Editor's note: This episode was recorded prior to Emily Fisher’s departure from SEPA.

When she started law school, Emily Fisher knew she wanted to work in energy. But after a couple of years practicing law, working 80-hour weeks, and taking deep dives into federal regulatory law, she was tapped out. 

After a four-year stint as a foreign service officer, she switched gears again and entered the energy industry. It’s an industry Emily thinks of as a tool for public good and economic growth. Electricity may be only 5% of GDP, she says, but “it’s the first 5%.” 

After 16 years at the Edison Electric Institute, the trade association for investor-owned utilities, Emily joined the Smart Electric Power Alliance, or SEPA, in 2024 as chief strategy officer. 

This week on With Great Power, Emily talks with Brad about SEPA’s utility carbon reduction tracker, the disruptive power of geopolitics on utilities’ carbon-cutting efforts and how demand growth from AI might actually be a good thing for the energy industry.

With Great Power is a co-production of GridX and Latitude Studios.  

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Credits: Hosted by Brad Langley. Produced by Erin Hardick and Mary Catherine O’Connor. Edited by Anne Bailey. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is executive editor. The Grid X production team includes Jenni Barber, Samantha McCabe, and Brad Langley.