Schweitzer Drive

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories

Schweitzer Drive explores what goes on between the generation of electricity and the light switch. Join Dave Whitehead as he interviews the entrepreneurs, innovators, and experts who are inventing the future of electric power.

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20 episodes
monthly
Avg 36 min
English

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S7 · E84
July 31 · 38 min
The Resource Adequacy Challenge: Keeping the Lights On
What does it take to ensure there's enough electricity available when people need it most? In this episode, host Dave Whitehead sits down with Scott Corwin, President and CEO of the American Public Power Association (APPA), to discuss one of the electric power industry's most pressing challenges: resource adequacy.
S7 · E83
June 30 · 37 min
New Nuclear: Building Capacity, Talent, and Technology at WSU
For 65 years, the Washington State University TRIGA nuclear reactor has been an invaluable resource for research, education and innovation. In this episode, Dave Whitehead visits the university to talk with President Betsy Cantwell and the Director of the WSU Nuclear Science Center, Corey Hines, about the origins and impact of the research reactor and how WSU is building on its legacy with new investments, expanded facilities and programs designed to train the next generation of nuclear professionals.
S7 · E82
April 30 · 33 min
Cybersecurity and the New Threat Landscape for U.S. Utilities
U.S. utilities are navigating a rapidly evolving threat environment shaped by unprecedented load growth, increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks, and the growing overlap between cyber and physical risks. In this episode of Schweitzer Drive, guest host Frank Harrill, vice president of security at SEL, speaks with Sharla Artz, security and resilience policy area vice president at Xcel Energy. The discussion explores how AI, data centers, and the electrification of everything are changing the risk profile for utilities—and how technology and policy are evolving to keep pace with emerging threats.
S7 · E81
March 27 · 41 min
Insights on the Current Energy Landscape with Robert Bryce
In this episode, Robert Bryce returns to Schweitzer Drive for an in-person conversation recorded during a break at the University of Idaho Energy Symposium, where he delivered the keynote address. Host Dave Whitehead speaks with the veteran journalist and filmmaker about some of the hottest topics in energy and power. The conversation also explores Bryce's latest short-form documentary, Yacht Zee$, which examines the disconnect between public climate advocacy and the private, carbon intensive lifestyles of some of its most vocal supporters.
S7 · E80
February 27 · 22 min
Circuit Breakers: The First Responders of the Grid
Power systems quietly and reliably move enormous amounts of energy every day. But when things go wrong—when there is too much current or a fault on the line, something has to act fast. That job belongs to the circuit breaker. In this episode, host Dave Whitehead and guest Kylan Robinson, engineering director at SEL, discuss how circuit breakers sense trouble, interrupt currents as powerful as a lightning bolt, work with protective relays to keep the grid safe, and are evolving to meet new demands.
S7 · E79
January 30 · 38 min
Ask Dave Anything, Part 2: Listener Questions on Innovation, Power Reliability, the Podcast, and More
In this follow-up to our "Ask Dave Anything" episode, SEL President Dave Whitehead is back in the hot seat to tackle another round of listener‑submitted questions. Guest host Nic Seeley, senior vice president of Engineering Services at SEL, guides the conversation asking about everything from the challenges facing the electric power industry to how SEL is approaching innovation today—and how leaders can stay grounded while navigating rapid change. Dave also shares personal insights, lessons learned over his career, and a few stories that didn't make it into the first episode. If you enjoyed the candid, wide‑ranging discussion in Part 1, we think you will appreciate this deeper dive into the ideas shaping Dave's thinking and the future of our industry.
S6 · E78
Dec 19, 2025 · 1 hr
Ask Dave Anything: Listener Questions on Power, Innovation, and Leadership
In this episode, we turn the tables on host Dave Whitehead and put him in the hot seat. Guest host Bryan Fazzari, SEL vice president of marketing, takes over the mic to ask Dave questions submitted by listeners. They wanted to know everything—from the future of electric power and emerging technologies to Dave's thoughts on leadership and innovation. If you've ever wondered what shapes his perspective on the industry and where technology is headed, this is your chance to find out.
S6 · E77
Oct 31, 2025 · 27 min
Fueling the Energy Future: Unlocking the Hidden Power of Aluminum
Peter Godart, co-founder of Found Energy, visits Schweitzer Drive to discuss a novel approach to energy: using aluminum as a high-density, carbon-free fuel. Learn how this technology works, why it's 40x more energy dense than batteries, and how it could transform everything from long-duration storage to container ships and coal plant retrofits.
S6 · E76
Sep 29, 2025 · 27 min
Timing Is Everything: How Grid Technology Is Transforming Emergency Communications
What do electric power and emergency response have in common? More than you might expect. In this episode, host Dave Whitehead talks with radio engineer Jordan Coreson and communications and cybersecurity expert Ryan Bradetich about how precision timing—originally developed for the electric grid—is now helping solve big challenges in 911 systems.
S6 · E75
Aug 29, 2025 · 29 min
AI Meets the Grid: Driving Innovation at Avista
