In today’s USEA Power Sector Podcast, Erika Diamond, Senior VP and Chief Revenue Officer with grid edge software platform developer EnergyHub, answered questions by journalist Herman K. Trabish about her experience as a woman working in the environmental, energy, and business sectors and about the transformation right now in the value of distributed energy resources on the power system.

The U.S. electric grid is entering a new era of rapid demand growth driven by artificial intelligence (AI), data centers, electrification, and reshoring domestic manufacturing. After years of relatively flat electricity demand, utilities and grid operators are forecasting significant load growth that is placing increasing pressure on generation capacity, transmission systems, and resource adequacy.

At the same time, coal-fired power plants continue to provide critical reliability services—including dispatchable generation, fuel security through on-site fuel storage, voltage support, and system resilience during extreme weather events. As new generation and transmission infrastructure are developed, stakeholders are reassessing the role of existing coal assets in maintaining a reliable and affordable electric grid.

This webinar will bring together experts from EPRI, NETL, Energy Exemplar, and grid reliability to examine how rising electricity demand is reshaping reliability planning and the role coal generation can play in meeting future grid needs.