From Reactors to Roles: The Future of Nuclear Power
Host: Samantha Gilman / Guest: Kimberly Cook-Nelson, Chief Nuclear Officer, Entergy; Steve Swilley, Chief Nuclear Officer, EPRI
To celebrate Nuclear Science Week, we sat down with two chief nuclear officers to chat about what inspired their interest in the nuclear industry, their career paths, opportunities for people to join, and the how the industry is rising to the challenge of increasing demand for carbon-free nuclear power.
Electrifying the Future of Fleets
Host: Samantha Gilman / Guest: Diego Quevedo, Charging Infrastructure Sr. Engineer & Utilities Lead, Daimler Truck; Britta Gross, Director of Transportation, EPRI
Listen in on this discussion about the status of electric transportation in the fleet industry and how the grid is being prepared for the increased electricity demand and interconnections.
How Innovative R&D at EPRI’s Laboratories Improves Our Energy Future
Host: Bill Florence / Guest: Dr. John Shingledecker, Principal Technical Executive, EPRI, and Diederic Godin, Senior Manager, Technical Support & Optimization (Engineering), Capital Power
EPRI's world-class research laboratory facilities are crucial in driving value to its members and society. The labs focus on diverse topics such as energy efficiency, high-voltage testing, materials for power plants, and additive manufacturing.
H2EDGE: Developing a Qualified Workforce for the Growing Hydrogen Economy
Host: Bill Florence / Guest: Dr. Eladio Knipping, EPRI; Dr. Krystal York, EPRI; Dr. Ajay Prasad, The University of Delaware; Dr. Anil Bika, The University of Delaware
EPRI’s H2EDGE initiative is currently helping to develop and train the emerging hydrogen industry workforce through professional development activities and targeted university-level instruction.
Industrial Clusters: How Cooperation Can Empower Emission Solutions
Host: Bill Florence / Guest: Dr. Sean Bushart, EPRI Director/World Economic Forum Fellow, and Jonathan Oxley Senior Manager, CBI Net Zero team.
Industrial clusters—geographic areas where co-located companies create opportunities for scaling, risk/resource sharing, and demand optimization—can provide a comprehensive approach to optimizing emission solutions and developing an integrated energy system. On this episode of EPRI Current, host Bill Florence speaks with two leading scientists actively engaged in researching and managing the world’s industrial clusters:
Host to Host, Reflecting on the Global Forum for Nuclear Innovation
Hosts: Samantha Gilman and Bill Florence / Guest: Dan Moneghan, EPRI; and Wynter McGruder, EPRI
It’s a wrap! In this episode of the EPRI Current, hosts Samantha Gilman and Bill Florence wrap up the ‘Ambition into Action’ special limited podcast series with its host, Dan Moneghan, EPRI's lead on advanced nuclear fuel cycles, and EPRI’s Wynter McGruder who emceed the recent Global Forum for Nuclear Innovation (GFNI) in Miami.
Voices of Electrification – Part Two
Host: Samantha Gilman / Guest: Adam Gromis, Global Lead Sustainable Mobility, Uber; Chelsea Sexton, Sr. Advisor U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office; Lincoln Wood, Electrification Policy Manager, Southern Company; and Kasia Izdebska, Sr. Manager Enterprise Innovation, Ontario Power Generation
In this episode of the EPRI Current, host Samantha Gilman is interviewing more thought leaders from the Electrification 2024 exhibit hall. From transportation electrification to energy infrastructure, they discuss how advancements in electrification and clean energy technologies are shaping the future.
Practical Realities of the Clean Energy Transition
Host: Samantha Gilman / Guest: Neva Espinoza, Vice President of Energy Supply and Low Carbon Resources, EPRI
Achieving bold decarbonization goals requires transforming how economies around the world make, move, and use energy. However, the net-zero energy transition must be carefully balanced as we progress to help ensure affordability and reliability for all. At the end of the day, navigating the transition before us comes down to considering practical realities of the road ahead.
Wildfires & Climate: Building for Resilience
Host: Samantha Gilman / Guests: Erik Ela, program manager in Integrated Grid & Energy Systems, EPRI; Agatha Kazdan, technical leader, Advanced Buildings and Communities, EPRI.
Threats to the power delivery systems and the built environment from climate change and increasingly frequent extreme weather events means that the energy systems and structures of the future must be more prepared to withstand weather-related dangers. For more than a decade, EPRI has conducted research to increase resiliency and mitigate wildfire impacts through infrastructure modernization and process improvement.
Navigating Europe's Energy Transition
Host: Bill Florence / Guests: Eamonn Lannoye, Sr. Program/Area Manager for EPRI Europe DAC, Norela Constantinescu, Head of the Innovation Section, European Networks for Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E)
Learn how EPRI Europe addresses the region’s complex landscape of technological advancements, policy frameworks, and operational strategies through specific efforts with ENTSO-E and other stakeholders.
