Energy Central

The utility's new tools to fight an old foe: wildfires

21 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Wildfires are no longer a once-in-a-while risk for utilities. These days, they are a growing operational, financial, and human crisis. And power compa...

Is geothermal finally happening? A DOE leader weighs in

14 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Geothermal has been part of the energy conversation for decades, but it is still too often stymied by a reputation of being too niche or small-scale t...

Inside a live-fire test of grid security

10 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when you fire military-grade weapons at substation infrastructure? We don’t have to ask in theory, because today’s guest has put that...

Nuclear’s role in the grid of the future, according to Robert Bryce

07 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The nuclear conversation is back in a big way, but the question is whether the excitement is outrunning reality. In this episode, host Kinsey Grant Ba...

How drones are becoming critical infrastructure for utilities

03 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What does the pathway look like from shiny new toy to core operational tool? That’s the trajectory drones have seemingly taken in many utility opera...

The politics behind coal’s comeback

31 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Coal has been making headlines recently, highlighting everything from plant closure delays to retirements extended and the political rhetoric suggesti...

The energy affordability problem: policy, costs, and tradeoffs (ft. the Energy Bad Boys)

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Electricity prices are rising faster than wages, and everyday customers are demanding answers. What’s causing it? What has worked to moderate prices...

The hidden crisis slowing the grid buildout? Energy's workforce shortage

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

As the future of energy accelerates towards a cleaner, more automated system, the talking points tend to focus on the technologies themselves: AI, EVs...

We asked hundreds of utility pros about the endangerment finding. Here's what they really think

13 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A major shift in U.S. energy and climate policy has reignited debate across the utility industry. When the Trump administration’s EPA moved to roll ...

EVs aren't a grid problem—they're a grid solution

11 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For years, EVs were treated as a looming grid problem that would lead to an epidemic of transformer overloads, unpredictable peaks, and expensive dist...

What makes overhead lines fail (and how to fix it)

09 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Reliability has become one of the most urgent topics in the utility sector today. As aging infrastructure meets rising electricity demand and more fre...

The digital tools that are reshaping grid construction

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The utility industry is entering a construction boom unlike anything seen in decades. From electrification and load growth to wildfire mitigation and ...

A shortcut through the bottleneck: Dropshipping grid flexibility

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Urban grids are running out of room , especially in dense cities where rooftop solar is limited, EV charging is complicated, and peak demand keeps cli...

Modeling the future grid: Why getting it wrong costs billions

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The electric grid is facing rising demand, aging infrastructure, and a rapidly changing technology landscape, which means the decisions utilities make...

The energy trends dominating 2026, according to DTECH

11 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Distributech is the electric utility industry’s biggest annual event, and this episode of Power Perspectives breaks down what actually mattered on t...

Energy is on the ballot...and this is exactly why

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, energy policy lived mostly in the background of American politics—important, but rarely decisive at the ballot box. After the 2025 elec...

Is the future of the grid totally autonomous? The CEO of Siemens Grid Software weighs in

30 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What’s the most notable constraint on the energy transition? It’s not generation or technology, but the biggest slowdown is coming from the grid s...

Why the wires matter more than ever, according to Duquesne Light CEO Kevin Walker

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

As the electric grid faces accelerating pressure from electrification, data center growth, and extreme weather, much of the public conversation fixate...

When load forecasting stops being predictable

23 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, load forecasting was one of the more stable disciplines in utility planning. Growth was incremental, assumptions were well understood, an...

An energy permitting showdown: Two experts debate how fast is too fast

21 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The clean energy transition is running into a critical constraint, and it’s not because of technology, capital, or ambition. Instead the bottleneck ...

The grid security risk we underestimate

16 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Physical security has become one of the grid’s most urgent and most misunderstood challenges. While cybersecurity rightly commands attention, attack...

The real cost of outdated utility regulation, according to PowerLines CEO Charles Hua

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Utility regulation doesn’t usually light up the algorithms on social media, but it’s a topic that quietly determines how much customers pay for el...

AI and the stress test for utilities

09 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In the current age of artificial intelligence, the challenge for utilities isn’t just how to power AI-driven data centers, it’s also how AI itself...

Can this utility meet its zero carbon 2030 goal?

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Setting a zero-carbon target is one thing. Delivering it while keeping power reliable and affordable is something else entirely. In this episode of P...

What does clean energy mean for coal towns?

