Maria Robinson, outgoing Director of the Grid Deployment Office at the U.S. Department of Energy, joins us to share insights from her impactful tenure. Since stepping into the role in 2022, Maria has overseen $22 billion in federal funding to drive the development of new and upgraded electric infrastructure nationwide.

Recorded in person at the recent Deploy conference in Washington, DC, hosted by the DOE, Maria and Cody discuss her background, the mission of the Grid Deployment Office, and the initiatives she’s championed. We also dive into the complexities of the U.S. electric grid, including transmission, interconnect queues, permitting reform, and enhancing grid resilience amidst extreme weather and climate challenges.

In this episode, we cover: 

• [4:57] Maria’s background and work with Rep. Jay Inslee
• [7:33] The complexity of the U.S. electric grid
• [10:19] Funding sources for transmission projects
• [11:54] Renewables’ impact on grid design
• [15:13] The role of NEPA in grid projects
• [22:37] Powering data centers and grid distribution
• [25:37] Interconnect queue backlogs
• [27:08] The benefits of reconductoring
• [28:15] Grid resiliency and local utilities
• [33:34] Maria’s vision for the next administration
• [35:09] Cybersecurity challenges for the grid
• [36:32] Federal permitting reform for transmission

Episode recorded on Dec 5, 2024 (Published on Dec 19, 2024)

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant