Best GW Rodriguez Podcasts (2025)

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2025.10.17 | The Tipping Point: $1.6B for Transmission and 24 GW Data Center Load 5:10

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2h ago5:10

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Electric utilities are officially at a tipping point, facing massive capital needs driven by an unprecedented 24 GW load commitment from data centers and AI facilities. Discover how the $1.6 billion DOE loan guarantee offers a new funding model for transmission buildout, potentially saving customers millions and avoiding the supply chain bottleneck…

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2025.10.16 | AI Load Growth: 5.2 GW Contracted Demand Forces Utility Overhaul 5:51

4h ago5:51

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AI and Data Center Demand have reached a critical inflection point, moving from mere projection to contracted, gigawatt-scale reality that requires immediate action. We analyze the $1.6 billion federal financing surge supporting 24 GW of projected load and examine how FERC staff are linking technical compliance (like wildfire risk) to crucial cost-…

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2025.10.15 | Can the Grid Survive? AI Demand Meets 125 GW Solar Shortfall 5:21

2d ago5:21

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The utility sector is caught in a "structural pressure cooker" as exploding demand meets politically driven supply constraints, risking a critical grid reliability crisis. We break down the staggering 125 GW solar capacity cut warned by SEIA, and analyze how runaway load growth, particularly from AI data centers, is forcing utilities to fasttrack c…

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2025.10.14 | 10 GW AI Demand: The Perfect Storm of Utility Capacity Shock 4:28

2d ago4:28

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The 10 GW AI demand spike is no longer a forecast—it's an immediate, concentrated threat that is fundamentally reshaping utility capacity planning right now. Analyze the perfect storm of risks facing utilities, including these massive concentrated load requests and geopolitical threats tightening critical material export controls essential for BESS…

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2025.10.13 | The End of Ratepayer Neutrality? Lessons from the Ohio Tariff 4:56

3d ago4:56

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Is the sacred principle of ratepayer neutrality officially dead, signaling a fundamental shift in utility cost allocation across the US? Unprecedented, exponential load growth, mostly driven by AI data centers and accelerated electrification mandates, is pushing the US power sector into a national reliability emergency. This episode analyzes the si…

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2025.10.10 | Storage is the New Transmission: Competing with 15% IRR 5:27

6d ago5:27

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The $300 million deals are in, and vertically integrated Energy Storage assets are now demanding returns that shatter traditional utility models. Institutional capital now views large-scale battery systems (BES) as blue-chip infrastructure, targeting 15% plus levered IRR over a 20-year asset life. Simultaneously, regulators are forcing utilities to…

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2025.10.09 | FERC Fast-Tracks Gas Infrastructure: AI Forces Utility Grid Shock 5:18

8d ago5:18

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The digital economy is slamming the power grid: discover how AI data centers forced FERC's hand to fast-track critical natural gas infrastructure projects due to massive load growth and resource adequacy concerns. We break down the high-stakes tension as major utilities, like the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), push back against PJM's capacity mar…

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2025.10.08 | Utility Chaos: State Mandates vs. Volatile Federal Funding 5:20

8d ago5:20

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The collision of deep federal budget cuts targeting hundreds of clean energy grants and aggressive state climate goals has created "pure policy chaos" for utility professionals. This episode explores how utilities are forced to adopt a Fractured Risk assessment, choosing between volatile federal money and the growing stability of state-level mandat…

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2025.10.07 | AI Demand Shock Meets Climate Liability: The Utility Crisis 5:53

10d ago5:53

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2025.10.06 | Can $258M Save Your Bill? The Allete Acquisition Showdown 6:17

10d ago6:17

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Discover the critical regulatory decision that forced investors in the massive Allete utility acquisition to pay hundreds of millions upfront to protect consumers. We analyze how this $6.2 billion deal used Minnesota’s 2040 carbon-free mandate as leverage for private financing, setting a new precedent for capital allocation. Plus, we review the $1.…

