The grid is aging fast, and demand is rising even faster. But while much of the conversation fixates on physical infrastructure, there's a critical, often overlooked piece of the puzzle: modeling. How utilities plan for the future—what tools they use, what data they trust, and how they stress-test their assumptions—can mean the difference between billions spent wisely and billions wasted.

In this episode, host Kinsey Grant Baker sits down with Alice Yake, Head of Grid Modeling at Breakthrough Energy, to unpack why getting the grid model wrong doesn't just delay progress—it costs communities, ratepayers, and the planet dearly. Alice brings a rare mix of experience: from coding at Enron to intervening in utility rate cases to leading integrated resource planning at Xcel Energy. Now, she's helping build open-source modeling tools designed to work not just for eight U.S. states, but for the world.

Alice explains why open-source modeling matters for trust, accessibility, and speed—especially in low- and middle-income countries that can't afford commercial tools but desperately need reliable planning frameworks. She also digs into the data problem: how inconsistent, inaccessible, or outdated data undermines even the best models, and what breakthrough is doing to create a global data store that reduces friction and increases transparency. From distribution system design to fusion and geothermal integration, this conversation explores how modeling helps utilities answer the hardest question of all: What does the grid need to look like in 2050, and how do we start building it today?

For utility leaders navigating unprecedented load growth, regulatory pressure, and technological uncertainty, this episode offers a grounded roadmap for making smarter, faster, more equitable infrastructure decisions. And for innovators and startups, Alice shares direct advice on how to get new technologies into planning models—and why that step is make-or-break for adoption.

Signup for the Energy Central Daily Newsletter: https://energycentral.beehiiv.com/subscribe