At a moment when energy conversations are more polarized than ever—and families are caught between rising bills and an uncertain grid—how do we actually move forward? In this final episode of Season 4, guest Julia DeTar of Adamantine Energy explores with Just Power host, Carolyn Parrs, why the biggest barrier to progress isn’t technology, but our inability to talk through our differences. Enter: the Sensible Energy Platform, a framework designed to get people who usually talk past each other into the same room, asking the same question: How do we decarbonize while keeping energy affordable and reliable? Together, they unpack what it really takes to do this while keeping energy affordable and reliable, why energy is fundamentally a justice issue, and how bridge building may be the key to navigating the energy transition now underway.

⭐ Highlights

• Why polarization—not a lack of solutions—is stalling the clean energy transition.
• The case for keeping affordability, reliability, and decarbonization moving together.
• What “all-of-the-above” energy really means in practice—and why it matters.
• How energy burden is turning affordability into a justice issue across the U.S.
• How deep listening and bridge building can unlock real progress.

⚡ Coming soon in Season 5: Leading Through Energy Affordability series.
Just Power brings together national data, community voices, and leadership perspectives to explore what’s driving affordability pressures — and what credible, people-centered responses look like.

Referenced in this podcast:

• Sensible Energy Platform
• The Colorado Way
• Energy Thinks Podcast
• Admantine Energy

About my guest, Julia DeTar
Julia is an Analyst & Outreach Coordinator at Adamantine Energy
Website: https://energythinks.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliadetar/
Email: Julia@energythinks.com

About Just Power host, Carolyn Parrs
Carolyn is a Senior Strategic Communications Leader and the CEO of Mind Over Markets.
Website: https://mindovermarkets.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynparrs/

About Just Power Podcast
Just Power is about the human side of the clean energy transition. The podcast focuses on grid modernization, energy affordability, and community engagement — featuring leaders from utilities, policy, technology, and frontline communities navigating the real-world impacts of energy infrastructure change.

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The grid is being asked to do the impossible: power AI and data centers, electrify homes and industry, integrate carbon-free energy, and still stay affordable and reliable. In this episode of Just Power, Carolyn Parrs sits down with Hanna Grene—Microsoft’s Global Go-to-Market & Operations Leader for Energy and a recognized thought leader on the digital grid transition—to cut through the hype and get specific about where AI is already changing day-to-day energy operations and what's next.

⭐ Highlights

• Five places AI is already delivering value in the energy industry: workforce productivity, health & safety, customer experience, business process modernization, and asset/grid optimization.
• Grid optimization is the new energy efficiency: using better visibility and analytics to operate a complex, real-time, multi-stakeholder system more effectively.
• Permitting as the “valley of delay”: how AI can streamline permitting workflows to reduce time and cost—helping get more (and cleaner) electrons onto the grid faster.
• Climate-informed planning gets real: moving beyond historical weather assumptions toward predictive modeling that accounts for future wildfire, flood, and heat risks over 20–30 year asset lifecycles.
• Cybersecurity and governance are non-negotiable: why zero trust, the right data access, and hybrid architectures matter as more data moves to the cloud for advanced AI use cases.

Referenced in this podcast

• SCE and ThinkLabs AI: ThinkLabs AI achieves results in AI-powered grid analytics | AP News
• MISO's cloud leadership: MISO to Drive Grid Innovation with Microsoft Azure & Microsoft Foundry
• Microsoft's Permitting AI Accelerator
• Microsoft's 5-point Plan to partner with local communities across the United States

About my guest, Hanna Grene
Hanna is Microsoft’s Global Go-to-Market & Operations Leader for Energy.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannagrene/

About Just Power host, Carolyn Parrs
Carolyn is a Senior Strategic Communications Leader and the CEO of Mind Over Markets.
Website: https://mindovermarkets.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynparrs/

About Just Power Podcast
Just Power is about the human side of the clean energy transition. The podcast focuses on grid modernization, energy affordability, and community engagement — featuring leaders from utilities, policy, technology, and frontline communities navigating the real-world impacts of energy infrastructure change.

🔔 Never Miss an Update! Subscribe Now
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheJustPowerPodcast?sub_confirmation=1

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Like, comment, and share this episode with a friend, policy maker, or energy

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Data centers aren’t just energy-hungry—they’re reshaping the power system faster than almost anything we’ve seen before. Some now consume as much electricity as entire cities, and the rush to meet that demand is often driving new fossil fuel generation, costly grid upgrades, and rising risks for communities.

In this episode of Just Power, host Carolyn Parrs is joined with Uday Varadarajan, co-founder and CEO of Colectric, to explore a radically different approach. Uday introduces the idea of “Power Couples”—pairing clean energy and data centers at existing power plant sites—to meet AI-driven demand quickly without shifting costs to ratepayers or compromising climate goals. It’s a conversation about speed, scale, equity, and how rural communities could lead—not follow—the next phase of the energy transition.

⭐ Highlights

• Why data centers are a tipping point for the grid—some rival small cities in energy use and demand 24/7 reliability.
• The “Power Couple” model explained: co-locating data centers with clean energy at existing power plants to avoid costly grid upgrades.
• How locational flexibility changes the game, allowing AI firms to site facilities where clean energy can be built fastest.
• Protecting affordability: meeting new load with purpose-built resources so costs aren’t shifted onto communities or ratepayers.
• Utilities as long-term partners and owners, reducing risk while creating new, responsible growth opportunities.
• A bigger vision for rural America: clean energy hubs that support farming, manufacturing, and local economic development—without leaving anyone behind.

About my guest, Uday Varadarajan
Uday is the Co-founder and CEO of Colectric, an early-stage company that helps utilities and AI firms rapidly supply clean energy to data centers without risking grid reliability or increasing energy costs for communities. Website: https://colectric.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/uday-varadarajan-10aa701/

About Just Power host, Carolyn Parrs
Carolyn is a Senior Strategic Communications Leader and the CEO of Mind Over Markets.
Website: https://mindovermarkets.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justpower
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynparrs/

About Just Power Podcast
Just Power is about the human side of the clean energy transition. The podcast focuses on grid modernization, energy affordability, and community engagement — featuring leaders from utilities, policy, technology, and frontline communities navigating the real-world impacts of energy infrastructure change.

🔔 Never Miss an Update! Subscribe Now
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheJustPowerPodcast?sub_confirmation=1

💖 Spread the Love
Like, comment, and share this episode with a friend, policy maker, or energy provider who needs to hear this.

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New Mexico State University Microlearning

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