Smart Energy Voices
Welcome to Smart Energy Voices: an SED Podcast
Hosted by Debra Chanil, Editorial and Research Director of Smart Energy Decisions
Smart Energy Voices, an SED podcast, features conversations with leaders of the energy transition. In each episode, Smart Energy Decisions' Editorial and Research Director Debra Chanil digs deep with industry movers and shakers to reveal
insights you can learn from in their stories, personalities, and visions for the future.
Click on the Apple Podcast or Google Podcast buttons below to listen and subscribe.
You can also find this podcast on Spotify, Radio Public, Pandora, iHeart Radio, TuneIn Radio, Acast, Deezer, Double Twist, Learn Out Loud, Player FM, Podknife, and Spreaker.
Episode 117: The Water-Energy Nexus
Date: 3/28/2025
Guest: Matt Howard, The Water Council
In this episode of Smart Energy Voices, host Debra Chanil sits down with Matt Howard, Vice President of Water Stewardship at The Water Council, for perspectives on the evolving landscape of water stewardship and its critical role in corporate sustainability. From record-breaking droughts to new regulations, Matt unpacks the challenges companies face, strategies to build resilience, and why water stewardship goes beyond conservation. Read more...
Plugged In - Episode 5: The Evolution of Data Centers & Sustainability
Date: 3/14/2025
Guest: Pat Lynch, CBRE
In this episode of Plugged In, Chuck Hanna speaks with Pat Lynch, Executive Managing Director at CBRE Data Center Solutions, about the evolving data center and AI landscape. They discuss the rapid growth of AI and its significant impact on data centers, including the shift from large training models to inference-based AI and private AI, which demands more distributed, latency-sensitive facilities in urban areas. Pat emphasizes the growing need for infrastructure investments in connectivity and power to support AI advancements and cloud growth. They also explore the challenges of meeting energy demands, the emergence of enterprise-built data centers, and innovations in sustainable practices–offering a forward-looking perspective on the industry’s exciting trajectory. Read more...
Episode 116: Smart and Connected - AT&T’s Carbon-Neutral Future
Date: 2/28/2025
Guest: Shannon Carroll, AT&T
In this episode of Smart Energy Voices, host Debra Chanil speaks with Shannon Carroll, AVP of Global Environmental Sustainability at AT&T, about the company’s innovative approach to sustainability and its commitment to achieving a carbon-neutral future. Shannon highlights AT&T’s ambitious goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2035 and reduce its business customers' emissions by one gigaton by 2035 through Smart Climate Solutions. He discusses the challenges businesses face, such as capital allocation and energy optimization, and how AT&T addresses these with solutions that reduce emissions and improve operational efficiency. Shannon also shares insights into efforts to enhance climate resilience through advanced climate data tools and its contributions to the circular economy. Read more...
Plugged In - Episode 4: Meeting the Energy Challenges of Data Centers
Date: 2/14/2025
Guest: Ed Socia, datacenterHawk
In this episode of Plugged In, Constellation’s Managing Director Melissa Zimmerman speaks with Ed Socia, Director, North America at datacenterHawk, about the evolving energy demands and sustainability challenges of data centers. Socia discusses trends such as the growing influence of AI, increasing rack densities, and the adoption of liquid cooling to optimize energy use. He highlights the role of real-time monitoring tools like SCADA and DSM in improving efficiency while addressing regional variations in energy strategies and the balance between carbon reduction goals and business viability. He also touches on the potential of emerging technologies like small modular reactors and green hydrogen, the importance of adaptive reuse of sites, and the need to enhance grid reliability as the industry continues to grow rapidly. Read more...
Episode 115: Driving Circularity in the U.S.
Date: 1/24/2025
Guests: Michael Van Brunt, ReWorld
Sean Trambley, Circular Economy Coalition
In this episode of Smart Energy Voices, Peter Kelly-Detwiler delves into the latest advancements and challenges in decarbonization and clean energy across the U.S. He highlights progress in geothermal energy, nuclear energy, and long-duration storage solutions while addressing efficiency hurdles. Kelly-Detwiler explores the rising energy demands of AI-driven data centers and their implications for power grids, alongside updates on electric vehicles, hydrogen projects, and virtual power plants as utilities shift toward decentralized capacity. He also examines the volatility of voluntary carbon markets due to credibility issues and stresses the need for collective effort and innovative strategies to tackle the complexities of decarbonizing our global economies. Read more...
Plugged In - Episode 3: Dynamics of Data Reporting with Iron Mountain
Date: 1/10/2025
Guest: Chris Pennington, Iron Mountain Data Centers
In this episode of Plugged In, host Chuck Hanna talks with Chris Pennington, Director of Energy and Sustainability for Iron Mountain Data Centers, about the company's ambitious decarbonization efforts and commitment to 24/7 carbon-free energy. They dive into the challenges and solutions of tracking and achieving hourly energy matching, the changing landscape of clean energy products, and the importance of granular data in setting sustainability goals. Chris also shares insights on the growing intersection of environmental and business performance, offering valuable lessons for organizations at all stages of their sustainability journey. Read more...
