The Grid Mod Pod | A Podcast from AEIC

AEIC

Welcome to the Grid Mod Pod, brought to you by AEIC! In this podcast, you’ll hear from the utility industry’s top operations leaders on how their companies are working to modernize and improve our ever-evolving power grid. Thank you for joining us.

  1. Oct 27

    Vegetation Management Beyond the Trim Cycle | Grid Mod Pod Ep. 94 with Mike Johnson, Santee Cooper

    Vegetation management is one of the largest recurring line items a utility carries, and it is still often planned as a cycle: how many miles, how often, and at what cost. That framing is breaking. When a thunderstorm comes through, nine times out of ten the outage is a tree, and most of the time it is a healthy tree standing outside the right-of-way. In this episode of the Grid Mod Pod, Dr. Elizabeth Cook sits down with Mike Johnson, Senior Director of Power Delivery at Santee Cooper and executive sponsor of AEIC's Vegetation Management Subcommittee, to explore what it takes to move vegetation management from a trim cycle to a risk-based program. Mike leads the field side of transmission and distribution for South Carolina's state-owned electric and water utility, including line workers, substation technicians, system protection, and right-of-way management. He walks through the difference between a hazard tree and a danger tree, why easements written decades ago can create challenges with today's property owners, and how fuel mix, wildfire history, aging infrastructure, and urban development can combine to increase risk. Elizabeth makes the case that vegetation management is grid modernization in miniature. A risk-based program depends on the same foundation as other grid modernization efforts: a trusted GIS asset model, a vegetation baseline, accurately coded outage cause history, and a clear understanding of the real cost per unit. Here's what you'll learn when you tune in: 🌳 The difference between hazard trees and danger trees, and why a healthy tree outside the right-of-way can be one of the hardest problems to solve 📜 How decades-old easements can affect today's property owners and the conversations utilities have to navigate 🔥 How wildfire risk is changing vegetation management across the Southeast 🧀 The Swiss cheese model: how fuel mix, fire history, aging assets, and development can line up to create greater risk 🛰️ How satellite imagery, LiDAR, and drones can help utilities establish a vegetation baseline and track changes 🗺️ The four datasets a utility needs to build a risk-based vegetation management program 🤖 What a pilot using Google AI could mean for the future of vegetation management 👷 Why contractor workforce, training, and qualifications keep bringing the conversation back to fundamentals 🤝 How community outreach can begin months before vegetation work and why utilities are working together on public safety power shutoff planning The technology is coming. The trees, the easements, and the people are already here. "Knowledge of one is the knowledge of all." What this episode answers: • What is the difference between a hazard tree and a danger tree? • How can a utility move from a vegetation trim cycle to a risk-based program? • What data does a utility need to build a risk-based vegetation management program? • How are LiDAR, satellite imagery, drones, and AI changing vegetation management? • Why are Southeastern utilities developing public safety power shutoff plans? About the Grid Mod Pod Grid modernization happens inside a highly regulated, security conscious, non traditional business model that operates very differently from most industries. At its core are utility leaders and operations experts navigating new technologies, regulations, and challenges to deliver a sustainable, affordable power grid. Each week, the Grid Mod Pod brings their voices and perspectives to the surface, with practical insights from the people doing the real work of modernizing and improving our ever evolving power grid. This podcast is brought to you by the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC), the place for knowledge sharing across the electric utility industry. Founded in 1885 by the early adopters of Thomas Edison's patented technology. Knowledge of one is the knowledge of all.

  2. Oct 13

    Inside the Transmission Control Room in 2026 | Grid Mod Pod Ep. 93 with Andrea Dennis, OG&E

