Power Plays

Where are utilities finding the greatest value for their AI investments? Using concrete examples from their own co-ops, Jason Bowling of Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative in Arizona and Chris VanLokeren of North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives share how they are making better decisions, faster.

A decade ago, rampant predictions assumed solar and battery storage would render the century-old electric utility business model obsolete and trigger a “utility death spiral.” But the reality is just the opposite. In this episode of Power Plays, leaders of Middle Tennessee Electric and Tennessee Valley Authority explain how they are using DER to transform their regional grid. 

After demonstrating clean energy projects can succeed in rural areas, NRECA is putting more partnerships into practice. Its CARED project is creating a consortium of seven rural co-ops ops — including Minnesota Valley Electric — to deploy microgrids. In this episode of Power Plays, NRECA’s Tolu Omotoso explains how the DOE-funded project will create solutions hundreds of co-ops can scale and repli...

Artificial intelligence is poised to revolutionize the power utility space, enhancing efficiency, reliability, and environmental impact. In this episode, power utility AI experts from NVIDIA, EPRI and Utilidata explore emerging opportunities, from predictive maintenance and optimized energy generation to boosting grid management and developing smart grids.

Climbing electricity demand is forcing utilities to make weighty investment decisions – at the same time interest rates and inflation have hit 50-year highs. In this episode of Power Plays, CoBank thought leaders JT Parker, Matt Hale and Justin Merkowitz give their 2024 outlook, from balancing new demand to the changing nature of assets and new approaches to managing interest rate risk. 

Winter storms and cyber attacks are commonly thought of as the risks to electric reliability. But now joining that list is energy policy. In this episode of Power Plays, Jim Matheson, the CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, delves into how the aggressive timeline for EPA’s proposed rules to reduce power plant emissions threatens electric system reliability, especially for c...

The world is entering a new age of clean technology manufacturing, and global industrial strategies will pave the way for this evolution. Leading nations are retooling their industrial policies, reshaping supply chains to ensure national security while addressing a host of complex issues. In this episode of Power Plays, geopolitical strategist Reva Goujon of Rhodium Group explores how internationa...

Data center energy demand is expected to double within the decade – and the convergence of rural telecom and energy industries are driving the data center economy. In honor of National Co-op Month, this episode of Power Plays outlines how Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative, the electric co-op serving the most data centers in the U.S., is meeting the challenge. Join us for an in-depth conversat...

To meet growing demand for zero-carbon electricity and deliver it to far-flung customers, the U.S. will need up to 91,000 miles of new transmission by 2035. Last year, the U.S. completed about 700 miles. In this episode of Power Plays, grid energy experts say that ensuring local communities have reliable electricity means it’s time to consider all options—including grid enhancement technologies, c...

Every day, staggering natural disasters are hitting the news – and electric utilities. Hurricanes and wildfires are taking an especially tough toll. In this episode of Power Plays, Mark Phillips of DEMCO in Louisiana and Pam Feuerstein of CORE Electric in Colorado share the details of planning for the unthinkable, and their respective co-ops’ recoveries from Hurricane Ida and the Hayman fire.

Neil Chatterjee’s five-year journey with the powerful Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was punctuated by periods of high drama — from his meteoric rise to lead the agency to his surprise demotion. In this episode of Power Plays, the former FERC chair reflects on his ground-breaking policy moves and why he’s optimistic about energy jobs in rural areas. He also addresses the recent role of polit...

Ransomware and physical attacks have become an unfortunate reality for electric utilities. While co-ops can’t prevent bad actors, they can prepare with agile threat prevention and containment. Hear first-hand accounts and lessons learned from Les Moreland, the CEO for Wiregrass Electric Co-op, and Amadou Fall, the COO at North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation, as they walk through their sy...

Transformers of all types are now harder for utilities to source, delaying everything from infrastructure for electric vehicles to building new homes. In response, buyers and sellers are both changing the way they do business. Hear more from buyer Peter Muhoro of Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, the nation’s third largest electric co-op, and seller Tim Mills, the president and CEO of ERMCO, a tr...

