Reimagining, Rebuilding the Grid - EPRI’s Take

With society becoming more and more dependent on electricity,
upgrading the electric grid is an urgent challenge. In this
episode of Grid Talk, host Marty Rosenberg talks with Andrew
Phillips who is the Vice President of Transmission and
Distribution Infrastructure for the Electric Power Research
Institute (EPRI). The conversation focuses on what it will take
to ensure the reliable delivery of electricity in an age of
electrification.


“We have the opportunity and to build new transmission lines and
not build them to the same specs and standards that we used in
the ‘80s and ‘70s but to think of new ways of doing it that have
higher power flow, higher reliability, and are more compatible
with the environment,” said Phillips.


Phillips says the transmission system needs to expand
exponentially, and there are several limitations that need to be
addressed.


“It’s going to be supply chain, workforce, and permitting; those
are going to be the three things.”


Andrew Phillips has been with EPRI for more than 25 years. In
2018 he became Vice president of Transmission and Distribution
Infrastructure. His work has focused on transmission and
distribution asset research.  Prior to joining EPRI, Mr.
Phillips managed research of insulation, aging equipment and
lightning for J.A. Jones Power Delivery company and performed
research for the South African electric power industry at the
University of Witwatersrand - the university where he earned
bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in electrical
engineering.