Advertise on podcast: Electric Perspectives

As electricity demand grows, electric companies are exploring new strategies and partnerships to deliver reliable power while protecting existing customers. On this episode, Judson Tillinghast, manager of data center strategy at Arizona Public Service, and Alan Schurr, chief commercial officer at ERock, discuss how flexible generation can help meet growing demand from data centers and other large customers. They also explore how it helps strengthen grid reliability, manage costs, and ensure new customers contribute to the broader needs of the communities they serve.

This week is Careers in Energy Week, and EEI and our member companies are celebrating the men and women who deliver the energy of every day and keep America powered, connected, and moving forward. Throughout this week, we are showcasing the career opportunities that make the energy industry an attractive path for the next generation of workers. On this episode, EEI Chief Communications Officer Emily Schillinger joins AES Ohio Electric Line Technician Leader Bryan Woodford and AES Indiana Director of Transmission and Distribution Field Operations Nick Goodman to discuss what's brought them to the field, how they're carrying on family legacies, and what it takes to become a lineworker.

This episode is the final part of our EEI 2026 Highlights series. The discussions highlight the innovative strategies, investments, and partnerships shaping the future of the energy grid. The speakers are: Mary Sprayregen, Global Head of Market Development, Regulatory Affairs & Industry Value, Oracle Duke Austin, president and CEO, Quanta You can also visit the Electric Perspectives website to read coverage of this year's conference.

This episode is part of our EEI 2026 Highlights series. The discussions highlight the innovative strategies, investments, and partnerships shaping the future of the energy grid. The speakers are: Jake Elder, Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation, Energy Impact Partners Jason Rowell, Executive Vice President, Advanced Power Generation Solution Leader, Black & Veatch Kristen Braun, Associate Vice President, Nuclear Solution Director, Black & Veatch You can also visit the Electric Perspectives website to read coverage of this year's conference.

On this episode, Hanna Grene, Microsoft’s Global Go to Market and Innovation Leader for Energy and Resources, joins EEI Chief Legal Officer Rachael Marsh. They discuss Microsoft’s Community-First AI Infrastructure initiative, how digital solutions can enhance the grid. They also explore how electric companies, technology providers, and communities can work together to ensure data center growth delivers benefits for the communities where they operate.

America’s electric companies are taking proactive steps to prepare for wildfires and other extreme weather events, strengthen the energy system, and protect the communities they serve. In this episode, Ryan Murphy, Vice President of Gas and Electric Operations at Puget Sound Energy, and Gary McAuliffe, Vice President of Sales at KloudGin, discuss how electric companies are using technology and risk modeling to enhance situational awareness and improve decision-making, while working with first responders and community leaders to keep customers safe and deliver reliable, resilient electricity. This episode is sponsored by KloudGin. Learn more: https://kloudgin.com/

July 10 is National Lineworker Appreciation Day, recognizing the skilled men and women who keep electricity flowing to homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals across the country. In this episode, EEI President and CEO Drew Maloney talks with Greg McQuiggan and Ryan Murray of National Grid, and Leland Overstreet of Alabama Power. All three are lineworkers and also members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. They discuss what it means to serve on the frontlines of the electric power industry, along with the challenges and rewards of the job. Don't forget to #ThankALineworker!

QTS Data Centers is building a data center campus in Cedar Rapids that is the biggest economic development project in the state of Iowa. In this episode, Alliant Energy Chief Strategy Officer Raja Sundararajan and QTS Executive Vice President of Government Relations Todd Malan join EEI Chief Legal Officer Rachael Marsh to discuss how electric companies and developers are collaborating to drive economic growth, protect existing customers, and accelerate digital infrastructure buildout.

This episode is part of our EEI 2026 Highlights series. The discussions highlight the innovative strategies, investments, and partnerships shaping the future of the energy grid. The speakers are: Ted Walker, Partner, Communities, Energy & Infrastructure, Guidehouse Michelle Fay, Global Energy Providers Practice Leader, Guidehouse Ali Ipakchi, Chief Visionary Officer, OATI  Tom Keefe, Power, Utilities & Renewables National Sector Leader, Deloitte You can also visit the Electric Perspectives website to read coverage of this year's conference.

In this episode of Electric Perspectives, Gregory A. Beard, director of the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF), discusses how the federal government is deploying historic levels of capital to strengthen the energy grid and support long-term reliability. Director Beard outlines EDF’s focus on lowering costs for customers while improving reliability and energy security, including major recent loans to electric companies and a rapid pace of capital deployment.

Supportive public policies, strong partnerships, and bipartisan leadership are essential to America’s energy future. On this episode, EEI President and CEO Drew Maloney sits down with House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Congressman Scott Peters (D-CA) to discuss the path forward on permitting reform, including efforts to accelerate energy infrastructure projects and improve regulatory certainty. They also highlight bipartisan collaboration to lower energy costs, meet rising electricity demand, ensure grid reliability, and advance wildfire legislation such as the Fix Our Forests Act.

America’s electric companies are using AI to enhance the customer experience and identify opportunities to lower bills. On this episode, PSEG Long Island Vice President of Customer Operations Lou DeBrino and Bidgely Chief Product Officer Ted Nielsen discuss how electric companies are using smart meter data and advanced analytics to provide tailored energy insights and strengthen customer engagement. They explore how these tools are supporting grid reliability while helping customers better understand their energy use, shift consumption habits, and save money. This episode is sponsored by Bidgely, which provides AI platforms that optimize grid management and customer engagement for electric companies. Learn more.

Earlier this year, Duke Energy launched the DeBary Hydrogen Production Storage System, the nation’s first fully integrated project to produce, store, and use green hydrogen. On this episode, Duke Energy Senior Vice President of System Planning and Construction Regis Repko explains how the hydrogen system works and how it provides reliable energy during peak demand.

Urban conflagration—large, vast moving fires that spread from structure to structure—pose a growing risk in many communities across the country, particularly in the areas where homes and infrastructure meet wildfire-prone landscapes. During this episode, Pacific Gas and Electric Senior Manager of Consequence Data Science Manuj Sharma and Technosylva Director of Fire Science Adrián Cardil discuss a new pilot project that uses advanced fire spread simulations to enhance mitigation, planning, and response capabilities.  This episode is sponsored by Technosylva. Learn more about their wildfire and extreme weather risk intelligence here.

This week, Charles River Associates released a new report examining recent trends in retail residential electricity rates. On this episode, EEI President and CEO Drew Maloney and Matt DeCourcey, vice president of the energy practice at Charles River Associates, explore the key findings, which include that for most U.S. electricity customers, retail electricity rates have generally remained stable and have not outpaced inflation. They also discuss external factors driving higher rates in certain regions, and how new data center tariffs and agreements are helping protect existing customers from the costs of connecting new large loads like data centers. Read the full study here.