Electric Perspectives Podcast

In February 2021, EEI and its members worked with industry leaders and leading environmental groups to launch the Carbon-Free Technology Initiative (CFTI). The primary goal of CFTI is to identify and advocate for specific policies that can help to ensure the commercial availability of key technologies, so that they can be deployed in a timely manner to achieve net-zero emissions in the U.S. electric power sector and to ensure electricity remains affordable and reliable.

In this episode, Jeff Lyng, area vice president of energy and sustainability policy at Xcel Energy, and Eric Holdsworth, managing director of clean energy and environmental policy at the Edison Electric Institute, reflect on the progress of CFTI’s policy and funding goals and discuss what comes next. Learn more about CFTI at carbonfreetech.org.

The path to address climate change and further the energy transition is full of new information, ideas, and innovation. Processing this information and implementing these ideas requires collaborative effort and a shift in beliefs and behaviors. What can social network theory tell us to ensure successful spread of innovation? How can we drive behavioral change to keep pace with new ideas? And what does it mean to consider the width of a bridge in collaboration? Damon Centola, Author of Change: How to Make Big Things Happen, Professor of Communication, Sociology and Engineering, and Director of the Network Dynamics Group at the University of Pennsylvania joins this episode of Electric Perspectives Global Circuit.

The Global Circuit is brought to you by EEI International Programs as part of EEI’s Electric Perspectives podcast. For more information about EEI International Programs, visit www.eei.org/international

In this episode, we are joined by EEI Chief Human Resources Officer Courtney Peterson and EEI Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Transformation Todd Manuel to discuss our industry-wide DEI commitment, DEI programs at electric companies, how electric companies can promote more equitable practices, and more.

In early February, executives from the Edison Electric Institute briefed Wall Street analysts, bankers, investors, and other industry stakeholders on the state of the U.S. electric power industry in New York City. Today's episode will feature a recap of the briefing, which featured presentations from Brian Wolff, EEI's Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President of Public Policy and External Affairs; Emily Fisher, EEI's General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, and Senior Vice President of Clean Energy; Phil Moeller, EEI's Executive Vice President of Business Operations Group and Regulatory Affairs; and Richard McMahon, EEI's Senior Vice President of Energy Supply and Finance.

These leaders covered several high-priority topics, including clean energy and the clean energy tax policies that EEI supports; electric transportation; carbon-free technologies; energy grid security and resilience; and electric companies' adaptation, hardening, and resilience investments.  

You can watch the full presentation and read the prepared remarks on EEI’s website.

In the race to net zero, electric companies are placing importance on diversifying fuel sources without compromising reliability. How can existing technologies today bring us closer to this goal? What is the future and viability of new fuel sources like hydrogen? And how can companies pursue new ideas while balancing current customer needs? Toshifumi Watanabe, President and CEO of J-POWER, joins this episode of Global Circuit.

The Global Circuit is brought to you by EEI International Programs as part of EEI’s Electric Perspectives podcast. For more information about EEI International Programs, visit www.eei.org/international

America’s electric companies are leading a clean energy transformation. They understand that we can’t just rely on any one clean energy technology; we will need every tool in the toolbox to achieve our clean energy goals. Hydrogen, in particular, will be a crucial clean energy resource of the carbon-free energy future. This episode focuses on the potential for hydrogen, and we are joined by Sandi Safro, EEI associate general counsel for energy and technology regulation, who dives into some of the hydrogen pilot projects underway with Matt Valle, vice president of development at Florida Power and Light, and Don Chahbazpour, director of regulatory strategy at National Grid. 

The reliability and resilience of the nation's energy grid are top priorities for the electric power industry. As the frequency and intensity of storms, wildfires, and other extreme weather events continue to increase, and as cyber-attacks become more sophisticated, increasing capital investment in adaptation, hardening, and resilience is vital.

On today's episode, we'll hear from Richard McMahon, EEI’s senior vice president of Energy Supply and Finance, who will open the conversation by highlighting the types of investments EEI’s member companies are making in adaptation, hardening, and resilience. Then, we'll hear from Jim Schaefer, senior managing director at Guggenheim Partners; Maria Rigatti, executive vice president and Chief Financial Officer at Edison International; and Drew Marsh, executive vice president and Chief Financial Officer at Entergy Corporation, who all joined us this past fall for this conversation.