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2025.10.03 | Avoid Stranded Assets: Fixing Volatile Data Center Load Forecasts 6:02

14d ago6:02

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Geopolitical volatility around essential tech hardware, like the reported chip deal delays, is exposing utilities to billions in potential stranded assets when massive forecasted data center load vanishes. We break down the tightening regulatory environment, focusing on new NERC compliance rules that push supply chain risk down to developers and ex…

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Autism and Humanism with Alastair Lichten 58:10

14d ago58:10

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My guest this week is Alastair Lichten (@humanistdad.bsky.social), a humanist organizer who is particularly interested in the intersection of neurodivergence and secularism. We discuss the theory that being autistic or neurodivergent makes one more likely to be non-religious. Alastair's website: https://humanistdad.uk/2025/09/09/professional_update…

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2025.10.02 | Why $38 Billion Is Racing to Buy Utility Infrastructure 6:09

15d ago6:09

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The AI boom is sending demand shockwaves through the electric utility sector, triggering potential $38 billion M&A deals and a scramble for existing assets. Discover how massive AI demand is forcing utilities to lock in regulatory rate settlements, like FPL's 10.95% return on equity (ROE), to gain the necessary financial certainty for grid expansio…

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2025.10.01 | The Grid Clash: FERC Scrutiny Meets $1.25B Solar Capital 5:24

16d ago5:24

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Is intense federal oversight stifling the renewable energy boom, or enabling it? We break down FERC Order No. 913, detailing the move toward proactive, decade-long operational scrutiny applied to reliability standards, specifically focusing on improved cold weather preparedness and communications. Simultaneously, the $1.25 billion TotalEnergies/KKR…

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2025.09.30 | AI Demand Surge: $65B Grid Fight & DOE’s Coal Policy Shift 6:04

17d ago6:04

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Utilities are mobilizing a projected $ 65 billion in capital plans to meet the unprecedented demand shock from new AI data centers. We unpack major market signals, including Centerpoint’s massive capex and Vistra’s 20-year nuclear PPA, which screams base load premium for firm power. This surge is forcing a pragmatic federal response, with the DOE f…

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2025.09.29 | Keep the Lights On: The War to Preserve US Firm Capacity 5:27

18d ago5:27

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The Department of Energy (DOE) is using emergency powers under the Federal Power Act to force retiring power plants to stay open, reversing years of policy in a major federal intervention. Driven by surging electricity demand (including from data centers) and a terrifying 78 GW capacity gap (100 GW retiring vs. 22 GW new firm capacity), policymaker…

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2025.09.26 | AI Demand Shock: Washington's Wild Energy Policy Flip-Flops 6:36

21d ago6:36

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The federal government is simultaneously yanking over $13 billion in unobligated clean energy funds while forcing old coal plants to stay online via emergency "must-run" orders, all to meet unprecedented AI demand. This collision of aggressive industrial policy and massive load growth is creating maximum policy risk and regulatory volatility across…

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2025-09-25 | Who Will Power AI? The Grid War Over Centralized Supply 6:36

21d ago6:36

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The US electric landscape is fracturing into "two grids," forcing utility professionals to grapple with whether to follow centralized fossil power or decentralized flexibility. We analyze the federal "energy dominance" agenda, including a $13 billion clean energy fund clawback and the controversial use of emergency powers to stop coal retirements, …

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2025.09.24 | Utility Crisis Point: Sempra’s Back-to-Basics Meets the Advanced Nuclear Peak Amidst Policy War 5:18

23d ago5:18

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The utility sector is undergoing major strategic shifts, highlighted by Sempra’s $10 billion sale of a large stake in its infrastructure partners to focus 95% of earnings on regulated U.S. utilities, prioritizing stable, predictable returns. Simultaneously, the push for massive growth is accelerating as Evergy and Terrapower advance plans for the N…

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2025.09.23 | $16 Billion Crisis: PJM Chaos, Pennsylvania’s Threat, and the War Over America’s Grid Governance. 5:49

