Energy Central

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 operations, highlighting that the hype was real and the future is now.On this episode of Power Perspectives, host Matt Chester goes behind the scenes with three members of Skydio's utility team to show why drones have graduated from novelty to mission-critical infrastructure. In this conversation, Christina Park (Senior Director, Energy Strategy), Suchet Bargoti (Director of Inspection and Mapping), and Cooper Linn (Senior Product Manager) walk through real-world utility deployments, the field-driven product choices that mattered, and how autonomy is changing inspection workflows.Skydio’s case studies highlight how drone deployments have moved from proving concepts to operational scale: the shift to “drones as infrastructure,” the importance of engineers riding along on field missions, and the evolution from broad 3D semantic scans to efficient, asset-based inspection workflows that actually save crews time and prevent outages.Thanks to Skydio for sponsoring this episode. Skydio helps utilities move beyond outdated time based maintenance to smarter, safer and more scalable condition-based maintenance. Powered by autonomous remote operated drones, over 280 utilities trust Skydio. Because with real time aerial data and remote inspection, utilities can spot issues early, reduce forced outages and make confident, efficient, cost effective decisions.Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Coal has been making headlines recently, highlighting everything from plant closure delays to retirements extended and the political rhetoric suggesting a coal comeback. But are the headlines telling the real story? In this episode, host Kinsey Grant Baker sits down with experts from Energy Innovation Technology & Policy, Silvio Marcacci (Senior Director of Communications) and Michelle Soloman (Manager of the Electricity Program) to unpack what’s actually happening behind the noise.Together, they break down why coal keeps resurfacing in the public conversation, what the Trump Administration can and cannot do to prop it up, and how to separate political signaling from real market and grid impacts. The discussion explores the risks of forcing aging plants to stay online, the difference between shuttered units and plants with future retirement dates, and what the latest data says about coal’s role over the next five to ten years.We explore the questions behind the headlines: Is coal actually the safe fallback it’s made out to be, or are there real operational and economic downsides to extending plant life too long? Silvio and Michelle bring a policy-focused perspective on what utilities should be watching, what the numbers really show, and what a more reliable and affordable power mix looks like in practice.Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Electricity prices are rising faster than wages, and everyday customers are demanding answers. What’s causing it? What has worked to moderate prices? And where is the messaging behind power decisions and rates confused?On this episode of Power Perspectives, host Kinsey Grant Baker is joined by two veteran energy modelers, Isaac Orr and Mitch Rolling of Always On Energy Research and authors of the Energy Bad Boys substack, to cut through the heat-map politics and answer the question utility leaders hate to be asked: which policies are actually driving bills up, and which are convenient political cover?Isaac and Mitch walk through the data and models behind regional price moves, explain why costs show up in generation, capacity, and interconnection differently across markets (including lessons from MISO and SPP), and explain their position that the often-ignored implementation choices turn ambitious clean-energy goals into expensive real-world outcomes.Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

As the future of energy accelerates towards a cleaner, more automated system, the talking points tend to focus on the technologies themselves: AI, EVs, batteries, renewables, and the T&D meant to connect them all. But behind every new technology deployed is an entire workforce to design, manufacture, install, and maintain it. As these technologies expand and new ones come into the fold, a critical question arises: will the industry have enough skilled workers to build the electric future being envisioned?To get to the bottom of this, host Kinsey Grant Baker is joined by Patrick Hughes, Senior Vice President at the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), to discuss the workforce challenges and opportunities emerging across the electrical manufacturing and grid infrastructure ecosystem. The conversation explores how the grid is evolving—from rapid electrification and digitalization to new infrastructure demands—and what those shifts mean for the people responsible for building and maintaining the system.Hughes dives into how industry and policymakers are working together to close the workforce gap, including efforts such as the Veterans Energy Transition Act and a focus on how emerging technologies like AI and robotics are reshaping the skills needed in tomorrow’s grid workforce. Listen in to get a forward-looking view of how the industry can attract, train, and retain the talent needed to power the next generation of energy innovation.Links Mentioned in the Conversation:NEMA's 2025 "Grid Reliability Study" (https://www.makeitelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/grid-reliability-study-nema-deck.pdf)NEMA's 2026 Electroindustry Policy Agenda (https://www.makeitelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/Documents/Site_Pages/nema2026-policy-agenda.pdf)Powering Domestic Manufacturing (https://www.makeitelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/Documents/News_Blogs/electroindustry-investment-mapping-infographics.pdf)NEMA Applauds Introduction of Legislation to Build a Future-Ready Workforce (https://www.makeitelectric.org/newsroom/news/statement-nema-applauds-introduction-of-legislation-to-build-a-future-ready-workforce/)Siemens Educates America (https://www.siemens.com/en-us/content/siemens-educates-america/)Southwire Welcomes First Class to Maintenance Apprenticeship Program (https://www.ewweb.com/news/bulletin-board/article/20923002/southwire-welcomes-first-class-to-maintenance-apprenticeship-program)Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

