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Power Plays

Business & Economics Podcasts

Welcome to Power Plays, a podcast series dedicated to the U.S. power and energy sector. Hosted by Teri Viswanath, lead energy economist with CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange division, Power Plays connects you with top energy and environmental innovators, policy makers and rural electric cooperative executives for timely insights and in-depth market analysis.

Location:

United States

Description:

Welcome to Power Plays, a podcast series dedicated to the U.S. power and energy sector. Hosted by Teri Viswanath, lead energy economist with CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange division, Power Plays connects you with top energy and environmental innovators, policy makers and rural electric cooperative executives for timely insights and in-depth market analysis.

Twitter:

@cobank

Language:

English


Episodes
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How Co-ops are Maximizing DER Value for Members

3/26/2025
The popularity of solar panels and EVs shows DERs are here to stay, and proactive utilities are integrating them into their portfolios. In this episode of Power Plays, leaders with San Isabel Electric and Tri-State share how they are tapping into their co-op roots by connecting members with reputable contractors and offering on-bill financing and dynamic member education.

Duration:00:24:15

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Bracing for Grid Strain and Customer Impacts from Virgina’s Data Center Boom

2/26/2025
Electric co-ops are preparing for their toughest planning cycle yet as large loads threaten to overwhelm the system. In this episode of Power Plays, energy expert Kush Patel, a senior partner with E3, shares what lessons utilities should take away from Virginia’s rapid expansion of data centers.

Duration:00:17:22

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Profit by the Gig: How Co-ops are Leveraging Data Analytics for Broadband Success

1/22/2025
Need fresh ideas to boost your co-op broadband business? Ozarks Electric and United Electric share practical advice in this episode of Power Plays, explaining how data analytics drive their strategies to retain broadband customers and increase fiber business profitability.

Duration:00:24:59

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Can We Have Electricity That is Both Affordable and Reliable?

12/19/2024
As rate case filings grow, utility commissioners are pressured to keep electricity affordable — while they meet demand growth and maintain reliability. Are they striking the right balance? In this year-end episode of Power Plays, Lillian Federico and Steve Piper from S&P Global look at the structural rise in utility costs and whether an increasingly fragmented industry is agile enough to meet the challenges ahead.

Duration:00:24:33

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Flexible Generating Technology Comes Up to Bat

11/20/2024
Electricity demand is growing, weather events are worsening, and variable renewables make up a larger share of supply. The grid needs flexible generating resources. But with a years-out supply chain, where do we turn? Two manufacturers of flexible generating technology – Wärtsilä and Mainspring Energy – outline innovation and options for co-ops in this episode of Power Plays.

Duration:00:22:41

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How Statewide Associations Help Power Co-ops

10/23/2024
From providing vital safety and education programs to speaking with one voice, the statewide associations representing electric co-ops strengthen and unify members and their communities. This episode of Power Plays celebrates National Cooperative Month with association CEOs from Minnesota, Missouri and Arizona who share how they’re shaping electricity in their states.

Duration:00:27:32

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This is Not Your Parents’ Electric Co-op

9/25/2024
As Amazon has set consumers’ expectations and COVID changed workers’ expectations, running an electric co-op demands nimble leadership and innovation. In this episode of Power Plays, two authors of a new Rural Electric Management Development Council white paper share how they’ve taken charge of their co-ops’ destinies.

Duration:00:19:32

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How Utilities are Right-sizing Distribution Systems to Meet Future Needs

8/28/2024
We’ve all seen scary headlines portraying an overwhelmed electric grid on the brink of collapse. But there is optimism and opportunity. Offering up specific solutions, Larry Bekkedahl with Portland General Electric and Jeff Smith with EPRI explain in this episode of Power Plays how to the industry can meet the challenge.

Duration:00:24:02

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What the Shale Will Happen with Natural Gas Prices?

7/24/2024
Consumers in different regions of the U.S. are paying vastly different prices for natural gas — the consequence of notoriously slow pipeline projects. In this episode of Power Plays, Bethel King and Dr. Robert Brooks, principal researchers at RBAC, explain the primary regional drivers that will influence the price you’ll pay for natural gas.

Duration:00:25:42

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From Bytes to Bucks: Data Center Financing Considerations

6/26/2024
When the largest commercial real estate company in the world says power is the No. 1 priority for data center operators — and they’re coming to rural America — we’re all ears. Pat Lynch, CBRE’s global head of data center solutions, joins CoBank’s Chris Shaffner and Jackie Bove on this episode of Power Plays to discuss planning, financing, credit, and the related balancing act for electric distribution cooperatives.