24d ago5:49

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The electric utility sector is facing an incredibly high-pressure moment, fueled by the collision between skyrocketing demand, particularly from AI data centers, and long-term decarbonization promises. This tension peaked with the July 2025 PJM capacity auction, which resulted in an eye-watering $16.1 billion price tag—a roughly 1,000% historical j…

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2025.09.22 | AI Power Crisis: DOE Revives Fossil Plants & Who Pays for the Future Load? 6:15

25d ago6:15

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The electric utility sector has reached a critical inflection point as skyrocketing load growth driven by AI and data centers bumps against crucial decarbonization timelines. In response, the Department of Energy (DOE) launched the "Speed to Power" initiative, a major shift that includes bringing retired thermal generation back online to utilize ex…

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2025.09.19 | Power Play: How the Global AI Race Turned Electricity into a National Security Weapon—and Why Your Local Grid is Stressed. 5:01

28d ago5:01

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This episode explores the major collision course developing between the top-down federal strategy push for massive grid expansion and the severe regional reliability limits and local cost pressures faced by utilities on the ground. This drive is now framed as geopolitical, with the US Department of Energy (DOE) launching the "Speed to Power" initia…

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2025.09.18 | The Billion-Dollar Question: Can Utilities Square AI Demand with Climate Goals? 5:38

29d ago5:38

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The electric utility industry faces a major tension as a massive surge in electricity demand, particularly from AI data centers and manufacturing, collides with ongoing climate policy challenges. This creates a complex picture where federal strategy appears split: the Department of Energy seeks rapid grid expansion, even considering retired fossil …

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2025.09.17 | AI vs. The Grid: Two Days That Shook Our Energy Future 7:53

1M ago7:53

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This episod reveals the intense pressures on the electric utility sector as massive AI-driven electricity demand reshapes corporate energy strategies, with tech giants like Blackstone acquiring power plants for reliable, "spiky" power. Simultaneously, significant federal policy moves, including easier regulatory paths for natural gas projects and s…

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2025.09.16 | AI's Power Gold Rush: Can Our Grid Handle the Demand Surge? 5:32

1M ago5:32

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This episode explores the "power gold rush" ignited by Artificial Intelligence, which is fundamentally reshaping investment decisions and creating immense new energy demands. We examine how this surge in demand is driving ambitious policy goals, such as adding 300 gigawatts of new nuclear capacity by 2050, and influencing immediate market moves, in…

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2025.09.15 | Data Centers Trigger Unprecedented Demand and Radical Power Policies 6:42

1M ago6:42

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The US electric power sector is experiencing an unprecedented surge in electricity demand, particularly from data centers, which is putting immense strain on the grid. This surge is accelerating radical policy ideas, including discussions of forcing data centers offline during power emergencies, and exacerbates the tension between immediate reliabi…

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Secular Student Alliance with Kevin Bolling 59:24

1M ago59:24

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My guest this week is Kevin Bolling, executive director of the Secular Student Alliance, the largest organization in the country representing secular and nonreligious students. We discuss how things are going on the youth secular organizing front, including community moderation and coping with the resurgence of White Christian Nationalism. Enjoy! S…

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2025.09.12 | Wildfires, Data Centers, and Political Fault Lines Reshaping the Grid 5:37

1M ago5:37

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The electric utility sector is under immense pressure, navigating unprecedented load growth, grid constraints, and a rapid energy transition. Recent developments include FERC addressing wildfire risk with new reliability standards and Ohio setting a precedent by shifting data center grid upgrade costs to high-demand users. Corporate strategies show…

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2025.09.11 | Surging Demand, Shifting Sands: Unpacking the U.S. Grid's Critical Disconnect 6:58

1M ago6:58

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The electric utility sector is facing unprecedented demand, largely driven by data centers and new technologies, which is rapidly reshaping its landscape. In response, federal agencies are streamlining regulations, and a key court decision has provided crucial certainty for solar-plus-storage projects. However, the sector is also grappling with sig…

