Schweitzer Drive
Schweitzer Drive explores what goes on between the generation of electricity and the light switch. Join Dave Whitehead as he interviews the entrepreneurs, innovators, and experts who are inventing the future of electric power.
Episodes
Author and journalist Robert Bryce returns to Schweitzer Drive for a candid conversation with host Dave Whitehead about the president’s bold plan to expand nuclear power in the United States. Drawing on decades of energy research, Bryce explains why the goal of quadrupling nuclear capacity by 2050 is unlikely, but offers a realistic view of t...
In this episode, we continue our exploration of how utilities are working to mitigate the threat of wildfires with a look at how PG&E is transforming its grid to reduce ignition risk throughout its 70,000-square-mile service area. Host Dave Whitehead is joined by James Tuccillo, manager of distribution and asset planning, to ...
As the wildfire threat has grown across the western U.S., utilities have stepped up to protect communities and critical infrastructure. In this episode, host Dave Whitehead talks with Josh DiLuciano, vice president of Energy Delivery at Avista, about how the utility is tackling wildfire risk head-on. From grid hardening an...
As our reliance on electric power continues to grow, so does the need to protect the grid from cyber threats. In this episode, guest host Frank Harrill, VP of Security at SEL, talks with cybersecurity expert Andre Ristaino about how industry standards, specifically IEC 62443, are shaping the future of industrial cybersecurity, includin...
In this episode, Dave Whitehead talks with power systems experts Gerardo Urrea and Bryan Fazzari about the U.S. power grid and some of the reasons why it enjoys an impressive 99.95% reliability, despite often being described as an old, cobbled together system. They also discuss the new technologies they are most excited abo...
As the demand for clean energy and the push for decarbonization intensify, there's a renewed focus on large-scale nuclear reactors in the United States. In this episode, host Dave Whithead sits down with Dr. Luca Oriani, President of Long-Term Operations at Westinghouse, a company that has been lead...
Data centers face big challenges, from processing trillions of search queries and storing billions of emails and photos to serving countless hours of video every day, while at the same time developing ways of decreasing their energy usage and carbon footprints and increasing data security. In this episode, Angad Sandhu, director of data ce...
In the 1980s, power system protective relays underwent a revolution from electromechanical to digital. Now, new innovations are shifting the focus from individual devices to a centralized, software-based approach. In this episode, Dave Whitehead talks with SEL Chief Technology Officer Greg Zweigle about the history of electric power system protection and the futur...
Historically, nuclear power plants have been easy to identify by the massive water-cooling towers that have been the hallmark of these generation sites for decades. However, that’s changing. In this episode, guest host Nicholas Seeley talks with Brian Gitt from Oklo, a company developing next-generation nuclear technology, including...
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Even a very short power outage can have dire consequences for a hospital, transportation system, or large campus. This is where microgrids can add real value. In this episode, Dave Whitehead talks with microgrid expert Dr. Mahmoud Kabalan about these small, stand-alone power systems that can keep electricity flowing regardless of what’s happening on ...
About 50 percent of energy generated in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States comes from hydroelectric power. According to Rick Dunn, general manager of Benton PUD, that puts the region in an unbelievably unique position. In this episode, host Dave Whitehead talks with Rick about the impact hydro has on reliability and rates, the politicization of the resource, and why he became an author.
It might seem like a stretch to talk about the healthcare system on a podcast about electric power. However, more than three million Americans report to energy sec...
In this episode, host Dave Whitehead chats with SEL Engineers Lyssa Blood and Cameron Blegen. Both in the third year of their careers, Lyssa and Cameron talk about their experience in the SEL Engineer Rotation Program which allowed them to explore different jobs before settling into their full-time roles...
In this episode, guest host Diane Maceri, supply chain director at SEL, talks with Tyler Gould, senior electronic sales engineer at Phoenix Contact and Tom Schrader, president of I...
In this episode, author, filmmaker and podcaster Robert Bryce talks about his new docuseries Juice: Power, Politics & The Grid with guest host David Costello, SEL chief sales & customer service officer.
The shift to renewables and growing demand for electricity are driving utilities to problem-solve like never before. In this episode, host Dave Whitehead talks with Philip VanSant, manager of T&D Services, System Protection at Dominion En...
Rini Paiva, executive vice president of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, joins Dave to discuss the common traits inventors share, the importance of honoring their work, and how they're inspiring future innovators.
In this episode, guest host Nicholas Seeley talks with cybersecurity expert and author Andrew Ginter about the challenges of protecting operational technology used in industrial environments and critical infrastructure, like the power grid, from growing cyber threats.
One of the most significant limiting factors of renewable energy sources, like wind and solar, is intermittency. When the wind isn’t blowing or sun shining, there’s no generation. This is why billionaires like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Richard Branson are all looking for a way to store energy and are investing heavily in grid-scale battery research. In t...
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