    Most of the conversation about large loads and new generation happens in planning language: queues, studies, interconnection, forecasts. All of it eventually lands on a desk where someone has to run the system tonight, with the equipment that is actually installed and under the rules that are actually in effect. That desk has been quiet in the industry conversation for a long time. It is not quiet anymore. In this episode of the Grid Mod Pod, Dr. Elizabeth Cook sits down with Andrea Dennis, Vice President of Transmission and Distribution Operations at OG&E, to explore what is happening inside transmission control rooms right now and why the operators in them decided they needed a room of their own. Andrea serves on the AEIC Board, is Executive Sponsor of the Transmission System Operations Subcommittee, and led the charter that established it. The TSO Subcommittee convened for the first time on April 28, 2026, chaired by Bryn Wilson, Director of Grid Operations at OG&E. Andrea also became Chair of AEIC's Power Delivery Committee on September 30. The conversation takes listeners inside the work of transmission operators, from the decisions made during a normal day in the control room to the challenges created by large concentrated loads, inverter based resources, changing transmission ratings, and an evolving workforce. Here's what you'll learn when you tune in: 🖥️ What a NERC certified transmission operator actually does on a normal day, and how much of that work happens out of public view 🕸️ Why transmission is a network while distribution is largely radial, and why that difference changes how the systems are operated ⚡ How a transmission system designed around the loss of large generation is adapting to large concentrated loads 🤝 Why transmission operators needed their own AEIC subcommittee alongside organizations such as NERC and NATF 🗼 How inverter based resources, a new 765 kV voltage level, and ambient adjusted ratings are changing transmission operations 🔁 Why OG&E brought its transmission and distribution control centers together and what that changed 🏠 What a backfed bulk system transformer reveals about the complexity of a changing grid 👷 How retirements, workforce transitions, and changing storm patterns are reshaping the work of grid operations 🔄 Why the ability to pivot may matter more than trying to predict exactly what the grid will look like years from now Because the plans, forecasts, and studies eventually become real operating decisions. Someone still has to run the system tonight. "Knowledge of one is the knowledge of all." What this episode answers: • What does a transmission system operator actually do on a normal day in 2026? • Why did AEIC's transmission operators need their own subcommittee? • How are large loads, inverter based resources, 765 kV, and ambient adjusted ratings changing control room work? • Why are transmission and distribution operations increasingly converging? • What does the changing workforce mean for the future of transmission operations? About the Grid Mod Pod Grid modernization happens inside a highly regulated, security conscious, non traditional business model that operates very differently from most industries. At its core are utility leaders and operations experts navigating new technologies, regulations, and challenges to deliver a sustainable, affordable power grid. Each week, the Grid Mod Pod brings their voices and perspectives to the surface, with practical insights from the people doing the real work of modernizing and improving our ever evolving power grid. This podcast is brought to you by the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC), the place for knowledge sharing across the electric utility industry. Founded in 1885 by the early adopters of Thomas Edison's patented technology. Knowledge of one is the knowledge of all.

  3. Sep 30

    Stop Deleting Your Data: Physical AI and the Grid | Grid Mod Pod Ep. 92 with Sean Murphy

    The grid is already covered in sensors. Most of what they measure never leaves the substation, and much of what does gets deleted within a week. In this episode of the Grid Mod Pod, Dr. Elizabeth Cook sits down with Sean Murphy, founder and CEO of PingThings, to explore a problem that looks like a data problem and may really be a physics problem. For most of its history, the electric industry has relied on models to understand and operate the grid. It could do that because the grid has something most systems do not: deterministic physics equations that can tell you what happens next. Sean calls it a "cheat code." But the challenges facing the grid are increasingly happening at timescales that traditional systems cannot see. Inverter based oscillations, large data center loads that trip offline, and the milliseconds that can separate a fault from a wildfire ignition all require data at a much higher resolution than traditional SCADA provides. The sensing capability to capture these events is already largely deployed. The problem is that the data may be switched off, never centralized, or reduced from thousands of measurements per second to a single reading every fifteen minutes. The expensive part, the hardware and the truck roll, has already happened. What is often missing is the decision to keep the data. Sean and Elizabeth explore why that decision is difficult, how utilities can justify keeping data before they know every possible use case, and what the industry could do differently. Here's what you'll learn when you tune in: ⚡ What physical AI is and why it needs the grid's time series data 📉 How a sensor capturing 10,000 measurements per second can end up reporting only four times an hour 🌩️ Why fast moving grid events can remain invisible to SCADA 💰 How a prevented truck roll and a caught lost neutral can justify the cost of keeping data 📱 What the smartphone can teach utilities about calculating ROI for technologies with uses nobody has imagined yet 🏠 How AMI was installed for billing but eventually revealed dozens of additional use cases 🧱 Why technology vendors often build data silos and what utilities can ask for instead 🗑️ The change utilities can make without new capital: stop deleting the data Because the grid may already have much of the data needed to understand what is happening. The question is whether we are keeping it long enough to learn from it. "We need AI," says the board. Fine. That takes three years of data, and you have been deleting it after a week. The data clock is ticking. What this episode answers: • What is physical AI, and what does it need from electric utilities? • Why do utilities discard much of the grid data their sensors already collect? • How can utilities justify keeping data before they know every future use case? • What are the fastest growing challenges that require higher resolution grid data? • What can utility leaders change now, without new capital, to make better use of the data they already have? About the Grid Mod Pod Grid modernization happens inside a highly regulated, security conscious, non traditional business model that operates very differently from most industries. At its core are utility leaders and operations experts navigating new technologies, regulations, and challenges to deliver a sustainable, affordable power grid. Each week, the Grid Mod Pod brings their voices and perspectives to the surface, with practical insights from the people doing the real work of modernizing and improving our ever evolving power grid. This podcast is brought to you by the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC), the place for knowledge sharing across the electric utility industry. Founded in 1885 by the early adopters of Thomas Edison's patented technology. Knowledge of one is the knowledge of all.