In this episode, host Dave Whitehead sits down with Wayne Manuel, Chief Information and Security Officer at Avista, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the utility industry. From predictive maintenance to customer service enhancements, Wayne shares how Avista is leveraging AI and machine learning to optimize operations across its Pacific Northwest service area.
S6 · E74
Jul 25, 2025 · 33 min
New Nuclear: A Candid Conversation with Robert Bryce
Author and journalist Robert Bryce returns to Schweitzer Drive for a candid conversation with host Dave Whitehead about the president's bold plan to expand nuclear power in the United States. Drawing on decades of energy research, Bryce explains why the goal of quadrupling nuclear capacity by 2050 is unlikely, but offers a realistic view of the challenges ahead and how we can make meaningful progress.
S6 · E73
Jun 30, 2025 · 38 min
Safety, Reliability, and Innovation: PG&E's Wildfire Mitigation Strategy
In this episode, we continue our exploration of how utilities are working to mitigate the threat of wildfires with a look at how PG&E is transforming its grid to reduce ignition risk throughout its 70,000-square-mile service area. Host Dave Whitehead is joined by James Tuccillo, manager of distribution and asset planning, to discuss PG&E's multi-pronged strategy, which includes an ambitious plan to underground 10,000 miles of power lines. James also shares insights into how advanced, staged-fault testing and high-impedance fault detection technology are reshaping how utilities detect and respond to downed conductors—before they spark a fire.
S6 · E72
May 30, 2025 · 29 min
Protecting People, Property, and Power: Avista's Wildfire Mitigation Strategy
As the wildfire threat has grown across the western U.S., utilities have stepped up to protect communities and critical infrastructure. In this episode, host Dave Whitehead talks with Josh DiLuciano, vice president of Energy Delivery at Avista, about how the utility is tackling wildfire risk head-on. From grid hardening and vegetation management to advanced technologies and community partnerships, Josh shares how Avista's Wildfire Resiliency Plan is designed to safeguard people, property, and the power that keeps the region running.
S6 · E71
Apr 25, 2025 · 46 min
Fortifying the Power Grid: The Role of IEC 62443 and Cybersecurity Standards
As our reliance on electric power continues to grow, so does the need to protect the grid from cyber threats. In this episode, guest host Frank Harrill, VP of Security at SEL, talks with cybersecurity expert Andre Ristaino about how industry standards, specifically IEC 62443, are shaping the future of industrial cybersecurity, including their impact on the electric power grid.
S6 · E70
Mar 28, 2025 · 32 min
The Resilient U.S. Power Grid: One Hundred Forty-Five Years and Going Strong
In this episode, Dave Whitehead talks with power systems experts Gerardo Urrea and Bryan Fazzari about the U.S. power grid and some of the reasons why it enjoys an impressive 99.95% reliability, despite often being described as an old, cobbled together system. They also discuss the new technologies they are most excited about.
S6 · E69
Feb 26, 2025 · 39 min
New Nuclear: Thinking Big with Westinghouse
As the demand for clean energy and the push for decarbonization intensify, there's a renewed focus on large-scale nuclear reactors in the United States. In this episode, host Dave Whithead sits down with Dr. Luca Oriani, President of Long-Term Operations at Westinghouse, a company that has been leading nuclear power innovation for over a century. Dr. Oriani shares insights into the latest advancements in nuclear technology, the challenges and successes of the AP1000 reactors, and the future of nuclear power in the United States, globally, and potentially beyond.
S6 · E68
Jan 28, 2025 · 33 min
The Data Center Challenge: Build Faster, Be Efficient, and Keep the Data Flowing
Data centers face big challenges, from processing trillions of search queries and storing billions of emails and photos to serving countless hours of video every day, while at the same time developing ways of decreasing their energy usage and carbon footprints and increasing data security. In this episode, Angad Sandhu, director of data center infrastructure at Google, talks with Dave Whitehead about how the company continues to keep the internet humming 24/7 while building, maintaining, and powering its fleet of data centers around the world.
S5 · E67
Dec 20, 2024 · 33 min
Transforming Substation Architecture: The Power of Centralized Protection and Control
In the 1980s, power system protective relays underwent a revolution from electromechanical to digital. Now, new innovations are shifting the focus from individual devices to a centralized, software-based approach. In this episode, Dave Whitehead talks with SEL Chief Technology Officer Greg Zweigle about the history of electric power system protection and the future improvements in simplicity, safety, reliability, flexibility, and cost.
S5 · E66
Oct 25, 2024 · 39 min
New Nuclear: Flexible, Scalable, and Safe
Historically, nuclear power plants have been easy to identify by the massive water-cooling towers that have been the hallmark of these generation sites for decades. However, that's changing. In this episode, guest host Nicholas Seeley talks with Brian Gitt from Oklo, a company developing next-generation nuclear technology, including a smaller nuclear reactor that's housed in what looks more like a vacation retreat than industrial site.
S5 · E65
Sep 20, 2024 · 47 min
New Nuclear: Smaller, Safer, Cheaper
Nuclear power is the largest source of low-carbon energy in the United States and Europe. Its potential to provide a clean, steady—and increasing—baseload is currently unmatched. In this episode, Dave Whitehead talks with Eric Williams, senior vice president and design authority at TerraPower, the Bill Gates-founded company building the only advanced, non-light-water reactor in the Western Hemisphere.

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