Electric Perspectives

Hurricane Responses and the Benefits of Grid Resilience Investments

Hurricane Helene made landfall in late September as a Category 4 hurricane and impacted nearly 6 million customers in 10 states. An army of more than 50,000 workers from at least 41 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada was dedicated to the Helene response—one of the largest and most complex industry restoration efforts in U.S. history. Less than two weeks later, a second mutual assistance mobilization got underway as Hurricane Milton approached Florida. That storm was a Category 3 hurricane and caused dozens of tornadoes as it raked across the Florida peninsula.

 

On this episode, we are joined by Stan Connally, executive vice president of operations at Southern Company, and Chair, President, and CEO of Southern Company Services, to discuss Georgia Power's restoration efforts after Hurricane Helene and its massive mutual assistance response, our industry's partnership with federal government to protect critical infrastructure, how resilience investments are increasing grid reliability, and more. 

Grid-Enhancing Technologies for a Resilient Clean Energy Future

Enhancing grid resilience is a priority for America’s electric companies, which are making significant investments each year to harden the grid and to demonstrate and deploy grid-enhancing technologies that optimize grid operations, help prevent power outages, and enhance reliability. 

On this episode, EEI Managing Director of Climate Programs and Executive Director of the Institute for the Energy Transition Eric Holdsworth; Dave Quier, PPL Electric’s vice president and chief operating officer; and Margie Sweezer-Fischer, vice president of operations for NextEra Energy Transmission, discuss grid-enhancing technologies, the role they play in enhancing resilience, how electric companies work with regulators to help define the customer benefits of adopting these technologies, and more.

Partnering on Engine Power Plant Solutions

Electric companies partner with technology companies to find solutions that help them deliver reliable and resilient clean energy to customers. On today's episode, we hear about WEC Energy Group and Wärtsilä partnership to test a Wärtsilä engine that is designed to run on a hydrogen fuel blend at one of WEC Energy’s power plants in Michigan.

Dan Krueger, Executive Vice President of Infrastructure and Generation Planning at WEC Energy Group; Todd Duffield, Market Strategist at WEC Energy Group; and Jon Rodriguez, Energy Business Director of Engine Power Plants at Wärtsilä, discuss the companies' hydrogen blending test and how engine power plants can help the energy sector reduce carbon emissions. This episode is sponsored by Wärtsilä; learn more about their engine power plant solutions here.

 

AI-Powered Solutions for Transportation Electrification Programs

During EEI 2024, Adam Grant, director of electrification and energy services, Nevada, at NV Energy, and Maria Kretzing, vice president and general manager of electric vehicles and analytics at Bidgely, discussed AI-driven solutions and the importance of taking a holistic approach to transportation electrification programs.

On this episode, Grant and Kretzing joins us again for a deeper dive into Bidgely’s AI-powered technology that supports electric transportation programs, how electric companies like NV Energy partner with technology companies to find solutions for customers, the type of information NV Energy was able to harness about customer charging habits through the AI-powered technology, and more. This episode is sponsored by Bidgely; learn more about their data analytics tool here.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell on Protecting Our Nation’s Critical Infrastructure

There are no shortages of threats to our critical infrastructure, including cyber-attacks, increasingly frequent extreme weather events, and physical attacks on energy infrastructure. Electric companies and their federal partners work around the clock to prepare for these scenarios and to enhance our response capabilities.

On this episode, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell, the nation’s top emergency response official, discusses how federal agencies and electric companies collaborate to prepare for and respond to emergencies; the top threats to America’s critical energy infrastructure; the importance of building emergency response capacity at the state and local levels; and more.

How ERCOT Is Supporting the Grid of the Future

As grid operators plan for the future, they are focused on meeting rising demand for electricity and enhancing grid reliability in the face of increasingly frequent and severe weather.

On this episode, EEI Executive Vice President of the Business Operations Group and Regulatory Affairs Phil Moeller and Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) President and CEO Pablo Vegas discuss how ERCOT plans to meet the increasing demand for electricity, the lessons learned from Winter Storm Uri that could help other grid operators and electric companies, the importance of investing in resilient infrastructure, and more.

Jensen Huang on Advancing AI and Innovation

EEI 2024 featured a lineup of exceptional keynote speakers. On this episode, you'll hear the full-length EEI 2024 keynote conversation between NVIDIA Founder and CEO Jensen Huang and former EEI Chair Pedro J. Pizarro, president and CEO of Edison International. They discussed how NVIDIA’s pioneering work to advance AI and quantum computing has, in part, driven a significant growth in electricity demand, and how electric companies are partnering with companies like NVIDIA to meet that growing demand. You also can watch the keynote on EEI's YouTube channel.

EEI 2024 Highlights: Hydrogen, Building the Next-Generation Workforce, and Cybersecurity

This episode is part of our EEI 2024 highlights series. In this episode, you will hear conversations about topics including building North America's hydrogen backbone, developing the next-generation workforce, and cybersecurity in supply chains. Plus, you'll hear from EEI President and CEO Dan Brouillette about his experience at the conference. The speakers are:

• Guidehouse Partner and Solutions Lead Michelle Fay and Guidehouse Partner and Energy Providers Segment Lead Dan Hahn,
• Quanta President and CEO Duke Austin, and
• Susan Herman, Industrial Cybersecurity Strategic Development Lead, Black and Veatch

You can also visit EEI's website to read EEI 2024 recap newsletters, see photos from our annual thought leadership forum, and watch videos from some of the keynotes.

Why Did Hurricane Beryl Take Down So Many Trees in Texas?

This week, EEI's Electric Perspectives Podcast and The Current are partnering for an episode to discuss the impacts of Hurricane Beryl and the tremendous restoration efforts that are underway. On this episode, you'll hear from StormGeo Meteorologist Justin Petrutsas — who is based in the Houston area— and Scott Aaronson, EEI Senior Vice President of Security and Preparedness, about the intensity of this hurricane as well the complex work that is underway to safely restore power to impacted customers.

EEI 2024 Highlights: Clean Energy Technologies, AI, Building System Resilience and Distribution Transformation

This episode is part of our EEI 2024 highlights series. In this episode, you will hear conversations about topics including clean energy technologies, opportunities for collaboration created by AI, building system resilience, distribution transformation, and more. The speakers are:

• Hans Kobler, Founder and Managing Partner, Energy Impact Partners,
• Creighton Oyler, Oracle Senior Vice President and General Manager 
• Paul Domjan, Founder and Chief Policy and Global Affairs Officer, ENODA, and
• Martin Stansbury, Deloitte US Power, Utilities & Renewables Risk & Financial Advisory Leader 

You can also visit EEI's website to read EEI 2024 recap newsletters and see photos from our annual thought leadership forum.