23 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What happens to communities centered on fossil fuels as the clean energy transition accelerates? Because this seismic shift is more than just technic...

A Google exec’s POV on the energy bets worth making

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Business as usual? Not going to cut it in today’s energy reality. Embracing cutting-edge tech is the bare minimum to keep up with the modern needs o...

How to protect a grid under siege

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every utility leader wants to know: What can we do to protect an increasingly complex grid from security threats, both cyber and physical? This week ...

What’s really keeping utility CEOs up at night

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What goes through an energy CEO’s mind when thinking about the role of the customer, the fuel mix of the future, the affordability crisis, and the w...

How to un-duck the grid

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The “duck curve” has become one of the most recognizable symbols in modern energy as an illustration of both the promise and the challenge of sola...

Judith Curry: We’re wrong about climate change

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How can we engage with an energy transition without massive swings in power reliability? Is climate change really just a big cop-out for utility leade...

SPP's plan to power 18 million futures—straight from the CEO

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The grid of tomorrow is being built today—and the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) is at the center of that transformation. That transformation is being ...

How capacity markets broke—and what it takes to fix them

24 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For years, capacity markets quietly operated in the background: reliable, technical, and rarely in the headlines. Not anymore! In today’s episode o...

The grid tech solving the visibility gap

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With risks flying at utility leaders from every angle—extreme weather, outages, wildfires, and many more—knowing what’s happening on the grid at...

Is 100% clean energy really possible?

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The global energy transition isn’t theoretical anymore—it’s happening right now. But how fast can we go, and how far can renewables really take ...

How to turn AI into a power plant with Arushi Sharma Frank

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

AI is transforming everything, but what happens when it starts transforming the grid itself? As data centers explode in scale and AI workloads surge,...

The future of compute is distributed— and energy-driven

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s no secret: AI is changing everything from how we think, to where we build, to how we power the world. And nowhere is that disruption hitting h...

The data-driven strategy for building customer trust

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ask any utility exec: The key to accurate forecasting isn’t luck. It’s data. In fact, data might be more valuable than electrons these days. Know...

Slow down to speed up: How to operationalize energy innovation

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s one thing to create a culture of innovation. It’s an entirely other thing to ensure innovation exists at every juncture of your utility busin...

Exelon COO: Why we want to own generation next year

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How is Exelon, the largest regulated electric utility in the US, preparing for a high-demand future dominated by large loads and electrification? Bala...

The planning revolution utilities can’t ignore

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The grid is growing up fast, and the old ways of planning can’t keep up. Explosive new demand from AI, data centers, and the rest of the grid is co...

What California just proved about the future of energy

27 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

America’s grid is facing a daunting and pervasive challenge: explosive demand growth driven by data centers, EVs, and electrification. Utilities are...

Can the grid handle AI?

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

AI data centers are rising faster than utilities can build new capacity—and that’s creating the toughest balancing act the power sector has faced ...

The CEO’s perspective on meeting the load growth challenge

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Utilities are all balancing a three-legged stool: reliability, affordability, and environmental stewardship. So how do they keep from toppling over wh...

Nat Bullard: Can energy change its mind on decarb?

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The energy transition isn’t following a straight path. It's moving fast, bending markets, and reshaping how utilities, investors, and policymakers t...

Data is the new gold: How grid-edge tech is changing the game

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Going from reactive to proactive. Improving regulatory collaboration and outcomes. Getting from pilot to grid-scale—fast. Improving safety and relia...

Jigar Shah's message for utilities? Take the lead—or take the blame

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jigar Shah is one of the most influential voices in power. From his many entrepreneurial pursuits to his tenure leading DOE’s Loan Programs Office, ...

CAISO CEO: It takes a village to run the grid

10 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What’s the role of the modern independent system operator—especially in a grid becoming increasingly complicated and overloaded by the day? Ellio...

How to win customers and influence affordability

05 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Power Perspectives tackles one of the most important shifts in today’s utility sector: the rise of customer satisfaction as a board...

The one exec strategy that leads to more utility innovation

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know: Companies with above-average diversity in their leadership teams report 19% higher revenue from innovation. But still, women account fo...

From Superstorm Sandy to data centers: How PSE&G is hardening the grid, w/ COO Kim Hanemann

29 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Aging infrastructure, surging demand from electrification and data centers, and rising customer expectations are reshaping the way utilities operate. ...

A 50-year utility vet's reliability wakeup call for the industry

26 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to a new show from Energy Central: The Watt & Why, hosted by Mike Smith. What might happen to the electricity grid if we don’t make a chang...

Permitting delays are breaking the grid. Here’s one CEO’s fix

21 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The power grid is under historic strain. Electricity demand is climbing, climate impacts are intensifying, and the clean energy transition is accelera...

Can utilities keep up with Big Tech innovation?

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Utilities are known for spending, but not always where it counts. In fact, hyperscalers in Big Tech outspend utilities by 10x when it comes to critica...

Utilities are fighting wildfires with...data?

14 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wildfires are no longer just a seasonal threat — they’re a year-round crisis reshaping the way utilities must plan and operate. With billions in d...

Who will power the AI future?

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Move fast and break things? Not at utilities. More like move slowly and keep the lights on. Utilities have a reputation for being slow to innovate an...

Why transmission could save (or sink) the energy transition

07 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. electric grid is under historic pressure. Record-breaking demand from electrification, AI, and data centers is colliding with extreme weather...

Moving beyond the map: How GIS takes utility leaders from reactive to proactive

04 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When we look to the future of the electric utility industry, what do we see? Better data. More efficiencies. Smarter grids. Simpler asset management....

How to be an energy leader—no matter your job title

28 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Being a leader is about more than just knowing electrons. It’s about showing up every day ready to set the pace and tone for your team—this episod...

Can AI modernize nuclear? This CEO thinks so

24 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The conversation around AI in energy often centers on what it consumes. But what about what it can contribute? Nowhere is that question more relevan...

The utility leader’s modern playbook for GIS

21 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Esri Utility Network is more than a technology upgrade. It’s a strategic leap forward that helps utilities transform asset modeling, improve dat...

How this utility CEO helped land Amazon’s $16 billion power investment

17 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When a tech giant comes knocking, how does a utility say make room for them in a way that ensures the best outcomes for its existing customers? That’...

The utility emergency playbook gets a makeover

10 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wildfires, hurricanes, cyberattacks—utilities are under siege from extreme events. But what if there were a better, calmer, and smarter way to handl...

The last frontier of the digital utility

07 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

So you’ve got a lot of data…now what do you do with it? How do we turn a patchwork of energy technologies into a single cohesive model—one that’...

Field crews of the future are here

02 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How can you build the grid of the future when your field crews are still relying on paper and clipboards? For utilities across the country, that que...

The Grid’s secret weapon? Smarter field data

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The biggest threat to grid modernization? It might be hiding in your GIS. Utilities are racing toward smarter, more dynamic grid systems—layering o...

Can GIS reimagine the energy transition?

24 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

“As long as we have the data, the sky is the limit.” The transition to a cleaner, more sustainable energy reality is a massive undertaking—and ...

This CEO wants you to talk to the grid

19 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As utilities race to modernize the grid, too often the communication systems needed to communicate with the grid are overlooked. From DER integration ...

Why can’t we be friends? A new POV on utility vegetation management

17 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How are utilities supposed to balance 1) strategic grid planning with 2) strong stewardship of the tree canopy we all rely on? It requires a new appr...

How AI is mapping the invisible grid underground

12 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re building the grid of the future today, but how can we do so without fully knowing what’s already underground? That’s the uncomfortable t...

GIS for collaboration: Do more…faster

10 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

At the core of running an efficient, resilient power system, there’s one singular need: interoperability. Do you have one place where everyone, acr...

Breaking utilities out of pilot purgatory

07 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial Intelligence promises to revolutionize the utility industry, from predicting outages to integrating distributed energy resources. But betwe...

Piloting the Future: How to scale with simplicity, ft. It’s Electric & Leading Cities

03 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The first step to creating widespread change in energy? Know the problem you need to solve. For Tiya Gordon, cofounder & COO of It's Electric, that p...

The utility workforce wakeup call

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Behind the energy transition’s headlines about megawatts and microgrids lurks a quiet but critical crisis: a severe shortage of skilled trade worker...

How utility leaders predict the future with GIS

26 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When you see relationships and patterns, you don’t just take a peek at opportunities—you get a preview of risks…and a chance to get out in front...

Redefining utility success w/ Australia's biggest power pros

22 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, utility performance has been judged by how well companies met regulatory requirements—but is that enough for the energy transition ahea...