  4. Sep 30

    Power Generation's Four Fundamentals | Grid Mod Pod Ep. 91 with Kris Edmondson, TVA

    Information is abundant, but wisdom is not. The manuals and standards can tell you how a power plant is supposed to run. They cannot tell you what went wrong at another plant last month, what that team learned from it, or what they did differently afterward. In this episode of the Grid Mod Pod, Dr. Elizabeth Cook sits down with Kris Edmondson, Vice President of Gas Generation at the Tennessee Valley Authority and chair of AEIC's Power Generation Committee. Kris has spent nearly 30 years in the industry, most of it in generation, working across gas, coal, and hydro at several utilities. The conversation explores what happens when utility leaders step outside their individual organizations and share what they are actually experiencing in the field. Kris has been part of AEIC's Power Generation Committee for 11 years, since his first meeting in 2015. Today, the committee brings together 40 to 50 executives who are working through the same fundamental challenges: safety, compliance, reliability, and efficiency. The value of that network is not just in the documents or standards it produces. It is in the room. One utility can stand up and say, "Here is what happened to us. Here is what we learned." The other members take notes, ask questions, and bring those lessons back to their own organizations. Here's what you'll learn when you tune in: ⚙️ The four fundamentals every power generation organization is working on, regardless of technology 🛡️ Why compliance is something you cannot fully learn until you are responsible for it 📋 The membership rule that makes the Power Generation Committee work: to be a member, you have to present 🤝 How utility leaders come together to speak with one voice to OEMs and influence how equipment and services are delivered 🔧 What the supply chain looks like from the manufacturer's side of the table 🎓 How a professor's phone call helped launch Kris's nearly 30-year career in power generation 👷 Why people, rather than equipment, may be the greatest opportunity in generation today ☕ Why the conversations that happen outside the formal agenda can sometimes be the most valuable 🔗 How trust and relationships accelerate learning across the utility industry Because the most important lessons in power generation are not always found in a manual or an industry report. Sometimes they come from one engineer talking to another. "The knowledge of one is the knowledge of all." What this episode answers: • What are the four fundamentals every power generation organization has to get right? • Why do utility executives rely on peer networks in addition to standards and manuals? • How does AEIC's Power Generation Committee help utilities learn from one another? • How does the committee give collective feedback to OEMs such as GE, Siemens, and Mitsubishi? • Why are relationships and trust so important to sharing knowledge across the industry? About the Grid Mod Pod Grid modernization happens inside a highly regulated, security conscious, non traditional business model that operates very differently from most industries. At its core are utility leaders and operations experts navigating new technologies, regulations, and challenges to deliver a sustainable, affordable power grid. Each week, the Grid Mod Pod brings their voices and perspectives to the surface, with practical insights from the people doing the real work of modernizing and improving our ever evolving power grid. This podcast is brought to you by the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC), the place for knowledge sharing across the electric utility industry. Founded in 1885 by the early adopters of Thomas Edison's patented technology. Knowledge of one is the knowledge of all.

  5. Sep 14

    Land Mobile Radio: One System Across Six States | Grid Mod Pod Ep. 90 with Duke Energy