COVID‐19 intensified rural areas’ challenges that come with the lack of internet access. So when electric co-op members spoke up, management teams listened. How did they accelerate access? Two neighboring Georgia electric co-ops found solutions as unique as their communities: Tri-County EMC became its own internet service provider; Central Georgia EMC contracted a company to operate its fiber netw...

From becoming a trusted energy advisor on EVs in Tennessee, to evolving from energy provider to partner in Arizona, to blazing the broadband trail in Arkansas, electric co-ops are leading in very innovative ways, leaving no one behind. Recorded on the exhibit hall floor of NRECA’s TechAdvantage conference in Nashville, three electric co-ops describe how hearing their members’ experiences put the c...

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of NRECA International, this episode of Power Plays features Florida co-op employees who helped the program to electrify a small village in Guatemala. Steve Rhodes, CEO from CHELCO, outlines the project’s origins and stunning logistics. Jason Price with CHELCO and David Lambert with Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative Inc. describe how they managed volca...

An evolving energy landscape and significant federal incentives are not only changing the economics of nuclear power, it’s radically changing how utilities look at investments to meet decarbonization targets. In this episode, Dairyland Power executives talk about their decision to add advanced nuclear technology to their energy portfolio. They are joined by experts from TerraPower and the Nuclear...

For our end-of-year podcast, we looked into the notable issues with the power equipment supply chain in a discussion with Exawatt’s CEO Simon Price and battery research scientists at the firm. While some warehousing challenges might ease in 2023, competition for battery materials will probably only intensify. Our interview explores long-term solutions such as efficient material use and recycling o...

When Russia invaded Ukraine, Europe scrambled to line up U.S. LNG. Now gas exports are driving up fuel and electricity prices at home. Mark Finley, energy economist and Baker Institute fellow, and Charles Blanchard, author of “The Extraction State: A History of Natural Gas in America,” weigh in on this new era of globalization. Leaders at affiliated Texas utilities CoServ Gas and CoServ Electric,...

U.S. cooperatives have successfully run for more than a century by adhering to key principles and core values that stand the test of time. Now with ESG on the radar of consumers and investors, co-ops are well positioned to show how their fundamental values align with ESG philosophies. We catch up with the leaders of Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative, Gre...

As many rural communities are looking to their electric co-ops to provide broadband, co-ops are scoping out what it means to enter, invest, and operate in this unfamiliar business. CoBank’s Tamra Reynolds and Doran Dennis talk due diligence and financial feasibility with Jeffrey Connor, the chief operating officer at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, and hear what co-ops should...

In the next five years, EPA’s new Clean School Bus program will give communities $5 billion to replace diesel school buses. CoBank’s Teri Viswanath and Tamra Reynolds go to the head of the class with those already putting electric buses on the road: Albert Burleigh, executive director of EV sales at Blue Bird Corporation; Keith Dennis, president of the Beneficial Electrification League; and Chris...

As electric co-ops balance affordability and reliability, how should they price electricity? CoBank’s Teri Viswanath and Tamra Reynolds consider evolving rate design with respected author and renowned energy economist Dr. Ahmad Faruqui, and Allison Hamilton, director of rates and market design at NRECA. Then they follow with two co-ops’ very different but fascinating rate journeys, speaking with M...

Solar panels, backup generators, smart home devices: As more consumers adopt disruptive technology, what does it mean for electric co-ops? CoBank’s Teri Viswanath and Tamra Reynolds explore the way forward as consumer technology upends the traditional relationship. Their guests include J.T. Thompson with Generac Grid Services, Nora Barr Hennings with Sunrun, and Jim Bagley, CEO of United Electric...

The spirit of the rural electrification movement of the 1930s is alive today as electric cooperatives leverage federal support to close rural America’s digital divide. In this episode, CoBank’s Teri Viswanath, Tamra Reynolds and Doran Dennis showcase success stories from co-ops providing rural communities with reliable, affordable broadband access. Guests include Carl Meyerhoefer, senior vice pres...