fuel imports, and more. At the same time, the U.S. Virgin Islands find themselves amid a crisis from the housing shortage. While that reality may seem somewhat isolated from the traditional role of power providers, the guest of this episode highlights how it created a unique, all-encompassing opportunity. Joining host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester to discuss the success his organization has had in tackling energy equity and overall economic challenges on the U.S. Virgin Islands with microgrids is Tom McGeehan, VP at E-Finity Distributed Generation. Tom shares how his team has sought to respond to the recent hurricane seasons and resulting outages with a more decentralized approach, highlighting the opportunity microgrid technology can play for the wider energy sector outside of the islands, while also confronting head-on the climate challenges that are already present on the Virgin Islands and will soon spread to other parts of the world. Key Links: Tom McGeehan’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/tom-mcgeehan-0 Resilient CHP Facilities: The Real Reason Hurricanes Don't Jolt Facilities Like they Used to: https://energycentral.com/c/pip/resilient-chp Link to Energy Central post for this episode, including full transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-63-equitable-energy-access-and-microgrids-island-nations-tom-mcgeehan-e Link to register as a member of the Energy Central Community: www.energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

Dec 6, 2021 • 32min

62. 'Elevating Digital Utility Systems To The Cloud' With Barry Jones

Episode #62: ‘Elevating Digital Utility Systems to the Cloud' with Barry Jones, Federal Information Assurance and Compliance [an Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast] As data has become as ubiquitous and essential to the power sector as electrons themselves, many utilities are struggling with how to handle the influx of information and how to best process it to create actionable improvements to their systems. While it may seem like an overused buzzword at this point, the guest on today’s episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast knows the answer comes down to one key place in particular: the Cloud. But cloud-based applications and processing create new waves of challenges for which utilities: from compliance with industry standards to cybersecurity concerns to the sheer cost and logistics behind making these moves. To help wade through this web of risks, costs, and hurdles, host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester bring in one of Energy Central’s key thought leaders on the topic, Barry Jones. Barry is an independent consultant who gets knee deep in information assurance, privacy and regulatory compliance, and cloud-based systems, having brought that expertise to everyone from PG&E to the U.S. Department of Energy. In this whirlwind of an episode, Barry will share with our audience what they should be tracking as they dive into the world of utility digitalization. Key Links: Energy Central Post with Full Episode Transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-62-%E2%80%98elevating-digital-utility-systems-cloud-barry-jones-federal Barry Jones’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/barry-jones-0/about RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEXT GENERATION UTILITY TECHNOLOGIES (Control and monitoring gas and electric with AI 'bots" and more...): https://energycentral.com/c/gr/recommendations-next-generation-utility-technologies-control-and-monitoring-gas Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

Nov 22, 2021 • 29min

61. 'The History & Future Of Energy As An Economic Driving Force' with Carey King Of UT Austin

Modern history really got kicked into full gear with the advent of the Industrial Revolution, which can be boiled down to the way that society was able to transform and rapidly evolve once we were able to extract work efficiently and effectively from various energy sources. From coal-powered factories to steamboats to the eventual rise of electricity, the availability of energy allowed humanity to prosper and grow in ways it was never previously able to do. In many ways, the tight correlation between access to energy and economic development has continued to be coupled in lockstep in the centuries since, and the future of the global economy still relies directly on the future energy systems that we’re building today and tomorrow. This fascinating topic holds immense impact to the future of utilities and society at large, so podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester felt it a bountiful topic to explore. But like much of the Energy Central Community, they are energy wonks rather than economics experts, so the best way to do this was indeed to bring into the podcast booth one of the foremost researchers on this intersection of energy and the economy. Carey King is a research scientist and Assistant Director of the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, and last Fall he also published the groundbreaking book on this very topic: “The Economic Superorganism: Beyond the Competing Narratives on Energy, Growth, and Policy.” Through his time as a researcher and in digging deeper into the topic for this book, Carey has unearthed some of the important lessons that can be learned as energy unlocked new economic development in the 1700s and what that means for relevant energy strategy and public policy in the decades in front of us. Key Links: Carey King’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/carey-king-1 Full Energy Central Post with Podcast transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-61-%E2%80%98-history-future-energy-economic-driving-force-author-carey-king Link to register as a member of the Energy Central Community: www.energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

Nov 14, 2021 • 24min

60. 'Reinventing Utility Vegetation Management With Satellites And AI' With Sven Przywarra Of LiveEO