    When Hurricane Helene took out the network in western North Carolina, the two way radio system was the only thing still working. Duke Energy had spent nearly ten years building it, and most people never knew it was there. In this episode of the Grid Mod Pod, Dr. Elizabeth Cook sits down with four members of the Duke Energy team behind the Land Mobile Radio program: Brian Hartzog, Senior Project Manager in Strategic Projects; Calvin King, who leads strategic projects for Power Operations; Tony Capps, Director of Telecom; and Thomas Rogers, Lead Radio Engineer. The conversation continues our series featuring projects nominated for an AEIC Achievement Award, hearing directly from the people who executed them. The project began in 2017, when acquisitions had left Duke Energy with four disconnected radio systems across six states. Three were past end of life, and replacement parts were being sourced from the gray market. During storms, crews moving between regions could find that their radios stopped working when they crossed a jurisdictional boundary. The team's vision was simple: any device, serviceable by any worker, dispatched from any control center, in any region. Making that vision a reality required 12 core sites, 291 tower sites, and more than 400 dispatch consoles, all deployed while the existing system remained in service. Along the way, the project became much more than a telecom upgrade. It touched nearly every business group across the company and required a dedicated team of fiber, power, data, voice, and RF engineers to rethink how the work was delivered. Here's what you'll learn when you tune in: 📻 Why four disparate radio systems became a mission critical problem and what the gray market really means ⚡ How the "any device, any worker, any control center, any region" vision shaped the project 🌀 What happened during Hurricane Helene when the radio system remained operational while other communications failed 🏗️ The scale behind the deployment: 12 core sites, 291 tower sites, and more than 400 dispatch consoles 🤝 How a dedicated blended team of engineers changed the delivery model 🔄 How the team turned one of the project's biggest skeptics into one of its strongest advocates 🦺 What it took to complete nearly ten years of work with no injuries 🤖 Where artificial intelligence and new technologies could take utility communications and knowledge transfer next Because the most important parts of the grid are often the ones nobody sees. Telecom is foundational. It is quiet, but all things grid are connected to a communication network. "The knowledge of one is the knowledge of all." What this episode answers: • What is Land Mobile Radio, and why do electric utilities depend on it? • How does radio interoperability affect storm restoration and mutual aid? • What does it take to replace a mission critical communication system while keeping it in service? About the Grid Mod Pod Grid modernization happens inside a highly regulated, security conscious, non traditional business model that operates very differently from most industries. At its core are utility leaders and operations experts navigating new technologies, regulations, and challenges to deliver a sustainable, affordable power grid. Each week, the Grid Mod Pod brings their voices and perspectives to the surface, with practical insights from the people doing the real work of modernizing and improving our ever evolving power grid. This podcast is brought to you by the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC), the place for knowledge sharing across the electric utility industry. Founded in 1885 by the early adopters of Thomas Edison's patented technology. Knowledge of one is the knowledge of all.

  6. Aug 18

    Utility Worker Safety and the "Why" Behind the Work | Episode 89 with Ron Shepherd, PPL

    What does it take to build a safer, more resilient workforce as the electric grid continues to evolve? Find out on this week’s episode of the Grid Mod Pod, where we’re joined by Ron Shepherd, Senior Director of Field Operations at PPL Electric Utilities and Chair of the AEIC Safety Subcommittee. Ron brings decades of experience in field operations and grid reliability, sharing how utilities are adapting safety practices, work methods, and training approaches in a rapidly changing energy landscape. As grid modernization introduces new technologies, distributed energy resources, and evolving operational challenges, Ron highlights why safety culture, knowledge sharing, and workforce development are critical to protecting the people who build, operate, and restore the grid. Here's what you'll learn about when you tune in:Why utilities must focus on the “why” behind safety practices, not just the procedures themselvesHow evolving grid technologies like distributed energy resources and batteries are changing safety considerationsWhy work methods and training must evolve together to support a modern workforceHow AEIC’s Safety Subcommittee helps utilities share lessons learned and improve safety across the industryWhy strong organizational culture is the foundation for a safe and productive workforceHow artificial intelligence and new technologies could transform safety training, communication, and knowledge transferWhy collaboration and industry-wide knowledge sharing are essential during this period of grid transformationGrid modernization happens inside a highly regulated, security-conscious, non-traditional business model that operates very differently from most industries. At its core are utility leaders and operation experts who are navigating new tools, regulations, and more to deliver a sustainable, affordable power grid for all. We're here to bring their voices and perspectives to the surface on the Grid Mod Pod. Each week, you’ll hear directly from the utility leaders and practitioners doing the real work of modernizing and improving our ever-evolving power grid. Each episode stays grounded in practical, on-the-ground insights around what leaders are prioritizing, how they’re building alignment, and how they’re driving change. We hope you walk away from this podcast with the insights and momentum needed to spark change in our industry. This podcast is brought to you by Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC), the place for knowledge sharing across the electric utility industry. Founded by Thomas Edison, we’ve been leading the way since 1885. We’ll be back with a new episode next week. Until then, keep powering on!

  7. Aug 4

    Utility-Owned Fiber Networks | Episode 88 with Trey Hayes, Alabama Power (Southern Company)

    How does telecommunications become the nervous system that keeps the modern electric grid connected? Find out on this episode of the Grid Mod Pod, where we’re joined by Trey Hayes, Chair of the AEIC Telecommunications Subcommittee and leader at Southern Company. Trey shares how communication infrastructure, from fiber networks to wireless technologies, is becoming essential to grid reliability, resiliency, and modernization. With nearly two decades of experience in the utility industry, Trey brings a unique perspective on how utilities are building the connected grid of the future. He explores the growing role of telecom infrastructure, the importance of collaboration across utilities, and how communication networks help utilities better serve customers. Here's what you'll learn when you tune in: How telecommunications infrastructure acts as the “nervous system” of the electric gridWhy reliable communication networks are essential for grid reliability, resiliency, and customer serviceHow utilities are using fiber, wireless technologies, and other solutions to support grid modernizationWhy collaboration and knowledge sharing across utilities are critical during this period of transformationHow Southern Company is leveraging utility-grade networks to support emerging energy demands, including large-scale data centersWhy the future of grid modernization depends on strong partnerships, shared lessons, and industry collaborationGrid modernization happens inside a highly regulated, security-conscious, non-traditional business model that operates very differently from most industries. At its core are utility leaders and operation experts who are navigating new tools, regulations, and more to deliver a sustainable, affordable power grid for all. We're here to bring their voices and perspectives to the surface on the Grid Mod Pod. Each week, you’ll hear directly from the utility leaders and practitioners doing the real work of modernizing and improving our ever-evolving power grid. Each episode stays grounded in practical, on-the-ground insights around what leaders are prioritizing, how they’re building alignment, and how they’re driving change. We hope you walk away from this podcast with the insights and momentum needed to spark change in our industry. This podcast is brought to you by Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC), the place for knowledge sharing across the electric utility industry. Founded by Thomas Edison, we’ve been leading the way since 1885. We’ll be back with a new episode next week. Until then, keep powering on!

  8. Jul 31

    The Invisible Backbone: Why Telecom Runs the Modern Grid | Episode 87 with Francis Frank

    Discover how the invisible communication networks behind the power grid keep modern utilities running in this week’s episode of the Grid Mod Pod, where we’re joined by Francis Frank, Executive Consultant for Grid Modernization at Bahamas Power and Light, for a deep dive into the critical role of telecommunications infrastructure in the evolving energy landscape. While telecom systems often operate behind the scenes, they serve as the connective tissue of the modern grid, carrying protection signals, operational data, field communications, SCADA traffic, and the real-time information utilities rely on to safely and reliably operate. Francis shares why these systems are becoming increasingly important as utilities integrate more distributed energy resources, advanced technologies, and data-driven decision-making. Here’s what you’ll learn when you tune in: Why telecommunications infrastructure is one of the most critical yet least visible systems supporting grid operationsHow communication networks enable real-time monitoring, automation, and control across the modern gridWhy the connection between electricity and data is transforming the way utilities operateHow cybersecurity, reliability, and operational trust depend on strong communication systemsWhy IT/OT convergence requires alignment between people, processes, and technologyHow utilities can reduce blind spots by understanding the dependencies between telecom, operations, and control systemsWhy communication infrastructure is essential for improving safety, resilience, and reliability across the power gridGrid modernization happens inside a highly regulated, security-conscious, non-traditional business model that operates very differently from most industries. At its core are utility leaders and operations experts who are navigating new tools, regulations, and technologies to deliver a sustainable, affordable power grid for all. We’re here to bring their voices and perspectives to the surface on the Grid Mod Pod. Each week, you’ll hear directly from the utility leaders and practitioners doing the real work of modernizing and improving our ever-evolving power grid. Each episode stays grounded in practical, on-the-ground insights around what leaders are prioritizing, how they’re building alignment, and how they’re driving change. We hope you walk away from this podcast with the insights and momentum needed to spark change in our industry. This podcast is brought to you by Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC), the place for knowledge sharing across the electric utility industry. Founded by Thomas Edison, AEIC has been leading the way since 1885. We’ll be back with a new episode next week. Until then, keep powering on!

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Welcome to the Grid Mod Pod, brought to you by AEIC! In this podcast, you’ll hear from the utility industry’s top operations leaders on how their companies are working to modernize and improve our ever-evolving power grid. Thank you for joining us.

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