Energy Central

As the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and its impacts continue to unfold, the impact in various aspects of the energy sector become even more apparent and tangible. One key aspect as been in the emerging world of nuclear power uprating with hydrogen cogeneration. The teams at the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory has been leading the charge in studying these efforts, particularl...

With Distributech 2024 on the horizon, the conversation in this episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast is a timely one, exploring the pressing challenges facing electric utilities and the imperative for digitalization in field operations. Specifically, Locusview's Vice President of Business Development, Danny Petrecca, joins the show to share insights into the strategies utilitie...

The suite of challenges the grid operators of today and associated regulators are facing is unprecedented in both scale and urgency, but planning for the future is the DNA for these modern professionals. As power demands grow and FERC continues its rise from an obscure federal government body to a spotlighted decisionmaker, the landscape of government involvement in transmission planning continues...

Recently, the fervor behind hydrogen energy in the United States reached fever pitch with the announcement of the hydrogen hubs that had been selected for federal support, meaning the future for this emerging energy source is brighter than ever. To truly understand the current hurdles but also the unmatched future potential of U.S. hydrogen, the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast visited on...

As the imperative for modernizing the energy grid becomes more urgent, the evolving landscape requires utility leaders to innovate and adopt best practices for a resilient and sustainable electric future. But the right actions to take in this regard are not always agreed upon across the industry, with the need to balance costs, reliability, sustainability, and more creating friction. In this episo...

A key part to the modern utility landscape includes Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) and their transformative impact on the power industry landscape. As a part of this evolving corner of utilities, the National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO) is driving change within the industry, supporting ESCOs in optimizing energy efficiency, and shaping the future of sustainable practices. In...

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, eyes of the world have been on the resilience of the Ukrainian people in numerous ways. Among those key areas of resilience has come physically with regards to the grid. Reliability and consistency of power delivery is essential for continuing daily life as well as for military operations, so the utility sector has been a critical space to wa...

Forecasting the future of the energy sector, between supply, demand, and technological developments, is a cornerstone of the utility landscape, as such forward-looking exercises seek to inform investments, policies, and more. However, without a crystal ball to pull from, any such forecasts are subject to uncertainty and risks. In this compelling episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Pod...

To celebrate the end of another year on the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast, this special edition recognizes four years of insightful conversations that have shaped the future of the energy sector. In addition to the podcast being led, as usual, by host Jason Price and Community Manager and podcast producer, Matt Chester, this episode welcomes back the Vice President of Energy Central, A...

Everyone's familiar with the leading renewable energy technologies contributing to the grid, from solar to wind to hydropower. But additional lifting in the clean energy future will undoubtedly come from some emerging technologies as well, including the up and coming innovations in wave energy. In this episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast, the conversation will ride the waves o...

When headlines feature discussions of cleaning up energy, so often the conversation centers around greenhouse gases, but the truth is that the power sector has had a much longer history as it relates to other air pollutants and the pathway to control and minimize those byproducts. The dynamic intersection of environmental engineering, air quality, and the evolving landscape of energy generation re...

In recent years, ESG principles have shifted drastically from a nebulous concept that only some Boards of Directors were considering, to a headline-grabbing story being pushed by customers, investors, and even regulators. ESG, or Environmental, Social, and Governance goals ensure a company fully accounts for the impact of its actions when making decisions. While ESG has quickly become a crucial re...

In an age pressing for cleaner energy, the pivotal role of gas utilities and the innovative strategies being adopted to adapt and thrive remain a central area of focus. While the gas sector can be a lightning rod for its use of fossil fuels, leaders recognize the role gas can play in stabilizing the energy future amid decarbonization of power and also unlocking unique decarbonization opportunities...

The landscape of the U.S. competitive wholesale electricity markets can be intricate, especially as rising consumer demand makes meeting resource adequacy, clean energy, and affordability goals even more challenging. Keeping focus on these goals requires constant attention and leadership, and the Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA) is one of the key organizations advocating for competitive po...

In the state of Michigan, the concurrent goals of clean energy, the electrification of cars, and advancing the grid have taken center stage, with innovation being the common theme throughout. To guide that critical conversation, a unique and critical central authority has been the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council (EIBC). This influential stakeholder and influencing organization doesn't...

Solar power has the ability to transform not only the grid but the individual energy experiences of homes across the country. And while the cost for solar panels has dropped dramatically in recent years and their pervasiveness has increased, the upfront costs required and the potential knowledge gap in how to choose and install solar have still kept many households outside of solar accessibility....

The utility industry is undoubtedly at a crossroads, taking on more challenges than ever before in its history while the importance of getting it right is more critical than ever. We all know the delicate balance required between reliability, affordability, and sustainability as today's key energy goals, but nailing down exactly how to balance them remains as tricky as ever. To guide the utility t...

Today on the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast, we take a front-row seat to the rapidly evolving world of hydrogen technology and its promising partnership with nuclear energy. In celebration of the upcoming National Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Day on October 8, this episode dives into the advancements in hydrogen tech and specifically what leaders within the Department of Energy ecosystem are do...

As utility leaders and professionals grapple with the ever-present challenges of grid reliability and resilience, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) plays a critical role to oversee and support stakeholders across the power sector. Bridging the federal energy policy space with on-the-ground utility insights is key to meeting these goals, and this episode of the podcast features a deep dive into t...

Bringing the energy industry into the future cannot be done in a siloed approach, but rather requires a complex, systematic coordination with stakeholders across the sector. And doing so also requires a more forward-looking lens than ever before, rather than tackling problems simply as they arise. As such, in this illuminating episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast, we dive deep...

Utilities are inherently organizations that require strong, stable, and forward-looking leadership. To balance the myriad of goals, the plethora of stakeholders, and the rapidly evolving landscape in which they operate, the CEOs in our power sector may not have the most enviable job, but they are undoubtedly critical. This importance holds especially true when a utility finds itself at risk of los...

This episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast ventures deep into the dynamic world of utility innovation, seeking to understand the priority that utilities place on R&D into the new opportunities. The grid of the future is being talked about more than ever, but the challenges of the present day are becoming increasingly prevalent. Balancing looking forward with managing today is no...

The world of energy is vast, and the landscape of U.S. utilities is a veritable alphabet suit of jurisdictions, RTOs, and stakeholders. While often the larger investor-owned giants grab the headlines, the truth is that millions of Americans and businesses depend on the direct action of the smaller municipal entities. These municipal power providers are thus a key cog in the path forwards as the co...

Asset management is becoming an increasingly critical and complex area of focus for the modern utility landscape. From smarter sensors, meters, and equipment all across the grid to the heightened need to ensure safety and reliability by tracking health and status of all grid-tied equipment, utilities both large and small must always be looking for the most appropriate tools and optimized solutions...

The work being done to advance the clean energy transition is being pursued by a diverse array of leaders, some of whom have been in the sector their entire lives and others who found it amid their career journey. These varying perspectives help bring new vantage points and angles when it comes to tackling the future of energy, but the career trajectory of today's guest on the Energy Central Power...