A 50-year utility vet's reliability wakeup call for the industry

Welcome to a new show from Energy Central: The Watt & Why, hosted by Mike Smith. What might happen to the electricity grid if we don’t make a change soon? Americans may lose 817 hours of power (34 days) per year by 2030…but that doesn’t have to happen. So: What’s the solution to a grid under major stress from extreme weather, concentrated large load demand, and aging infrastructure? It’s all about reliability—taking big swings for a big payoff. Today on Energy Central’s brand new podcast, The Watt & Why, host Mike Smith gets reliability solutions from an industry vet: John McDonald, IEEE Life Fellow and longtime grid expert. Together, Mike and John explore 1) how this reliability crisis differs from those of the past 2) how utility leaders can invest in the right systems and functionality to make outsized impacts on reliability and 3) what generation mix makes the most sense for utilities optimizing for reliability. Reliability is front of mind for all of us. This episode is a masterclass on making the grid really, truly work for us. Have an idea for a future episode from Energy Central? Email our head of content, Kinsey: [email protected] Sign up for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe