Gridlock

About Gridlock

In each episode of Gridlock, we talk about things that can and must be done to create and protect grid resiliency in the face of increased threats from climate change. As we all know, preparing the grid for climate change requires a prep mentality, smart strategic planning, and having the right resources on the ground to execute these proactive climate-change plans and to have the capability to respond to urgent and unpredictable weather and other climate-change related circumstances. Gridlock is sponsored by Koppers Utility & Industrial Products, the country’s largest American-owned wood pole manufacturer, supplying quality poles and cross-arms to utilities nationwide. Koppers' products are used by utilities of every size to help power the nation’s electrical infrastructure, from the smallest co-op to the largest investor-owned utility.

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

21 Jun 2023

Latest episode

23 Sept 2024

Latest episodes

8 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   23 Sept 2024

   Where will AI lead us in the fight against climate change?

   Climate change is a continuously evolving field of study, accompanied by a wealth of data. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly vital role in predicting the impact climate change may have on electric utilities nationwide. Join our guest, Dan Bilello, Director of the Strategic Energy Analysis Center at National Renewable Energy Laboratory as he shares insights on climate change and the role of AI in addressing the resulting challenges for utilities.

2. 

   28 May 2024

   Actuaries, Insurance & the Utility Industry

   Climate-induced natural disasters continue to grow in frequency, size and cost, causing many utilities to rethink their approach to how they insure their businesses. Helping analyze and assist insurance companies in pricing policies is one of the primary roles of the insurance actuary. Join us for an in-depth conversation with Alp Can, actuary and Chair of the Actuaries Climate Index, a North American-based organization which helps insurers quantify the inherent financial risk a utility is likely to face from climate-related disasters within their operating footprint.

3. 

   10 Apr 2024

   Helping Co-Ops Fight Climate Change

   Season 2 of Gridlock kicks off with an in-depth look at how climate change is impacting rural-based electric utilities in the U.S. Guest Claire Sierawski of the USDA helps oversee the approval and funding of multiple new government initiatives aimed at both building more grid resiliency and helping further clean energy production among co-ops in our country.  Join us and learn more about both the program focus, funding levels and anticipated timeline for implementation of these initiatives.

4. 

   21 Jun 2023

   Gridlock Series Trailer

   Hurricanes. Ice Storms. Wildfires. Tornadoes. 2021 was not kind to electric utilities or their customers... As an industry leader, how will you adapt and shape your utility’s response as Mother Nature’s assault on the electric grid continues to intensify? How can your key vendors best help you respond? Introducing Gridlock, a Koppers-exclusive podcast series. Join expert guests including national research laboratories, government energy regulators and senior utility executives as they discuss protecting the electric grid and reacting to future natural disasters

5. 

   21 Jun 2023

   Nora Mead Brownell, former FERC Commissioner and former Chair of the Board of PG&E

   Nora Mead Brownell is the co-founder of ESPY Energy Solutions, LLC, a women-owned business providing innovative and highly-skilled consulting services. Ms. Brownell served as the Chair of the Board of Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E). She has also served on the boards of National Grid PLC, Tangent Energy, Spectra Energy Partners, New World Capital, TerViva Bioenergy, ONCOR, Comverge, Starwood Energy Fund, and the GridWise Architecture Council. In addition, Ms. Brownell has lectured at the Vermont Law School’s Center for Energy and the Environment, the Michigan State University Institute of Public Utilities, the University of Idaho, the Wharton Energy Club, and others. Ms. Brownell serves on the Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Advisory Board. In 2001, Ms. Brownell was nominated by President George W. Bush to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) where she served from the time of her confirmation in May 2001 until June 2006 when her term expired. Prior to FERC, Ms. Brownell served as a member of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) from 1997 to 2001 and took an active role in the rollout of electric choice in Pennsylvania. In addition to her work establishing the framework for one of the nation’s most successful retail electric markets, she supported Pennsylvania’s pursuit of competition in local markets for telecommunications, deployment of advanced services, enhancement of services to rural areas, protection of consumers, and advancement of special services. Ms. Brownell is a native of Erie, Pennsylvania and attended Syracuse University.

