Electric Perspectives Podcast

This episode is part of our EEI 2025 highlights series. We were thrilled to be joined live at our annual thought leadership forum by EEI Chair Calvin Butler, president and CEO of Exelon; Entergy Chair and CEO Drew Marsh; and Entergy Louisiana President and CEO Phillip May. These leaders discussed how America's electric companies are enhancing grid resilience while working to meet the growing demand for electricity. Efforts to keep customer bills as low as possible also were front and center throughout the conference.

Visit the Electric Perspectives website to read recaps and see photos from EEI 2025.

In early May, EEI and several energy industry partners, along with organizations that represent firefighters, scientists, tech innovators, and other stakeholders, joined together to form the Partners in Wildfire Prevention coalition. The goal is to advance actionable, evidence-based policy solutions that will make communities and the nation more prepared to handle the growing wildfire threat. 

On this episode, EEI Managing Director of Public Affairs Jeff Ostermayer is joined by Partners in Wildfire Prevention Communications Director Chet Wade to discuss the new coalition, federal policy that can support efforts to prevent wildfires, and how we can work together to mitigate wildfire risks and protect vulnerable communities. 

Visit the Partners in Wildfire Prevention coalition website to learn more and sign up for updates: https://preventwildfires.org/.

Grid resilience remains a top priority for investor-owned electric companies as extreme weather events become more frequent and electricity demand continues to rise. On this episode, Entergy Louisiana President and CEO Phillip May and ScottMadden Partner Marc Miller discuss efforts underway to strengthen grid infrastructure. They also highlight how customers benefit from resilience investments and share insights on how to keep electricity costs for customers as low as possible. 

This episode is sponsored by ScottMadden, which provides consulting services ranging from strategic planning through implementation across industries. With more than four decades of expertise in transmission and distribution, ScottMadden brings a deep perspective of how electric company functions are evolving to integrate grid edge technologies. Learn more here. 

EEI interim President and CEO Pat Vincent-Collawn, who also serves as chairman and CEO of TXNM Energy, has been a leader in the electric power industry for more than 30 years. As one of the longest-serving directors on the EEI board, she has helped to shape EEI’s strategy for more than a decade. 

On this episode, Vincent-Collawn discusses some of today’s most pressing industry issues, including rising demand for electricity, the efforts underway to enhance grid resilience, and our sector’s role in strengthening America’s energy security. She also discusses how our sector works with new presidential administrations and handles the flurry of executive orders and cabinet appointments that follow inauguration day. 

This episode is sponsored by Sense, a company that embeds its software in next-generation smart meters, unlocking real-time insight into the home and grid. Learn more here.

The energy grid is undergoing a major transformation, driven by AI, advanced technology, and strategic investments to meet growing demand and enhance resilience. 

On this episode, Ameren Illinois Chairman and President Lenny Singh and Bidgely Co-Founder and CEO Abhay Gupta discuss the critical roles of grid investments and AI-powered solutions in modern energy planning. They also explore how data-driven insights are transforming reliability, customer engagement, and infrastructure planning, ensuring the grid is ready to meet the fastest pace of electricity demand growth in decades. This episode is sponsored by Bidgely, learn more about Bidgely's behind-the-meter load disaggregation technology here.

In the face of challenges including extreme weather and catastrophic wildfires, electric companies increasingly are turning to cutting-edge technology solutions that help optimize mitigation strategies, enhance situational awareness and response efforts, and support customers during large-scale power restoration events.

AI continues to drive transformation in the electric power industry. On this episode, Arizona Public Service Chairman and CEO Jeff Guldner and BrightNight CEO Martin Hermann discuss how AI is helping accelerate the deployment of clean energy, the ways in which electric companies are integrating AI into their operations, the efforts underway to lead a cultural shift on AI adoption in the workplace, and more. This episode is sponsored by BrightNight; learn more about its PowerAlpha AI-powered technology here.

Protecting the nation's energy grid is a top priority for America's electric companies, and the electric power industry leads several initiatives to safeguard the grid from any potential threats and hazards. This episode explores Edison Electric Institute's (EEI's) Culture of Security initiative, which is comprised of a few different programs to help electric companies collaborate and share best practices, including a peer review to assess security culture. 

On this episode, EEI Managing Director of Cyber and Infrastructure Security David Batz and EEI Senior Director of Cyber and Infrastructure Security Kaitlin Brennan discuss the Culture of Security initiative and others led by our industry, as well as our partnerships with federal agencies to enhance sector-wide resilience to both cyber and physical security threats. 

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) is empowering customers to take an active role in managing their energy use while integrating distributed resources. On this episode, Aaron August, senior vice president and chief customer and transformation officer for PSE, discusses how the company is leveraging cutting-edge technology, balancing growing demand, and working toward clean energy goals while placing customers at the heart of the company’s energy vision.