Our energy grid is something most of us only think about when it isn’t working. But growing demand for electricity is placing an even greater strain on a system that’s already facing increased pressure from extreme weather events. Can we build a more sustainable and dependable grid? In this episode, which originally aired September 2022, we explore how when it comes to climate change the challenge of greening the grid is as much an issue of complex engineering as it is about policy and equity. 

Featured in this episode:

• Josh Wong is the former CEO of Opus One Solutions, which was acquired by General Electric. In 2024, Josh founded a new company called ThinkLabsAI and is developing software that will help utilities to integrate renewable sources of energy and improve grid resilience.
• Destenie Nock is an assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University who specializes in public policy, civil and environmental engineering. She’s an expert on how our changing climate is impacting the grid, and what that means for the future. Focusing on energy equity, Destenie explains what’s important to consider in our transition to clean energy.
• Dana Tizya-Tramm is the former chief of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation in Old Crow, Yukon. Dana helped establish the Old Crow Solar Project — shifting the northern remote community off diesel to renewables. Through his efforts, Old Crow is making inroads toward energy sovereignty. He is now the director of Nadlii and is working on developing a framework for Indigenous data sovereignty and ethical AI.

Further reading: 

• 2021 placed exceptional demands on electricity markets around the world
• Renewable Energy Is Great—but the Grid Can Slow It Down
• Global heat waves are so bad that utilities are paying their customers to use less energy
• “Nation-building” investments in electricity grid needed to reach net-zero, experts say
• How Old Crow’s solar farm is changing green energy projects in Yukon | CBC News

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