Piloting the Future: There’s no innovation without community buy-in, ft. BuildingLens & Prosper Portland

19 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tackling energy’s biggest problems requires true innovators to start somewhere—small solutions turn into enormous ones, faster than you might thin...

Is AMI worth the hype?

15 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

U.S. utilities have invested tens of billions of dollars in Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) over the last two decades. As those first-generatio...

Utilities have a data problem. Is GIS the solution?

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do two GIS experts say when you ask them about the importance of data management for utilities? “You can’t manage what you can’t see.” ...

A geopolitical wildcard: How the global gas market impacts utilities

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. just became the world’s largest exporter of LNG—but is that a blessing or a burden? In this global-scale episode of *Power Perspectives*,...

Why every utility will have a drone fleet sooner than you think

02 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if your next utility crew didn’t drive, but flew? Autonomous drones are no longer experimental toys, they’re rapidly become indispensable too...

The GISt: The real ROI of GIS for asset management

28 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

“The value has been proven.” That’s what Ryan Ciesielski, Group Head of Geospatial at National Grid, told us about the return on investment for...

Duke Energy's nuclear renaissance

26 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With electricity demand in the U.S. surging—driven by data centers, electrification, manufacturing, and population growth—utilities are under pres...

Piloting the Future: If you’re not innovating, you’re dying, ft. Portland General Electric

23 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The leaders at Portland General Electric knew they had a choice: Embrace innovative ideas…or get left behind. They chose the former—and now, PGE ...

The microgrid boom, explained

19 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The microgrid moment has arrived. Are utilities ready? Microgrids have long been billed as a "future solution"—ideal for resilience, sustainability...

The GISt: How GIS is determining the future of the grid

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to The GISt, a new limited series from Energy Central. For our first episode, we’ve got a fantastic primer on all things GIS for utilities ...

Tariffs, rollbacks, and drill baby drill: Unpacking Trump 2.0 for energy leaders

05 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A new presidency always shakes up the energy world — but what happens when it’s not new at all? With the return of Donald Trump to the White Hous...

The most innovative people in energy

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Presenting: The 2025 Energy Central Innovation Awards, a moment to celebrate forward-thinkers, risk-takers, and the big ideas kind of people who are b...

The next grid isn’t on Earth

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our latest episode leaves the grid behind—literally—to head into orbit. As the number of satellites and spacecraft in space grows, one fundamenta...

The real impacts of Trump 2.0 on energy finance

20 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does a change in U.S. presidential administrations have to do with stalled solar farms in Sub-Saharan Africa or wind projects in Southeast Asia? ...

Inside this DOE nuclear research facility, 50 years in the making

13 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. nuclear industry is entering a new era—one that demands cutting-edge research, advanced reactor technologies, and stronger collaboration ac...

Power Perspectives DTech Debrief: Are utilities becoming tech companies?

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In a unique edition of Power Perspectives this week, we take you inside the electric utility industry’s season-defining event: DistributeTECH 2025 t...

Does the energy industry need a climate reality check?

23 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, we've heard about the need to reduce carbon emissions and transition to a low-carbon economy. Yet despite corporate pledges, policy initi...

The Goldilocks problem for grid modernization

16 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What’s the biggest challenge facing utilities today? Is it climate change, DER integration, or the explosive growth of data centers? The real answer...

How to save energy from partisan politics

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How to save energy from partisan politics Can the clean power transition survive partisan politics? If anyone has the answer, it's David Spence, Pro...

How utilities can prepare for AI integration

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

AI is changing everything, and power utilities are no exception. From optimizing grid operations to enhancing cybersecurity, AI is already making a ta...

Inside this CEO's Energy Transition Playbook

22 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Balancing reliability, affordability, and sustainability—often called the energy trilemma—is one of the biggest challenges facing utility leaders ...

The future of federal energy funding

17 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Federal funding presents major opportunities for utilities, but navigating the complex landscape of incentives, grants, and shifting political realiti...

How important is private LTE to modernizing the rural grid?

08 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Private LTE networks are shaping the future of rural grid modernization. But how can small utilities harness this technology to overcome their unique ...

Can AI do your capital planning for you?

01 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As utilities face the mounting challenges of aging infrastructure, increasing demand, and evolving sustainability mandates, the need for smarter, more...

How this utility is solving the supply chain puzzle

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The supply chain has been a trending topic and area of concern in all industries since the COVID-19 pandemic, and as the utility seeks to build more ...