Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Microsoft, AI, and the Grid We Need Next (S4:E9)
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Microsoft, AI, and the Grid We Need Next (S4:E9)
The grid is being asked to do the impossible: power AI and data centers, electrify homes and industry, integrate carbon-free energy, and still stay affordable and reliable. In this episode of Just Power, Carolyn Parrs sits down with Hanna Grene—Microsoft’s Global Go-to-Market & Operations Leader for Energy and a recognized thought leader on the digital grid transition—to cut through the hype and get specific about where AI is already changing day-to-day energy operations and what's next.
⭐ Highlights
- Five places AI is already delivering value in the energy industry: workforce productivity, health & safety, customer experience, business process modernization, and asset/grid optimization.
- Grid optimization is the new energy efficiency: using better visibility and analytics to operate a complex, real-time, multi-stakeholder system more effectively.
- Permitting as the “valley of delay”: how AI can streamline permitting workflows to reduce time and cost—helping get more (and cleaner) electrons onto the grid faster.
- Climate-informed planning gets real: moving beyond historical weather assumptions toward predictive modeling that accounts for future wildfire, flood, and heat risks over 20–30 year asset lifecycles.
- Cybersecurity and governance are non-negotiable: why zero trust, the right data access, and hybrid architectures matter as more data moves to the cloud for advanced AI use cases.
Referenced in this podcast
- SCE and ThinkLabs AI: ThinkLabs AI achieves results in AI-powered grid analytics | AP News
- MISO's cloud leadership: MISO to Drive Grid Innovation with Microsoft Azure & Microsoft Foundry
- Microsoft's Permitting AI Accelerator
- Microsoft's 5-point Plan to partner with local communities across the United States
About my guest, Hanna Grene
Hanna is Microsoft’s Global Go-to-Market & Operations Leader for Energy.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannagrene/
About Just Power host, Carolyn Parrs
Carolyn is a Senior Strategic Communications Leader and the CEO of Mind Over Markets.
Website: https://mindovermarkets.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynparrs/
About Just Power Podcast
Just Power is a clean energy transition podcast focused on grid modernization, affordability, community engagement, and energy justice — featuring leaders from utilities, policy, technology, and frontline communities.
🔔 Never Miss an Update! Subscribe Now
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheJustPowerPodcast?sub_confirmation=1
💖 Spread the Love
Like, comment, and share this episode with a friend, policy maker, or energy provider who needs to hear this.
YouTube
Facebook
Instagram
New Mexico State University Microlearning
Mind Over Markets
LinkedIn
View all episodes
By Carolyn ParrsThe grid is being asked to do the impossible: power AI and data centers, electrify homes and industry, integrate carbon-free energy, and still stay affordable and reliable. In this episode of Just Power, Carolyn Parrs sits down with Hanna Grene—Microsoft’s Global Go-to-Market & Operations Leader for Energy and a recognized thought leader on the digital grid transition—to cut through the hype and get specific about where AI is already changing day-to-day energy operations and what's next.
⭐ Highlights
- Five places AI is already delivering value in the energy industry: workforce productivity, health & safety, customer experience, business process modernization, and asset/grid optimization.
- Grid optimization is the new energy efficiency: using better visibility and analytics to operate a complex, real-time, multi-stakeholder system more effectively.
- Permitting as the “valley of delay”: how AI can streamline permitting workflows to reduce time and cost—helping get more (and cleaner) electrons onto the grid faster.
- Climate-informed planning gets real: moving beyond historical weather assumptions toward predictive modeling that accounts for future wildfire, flood, and heat risks over 20–30 year asset lifecycles.
- Cybersecurity and governance are non-negotiable: why zero trust, the right data access, and hybrid architectures matter as more data moves to the cloud for advanced AI use cases.
Referenced in this podcast
- SCE and ThinkLabs AI: ThinkLabs AI achieves results in AI-powered grid analytics | AP News
- MISO's cloud leadership: MISO to Drive Grid Innovation with Microsoft Azure & Microsoft Foundry
- Microsoft's Permitting AI Accelerator
- Microsoft's 5-point Plan to partner with local communities across the United States
About my guest, Hanna Grene
Hanna is Microsoft’s Global Go-to-Market & Operations Leader for Energy.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannagrene/
About Just Power host, Carolyn Parrs
Carolyn is a Senior Strategic Communications Leader and the CEO of Mind Over Markets.
Website: https://mindovermarkets.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynparrs/
About Just Power Podcast
Just Power is a clean energy transition podcast focused on grid modernization, affordability, community engagement, and energy justice — featuring leaders from utilities, policy, technology, and frontline communities.
🔔 Never Miss an Update! Subscribe Now
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheJustPowerPodcast?sub_confirmation=1
💖 Spread the Love
Like, comment, and share this episode with a friend, policy maker, or energy provider who needs to hear this.
YouTube
Facebook
Instagram
New Mexico State University Microlearning
Mind Over Markets
LinkedIn