Energy Central

• What’s really keeping utility CEOs up at night

  What goes through an energy CEO’s mind when thinking about the role of the customer, the fuel mix of the future, the affordability crisis, and the workforce changes shaping power? A lot, unsurprisingly. So today on The Watt & Why, host Mike Smith is bringing in Jay Stowe, founder & CEO of Stowe Utility Group, to break down what modern energy success looks like, the challenges dominating boardroom conversations today, and much more. With decades of combined utility experience, Jay and Mike offer an impactful look at meeting customers where they are, placing the right bets, balancing incentives with competition, and the reality of making decisions about large loads. Listen for a rare peek at what today’s top utility leaders are really prioritizing.

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• How to un-duck the grid

  The “duck curve” has become one of the most recognizable symbols in modern energy as an illustration of both the promise and the challenge of solar power. But what if the very technologies creating the problem could also solve it? In this episode of Power Perspectives, host Kinsey Grant Baker welcomes Craig Lewis, Founder and Executive Director of the Clean Coalition, to explore how local solar and storage can flatten the duck curve, cut costs, and build a more resilient grid. Bringing his decades of experiences to the table, Lewis shares how California’s energy transformation can serve as a blueprint for the nation—and why the real battle isn’t just about generation, but about where and how we build it. This conversation challenges conventional wisdom about where the next wave of grid investment should go, emphasizing how “thinking local” may be the smartest way to plan globally. Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe Key Links: Exploding transmission costs are the missing story in California’s regionalization debate: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/exploding-transmission-costs-are-the-missing-story-in-californias-regional/526894/ How to protect California ratepayers, expand clean local energy and avoid bailing out PG&E: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/how-to-protect-california-ratepayers-expand-clean-local-energy-and-avoid-b/554564/ How Two Simple Fixes Can Fairly Compensate the True Value of DERs in California: https://www.tdworld.com/distributed-energy-resources/article/21132853/how-two-simple-fixes-can-fairly-compensate-the-true-value-of-ders-in-california Transmission Access Charges Wasteful electricity transmission spending is hurting California communities. Our reforms will fix this: https://clean-coalition.org/policy/transmission-access-charges/

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• Judith Curry: We’re wrong about climate change

  How can we engage with an energy transition without massive swings in power reliability? Is climate change really just a big cop-out for utility leaders? Or is it a larger predicament that we need to strategize around? What’s the best means of reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience for an energy industry in flux? Today on The Watt & Why, host Mike Smith welcome renowned climate scientist Dr. Judith Curry for a wide-ranging conversation about the intersection of energy abundance and climate stewardship. From the challenges to wind and solar proliferation to the timing of pulling off the energy transition to all of the above vs. best of the above…Mike and Judith are breaking it all down in this insightful, provocative conversation.

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• SPP's plan to power 18 million futures—straight from the CEO

  The grid of tomorrow is being built today—and the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) is at the center of that transformation. That transformation is being spearheaded by Lanny Nickell, President and CEO of SPP, and host Kinsey Grant Baker welcomes him to this week’s episode of Power Perspectives. This conversation features an exploration of how one of the nation’s most collaborative regional transmission organizations is managing record load growth, integrating renewables, and planning for a future of reliability, affordability, and resilience. Listen in to hear Lanny unpack the key trends shaping the modern energy landscape, from data center demand and electrified oil fields to the $18 billion in infrastructure investments that will define the next era of grid reliability. Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

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• How capacity markets broke—and what it takes to fix them

  For years, capacity markets quietly operated in the background: reliable, technical, and rarely in the headlines. Not anymore! In today’s episode of Power Perspectives, host Kinsey Grant Baker sits down with Christoph Graf, Senior Economist and Research Scholar at NYU’s Institute for Policy Integrity, to unpack why capacity markets are suddenly at the center of the energy conversation and why every utility leader should be paying closer attention. From record-breaking PJM auction prices to mounting pressure from state governors and regulators, capacity markets are facing what may be called a crisis of confidence. But behind the headlines lies a bigger question: are these markets built based on the legacy utility setup still fit for today’s new era of data-center-driven load growth, rapid electrification, and decarbonization mandates? Having studied market design and power sector reform across the U.S. and Europe, Graf offers a sharp, data-driven look at the mechanics shaping this moment and where reform might go next. This episode cuts through the noise to reveal what’s really happening behind the market mechanics and what it all means for utility leaders balancing affordability, reliability, and clean energy commitments in a rapidly evolving power system. Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe

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