GridPulse, a Grid Forward podcast

For large facilities scrambling to bring new energy capacity online, waiting several years for a new grid connection is not a viable option. John Carrington, CEO of ERock, and Jesse Noffsinger, Partner at McKinsey & Company, discuss current trends in behind-the-meter (BTM) generation and how it can provide a faster solution while utilities build needed grid connections. Over the long term however, BTM resources could shift from...

Saint John Energy exemplifies how modernizing the distribution grid can be a productive path for greater affordability and resiliency. In this episode, CEO Ryan Mitchell shares how Saint John Energy has using a range of hardware and software innovations -- such as renting high-effiiciency heating and deploying advanced demand management -- to meet growing customer demand with the lowest rates in the region. He also discusses their ...

As electricity demand continues to climb, geothermal energy is emerging as a key source of reliable, around-the-clock clean power. In this episode of GridPulse, Bryce Yonker sits down with Sarah Jewett, chief operating officer at Fervo Energy, to discuss how the company is scaling the next generation of geothermal power. Sarah explains how Fervo is applying technologies pioneered in the oil and gas sector to reduce costs and accele...

Energy affordability is a growing problem across the commercial, industrial, and residential sectors. In this episode, Christopher Knittel of MIT and Ryan Hledick of The Brattle Group turn to recent research to unpack the many factors pushing up electricity prices, including infrastructure replacement, climate change impact, fast-growing demand and evolving energy policies. They then lay out potential solutions using grid flexibili...

The ability to double grid capacity is here today, ready to work in existing transmission corridors. Get grounded in advanced reconductoring options in this episode with Zach Zimmerman from the AMP Coalition and Theodore Paradise, Chief Policy and Grid Strategy Office at CTC Global. They explain how advanced conductors can move more energy using existing poles and corridors or boost capacity of new projects. Utilities and grid oper...

Virtual power plants (VPPs) are entering a new phase. Utilities and regulators are moving beyond pilot programs and enrollment metrics toward dispatchable distributed capacity that can reliably support the grid. At the same time, new policy frameworks, funding mechanisms, and technology capabilities are accelerating deployment. In this episode, leaders from Tesla (Kevin Joyce), Virtual Peaker (Jeff Quigley) and Ohm Analyt...

As the energy landscape grows more complex, utilities see new  technologies as critical to making electricity more clean, affordable and reliable. Yet how can they nurture innovation in a historically conservative industry? In this episode, Avista CEO Heather Rosentrater shares the ways her team is embedding innovation across the organization, not just within a single team, to navigating rising operational risks. Avi...

As energy demand surges, tech giants are stepping up as key partners to utilities navigating a rapidly changing grid. At CERAWeek 2026, Bryce Yonker explored this topic speaking with Hannah Green, Global Operations & GTM Leader for Energy & Resources at Microsoft, and Rayford Smith, Global Head of Power and Energy for Cloud at Google. They detailed how digital infrastructure, the cloud and AI are reshaping how utilities pla...

As energy demand surges, how is the U.S. Department of Energy supporting breakthrough technologies to strengthen grid resilience? ARPA-E Director Conor Prochaska shares how the agency is identifying and advancing high-impact solutions, including fusion (which he thinks is getting closer), advanced nuclear, next-generation geothermal, long duration storage and more to help meet growing demand. But technology alone isn’t enough...

What does it take to power rural America in a time of fast-changing technologies and rising demand and costs? Jim Matheson of NRECA shares insights into how electric cooperatives are adapting to meet supply chain pressures, infrastructure needs, and the rapid growth fueled by data centers and other energy demands. He also discusses the importance of federal financing and the cooperative model to maintain affordability and reliabili...

On the season opener of GridPulse, Virginia Commissioner Jehmal Hudson joins the podcast to discuss the national and local drivers behind rising energy demand and what they mean for grid planning and regulation. He explores the need for smarter transmission utilization, meeting the demand for accelerating data center facilities, thoughtful rate design for large loads, and updated regulatory processes that take innovation into accou...

• Applying AI-driven technologies to run the grid more effectively
• Mitigating wildfire risks by integrating digital and advanced monitoring solutions
• Ongoing effects of the federal agencies’ changing priorities on grid modernization
• ...

On the first day of the GridFWD 2025 event, leadership from some of the nation’s largest and most AI-engaged utilities joined a panel to tell our audience about their acceleration of AI use cases. Jason Glickman (EVP Engineering, Planning and Strategy, PG&E), Bonnie Titone (Senior VP and Chief Administrative Officer, Duke Energy) and Petter Skantze (Senior VP of Infrastructure Development, NextEra Energy Resources) discus...

Dynamic line rating (DLR) is a Grid Enhancing Technology (GET) that measures the impact of ambient conditions on the carrying capacity of a grid. When DLR is employed network wide, it improves asset utilization, reliability, resilience, and confidence in investments. Guest host Julia Selker of Grid Strategies and Vishal Kapadia, CEO of LineVision, discuss how the successful implementation of DLR can save millions of dollars, identi...

Increasing flexibility on the electric grid is necessary as demand and capacity requirements rapidly rise. Diversifying generation portfolios with emerging technologies is a good start, and significant T&D investments in innovations like virtual power plants can help match supply with demand. Cost, construction, and timing are often challenges to increasing flexibility; therefore, what solutions are going to make the most ...

Power demand from data centers is clearly increasing faster than current electric infrastructure and markets can accommodate. Therefore, data centers and grid operators are exploring one workaround: flexing data center loads during peak demand times. Brian Janous, of Cloverleaf Infrastructure, and Chris Pennington, of Iron Mountain Data Centers, discuss the current opportunities and challenges to data center flexibility. For exampl...

In this episode of Grid Forward Forum, host Bryce Yonker speaks with Rudy Garza (CPS Energy) and David Naylor (Rayburn Electric Cooperative) about the urgent challenges and innovations in the Texas energy sector. They explore topics like grid modernization, the impact of Winter Storm Uri, growing demand from data centers, and how Texas utilities are going to have to invest billions to keep up while working to maintain affordability...

State energy offices have a delicate balancing act in leading policy, tracking market signals, and encouraging economic development. All that is harder now that load growth is accelerating. David Terry, the president of National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) , discusses trends within state energy offices to help get energy onto the grid quickly to grow the economy while meeting community concerns. David and Bryce di...

Since 2020, supply chain shortages have delayed the progress of necessary grid infrastructure improvements. Consolidation in the industry means fewer vendors are available which drives up prices, extends lead times and limits capacity, especially as worldwide demand increases. Will Perrich and Stephen White of POWER Engineers provide an insider's view to current constraints on the market and what needs to be done to alleviate them....