EV Efficiency Gains- What’s Down the Road?
Host: Samantha Gilman / Guests: Luke Tonachel, senior strategist for transportation, NRDC; Geoff Blanford, principal technical executive, energy systems and climate analysis, EPRI.
EPRI and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) recently released a study that found that EV efficiency improvements have the potential to significantly reduce future electric infrastructure buildout, energy usage, and consumer costs over the next three decades. According to the study, continued advances in EV efficiencies could cut electricity consumption per mile in half, and provide consumer energy cost savings of more than $200 billion annually if accomplished without raising vehicle costs.
EPRI Current Exclusive: Energy Roundtable with World Energy Council, USEA, and EPRI
Host: Bill Florence / Guests: Angela Wilkinson, Secretary General of the World Energy Council; Neil Wilmshurst, Senior Vice President of Energy System Resources and Chief Nuclear Officer for EPRI and Chair, US Committee, World Energy Council; and Mark Menezes, President and CEO of the United States Energy Association.
Join EPRI Current host Bill Florence as he welcomes three global energy leaders to discuss their approaches to working together to address energy issues of today and in the future.
Voices of Electrification – Part 1
Host: Samantha Gilman / Guests: Michael Wu, Founder and CEO of Converge Strategies; Sydney Roberts, Director of Technology and Market Solutions at Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance; and Latanza Adjei, Georgia Power SVP & Chief Customer Officer.
Electrification offers the potential to transform industries, like transportation, housing and agriculture, in which electricity is a key fuel. Plus, as the electric supply becomes cleaner, electrification can reduce society’s overall emissions. It can also lower costs and energy use for consumers and improve economic efficiency, equity, indoor environments, and safety. These topics and more were discussed at EPRI’s Electrification 2024 in Savannah, Georgia in early March.
Carbon Capture and Storage: The Path to 2050
Host: Samantha Gilman / Guests: Abhoyjit Bhown, Sr. Program Manager for Advanced Generation and Carbon Capture at EPRI.
Carbon capture and storage, also referred to as CCS, is a range of carbon emission reduction technologies for capturing, transporting, and storing CO2. CCS can be applied to various energy systems, including power generation facilities that utilize fossil fuels to produce electricity. Implementing CCS technologies may enable net zero emissions as the energy industry continues to use fossil fuels as an energy source for the foreseeable future.
From Emissions to Solutions: Unpacking the IRA’s Impact on Climate Change
Host: Bill Florence / Guests: Dr. John Bistline, Program Manager of EPRI’s Energy Systems and Climate Analysis Group and Dr. Jesse Jenkins, Assistant Professor of the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy & Environment at Princeton University.
More than 30 scientists from 17 organizations across the country co-authored an influential article in Science magazine that used different models to analyze potential implications of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provisions, particularly on emissions and energy systems. Among the findings are that IRA provisions may help produce economy-wide emissions reductions between 43 and 48% below 2005 levels by 2035.
Currents of Change: Navigating Hydropower’s Future
Host: Bill Florence / Guests: Francisco Kuljevan, Hydropower Generation Program Leader, EPRI and Alan Ettlinger, Director of Research, Technology Development and Innovation at the New York Power Authority (NYPA).
Hydroelectric power plays a crucial role in sustainable energy production, utilizing the natural flow of water to generate electricity for homes and businesses. NYPA is America’s largest state power organization.
Heats Pumps: A Piece of the Building Decarbonization Puzzle
Host: Samantha Gilman / Guests: Ron Domitrovic, Senior Program Manager for Grid-Edge Customer Technologies at EPRI
Heat pump technology can provide efficient indoor heating and cooling in a single system. Recent improvements now position heat pumps to become another tool for increased decarbonization and electrification across multiple building types. This advancement is seen by many as a viable strategy for supporting grid reliability, lowering energy costs, and reducing carbon emissions.
How to Be Carbon Free Hour by Hour
Host: Samantha Gilman / Guests: Arin Kaye, Carbon Accounting Analyst at EPRI; and Chris Pennington, Director Energy & Sustainability, Iron Mountain Data Centers.
Recently, several large corporate electricity customers, such as Google, Microsoft, and others have started procuring “carbon-free energy” that more closely matches their corporate hourly electricity load profile on a 24/7 hourly basis. It’s a concept that has come to be known as 24/7 carbon-free energy (24/7 CFE). This shift from procuring 100 percent renewable energy on an annual basis to 24/7 CFE on an hourly basis marks a potentially important evolution of corporate efforts to promote clean energy.
