CRA Sessions

Always on: Reliability in focus – Regulatory alignment in the era of data centers and rapid load growth

In this episode of Always on: Reliability in focus, CRA VP and host Andy Dressel speaks with Willie Phillips, former Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), about the implications of unprecedented electricity demand growth driven by data centers and other large loads. After decades of relatively flat demand, the pace and scale of new load are challenging planning frameworks, regulatory processes, and infrastructure development timelines across the US electric system. Willie, now a partner at Holland & Knight LLP, and Andy discuss recent federal actions aimed at accelerating interconnection and transmission development. Though progress is being made, both speakers emphasize the importance of flexibility, regional differences, and coordination between federal and state regulators as jurisdictional lines blur. By the end of the episode, listeners will understand why greater alignment across regulators, markets, and infrastructure sectors is critical to ensuring the grid can support long-term economic growth while maintaining dependable, resilient service.

Always on: Reliability in focus – Utility wildfire risk, are we turning a corner?

In the CRA Sessions podcast series Always on: Reliability in focus, CRA VP and host Andrew Dressel talks with Dr. Michael Wara, a leading authority on wildfire and energy policy. Dr. Wara is the Director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and the Senior Director of Policy and Sustainability Accelerator at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.   Together they discuss one of the most pressing challenges facing the energy sector today: the growing threat of utility-caused wildfires and the sweeping changes required to mitigate them.  The conversation dives into critical topics such as aging infrastructure, wildfire mitigation plans, the trade-offs between reliability and safety, and why solving this issue demands a whole-of-society approach and not just utility action.  Listeners will gain insight into the technologies, policies, and cultural shifts, shaping the future of grid resilience in an era of climate-driven challenges.

Always on: Reliability in focus – Emerging risks to grid reliability

In the CRA Sessions podcast series Always on: Reliability in focus, CRA Principal and host Matt Moore interviews Jim Robb, President and CEO of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), to discuss the emerging risks and challenges facing the reliability of the North American electric grid. Topics include resource adequacy, grid transformation, extreme weather, AI data center characteristics and large loads, and security. As the head of NERC, Robb emphasizes the importance of grid security exercises, including NERC’s biannual GridEx exercises, and describes load growth due to AI data centers as “the issue of our time.”  The conversation highlights risks to the grid, a recent Department of Energy Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) on large load interconnections, and improvements to NERC’s Reliability Standards Development Plan. With respect to the NOPR and large load characteristics specific to AI uses, there is a comparison to the standards and reliability oversight processes of inverter-based resources and the balance of establishing standards and practices that foster reliability without forcing significant changes on legacy equipment.

CRA Careers: From PhD to energy consulting

In this episode of CRA Sessions, Associate Principal Oliver Stover shares his career journey with Vice President and Practice Leader of Energy Jim McMahon. From studying mechanical engineering at Cornell University to working at ExxonMobil, then pursuing a PhD at Vanderbilt University, to now a consultant in CRA’s Energy Practice, Oliver talks about how his passion for data, modeling, and real-world impact led him to CRA. He highlights the collaborative environment, the excitement of working on cutting-edge energy projects, and the satisfaction of mentoring junior colleagues.   For students interested in combining technical skills with strategic thinking, Oliver’s story offers a compelling look at what a career at CRA can offer.

Readily ascertainable? AI’s role in redefining trade secrets

In this compelling continuation of CRA Sessions, intellectual property expert and host David Duski (CRA) joins Brian Nolan (Mayer Brown), to further explore the evolving intersection of AI and trade secret law. This episode focuses on the threat artificial intelligence (AI) poses to trade secret protection—particularly whether AI makes trade secrets “readily ascertainable,” potentially disqualifying them from legal protection – and how AI may play a role in assessing an accused misappropriator’s unjust enrichment.  The conversation examines how generative AI may challenge the definition of a trade secret by making proprietary information more easily discoverable, and what that means for legal protections, damages calculations, and competitive strategies.   Drawing from real-world legal cases and the complexities of assessing damages in the age of AI, this episode offers sharp insights for professionals navigating the future of innovation and intellectual property protection.