6. 

   21 Jun 2023

   Mark Petri, Director of the Electric Power Grid Program and Thomas Wall, Program Lead for Engineering & Applied Resilience at Argonne

   Argonne National Laboratory is the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s multidisciplinary research center and a leader in developing and analyzing climate-related data. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America’s scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. Join our guests from Argonne, Mark Petri, Director of the Electric Power Grid Program and Thomas Wall, Program Lead for Engineering & Applied Resilience as they discuss their efforts at combating climate change through their Advance Grid Modeling Program. Mark C. Petri is the Director of the Electric Power Grid Program. He is responsible for coordinating the laboratory’s large and multidisciplinary activities to improve the reliability, resiliency, security, and efficiency of the nation’s electric power grids. Prior to rejoining Argonne, Petri was Director of the Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute, a Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence that conducts research and education to enhance the resilience of the nation’s critical infrastructures. He was also Director of the Iowa Energy Center, which supports economic development, environmental sustainability, and social well-being in Iowa through energy innovation, education, and entrepreneurship. Petri was formerly the Technology Development Director within Argonne National Laboratory’s Energy Engineering and Systems Analysis Directorate, where he developed and coordinated multidisciplinary applied and basic research programs aimed at sustainable energy production, transmission, and efficiency. The work included research on a wide range of alternative energy sources and power grid modeling and simulation. Petri received his Ph.D. from Purdue University through the School of Materials Science and Engineering. From 2007 to 2008 Petri served as Science and Technology Advisor to Illinois Senator Richard J. Durbin in Washington, D.C., where he focused on energy and environmental issues. Dr. Thomas Wall is the Program Lead for Engineering & Applied Resilience in Argonne National Laboratory’s Decision and Infrastructure Sciences Division. He has extensive experience in the area of critical infrastructure analysis and protection, and has supported infrastructure analysis projects for the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and state and local governments. Notably, he leads projects in DHS’ Regional Resiliency Assessment Program (RRAP), which engages directly with communities and regional stakeholders to identify infrastructure risks and dependencies, and then develops collaborative strategies that enhance the resilience of those systems. He is also a program lead in Argonne’s Center for Climate Resilience and Decision Science (CCRDS), which is a collaboration with Argonne’s Environmental Sciences Division that aims to leverage Argonne’s deep capabilities in climate science and modeling, advanced computing, infrastructure risk analysis, and decision science to provide actionable climate impact information to industry, the engineering and planning communities, and to state and local governments. Tom received an Honors B.S. in Civil Engineering from Oregon State University, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

7. 

   21 Jun 2023

   Will Climate Change Impact Utilities Market Value?

   As climate change continues dominating headlines, its future financial impact remains a key concern to electric utilities in the U.S. and worldwide. Join our expert climate scientists from Institutional Shareholder Services as they discuss how the increasing growth and intensity of natural disasters may impact the future market value of publicly traded utilities. Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) provides both investors and companies high-quality data, analytics and insights to help guide their investment decisions, including efforts focused on the impact of climate change. Isabel Llorente-Garcia is the Physical Risk lead within the Climate R&D team at ISS ESG. Neda Todorova is a Climate Transition Risk Specialist based in the United Kingdom.

8. 

   21 Jun 2023

   John Bartlett, Co-Manager Reaves Utility Income Fund

   How do investors in publicly-traded electric utility stocks view the topic of climate change? Does climate change alter their current investment strategy or is it a potential deterrent to additional investment in the industry? How or does an electric utility’s decision to make climate-related investments, ranging from alternative energy to grid hardening, create the prospect of future value for investors? Join us for a wide-ranging discussion addressing these and other key climate-related topics as we speak with John Bartlett, President of Reaves Asset Management. John and his firm have both significant investment experience and substantial financial holdings within the electric utility industry including the Reaves Utility Income Fund, a publicly traded ETF which John co-manages (ticker UTG). Reaves Asset Management is an independently owned firm with decades of experience investing in publicly listed infrastructure equities. Their portfolios are designed to provide both capital appreciation and income and have historically generated high single-digit returns across all market cycles.

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Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings