Welcome to EPRI Current – your go-to source for the latest in energy innovation, research, and insights.
Your host, Samantha Gilman, meets with EPRI experts and industry leaders to unpack the energy sector’s most pressing challenges and promising opportunities. Through timely and thought-provoking conversations, the podcast explores critical themes including advanced energy technologies, grid reliability and flexibility, climate adaptation and resilience, the transformative role of artificial intelligence, the evolving economics and policies shaping energy systems, and more.
Whether you're an energy professional, policymaker, or curious listener, the EPRI Current brings you expert perspectives that highlight how innovation and collaboration are powering a more resilient and reliable energy future.
Tune in and be part of the journey as we shape the future of energy—together.
Latest Episodes
What Will Shape the Grid’s Next Decade?
Host: Samantha Gilman
Guests: Lanny Nickell, SPP; David Porter, EPRI
The next era of electricity growth is already taking shape. Electrification, computational loads, advanced manufacturing, and economic growth are testing traditional approaches to grid planning and raising consequential questions about what comes next.
On the EPRI Current, host Samantha Gilman is joined by Lanny Nickell, President and CEO of SPP, and Daniel Brooks, EPRI Senior Vice President of Energy Delivery and Customer Solutions, to discuss how the industry is responding. They explore how today’s large, fast-moving loads are reshaping grid planning and discuss new approaches to load flexibility, interconnection, transmission investment, and regional energy markets. They also look ahead at what it will take to strengthen reliability, expand the grid, and unlock greater connectivity between the Eastern and Western Interconnections.
Tune in for an inside look at the decisions shaping the grid’s next decade.
From Home Appliance to Grid Asset: The Evolution of Heat Pumps
Host: Samantha Gilman
Guests: Ron Domitrovic, EPRI; Timothy Watts, Carrier Energy
Heat pumps have become one of the most widely discussed technologies for home efficiency and electrification, but their next evolution may be even more transformative. In this week’s episode of EPRI Current, host Samantha Gilman is joined by EPRI’s Ron Domitrovic and Carrier Energy’s Timothy Watts to discuss the next generation of heat pumps and their potential to support both homeowners and the grid.
The discussion explores how technologies such as inverter-driven systems, integrated battery storage, and virtual power plant participation are expanding the role of heat pumps beyond heating and cooling. Drawing on insights from EPRI's ongoing field demonstration, the guests share what they're learning about turning residential HVAC systems into flexible energy resources while keeping customer comfort front and center, and how those learnings can help inform the broader industry's approach to integrating heat pumps as grid resources.
Building a Climate-Ready Grid: Strategies, Technologies, and Investments for a More Resilient Future
Host: Samantha Gilman
Guests: Morgan Scott, EPRI; Faith Davis, Exelon
This week on the EPRI Current, host Samantha Gilman sits down with Morgan Scott, EPRI Vice President of Electrification and Sustainable Energy Strategy, and Faith Davis, who leads Exelon's Climate Change Investment Initiative (2c2i), to discuss how the utility industry is adapting to a rapidly changing landscape.
Together, they explore lessons learned from climate resilience efforts, emerging technologies attracting investment, and the growing role of data, AI, and innovation in planning for future risks. They also examine the intersection of resilience, infrastructure investment, and affordability, and share their vision for how climate-informed planning can help build a more reliable and adaptable energy system in the years ahead.
The episode also explores the impact of EPRI's Climate READi Initiative (https://www.epri.com/research/sectors/readi) which helps establish a consistent, industry-wide approach to assessing climate risk and informing climate-ready planning.
Learn more about Exelon's Climate Change Investment Initiative (2c2i): https://www.exeloncorp.com/community/foundation
