EPRI Current

A potential “super El Niño” is making headlines, and for the power sector, it comes with real implications. In this episode of The EPRI Current, host Samantha Gilman speaks with EPRI climate scientist Erik Smith about what’s driving the latest forecasts and how changing ocean conditions could shape weather patterns in the months ahead.   From increased precipitation in California to drought risk i...

In this week’s episode of the EPRI Current, Dave Weaver from Exelon, Clift Pompee from Compass Datacenters, and Anuja Ratnayake from EPRI join host Samantha Gilman to discuss how new approaches to flexibility can accelerate grid connections amid surging demand.   Experts focus on EPRI’s recently launched Flex MOSAIC™, a framework developed through EPRI’s DCFlex initiative to define what flexibilit...

In this episode of the EPRI Current, host Samantha Gilman speaks with EPRI’s Director of Agentic AI and Micro Data Centers, Ben Sooter, about the growing role of distributed inference, also known as micro data centers, in the evolving AI landscape. While large, centralized data centers dominate current discussions, Sooter explains why the next wave of compute demand will shift closer to end users...

How should organizations interpret AI benchmarks – and where do they fall short when moving from pilots to real‑world deployment?     In this episode of EPRI Current, host Samantha Gilman is joined by Jaime Sevilla, Director of Epoch AI, and Apurba Sakti, EPRI Principal Technical Leader for AI, for a deep dive into AI benchmarking and responsible adoption. The conversation explores why strong benc...

Grid Enhancing Technologies (GETs) are gaining momentum as a practical way to maximize the efficiency and capacity of existing transmission lines. Designed to improve how the grid is monitored, managed, and operated, GETs are increasingly seen as a practical solution to growing demand, congestion, and reliability challenges.     In this episode of EPRI Current, host Samantha Gilman is joined by EP...

Europe is accelerating the use of artificial intelligence across the energy sector – but how can utilities adopt AI safely, securely, and at scale? In this episode of EPRI Current, host Samantha Gilman continues the AI-EFFECT series with a discussion exploring three of the European Union’s Testing and Experimentation Facilities (TEF) projects: AI-EFFECT, EnergyGuard, and EnerTEF.     Guests Adrian...

In the final episode of the Grid Talk Series on the EPRI Current, Maria Pope, President and CEO of Portland General Electric, joins Marty Rosenberg for a wide‑ranging conversation on how utilities are responding to historic demand growth without compromising reliability or affordability. Maria shares how PGE is using advanced analytics, grid-enhancing technologies, and large-scale battery storage...

The long-term operation (LTO) of existing nuclear plants is emerging as a critical strategy for delivering reliable, carbon-free power as electricity demand accelerates across the economy. In this episode of EPRI Current, host Samantha Gilman is joined by Rounette Nader, VP of New Nuclear Generation and License Renewal at Duke Energy, and EPRI’s Rob Austin, Senior Program Manager for Nuclear, to e...

Surging electricity demand is pushing the grid to its limits, prompting regulators and innovators to expand the system without sacrificing reliability or affordability. In this episode of the Grid Talk Series on The EPRI Current, Marty Rosenberg meets with Ann Rendahl, President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), a commissioner with the Washington Utilities an...

As medium‑ and heavy-duty electric vehicles move rapidly from pilots to scaled deployments, utilities are navigating new pressures, opportunities, and load implications across their systems. In this episode of The EPRI Current, host Samantha Gilman meets with EPRI electric transportation experts Mike Rowand and Watson Collins to explore what 2026 has in store for fleet electrification. Drawing on...

In this episode of the Grid Talk Series on the EPRI Current, Marty Rosenberg sits down with Elliot Mainzer, President and CEO of the California ISO, to discuss how the state navigates extreme grid stress during record-breaking demand. Elliot reflects on California’s all-time peak of 52,000 megawatts during a historic heatwave and the extraordinary measures taken to keep the lights on. From emergen...

Welcome to our first podcast episode of 2026! In this Best of 2025 episode, we’re looking back at some of our most impactful conversations from the past year. You’ll hear highlights from episodes exploring how the energy sector is navigating rapid change – from the launch of the Open Power AI Consortium (OPAI) and efforts to responsibly scale AI, to global lessons learned from the Iberian Peninsul...

In this second episode of the GridTalk Series on the EPRI Current, host Marty Rosenberg speaks with Audrey Zibelman – former Chair of the New York Public Service Commission and CEO of the Australian Energy Market Operator – about lessons from New York’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) initiative and what it may take to scale distributed energy resources (DER). Drawing on global experiences, Audr...

