The Switch

Electric Power Engineers

The Switch is a short podcast hosted by Electric Power Engineers, featuring conversations with leaders across utilities, technology, and policy about leadership, decision-making, and the realities of operating and transforming the power system.

Episodes

  1. 3 days ago

    The Switch Episode 9: The Business Model Behind the Grid With Scott Vogt

    For decades, utilities have operated in a world of relatively flat or declining electricity demand. Today, data centers, new technologies, and rapidly growing power needs are changing the equation. But are the financial and regulatory structures behind the grid prepared for what comes next?  In this episode of The Switch, Julieta Giraldez speaks with Scott Vogt, Principal at Vogt Energy Advisors and former executive at ComEd and Exelon, about the economics and decisions shaping the future of the power system.  Drawing on decades of experience in utility finance, energy procurement, and regulatory strategy, Scott explains why the utility business model works differently from those of almost every other industry, how financial incentives influence infrastructure investment, and why uncertainty is an unavoidable part of forecasting and planning.  The conversation explores the extraordinary scale of emerging data center demand, the challenges of aligning electricity markets with reliability needs, and the potential for distributed energy resources and customer flexibility to unlock more capacity from the existing grid.  At its heart, this conversation examines something engineers don't always see: the financial and regulatory decisions behind the infrastructure we depend on, and whether those systems can evolve fast enough to meet a very different energy future.  The views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host/guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency or company.

  2. 12 Oct

    The Switch Episode 8: Where Optimism Meets Grid Reality With Ruchi Singh

    We talk a lot about the need to build more generation, storage, and infrastructure to meet growing electricity demand. But what does it actually take to get a new project connected to the grid?  In this episode of The Switch, Julieta Giraldez speaks with Ruchi Singh, Vice President of Transmission, Interconnection and Development Engineering at Panthera Grid Partners (formerly Urban Grid), about the complex reality behind bringing new power projects online. Drawing on her experience across utilities, transmission planning, research, and project development, Ruchi explains why interconnection is where engineering, physics, markets, finance, and execution all come together. And why even a technically sound project may never get built.  The conversation explores a grid that was designed for a different era, the growing importance of thinking holistically about the power system, and the challenge of developing engineers with the experience to understand those interdependencies. Ruchi also reflects on growing up with power outages in India, the moment she realized the human consequences of her work, and why today's growing investment in the grid gives her optimism about what the industry can accomplish next.    The views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host/guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency or company.

  3. 28 Sept

    The Switch Episode 7: Modernizing the Grid Starts at the Utility With Digaunto Chatterjee

    The grid is changing quickly. But modernizing the power system requires more than new infrastructure and technology; utilities must also adapt how they plan, build, and operate the grid.  In this episode of The Switch, Julieta Giraldez speaks with Digaunto Chatterjee, Senior Vice President of Engineering at Eversource Energy, about what it takes to prepare a utility for a period of increasing demand, aging infrastructure, electrification, and rapid technological change.  Digaunto shares why the workforce may be one of the most vulnerable parts of today's power system, why utilities need to think differently about planning under uncertainty, and why innovation must move beyond specialized teams and become part of everyday engineering.  The conversation also brings these challenges back to the physical realities of the grid: storms, control rooms, cables, substations, critical customers, and the people who show up when the system is under its greatest stress. For Digaunto, success ultimately looks remarkably simple: creating a power system that works so seamlessly that customers can simply flip a switch and never have to think about what it took to turn the power on.  The views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host/guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency or company.

  4. 8 Sept

    The Switch Episode 6: The Reality of Regulatory Decision-Making With Radina Valova

    The decisions that shape the power system rarely come with one clearly right answer.  In this episode of The Switch, Julieta Giraldez speaks with Radina Valova, Commissioner at the New York Public Service Commission, about what it means to make consequential decisions when every path comes with tradeoffs.  Radina shares how regulators navigate reliability, affordability, and the clean energy transition while working within regulatory frameworks designed more than a century ago for a very different energy system. She reflects on why understanding the evidence matters as much as the evidence itself, why good decision-making sometimes means accepting discomfort, and how storytelling can help bring the human impact of technical and regulatory decisions into focus.   The conversation also looks forward: exploring how far the grid has evolved and why consumers are becoming increasingly active participants in the system. Radina also discusses why moving faster will require the industry to be ambitious and bold, while still being cautious with the systems and dollars entrusted to it.  The views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host/guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency or company.

