Grid Forward kicks off a new season of its podcast with a new name: GridPulse. The podcast hosts senior executives, government officials and tech innovators to reveal candid observations and best practices for modernizing the electric grid. Given its highly focused topics and top-tier guests, the podcast is now recognized as one of the leading voices on energy and the grid.
First up: in-depth with Judge Jehmal Hudson
On the first episode of the new GridPulse season, Judge Jehmal Hudson, member of the Virginia State Corporation Commission and the NARUC executive committee, discusses national and local drivers behind rising energy demand and what they mean for grid planning and regulation.
“When we talk about unlocking infrastructure, this isn’t theoretical. [Advanced Transmission Technologies, or ATTs] are commercially available, and they have been deployed internationally for years. And so from a regulator standpoint, this is really compelling for three reasons. First, it’s speed. Reconductoring and [ATT] deployment can often move faster than greenfield lines. Second, it’s cost discipline. Customers benefit from avoided or deferred capital costs. And third is public acceptance. I think upgrading an existing corridor is often less contentious than building a new one.”
Hosting leaders from across the grid ecosystem
Grid Forward executive director and CEO Bryce Yonker is the host of GridPulse. In upcoming episodes, he and a range of industry leaders will continue tapping into current challenges and opportunities for modernizing the electric grid from multiple perspectives:
- Jim Matheson, CEO of NRECA, will talk about how the industry is supporting small co-ops and grid innovation, and what we could be doing better.
- In a special episode recorded at CERAWeek, we will unpack how big tech and the grid are colliding and what it means for the energy system with Raiford Smith, Global Head, Power and Energy for Cloud at Google and Hanna Grene, Global GTM & Operations Leader for Energy at Microsoft.
- Heather Resentrater, CEO of Avista Corporation, will reveal how that utility has built a culture of innovation that permeates the organization.
GridPulse is the continuation of our podcast series that this season will hit 100 episodes. You can listen in to the full catalog of episodes featuring Luis D’Acosta, CEO, Uplight; Rudy Garza, CEO, CPS Energy; David Terry, President, NASEO; U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski; U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak; former FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee; Marc Spieler, Sr. Director of Energy at NVIDIA; former WA Gov. Inslee; Pablo Vegas, president and CEO, ERCOT; Patricia K. Poppe, CEO, PG&E; and many more.
Virtual Peaker sponsors GridPulse, and now offers a VPP Comparison Guide that shows how VPPs outperform traditional plants in cost and scalability, helping utilities start leveraging the power of a flexible grid.
You can find the podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, other podcast apps, or your browser. Subscribe to GridPulse to be first to hear upcoming episodes. Click here to learn more.