As artificial intelligence is transforming the energy sector, Europe is laying the groundwork for secure and scalable innovation. The AI-EFFECT project is establishing a European Testing and Experimentation Facility to develop, test, and validate AI applications for critical energy infrastructures. Funded by Horizon Europe, the project aims to integrate AI into critical energy infrastructures to o...

Hosts Marty Rosenberg and Samantha Gilman introduce the Grid Talk Series on the EPRI Current. In this inaugural episode, Marty speaks with Gil Quiniones, President and CEO of ComEd, about the unprecedented transformation of the electric grid. Gil explains how surging demand from data centers, electrification, and manufacturing reshoring is reshaping ComEd’s strategy – and why the next decade will...

Ahead of the Power Resilience Forum (PRF), industry leaders reflect on what it takes to build a climate-ready grid. In this episode of The EPRI Current, host Samantha Gillman speaks with Julia Hamm from the Ad Hoc Group and EPRI’s Morgan Scott about how utilities, regulators, and innovators are adapting grid planning and operations to become more resilient to extreme weather events.     They share...

The EPRI Current celebrates Bat Week by highlighting a surprising yet vital connection: the electric sector is working with conservationists to protect bats from a deadly disease. Bats play a crucial role in ecosystems, and their survival is increasingly threatened by a fungal disease known as white-nose syndrome.     In this episode, host Samantha Gilman is joined by EPRI’s Christian Newman and D...

The nuclear industry is in an era of rapid innovation and deployment. In this episode of The EPRI Current, host Samantha Gillman is joined by Alison Krager Hahn from NEI and Chad Boyer from EPRI to revisit the 2023 episode on the Advanced Reactor (AR) Roadmap, assessing the industry's recent progress with advanced technologies and where it's headed next. Developed as a collaborative framework, the...

Hydrogen is gaining momentum in Europe as a potential strategic energy carrier, and Ireland is stepping into the spotlight with its first hydrogen valley initiative – SH2AMROCK. In this episode of The EPRI Current, host Samantha Gilman speaks with Rory Monaghan from the University of Galway, Conor O’Dowd from the Port of Galway, and Maria Jaen from EPRI to discuss the vision behind SH2AMROCK and i...

Hydropower plays a vital role in the U.S. energy mix, but how will its infrastructure hold up under a changing climate with evolving weather patterns?     In this episode of The EPRI Current, host Samantha Gilman is joined by EPRI experts Jacob Mardian and Dr. Mark Christian to explore the future of hydropower in the face of extreme weather. Drawing from a recent nationwide hydropower study under...

As energy demand rises and electrification accelerates, understanding household energy affordability is more important than ever. In this episode of the EPRI Current, Geoff Blanford from EPRI and Michael Kohlhaas from Con Edison join host Samantha Gilman to discuss the Energy Wallet – EPRI’s new holistic metric for capturing total household energy usage and spending, including gas, electricity, an...

Two years ago, EPRI launched the Technology Radar, an interactive resource for identifying and assessing emerging technologies shaping the energy industry. In this episode of the EPRI Current, host Samantha Gilman is joined by Steve Stella, Head of EPRI’s Technology Innovation Program, to explore how the Tech Radar and Tech Radar Pulse Report track the trajectories of over 70 technologies, includi...

The energy sector is at a critical inflection point, defined by automation, intelligence, and the integration of AI into energy systems. As grid demands intensify, AI is unlocking transformative solutions, from electrifying economies to integrating renewables and defending against cyber threats.     Industry leaders Bilal Khursheed from Microsoft, Jens Madrian from ENOWA, and Jeremy Renshaw from E...

With an evolving energy landscape, utilities are navigating the complex challenge of balancing legacy assets with the growing integration of renewables while ensuring reliability, affordability, and sustainability.     On this episode of The EPRI Current, host Samantha Gilman is joined by Jake Courville from Entergy and Mike Caravaggio from EPRI to discuss the evolving generation fleet, the role o...

As of June 1, the North Atlantic Basin officially entered the 2025 hurricane season. NOAA’s 2025 forecasts project a 60% chance of an above-normal season, anticipating 13–19 named storms, 6–10 hurricanes, and up to 5 major hurricanes. As peak season approaches, utilities face increasing pressure to prepare.     On the latest episode of the EPRI Current, EPRI experts Andrea Staid and Erik Smith joi...