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 back the 2009 Endangerment Finding, the scientific determination that greenhouse gases threaten public health, it set off a wave of reactions throughout the energy sector. But how do utility professionals themselves actually view the move?To start to answer that question, Energy Central posed a simple question in our daily newsletter: How does the endangerment finding rollback land with you? We got hundreds of responses, and to parse through the feedback we knew we had to pull in the whole team. In this episode, host Kinsey Grant Baker is joined by Community Manager Matt Chester and Energy Central’s new Editor, Molly Glick to unpack the results of that poll that highlighted an industry divided.From concerns about regulatory whiplash and long-term planning uncertainty to arguments about overregulation and global competitiveness, the feedback surfaces the real debates happening inside the power sector. Kinsey, Molly, and Matt then also look ahead to what happens next. Through the voices of industry professionals and community members, this episode explores what the Endangerment Finding means not just for climate policy, but for the future of utility planning, investment, and the energy transition itself.Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

For years, EVs were treated as a looming grid problem that would lead to an epidemic of transformer overloads, unpredictable peaks, and expensive distribution upgrades. But what if EVs aren’t a liability but instead an asset to building a more flexible, resilient grid? In this episode of Power Perspectives, host Kinsey Grant Baker speaks with John Taggart, Co-Founder and President of WeaveGrid, to learn why utilities are shifting from asking whether EVs will disrupt the grid to how they can turn EV adoption into a strategic advantage.John helps to reframe EVs as a distribution-level opportunity rather than a system-wide headache. While unmanaged charging can strain local feeders and transformers, coordinated charging can flatten peaks, defer infrastructure upgrades, and integrate seamlessly with broader grid planning. Beyond that, what does it take to turn this vision into reality and orchestrate charging across automakers, utilities, and charging providers?John shares real-world use cases, discusses how EVs interact with stationary batteries and broader grid flexibility programs, and explains why internal utility alignment across planning, operations, IT, and customer teams is critical. If EVs are “batteries on wheels,” this conversation makes clear they may be one of the most powerful flexibility tools utilities have — if they treat them that way.Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Reliability has become one of the most urgent topics in the utility sector today. As aging infrastructure meets rising electricity demand and more frequent extreme weather, utilities are facing growing pressure to keep the lights on while modernizing the grid. From vegetation management to conductor fatigue and storm resilience, the question isn’t whether upgrades are needed, but how utilities can make the smartest investments to strengthen the grid quickly, effectively, and affordably.To get the answers to those questions, Energy Central’s Community Manager Matt Chester was joined live at DTECH 2026 in San Diego by Southwire’s Emily Witcher (Manager of Overhead Transmission) and Drew Pearson (Transmission Engineer), and the resultant conversation explored how utilities are tackling reliability challenges in overhead transmission systems. From conductor selection to structural design to accurate engineering models, decisions made for all grid upgrades will dramatically affect ultimate system performance under stress.This episode highlights practical solutions utilities are deploying today, including reconductoring projects that increase capacity without rebuilding entire lines and digital tools that improve engineering analysis and field decisions. With lessons drawn from real-world projects and conversations happening across the DTECH floor, this discussion offers a grounded look at how utilities can strengthen grid resilience now while preparing for the reliability challenges still ahead.Thanks to Southwire for sponsoring this episode.Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