Duration:00:23:29

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The Practical AI Conversations at Electric Co-ops

5/29/2024
Where are utilities finding the greatest value for their AI investments? Using concrete examples from their own co-ops, Jason Bowling of Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative in Arizona and Chris VanLokeren of North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives share how they are making better decisions, faster.

Duration:00:22:36

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The Tennessee Valley Partners Creating a Two-Way Grid

4/24/2024
A decade ago, rampant predictions assumed solar and battery storage would render the century-old electric utility business model obsolete and trigger a “utility death spiral.” But the reality is just the opposite. In this episode of Power Plays, leaders of Middle Tennessee Electric and Tennessee Valley Authority explain how they are using DER to transform their regional grid.

Duration:00:22:16

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How NRECA’s Microgrid Consortium is Creating ‘Wired Resilience’

3/27/2024
After demonstrating clean energy projects can succeed in rural areas, NRECA is putting more partnerships into practice. Its CARED project is creating a consortium of seven rural co-ops ops — including Minnesota Valley Electric — to deploy microgrids. In this episode of Power Plays, NRECA’s Tolu Omotoso explains how the DOE-funded project will create solutions hundreds of co-ops can scale and replicate.

Duration:00:21:41

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Watt's Up with AI? The Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Future Grid

2/28/2024
Artificial intelligence is poised to revolutionize the power utility space, enhancing efficiency, reliability, and environmental impact. In this episode, power utility AI experts from NVIDIA, EPRI and Utilidata explore emerging opportunities, from predictive maintenance and optimized energy generation to boosting grid management and developing smart grids.

Duration:00:24:10

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For Electric Utilities, 2024 Means Evaluating New Supply Strategies, Nimble Financing

1/31/2024
Climbing electricity demand is forcing utilities to make weighty investment decisions – at the same time interest rates and inflation have hit 50-year highs. In this episode of Power Plays, CoBank thought leaders JT Parker, Matt Hale and Justin Merkowitz give their 2024 outlook, from balancing new demand to the changing nature of assets and new approaches to managing interest rate risk.

Duration:00:22:56

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How Did Energy Policy Become a Key Risk to Grid Reliability?

12/13/2023
Winter storms and cyber attacks are commonly thought of as the risks to electric reliability. But now joining that list is energy policy. In this episode of Power Plays, Jim Matheson, the CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, delves into how the aggressive timeline for EPA’s proposed rules to reduce power plant emissions threatens electric system reliability, especially for co-ops.

Duration:00:22:15

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What the Turning Point in Global Trade Means for Rural America

11/15/2023
The world is entering a new age of clean technology manufacturing, and global industrial strategies will pave the way for this evolution. Leading nations are retooling their industrial policies, reshaping supply chains to ensure national security while addressing a host of complex issues. In this episode of Power Plays, geopolitical strategist Reva Goujon of Rhodium Group explores how international policy changes could impact local rural economies.

Duration:00:25:34

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Rural Businesses Bet Big on the Emerging Data Economy

10/25/2023
Data center energy demand is expected to double within the decade – and the convergence of rural telecom and energy industries are driving the data center economy. In honor of National Co-op Month, this episode of Power Plays outlines how Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative, the electric co-op serving the most data centers in the U.S., is meeting the challenge. Join us for an in-depth conversation with Jeff Johnston, CoBank’s lead communications economist, and Dave Schleicher, president and CEO of NOVEC.

Duration:00:23:15

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A Three-Part Solution to U.S. Transmission Challenges

9/27/2023
To meet growing demand for zero-carbon electricity and deliver it to far-flung customers, the U.S. will need up to 91,000 miles of new transmission by 2035. Last year, the U.S. completed about 700 miles. In this episode of Power Plays, grid energy experts say that ensuring local communities have reliable electricity means it’s time to consider all options—including grid enhancement technologies, customer-side distributed energy resources, and existing right of ways.

Duration:00:26:13

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When Natural Disasters Strike

8/23/2023
Every day, staggering natural disasters are hitting the news – and electric utilities. Hurricanes and wildfires are taking an especially tough toll. In this episode of Power Plays, Mark Phillips of DEMCO in Louisiana and Pam Feuerstein of CORE Electric in Colorado share the details of planning for the unthinkable, and their respective co-ops’ recoveries from Hurricane Ida and the Hayman fire.

Duration:00:24:53