Home Podcasts GridPulse, a Grid Forward podcast
GridPulse, a Grid Forward podcast

GridPulse, a Grid Forward podcast

gridforward 94 Episodes Oct 14, 2026

Listen in as Bryce Yonker, executive director of Grid Forward, talks with regional and national leaders who are working to advance the electric grid. In about half an hour, GridPulse will give you candid insights, new observations and a feel for how our utilities, grid operators, government offices and technology providers think, feel and grapple with the fast evolving energy landscape.

Episodes

Our Big 100th Episode Tackles the Big Questions for Today's Grid with Jigar Shah, Audrey Zibelman and Herman Trabish
Our Big 100th Episode Tackles the Big Questions for Today's Grid with Jigar Shah, Audrey Zibelman and Herman Trabish Oct 14, 2026 3145 Can electricity become more affordable and reliable without fundamentally changing how we plan and invest in the grid? In celebration of Grid Forward's 100th podcast episode, Bryce Yonker sits down with Jigar Shah (Energy Empire), Audrey Zibelman (Zibelman Energy Advisors) and Herman Trabish (Utility Dive) to wrestle with some of the industry's toughest questions. They discuss:  how AI and distr
Barriers & Solutions to Scaling Long-Duration Energy Storage
Barriers & Solutions to Scaling Long-Duration Energy Storage Oct 9, 2026 2431 Driven largely by the AI energy demands and grid reliability needs, significant investment has gone into developing long-duration energy storage solutions. The question now becomes: is the technology ready to scale across the market? Bryce Yonker interviewed two analysts and two tech innovators to unearth recent developments in the energy storage market and the barriers that still remain to roll
How Nebraska Ranks as a Top State for Energy Affordability and Reliabity: It's the Public Power Model
How Nebraska Ranks as a Top State for Energy Affordability and Reliabity: It's the Public Power Model Sep 29, 2026 3120 Consistently delivering affordable, reliable electricity is a hallmark of Nebraska’s public power utilities. How does that work, and how can the state maintain that track record? Three leaders from Nebraska public power utilities discuss how they are balancing costs, aging infrastructure and an increase in demand while ensuring communities continue to thrive. They also talk about grid modernizatio
How Can Data Centers Expand Without Passing the Costs to Other Energy Users?
How Can Data Centers Expand Without Passing the Costs to Other Energy Users? Sep 14, 2026 2090 For years, energy providers have operated on the basis that adding additional meters spreads energy costs and makes the grid more affordable for everyone. But is that true when a data center needs a city’s worth of electricity? Drawing on their current research in energy policy, markets and transitions, Paulina Jaramillo of Carnegie Mellon University and Abe Silverman of Johns Hopkins University d
Solving Speed-to-Power and Future Grid Needs with Behind-the-Meter Generation
Solving Speed-to-Power and Future Grid Needs with Behind-the-Meter Generation Aug 28, 2026 1839 For large facilities scrambling to bring new energy capacity online, waiting several years for a new grid connection is not a viable option. John Carrington, CEO of ERock, and Jesse Noffsinger, Partner at McKinsey & Company, discuss current trends in behind-the-meter (BTM) generation and how it can provide a faster solution while utilities build needed grid connections. Over the long term howe
How Grid Innovation Leads to Lower Energy Costs at Saint John Energy
How Grid Innovation Leads to Lower Energy Costs at Saint John Energy Aug 5, 2026 1953 Saint John Energy exemplifies how modernizing the distribution grid can be a productive path for greater affordability and resiliency. In this episode, CEO Ryan Mitchell shares how Saint John Energy has using a range of hardware and software innovations -- such as renting high-effiiciency heating and deploying advanced demand management -- to meet growing customer demand with the lowest rates in t
How Enhanced Geothermal Can Deliver Clean, "Always On" Power for Rising Energy Demands
How Enhanced Geothermal Can Deliver Clean, "Always On" Power for Rising Energy Demands Jul 7, 2026 1626 As electricity demand continues to climb, geothermal energy is emerging as a key source of reliable, around-the-clock clean power. In this episode of GridPulse, Bryce Yonker sits down with Sarah Jewett, chief operating officer at Fervo Energy, to discuss how the company is scaling the next generation of geothermal power. Sarah explains how Fervo is applying technologies pioneered in the oil and ga
Energy Affordability and the Grid: What Recent Research Reveals About Causes and Potential Solutions
Energy Affordability and the Grid: What Recent Research Reveals About Causes and Potential Solutions Jun 18, 2026 2233 Energy affordability is a growing problem across the commercial, industrial, and residential sectors. In this episode, Christopher Knittel of MIT and Ryan Hledick of The Brattle Group turn to recent research to unpack the many factors pushing up electricity prices, including infrastructure replacement, climate change impact, fast-growing demand and evolving energy policies. They then lay out poten
Don't Rebuild! Reconductor for Twice the Grid Capacity on Existing Corridors
Don't Rebuild! Reconductor for Twice the Grid Capacity on Existing Corridors May 21, 2026 1864 The ability to double grid capacity is here today, ready to work in existing transmission corridors. Get grounded in advanced reconductoring options in this episode with Zach Zimmerman from the AMP Coalition and Theodore Paradise, Chief Policy and Grid Strategy Office at CTC Global. They explain how advanced conductors can move more energy using existing poles and corridors or boost capacity of ne
From Demand Response to Dispatchable Capacity: The Rise of Storage-Led Virtual Power Plants
From Demand Response to Dispatchable Capacity: The Rise of Storage-Led Virtual Power Plants May 5, 2026 2156 Virtual power plants (VPPs) are entering a new phase. Utilities and regulators are moving beyond pilot programs and enrollment metrics toward dispatchable distributed capacity that can reliably support the grid. At the same time, new policy frameworks, funding mechanisms, and technology capabilities are accelerating deployment. In this episode, leaders from Tesla (Kevin Joyce), Virtual Peaker (Jef
The Grid is Not a Lab: How Avista Drives Innovation Across the Utility
The Grid is Not a Lab: How Avista Drives Innovation Across the Utility Apr 21, 2026 1780 As the energy landscape grows more complex, utilities see new  technologies as critical to making electricity more clean, affordable and reliable. Yet how can they nurture innovation in a historically conservative industry? In this episode, Avista CEO Heather Rosentrater shares the ways her team is embedding innovation across the organization, not just within a single team, to navigating rising op
Why Tech Giants Must Build Trust as Well as Tools to Advance the Grid
Why Tech Giants Must Build Trust as Well as Tools to Advance the Grid Apr 15, 2026 2043 As energy demand surges, tech giants are stepping up as key partners to utilities navigating a rapidly changing grid. At CERAWeek 2026, Bryce Yonker explored this topic speaking with Hannah Green, Global Operations & GTM Leader for Energy & Resources at Microsoft, and Rayford Smith, Global Head of Power and Energy for Cloud at Google. They detailed how digital infrastructure, the cloud and

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