The United States Energy Association will examine new, transformative technologies which are entering the electric utility space at its next virtual press briefing, set for Wednesday, May 7, at 11 a.m. EDT.

The format for these briefings is well-established: A panel of experts is interviewed by a panel of senior reporters who cover energy. Ideally, reporters get information for a story they can write that day or bank for future stories.

The May 7 briefing will look at a panoply of new technologies coming down the pike for utilities, including the incorporation of AI agents in many aspects of their operations, small modular reactors, fusion, new conductors, new low-head hydro, solutions to inertia problems, storage in all forms, and distributed energy applications and tools.

These new technologies are being developed at a time when electricity is rising in importance and demand is increasing with AI data centers and new uses.

As usual for this briefing series, Mark Menezes, USEA President and CEO, and a Deputy Secretary of Energy in the first Trump Administration, will be on hand to contribute his experience and deep knowledge of energy and electric utilities. Journalist and broadcaster Llewellyn King, who is well known in the energy and electric utility sectors, organizes and moderates the briefings.

“This time round, we have an extraordinary lineup of experts and senior energy writers,” King said.

On the experts panel:

• Ted Ko, Founder and Executive Director, EPDI
• Ron Schoff, Director of R&D, EPRI
• Jason Huang, CEO and Co-founder, TS Conductor
• Chris Ritter, Division Director, Scientific Computing and AI, Idaho National Laboratory
• Key Han, President and Chief Scientist, DD Motion
• Ravindra Vora, CEO, Transventure Energy LLC
• Kevin Wolf, CEO and Co-founder, Windharvest.com
• Bryan Spear, CEO, Technosylva
• Whit Irvin Jr., President and CEO, Q Hydrogen

On the reporters panel:

• Peter Behr, Politico’s E&E News
• Vijay Vaitheeswaram, The Economist
• Matt Chester, Energy Central
• Adam Clayton Powell III, PBS
• Ken Silverstein, Forbes
• Evan Halper, The Washington Post