The electric grid is facing rising demand, aging infrastructure, and a rapidly changing technology landscape, which means the decisions utilities make today will shape power systems for decades. In this episode of Power Perspectives, host Kinsey Grant Baker sits down with Alice Yake, Head of Grid Modeling at Breakthrough Energy, to explore why modeling is becoming one of the most critical tools in planning a clean, reliable, and affordable energy future.
Alice shares her unique career journey from software development and oil and gas to utility planning and global grid modeling. Together, they unpack how modeling helps utilities plan for uncertainty, avoid costly infrastructure mistakes, and balance long-term investments with near-term realities.
The conversation dives into open-source modeling tools, data access and trust, and why equitable access to planning technology matters—especially for low- and middle-income countries. Alice also explains how modeling supports innovation, helps evaluate emerging technologies, and exposes where new solutions are still needed. This episode is for utility leaders, planners, regulators, innovators, and anyone interested in how today’s planning decisions define tomorrow’s grid.