EPRI Current

More than 52 years after EPRI was born as a result of a massive North American blackout, EPRI Current host Samantha Gilman speaks with Eamonn Lannoye, Director, EPRI Europe  and Sean McGuiness Senior Technical Executive, EPRI Europe, to discuss the recent power blackout in Spain, Portugal and parts of France. The whole system went down in five seconds.  What do we know about why it happened?  What do we not yet know, and why can it take time to fully understand the root causes?  Are  observers jumping to conclusions before all the data is in? Lannoye has been a frequent contributor to international media stories about the event. He and McGuiness share their expertise on the series of events and caution about drawing conclusions too quickly. For more information about the blackout, see this recorded webinar: EPRI Webcast of Initial Findings from April 28, 2025 Iberia Blackout [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNStOXAsiDo]   If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe and share! And please consider leaving a review and rating on Apple Podcasts/iTunes.    Follow EPRI: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/epri/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/epri/]  Twitter https://twitter.com/EPRINews [https://twitter.com/EPRINews]    EPRI Current examines key issues and new R&D impacting the energy transition. Each episode features insights from EPRI, the world's preeminent independent, non-profit energy research and development organization, and from other energy industry leaders. We also discuss how innovative technologies are shaping the global energy future. Learn more at www.epri.com [http://www.epri.com/]

Recorded live from the show floor at DistribuTECH 2025 in Dallas, this episode of the EPRI Current examines microgrids and how utilities are using them to explore back-up power availability to improve system reliability.  Jackie Baum from EPRI and Ryan Boudreau from Hydro One networks discuss the challenges and opportunities for microgrids in local communities with host Samantha Gilman in the DistribuTECH studio.   Guests:              Jackie Baum, Sr. Manager DERMS & Microgrids, EPRI Ryan Boudreau, Sr. Manager Distribution and P&C, Hydro One Networks   Watch Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3ewkmpIrjY   If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe and share! And please consider leaving a review and rating on Apple Podcasts/iTunes.    Follow EPRI: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/epri/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/epri/]  Twitter https://twitter.com/EPRINews [https://twitter.com/EPRINews]    EPRI Current examines key issues and new R&D impacting the energy transition. Each episode features insights from EPRI, the world's preeminent independent, non-profit energy research and development organization, and from other energy industry leaders. We also discuss how innovative technologies are shaping the global energy future. Learn more at www.epri.com [http://www.epri.com/]

Host Samantha Gilman explores the energy innovation landscape in Europe with her guests Consuelo Fierro from National Grid, and Mark McGranaghan from EPRI. They discuss the prevalent innovation culture driven by EU and UK-funded projects, European innovation working groups and initiatives, the challenges and successes of National Grid's innovation efforts, and the transformative impact of AI on the energy sector.     Guests: * Consuelo Fierro, Project Manager at Innovation Management Office, National Grid * Mark McGranaghan EPRI Fellow, EPRI Europe   If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe and share! And please consider leaving a review and rating on Apple Podcasts/iTunes.      Follow EPRI: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/epri/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/epri/]  Twitter https://twitter.com/EPRINews [https://twitter.com/EPRINews]      EPRI Current examines key issues and new R&D impacting the energy transition. Each episode features insights from EPRI, the world's preeminent independent, non-profit energy research and development organization, and from other energy industry leaders. We also discuss how innovative technologies are shaping the global energy future. Learn more at www.epri.com [http://www.epri.com/]

Join EPRI experts Stephanie Shaw and Lakshmi Srinivasan of EPRI’s Energy Storage research area, and Southern Company’s Kieran Claffey to learn how research, risk assessment and analysis continues to improve the safety of battery storage technology and operations. As battery storage energy grows across the globe, with the vast majority of deployments being lithium ion, what have we learned about the safety of battery storage as both a source and as part of a larger electric system?    Find out more about EPRI’s Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Failure Incident Database, initiated in 2021. It tracks incidents involving BESS systems, providing valuable data on system age, manufacturer, chemistry, and application.    For more information: * EPRI Failure Incident Database: BESS Failure Incident Database - EPRI Storage Wiki [https://storagewiki.epri.com/index.php/BESS_Failure_Incident_Database] * EPRI Whitepaper: Analysis of Failure Root Cause: Insights from EPRI’s Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) Failure Incident Database: Analysis of Failure Root Cause [https://www.epri.com/research/products/000000003002030360]   Guests: * Stephanie Shaw, Technical Executive, Energy Storage, EPRI * Lakshmi Srinivasan, Principal Team Lead, Energy Storage, EPRI * Kieran Claffey, Senior rResearch Engineer in the Research Environment and Sustainability Group of Southern Co., Industry Lead, Safety and Grid Security Tiger Team for the Long Duration Energy Storage National Consortium     If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe and share! And please consider leaving a review and rating on Apple Podcasts/iTunes.      Follow EPRI: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/epri/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/epri/]  Twitter https://twitter.com/EPRINews [https://twitter.com/EPRINews]      EPRI Current examines key issues and new R&D impacting the energy transition. Each episode features insights from EPRI, the world's preeminent independent, non-profit energy research and development organization, and from other energy industry leaders. We also discuss how innovative technologies are shaping the global energy future. Learn more at www.epri.com [http://www.epri.com/]

Teach a person to fish, and they’ll teach the rest of us how to innovate to preserve the species. Hydropower is one of the world’s oldest low-carbon sources of electricity generation. And as long as there have been dams, there have been migrating fish needing to swim upstream past to spawn. Join EPRI Current host Samantha Gilman and her three guests as they discuss testing the new Fishheart fish passage technology in North America. Developed by fishermen in Finland, the technology was tested in North America at the Santee Cooper utility as part of a Department of Energy research project supervised by EPRI.   Links and Resources Mentioned:  * EPRI Journal, “Fish Tech” January 2025: Fish Tech - EPRI Journal | EPRI Journal [https://eprijournal.com/fish-tech/] * YouTube: “Protecting Fish at Hydropower Facilities”: V86b1hpzax-B34-WBNR-16x9-205s-YT-Charlotte-nooneseemstoknow-Multi transition July2024 Ad 2--OG [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ie9UvMgf0I]   Guests: * Mika Sohlberg, Co-Founder, Fishheart * Michael Melchers, FERC Administrator, Santee Cooper * Paul Jacobson, Technical Executive, generation sector, EPRI     If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe and share! And please consider leaving a review and rating on Apple Podcasts/iTunes.      Follow EPRI: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/epri/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/epri/]  Twitter https://twitter.com/EPRINews [https://twitter.com/EPRINews]      EPRI Current examines key issues and new R&D impacting the energy transition. Each episode features insights from EPRI, the world's preeminent independent, non-profit energy research and development organization, and from other energy industry leaders. We also discuss how innovative technologies are shaping the global energy future. Learn more at www.epri.com [http://www.epri.com/]