Innovation, Energy Startups, and the Path to Decarbonization
Host: Bill Florence / Guests: Dan Killoren, Program/Area Manager, RD Thought Leadership at EPRI
Energy startups are emerging as leaders in the fight against carbon emissions as we face the urgent need to combat climate change. Join us in this episode of EPRI Current as we explore the dynamic intersection of startups and decarbonization, where innovation meets sustainability.
Training Next Gen Talent for the Clean Energy Future
Host: Bill Florence / Guests: Prutha Bhide, Billy Evans, Sophie Lalande.
EPRI's Intern Program is a dynamic opportunity for aspiring professionals to dive headfirst into the world of cutting-edge energy research and innovation. Through EPIR’s rotational internships, students engage in projects, mentorship, and collaboration with top experts, gain invaluable experience, and play a vital role in solving some of our world’s most pressing energy challenges.
What is Advanced Nuclear, and Why do we Need a Roadmap?
Host: Samantha Gilman / Guests: Craig Stover, Senior Program Manager at EPRI; and Marc Nichol, Executive Director at the Nuclear Energy Institute.
The recently created Advanced Nuclear Roadmap outlines the actions needed to see the next generation of reactors in North America. Find out what is in it and the achievable path it provides for the successful deployment of advanced reactors to help meet decarbonization goals. Join EPRI’s Sr. Program Manager, Craig Stover, and the Nuclear Energy Institute’s Marc Nichol as they provide an update on the role of nuclear energy in power generation today and expectations for its contributions to decarbonization.
Embracing the Power of Large Language Models: Shaping the Future of AI
Host: Bill Florence / Guests: Christine Lee and Lea Boche, Technical Leaders at EPRI.
Large language models, such as ChatGPT, represent a remarkable milestone in the field of artificial intelligence. These models are constructed with millions or even billions of parameters, enabling them to process and generate unprecedented scale and quality of human-like text. They have revolutionized various applications across industries, including natural language understanding, translation, content generation, and more. However, their development raises important ethical and societal questions about bias, privacy, and responsible AI deployment, emphasizing the need for thoughtful and responsible AI governance.
Supply Chain Opportunities for Clean Energy Technologies
Host: Bill Florence / Guests: Robin Bedilion, Principal Project Manager in the Energy Systems and Climate Analysis group at EPRI.
Strong supply chains are vital to all businesses. But a series of perfect storm events . . . COVID, geopolitical issues, environmental and human rights concerns, among others . . .have created ongoing supply chain challenges resulting in bottlenecks, project delays, and cost increases for clean energy technologies such as wind, solar, and battery storage. This episode explores supply chain challenges and opportunities affecting the clean energy technologies of today and tomorrow and the potential impacts on achieving global decarbonization goals.
Extreme Heat: How the Changing Climate Raises the Risk
Host: Samantha Gilman / Guests: Dr. Dan Kirk-Davidoff, Senior Technical Leader at EPRI; and Dr. Erik Smith, Climate Resilience Analyst at EPRI.
This summer’s headlines have been lively with stories about heat waves, extreme heat, and what it means for global warming. Join two of EPRI’s climate experts, Dan Kirk-Davidoff and Erik Smith, as they discuss extreme heat, the relationship between climate and weather, and the ongoing El Nino. With many experiencing record heat this summer, our guests offer insight into the current overall U.S. heat profile and how we can use this data to prepare the energy system for future extreme weather.
Securing our Energy Future: The Value of Resource Adequacy
Host: Bill Florence / Guests: Irene Danti Lopez, Senior Engineer at EPRI, and Genevieve de Mijolla, Technical Leader at EPRI.
The need for reliable electricity services has never been greater. As the need has grown, so have the challenges and risks facing energy companies in planning how to provide for new demand. These planning challenges, and the short- and long-term impacts they may cause, include outages caused by extreme weather events, changes in load due to increased electrification (for example, transportation), and changes in the resource mix (variable renewables, etc.).
Energy Storage: Global Opportunities
Host: Samantha Gilman / Guests: Dr. Andrew Maxson, Senior Program Manager for Bulk Energy Storage at EPRI; and Zaid al-Ansari, Senior Regional Manager for Middle East at EPRI.
Energy storage comes in a variety of types and durations, and the global society will benefit from a portfolio of reliable technologies that evolve with energy policy, markets, and priorities. Listen to EPRI experts Andrew Maxson and Zaid al-Ansari as they discuss EPRI’s research efforts in energy storage, the role of energy storage in the global energy transition, and the road ahead to COP28. Held in Dubai, COP28 will emphasize decarbonization efforts in the Middle East, where EPRI has worked closely with energy providers on integrating renewable energy resources, energy storage solutions, and asset management strategies.