  5. 24 Aug

    The Switch Episode 5: From Energy Policy to Keeping the Lights On With Chris Hansen

    What changes when you move from shaping energy policy to being responsible for actually keeping the lights on?  In this episode of The Switch, Julieta Giraldez speaks with Chris Hansen, CEO of La Plata Electric Association and former Colorado state senator, about making that transition. From setting long-term policy goals to running a utility where reliability, affordability, resilience, and community priorities have to come together every day.  Chris shares how La Plata Electric is navigating a major transformation of its own, from taking greater control of its power supply and joining a regional electricity market to rethinking what a utility should be in a world where customers have more energy choices. The conversation explores wildfire and extreme-weather risk, local accountability, new technologies, and why the utility of the future may need to think less like a traditional electricity provider and more like an energy services company.  The views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host/guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency or company.

  6. 10 Aug

    The Switch Episode 4: Customer-Centric Grid Planning With Juliet Shavit

    The electric grid isn't an end in itself; it exists to power everything else. Our homes, hospitals, businesses, industries, and increasingly our digital economy all depend on it. But as the grid becomes more complex, it's easy to focus on the infrastructure and lose sight of why we're building it in the first place: the customers and communities it serves.  In this episode of The Switch, Julieta Giraldez speaks with Juliet Shavit, President and CEO of SmartMark Communications, about why the customer shouldn't be treated as an afterthought—or even just another grid asset—but as the reason the grid exists. Together, they explore how trust, communication, affordability, and customer engagement are becoming just as critical to the future of the grid as new technologies and infrastructure.   From smart meters and demand response to EVs, smart homes, and grid flexibility, the conversation challenges the industry to rethink planning from the customer's perspective. Because as the grid becomes more distributed and more complex, bringing customers along isn't optional—it's essential for building a reliable, resilient, and affordable energy future.    The views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host/guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency or company.

  7. 27 Jul

    Episode 3: What if Flat Demand Was the Exception? With Tanuj Deora

    The electric grid is entering a new era. After years of relatively flat electricity demand, utilities are now planning for rapid growth driven by AI, data centers, electrification, and domestic manufacturing. The challenge isn't just delivering more power, it's doing so quickly, affordably, and in the face of tremendous uncertainty.   In this episode of The Switch, Julieta Giraldez speaks with Tanuj Deora, Vice President of Commercialization at SparkFund, about why the industry needs new ways to think about resource adequacy and grid planning. Drawing on his experience spanning public policy, the White House, utility strategy, and grid-edge innovation, Tanuj explains how distributed capacity can complement traditional infrastructure investments by adding flexibility to the system. The conversation explores uncertainty, affordability, innovation, and why the future grid will be built with a broader set of tools than ever before. The views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host/guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency or company.

  8. 13 Jul

    The Switch Episode 2: Grid Modernization as a Human Challenge With Elizabeth Cook

    Grid modernization is often described as a technology challenge. Elizabeth Cook sees it differently.  In this episode of The Switch, Julieta Giraldez sits down with Elizabeth Cook, Vice President at the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC) and host of The Grid Mod Pod, to discuss what it really takes to modernize the power system.  From transmission and distribution planning to data foundations, organizational silos, and leadership, Cook shares why some of the industry's biggest challenges are not technical at all—they're human.  The conversation explores trust, collaboration, situational awareness, and why the future grid depends as much on people and processes as it does on technology.  The views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host/guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency or company.

    The Switch Episode 2: Grid Modernization as a Human Challenge With Elizabeth Cook

  9. 25 Jun

    The Switch Episode 1: Managing Load Growth in a World With Less Wiggle Room With Herschel Arant

    We flip a switch and expect the power to be there. But behind that simple expectation is a system being balanced every second of every day — and today, that system is facing some of the fastest growth in its history.   In this episode of The Switch, Herschel Arant, Chief Growth Officer at Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, joins Julieta Giraldez to explore one of the defining challenges facing the energy industry today: balancing explosive load growth with reliability and affordability.   From lessons learned in rural electrification to the challenges of serving hyperscale customers, Herschel offers a thoughtful look at the decisions, tradeoffs, and responsibilities involved in keeping the lights on when the rules are changing.  The views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host/guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency or company.

    The Switch Episode 1: Managing Load Growth in a World With Less Wiggle Room With Herschel Arant
  • 9 Episodes

About

The Switch is a short podcast hosted by Electric Power Engineers, featuring conversations with leaders across utilities, technology, and policy about leadership, decision-making, and the realities of operating and transforming the power system.

Information

  • Creator
    Electric Power Engineers
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    9
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Electric Power Engineers
  • Show Website
    The Switch