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2025.09.10 | Grid on the Brink: Unprecedented Demand, Soaring Rates, and a Colliding Regulatory Landscape 7:13

1M ago7:13

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The electric utility sector stands at a critical juncture, facing unprecedented power demand driven by AI data centers and electrification, projected to hit record highs by 2026. This surge is colliding with an impending affordability crisis, as over 100 utilities plan rate increases affecting nearly half of all U.S. electricity customers. Meanwhil…

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2025.09.09 | Grid on the Edge: Navigating Federal Chaos, Soaring Demand, and the Future of Power 6:51

1M ago6:51

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The electric utility sector is at a critical juncture, experiencing a significant "push and pull" due to clashing federal policies, surging demand, and global changes. Federal interventions are sending mixed signals, with mandates to keep coal plants running alongside halts on wind projects, while the grid faces unprecedented stress from AI data ce…

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2025.09.08 | Whiplash, Grid Strain, and Global Power Plays: The Electric Utility Sector Under Siege 6:57

1M ago6:57

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This week, the electric utility sector is grappling with "policy whiplash" and "investment paralysis" as federal policy shifts and mixed messages stall critical clean energy projects and cause friction with states. Simultaneously, rapid load growth, driven by data centers and AI, is creating "capacity gaps" and an urgent "scramble for power," highl…

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2025.09.05 | The Grid's Tipping Point: AI, Billions, and Battles Shaping the Future of Power 6:14

1M ago6:14

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The electric utility sector is at a critical turning point in September 2025, grappling with unprecedented AI-driven demand and a dynamic, often contradictory, policy landscape. Massive infrastructure buildouts, like Hitachi Energy's $1 billion investment in US manufacturing for critical grid components, are underway to meet soaring demand from AI …

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2025.09.04 | Shockwaves Through the Grid: Federal Policy U-Turns, State Showdowns, and the Unfolding Utility Crisis 6:09

1M ago6:09

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This episode unpacks the significant and often contradictory shifts rocking the electric utility space, from federal policy realignments to assertive state actions, all while the grid faces serious operational strains. We delve into the Department of Energy's controversial climate report, the IRS's game-changing rules for wind and solar projects, a…

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2025.09.03 | The Grid Under Pressure: Political Whims, AI's Insatiable Demand, and the Electric Utility's Epic Challenge 6:14

1M ago6:14

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The electric utility sector is navigating an incredibly dynamic and challenging landscape, pulled in different directions by significant forces. Federal policies exhibit "political intermittency," with funds pulled from offshore wind while emergency orders keep fossil fuel plants online due to a potential multi-year energy emergency. This demand sh…

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2025.09.02 | Power at the Crossroads: Policy Whiplash, Data Center Surges, and the Grid's Trillemma 5:35

2M ago5:35

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This week, the electric utility sector is experiencing fascinating, almost opposing forces, with federal policy pullbacks contrasting sharply with state-level clean energy pushes and a unified EU strategy. Utilities are grappling with significant grid reliability concerns, evident in emergency orders to keep power stations running, while facing an …

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2025.08.29 | Power Play: How Federal Orders and Data Centers Are Forcing the Grid's Future 5:47

2M ago5:47

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This episode dives into a pivotal 48-hour window on August 28th and 29th, where federal actions, market shifts, and soaring data center demand dramatically reshaped the electric utility landscape. The Department of Energy issued an emergency order to keep fossil fuel units running amid "unprecedented energy demand," while new IRS rules tightened cl…

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2025.08.28 | The Great Divide: Federal Pushback, State Sprint, and the Looming Reliability Crisis in US Energy 5:44

2M ago5:44

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The U.S. electric utility sector is experiencing a profound and rapid split, with federal actions seemingly moving away from renewables while states and utilities aggressively push forward with clean energy projects. Federal moves include revoking offshore wind project approvals, ending the $7 billion "Solar for All" grant program, easing permits f…

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2025.08.27 | Nuclear Surges, Renewables Falter, and the Grid's Future Hangs in the Balance 5:55

2M ago5:55

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Nuclear power is experiencing a clear boost, with FERC fast-tracking a plant restart and the DOE kickstarting high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel supply for advanced reactors. However, renewables face an "investment cliff" due to new IRS guidance accelerating the end of clean energy tax credits, and 50% import tariffs on critical materials…

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2025.08.26 | Energy Whiplash: Federal Zig-Zags, State Solutions, and the Grid's Uncertain Future 7:51

2M ago7:51

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This week, the energy sector experienced a dizzying mix of federal policy reversals and fragmented approaches, creating significant uncertainty for investors and project developers. From a stop-work order on a major offshore wind project and the termination of a $7 billion solar grant program, to key FERC approvals and new hydropower R&D funding, W…

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2025.08.25 | Grid Under Pressure: Climate Deadlines, Reliability Risks, and the Tricky Business of Funding Our Electric Future 4:39

2M ago4:39

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This episode unpacks the complex challenges facing the electric utility sector, starting with New York's ambitious climate goals which are now under reassessment due to grid reliability concerns and practical delays. We explore how grid operators like PJM and MISO are attempting to streamline interconnection processes to accelerate new projects ami…

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2025.08.22 | Federal Orders, Reliability Shocks, and the Price of Power: Who's Really Running the Grid? 6:07

2M ago6:07

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This week, federal intervention clashed with state plans as the U.S. Department of Energy ordered a Michigan coal plant to stay online, despite state approval for its closure. Simultaneously, grid reliability faced significant challenges, including a major data center outage in South Dakota and a costly delay at Switzerland's Goen nuclear plant. Am…

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2025.08.21 | Power Play: Unpacking the Federal Shake-Up, State Showdowns, and the Battle for the Grid's Future 6:36

2M ago6:36

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From the introduction of the Fair Act and the EPA's proposed repeal of greenhouse gas emission standards to Pennsylvania's House Bill 1272 and Arizona's renewable energy rule repeal efforts, the industry is grappling with a significant refocus towards energy production and reliability over purely climate-driven goals. Despite headwinds in the offsh…

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2025.08.20 | Data Centers Power the Future Amid Cyber Threats and Billion-Dollar Mergers 6:53

2M ago6:53

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The electric utility industry is undergoing a massive transformation, grappling with unprecedented demand and complex challenges. Major mergers, such as the Black Hills Core and Northwestern Energy deal, are strategic responses to surging energy demand, particularly from data centers. Simultaneously, the industry faces escalating cybersecurity vuln…

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Misguided with Matthew Facciani 1:06:49

2M ago1:06:49

1:06:49

My guest this week is Matthew Facciani (@matthewfacciani.bsky.social), a social scientist at Notre Dame and author of the recent book Misguided: Where Misinformation Starts, How it Spreads, and What to Do about It. We discuss all three topics at length! Enjoy! Misguided: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/misguided/9780231555814/ Music by GW Rodriguez E…

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2025.08.19 | Crisis Point: NERC's Urgent Warning to Rethink the Grid Amidst Unprecedented Shifts 6:14

2M ago6:14

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This episode dives into NERC's urgent 2025 reliability risk report, which identifies six major themes challenging the bulk power system and demands a fundamental rethinking of traditional planning and operating approaches. Key regulatory shifts are underway, including new IRS guidance eliminating the 5% safe harbor for clean energy tax credits and …

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2025.08.18 | Shockwaves & Shortfalls: America's Grid at a Tipping Point 6:09

2M ago6:09

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The U.S. electric power sector faces a critical juncture, grappling with unprecedented demand, strained supply chains, and a fluctuating policy landscape. Energy-hungry data centers are driving an exponential surge in electricity costs, accounting for 70% ($9.3 billion) of PJM Interconnection's increased expenses last year. Compounding this, a seve…