Blowing in the Wind: Wind Energy’s Growth as a Global Clean Energy Source
Host: Bill Florence / Guests: Brandon Fitchett, Program Manager at EPRI; and Curtiss Fox, Senior Technical Leader at EPRI
Whether it's onshore or offshore, wind energy is one of the fastest-growing renewable energy sources in the world and the largest source of renewable electricity generation in the United States, with minimal environmental impacts.
From Phishing to Fences: A Look at Cyber and Physical Grid Security
Host: Samantha Gilman / Guests: Ben Sooter, Cyber Security Program Manager at EPRI; and Erika Willis, Substations Program Manager at EPRI
What are the most important physical and cyber security issues for energy systems? Keeping our energy infrastructure safe and secure is of vital concern to all of us. In this episode, join EPRI’s Ben Sooter and Erika Willis as they discuss some of the major current and future security challenges facing the global energy industry, and how EPRI is helping to combat them.
Pollinator Power Party Preview
Host: Samantha Gilman / Guests: Jessica Fox, Principal Technical Executive at EPRI and Kelly Bills, Executive Director, Pollinator Partnership
In this episode, join EPRI’s Jessica Fox and Pollinator Partnership’s Kelly Bills as we discuss the upcoming Pollinator Power Party and the research done on the intersection of the clean energy transition and pollinator conservation. The Pollinator Power Party is held in conjunction with National Pollinator Week, which has been running for more than 10 years. Born during the world-wide pandemic, we converted local pollinator education events led by power companies across North America into one huge virtual party – the Pollinator Power Party!
Fusion: A Game-Changing Clean Energy Technology?
Host: Bill Florence / Guests: Dr. Andrew Sowder, Senior Technical Executive at EPRI and Diana Grandas, Engineer/Scientist at EPRI.
In this episode of EPRI Current, EPRI’s Andrew Sowder, Ph.D., CHP, and Engineer/Scientist Diana Grandas from the Transformative Nuclear Technologies team discuss some of the major issues and current developments in fusion. They also offer a glimpse of challenges and opportunities facing the future commercialization of fusion and share what EPRI is doing to help facilitate fusion’s development and growth.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle—the Circular Economy
Host: Samantha Gilman / Guests: Dr. Stephanie Shaw, Technical Executive at EPRI; and Cara Libby, Principal Technical Leader at EPRI
In this special Earth Month edition of the EPRI Current we are joined by EPRI experts Dr. Stephanie Shaw, Technical Executive at EPRI, and Cara Libby Principal Technical Leader at EPRI. Stephanie and Cara join host Samantha Gilman to talk about the circular economy and how “reduce reuse and recycle” applies to the electric sector – plus a few more “R’s”!
EPRI’s Mission in a Clean Energy Future
Host: Nicholas Scheib / Guest: Katie Jereza, EPRI Vice President of Corporate Affairs
In this episode of the EPRI Current, our host sits down with Katie Jereza, Vice President of Corporate Affairs at EPRI, to discuss EPRI’s mission in both the current energy transition and in the future. She explains EPRI’s research focus, centered around global energy systems that are affordable, reliable, and equitable for all.
Katie has a wealth of industry experience both in the private and public sectors and works tirelessly to position EPRI as a key contributor throughout the world in meeting long-term energy goals by leveraging R&D capabilities, as well as thought leadership.
Dissecting DistribuTECH 2023
Host: Samantha Gilman / Guest: Haresh Kamath, EPRI Director of Energy Storage and Distributed Energy Resources (DER).
EPRI Current host Samantha Gilman is joined by guest, Haresh Kamath, EPRI’s Director of Energy Storage and Distributed Energy Resources (DER). Haresh and Samantha provide an overview of what they learned and saw, and how EPRI participated, at DistribuTECH International 2023 in San Diego earlier this spring.
Becoming Climate READi
Host: Samantha Gilman / Guests: Morgan Scott, EPRI Director of Climate READi; and Andrea Staid, EPRI Senior Technical Leader
In this episode of the EPRI Current, our host chats with EPRI’s Morgan Scott and Andrea Staid on the most recent white paper published by EPRI’s Climate READi Initiative. Results show that planning for future climate conditions and proactively implementing resilience strategies may significantly reduce the costs incurred by energy companies for response, repair, and recovery. How much? Listen to find out.
Introducing the EPRI Current podcast
Hosts: Nicholas Scheib, Samantha Gilman, and William Florence
Your set of rotating show hosts---Bill Florence, Samantha Gilman, and Nick Scheib---provide an overview of EPRI and the scope of the EPRI Current podcast series, with its’ focus on the generation, delivery, and use of electricity for the benefit of the public.