As the utility grid infrastructure footprint grows, proper maintenance has become a top priority for utilities to ensure reliability, minimize unnecessary costs, and ensure safe operation of their assets. But with some of the largest utilities seeing their reach extend for thousands of miles in different directions, staying on top of grid assets is an increasingly complex challenge. Particularly in the world of vegetation management where sending out crews can be costly but the consequences of oversights can be even costlier (think: outages, sparked wildfires, and more), using technology to streamline and optimize this process is essential. Using modern tools to assist utilities in their vegetation management needs has become one of the core missions of today’s guest on the podcast, Sven Przywarra. Sven co-founded and is currently co-CEO of LiveEO, a digital solutions company that taps into the capabilities of satellite-imaging to be an eye in the sky for major infrastructure networks, such as the vast and growing power transmission & distribution networks. By combining satellite imaging with intelligent processing tools, Sven and his team are able to transform the way utilities approach the multi-million dollar line item that vegetation management has become for power providers. In this episode, Sven shares with podcast host Jason Prices and producer Matt Chester the origin of these ideas, the challenges LiveEO’s tools are helping utility leaders overcome, and other ways in which intelligent satellite processing is becoming a mainstay in the energy industry. Key Links Link to Energy Central post for episode with full transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-46-reinventing-utility-vegetation-management-satellites-and-ai-sven Sven Przywarra’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/sven-przywarra What Investors See as the Four Surging Utility Trends for 2021: https://energycentral.com/c/um/what-investors-see-four-surging-utility-trends-2021 Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': https://blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

Nov 8, 2021 • 28min

59.Utility Transformation Challenge with SEPA’s Sharon Allan,Seattle City Light’s Debra Smith,Part 2

The utility industry is a unique one in that the landscape of companies aren’t operating in a zero-sum competitive environment. Instead, utilities seek to share lessons learned, raise each other up, and collectively move towards the industry-wide goals of ensuring the entire country has access to reliable, affordable, and clean energy. It’s this collaborative environment and tendency to share best practices that makes leadership in utilities particularly important, as a success in one corner of the country can directly lead to the same type of success for a utility anywhere else. Recognizing the value of highlighting these successes, the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) released its inaugural Utility Transformation Challenge, recognizing industry leaders who are creating the future carbon-free, modern grid. To learn more about the Utility Transformation Challenge, podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester are joined by SEPA’s Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, Sharon Allan, as well as a leader whose organization made an appearance on SEPA’s leaderboard of utilities in Debra Smith, CEO and General Manager of Seattle City Light. This duo provides a dynamic one-two punch on assessing the landscape of the utility industry today and where it’s going in the future. The conversation was so dynamic, this episode ended up being an exciting two-parter—if you didn’t listen to Part 1 where our guests focused on the Utility Transformation Challenge and the march towards decarbonization, we recommend you start there. Then come back here and listen to Part 2 where this pair of industry leaders dives into forward-looking assessments of equity in the energy industry, as well as the pending workforce transformation facing utilities everywhere. Key Links: Full post with transcript of this episode on EnergyCentral.com: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-45-setting-example-utilities-everywhere-sepa%E2%80%99s-utility-transformation Part 1 of the Conversation: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-43-setting-example-utilities-everywhere-sepa%E2%80%99s-utility-transformation Sharon Allan’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/sharon-allan-2/about Grid Mod in the Age of Utility Carbon Reduction: https://energycentral.com/c/gr/grid-mod-age-utility-carbon-reduction Seattle City Light's Clean Energy Leadership Garnering Industry Recognition, with Emeka Anyanwu, Energy and Innovation & Resources Officer- [an Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Interview]: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/seattle-city-lights-clean-energy-leadership-garnering-industry-recognition-emeka Link to register as a member of the Energy Central Community: www.energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

Nov 6, 2021 • 20min

58.Utility Transformation Challenge with SEPA’s Sharon Allan,Seattle City Light’s Debra Smith,Part 1

The utility industry is a unique one in that the landscape of companies aren’t operating in a zero-sum competitive environment. Instead, utilities seek to share lessons learned, raise each other up, and collectively move towards the industry-wide goals of ensuring the entire country has access to reliable, affordable, and clean energy. It’s this collaborative environment and tendency to share best practices that makes leadership in utilities particularly important, as a success in one corner of the country can directly lead to the same type of success for a utility anywhere else. Recognizing the value of highlighting these successes, the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) released its inaugural Utility Transformation Challenge, recognizing industry leaders who are creating the future carbon-free, modern grid. To learn more about the Utility Transformation Challenge, podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester are joined by SEPA’s Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, Sharon Allan, as well as a leader whose organization made an appearance on SEPA’s leaderboard of utilities in Debra Smith, CEO and General Manager of Seattle City Light. This duo provides a dynamic one-two punch on assessing the landscape of the utility industry today and where it’s going in the future. The conversation was so dynamic, this episode ended up being an exciting two-parter—so enjoy Part 1 which focuses on the Utility Transformation Challenge and the march towards decarbonization. Then hang tight for Part 2 where this pair of industry leaders dives into forward-looking assessments of equity in the energy industry, as well as the pending workforce transformation facing utilities everywhere. Key Links: Part 2 of this Episode: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-45-setting-example-utilities-everywhere-sepa%E2%80%99s-utility-transformation Sharon Allan’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/sharon-allan-2 Grid Mod in the Age of Utility Carbon Reduction: https://energycentral.com/c/gr/grid-mod-age-utility-carbon-reduction Seattle City Light's Clean Energy Leadership Garnering Industry Recognition, with Emeka Anyanwu, Energy and Innovation & Resources Officer- [an Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Interview]: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/seattle-city-lights-clean-energy-leadership-garnering-industry-recognition-emeka Link to Energy Central Post with Full Transcript of this Episode: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-43-setting-example-utilities-everywhere-sepa%E2%80%99s-utility-transformation Link to register as a member of the Energy Central Community: www.energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/

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