Energy Central

Pat Hohl and Bill Meehan, renowned bloggers on Energy Central, have amassed an impressive total of half a million views on the platform. With nearly a century of combined experience in the energy industry, including almost half of that time spent working at power companies, their expertise is undeniable. In this engaging podcast series, each episode lasting between 10 to 15 minutes, Pat and Bill t...

In the final episode of the ESRI-presented podcast series about capturing GIS information more effectively, the esteemed Pat Hohl and Bill Meehan move past the typical association of GIS with maps and move into what they believe serves a larger purpose in the realm of discovery and understanding complex data, especially within the utility sector. Pat and Bill discuss transitioning from paper to di...

In the GIS for the utility industry and as authors on Energy Central, few have quite the pedigree of Pat Hohl and Bill Meehan as experts in their field. While the series opener offered an intriguing view into how GIS can revolutionize collaboration and communication in utility management, this second episode finds Pat and Bill moving past the conventional view of GIS as just a tool for asset data...

With the publication of FERC's 2023 Summer Energy Market and Electric Reliability Assessment, grid reliability is being studied at an unprecedented level. And given the strain that current summer conditions have already demonstrated, this topic is one that utility officials everywhere are tuning into. The FERC reports highlight both positive and concerning aspects of the grid's capacity to meet su...

Solar energy remains one of the fastest-growing sources of power generation across the utility sector, playing a key role in the net zero plans for power companies and private entities globally. While much of the focus for solar progress comes in how to fast-track deployment-- from government incentives to workforce development to permitting reform-- many potential improvements remain on the table...

The concept of ESG, or Environmental, Social, and Governance, oversight has become an increasingly common topic across economic sectors, especially utilities. The importance of ensuring that the utility integrates into its DNA the spirit of sustainability, both from an environmental perspective but also in terms of business practices, is clearer than ever before, but not every stakeholder knows ex...

The utility sector is undoubtedly among the most tightly monitored and regulated industries across the economy, and with great reason. Reliable and affordable availability of power is not something that customers can go without, and with increasingly present goals like sustainability and equity the intricacies of how regulations interact with the energy industry the challenges are only growing dee...

As most major utilities set their sites to net zero carbon goals in the coming decades, the myriad of tools available mean that no two power companies are taking exactly the same road map to decarbonization. But in recent years, the fervor behind nuclear energy as being a key part of that equation has been growing rapidly. From small modular reactors nearing commercialization to the recent breakth...

Energy equity is a critical issue that is increasingly demanding our attention, as access to reliable and affordable energy remains unevenly distributed across the globe. Even in the United States where we expect that everyone is connected to the grid, marginalized communities still often face challenges in affording their utility bills and see advanced tools like IoT devices, EVs, solar and stora...

The pursuit of cleaner energy solutions expands beyond the typical solar and wind energy installations and stretches in finding unique opportunities for energy production that are commonly going wasted. At the municipal level, this crosses conveniently over with another key government role: municipal waste management. When explored in tandem, the opportunity to turn waste management into clean bio...

The pursuit of a decarbonized and clean energy future is quite often positioned as a battle between renewable energy technologies and fossil fuels, but the reality remains that many applications of oil and gas are not yet ready or suitable to be replaced completely with electricity. Further, those in the natural gas sector have highlighted the ability for the fuel to be a key partner for renewable...

In making sure that the grid remains reliable and flexible, an overlooked opportunities comes in the area of substations within the transmission and distribution sector. Specifically, the trend towards smarter and more digitalized solutions create opportunities that bring new security and robustness to the common substation. To highlight the latest movement in this area, this episode of the Energy...

The march towards a more robust hydrogen energy economy seems inevitable, but what's left to be written is the timeframe and the manner in which that journey plays out. As a decarbonization option, an alternative fuel opportunity, and more, hydrogen will play a key role in our energy systems of tomorrow. But as those developments play out in the future, critical to today is continuing to advance s...

While the role of the utility has evolved over time, and especially in recently years, one area of concern has been atop the priorities for the industry's entire history: safety. When dealing with powerful equipment, potentially volatile fuels, and a grid infrastructure that is ubiquitous, ensuring that none of this leads to unnecessary risks or outcomes to people, property, and the environment is...

In the modern utility landscape, rapid response and thorough follow ups are key when major events occur, and that requires the teaming up of various corners of the industry. To assist in that process, the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC) serves as the primary liaison between the federal government and the electric power industry in preparing for and responding to national-level di...

While the growth in sales of electric vehicles (EVs) remains a steady climb in the United States as consumers must still tangle with high costs, range anxiety, and other challenges, the utility sector has recognized that the explosive growth and further penetration of EVs is inevitable. This realization is why utilities across the country are constantly talking about grid preparedness, making sure...

Nearly every utility these days has made the leap to set decarbonization targets, whether that's committing to a certain percentage of net zero, renewable energy, clean energy, or other metric in the coming decades. While the focus for these ambitions often centers on switching electric utilities from fossil fuels to non-carbon alternatives, the reality remains that the natural gas utilities acros...

Hydrogen has become a buzzword in the energy sector recently, but many in the utility sector may not have realized how critical hydrogen gas has been for the power grid for decades. Rather than being a matter of producing hydrogen as an energy source, though, the key use case has been monitoring the generation of byproduct hydrogen gas by power transformers and using that as a way to monitor healt...

The transmission and distribution component in the power sector spins a physical web of infrastructure across the United States, but behind that massive buildout is arguably an even more complex web when it comes to the regulations and policies that oversee that process. From multiple jurisdictions playing a role to the constantly evolving oversight that must keep track with ever-advancing technol...

The job of utility executives has never been a particularly easy one, but in 2023 the spotlight might be brighter than ever and the goals more ambitious and important. From the pressure by policymakers for utilities to decarbonize, the need for customers for power to remain affordable, and the existential requirement to keep grid reliability as flawless as possible, leaders at utility companies no...

As solar energy technology progresses, the goals our utility and government leaders are setting on how much renewable energy can and should enter the grid is ever increasing. However, one of the key challenges that continues to plague the world of solar energy is the inequitable distribution of installations and the appropriate benefits. While the technology is more affordable than ever before and...

With utility customers being more at the forefront of change than they ever have been before, demanding clean energy and innovative programs while also participating as sources of energy generation and storage themselves, utility leaders are in the midst of a broad strokes transformation. The key for power providers who come out better in the end are those that lean into these opportunities will e...

The pace of the power sector evolution seems to unthinkably be speeding, and staying on top of the latest and greatest can be a full-time job. On the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast we strive to stay on top of the conversations to keep our listeners informed, and today's guest is a returning one who helps join us in a grab bag of exciting developments across the energy sector. After bein...

Utility leaders are being pulled in many different directions from all of their critical stakeholders these days. From bringing down power costs to increasing the use of smart technology and more, decisions must incorporate consideration of many numerous factors. In particular, the push for a decarbonized energy system has been one of the loudest and most critical endeavors for modern utilities. T...

As the utility sector continues to work towards meeting future goals and needs, an equally important consideration remains looking back on the impact that the power industry has had on communities and land and ensuring that any injustices or inequities that have resulted can be addressed. Specifically, lands that have been returned to indigenous populations and communities must be protected as new...