The utility industry is entering a construction boom unlike anything seen in decades. From electrification and load growth to wildfire mitigation and resilience investments, utilities across the country are racing to build and upgrade transmission and distribution infrastructure. But scaling up construction isn’t just about building faster, it’s also about rethinking the entire construction lifecycle, from planning and design to data capture and project closeout.Recorded live on site at DTECH 2026 in San Diego, Energy Central Community Manager Matt Chester sits down with Danny Petrecca of Locusview to explore how utilities are modernizing the way they build the grid. The conversation dives into how digital construction platforms are helping utilities manage massive increases in T&D projects while maintaining data quality, safety, and capital efficiency. From improving the quality of field data to ensuring ADMS and GIS systems stay accurate over time, the episode highlights how digital workflows are becoming essential infrastructure in their own right.The discussion also explores the growing role of digital tools in wildfire mitigation, workforce transformation, and the financial realities of scaling grid investment. And with Itron’s recent acquisition of Locusview adding new momentum to the space, the conversation offers a look at how utilities can modernize construction workflows today to build a safer, more resilient, and more efficient grid for tomorrow.And thanks to our partner, Locusview, for making this episode possible. Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Urban grids are running out of room , especially in dense cities where rooftop solar is limited, EV charging is complicated, and peak demand keeps climbing. Modernizing and growing utilities thus need new, novel ways to unlock flexibility without massive infrastructure overhauls. In this episode, Andrew Wang of Every Electric shares with host Kinsey Grant Baker his team’s unique approach to “dropshipping” grid flexibility directly into multi-family residential buildings, deploying free home batteries that allow residents to earn money while providing short bursts of load relief during peak periods.From space constraints to split incentives between landlords and renters, Andrew highlights the challenges that urban power companies face. And while distributed energy resources have long been viewed as an answer to the city landscape, he explains that ultimately many DER strategies miss the renters and multi-family buildings that make up the backbone of major cities. Instead of expensive building-wide retrofits, he’s targeting individual apartments to prioritize speed, scalability, and customer participation.The result? New York City’s largest residential battery fleet, deployed ahead of summer heat waves in partnership with Con Edison. Listen in to hear why grid flexibility must become a core planning resource rather than a pilot program, where this model could scale nationally, and what utility leaders should prioritize if they want flexibility to be a reliable, bankable part of the grid of the future.Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

The grid is aging fast, and demand is rising even faster. But while much of the conversation fixates on physical infrastructure, there's a critical, often overlooked piece of the puzzle: modeling. How utilities plan for the future—what tools they use, what data they trust, and how they stress-test their assumptions—can mean the difference between billions spent wisely and billions wasted.In this episode, host Kinsey Grant Baker sits down with Alice Yake, Head of Grid Modeling at Breakthrough Energy, to unpack why getting the grid model wrong doesn't just delay progress—it costs communities, ratepayers, and the planet dearly. Alice brings a rare mix of experience: from coding at Enron to intervening in utility rate cases to leading integrated resource planning at Xcel Energy. Now, she's helping build open-source modeling tools designed to work not just for eight U.S. states, but for the world.Alice explains why open-source modeling matters for trust, accessibility, and speed—especially in low- and middle-income countries that can't afford commercial tools but desperately need reliable planning frameworks. She also digs into the data problem: how inconsistent, inaccessible, or outdated data undermines even the best models, and what breakthrough is doing to create a global data store that reduces friction and increases transparency. From distribution system design to fusion and geothermal integration, this conversation explores how modeling helps utilities answer the hardest question of all: What does the grid need to look like in 2050, and how do we start building it today?For utility leaders navigating unprecedented load growth, regulatory pressure, and technological uncertainty, this episode offers a grounded roadmap for making smarter, faster, more equitable infrastructure decisions. And for innovators and startups, Alice shares direct advice on how to get new technologies into planning models—and why that step is make-or-break for adoption.Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe