Large Loads: Who Bears the Costs of Meeting a Growing Demand for Electricity, with Ben Hertz-Shargel

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Ben Hertz-Shargel, global head of a research team at Wood Mackenzie that investigates the connections between energy consumers and the electric grid, about how the increasing energy demand from artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping electricity markets in the United States. In a recent report for Wood Mackenzie, Hertz-Shargel investigates large-load tariffs—a new utility rate plan for large customers, like data centers, whose exceptionally high electricity demand necessitates constructing additional infrastructure. Hertz-Shargel outlines ongoing uncertainty around whether the existing electricity market can accommodate data centers, along with potential avenues for data centers to promote clean energy development and protect individual energy consumers and households from undue electricity price increases. References and recommendations: “Large load tariffs: a looming challenge for utilities” by Ben Hertz-Shargel; https://www.woodmac.com/news/opinion/large-load-tariffs-a-looming-challenge-for-utilities/ “Large load tariffs have a problem. Clean transition tariffs are the solution.” by Ben Hertz-Shargel; https://www.utilitydive.com/news/large-load-clean-transition-tariffs-wood-mackenzie/749722/ “Extracting Profits from the Public: How Utility Ratepayers Are Paying for Big Tech’s Power” by Ari Peskoe and Eliza Martin; https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/extracting-profits-from-the-public-how-utility-ratepayers-are-paying-for-big-techs-power/

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Madeline Yozwiak, a PhD candidate at Indiana University Bloomington, about the potential of residential rooftop solar technology to address the growing problem of household energy insecurity in the United States. Energy insecurity—the inability to access or afford sufficient energy to meet basic household needs—affects about one in four US households. In a recent study she coauthored, Yozwiak evaluated whether rooftop solar can reduce energy burden by comparing the experiences and energy expenses of otherwise similar households, with and without rooftop solar. She shares findings from the study, which suggest that rooftop solar can lead to significant savings on energy bills and improve overall utility affordability. References and recommendations: “The effect of residential solar on energy insecurity among low- to moderate-income households” by Madeline Yozwiak, Galen Barbose, Sanya Carley, Sydney P. Forrester, David M. Konisky, Trevor Memmott, Cristina Crespo Montañés, and Eric O’Shaughnessy; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-025-01730-y “Rooftop solar can reduce energy insecurity” by Madeline Yozwiak; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-025-01750-8 “Strangers in Their Own Land” by Arlie Russell Hochschild; https://thenewpress.org/books/9781620972250/

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Robert D. Metcalfe, a professor at Columbia University. Metcalfe recently coauthored a study of the levels of invisible particulate matter released in the air during everyday household activities like cooking and cleaning, exposure to which has been linked to health problems. He shares key findings on trends in indoor air quality, how people change their behavior when made aware of pollution levels in their homes, and the potential benefits and trade-offs of government subsidies for indoor air quality monitoring technologies. Metcalfe also highlights what areas of future research could inform this field and guide more effective interventions for public health and policy. References and recommendations: “Making the Invisible Visible: The Impact of Revealing Indoor Air Pollution on Behavior and Welfare” by Robert D. Metcalfe and Sefi Roth; https://www.nber.org/papers/w33510

In this week’s episode, host Margaret Walls talks with Jenny Schuetz of Arnold Ventures, a philanthropic foundation where Schuetz serves as vice president of housing infrastructure, and where she focuses her work on expanding and diversifying the supply of housing while addressing issues like affordability and vulnerability to climate risks. Walls and Schuetz discuss the intersection of housing policy and climate change, the growing exposure of US households to climate risks such as wildfires and floods, the gaps in information about hyperlocal climate risks, and policies that can help protect communities from future climate disasters. References and recommendations: “How to nudge Americans to reduce their housing exposure to climate risks” by Julia Gill and Jenny Schuetz; https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-to-nudge-americans-to-reduce-their-housing-exposure-to-climate-risks/ “Fixer-Upper: How to Repair America’s Broken Housing Systems” by Jenny Schuetz; https://www.brookings.edu/books/fixer-upper/ “Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity” by Yoni Appelbaum; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/700580/stuck-by-yoni-appelbaum/

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Fiona Burlig, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago, about improving access to clean drinking water in India. In partnership with a private company that cleans drinking water and delivers water directly to households, Burlig recently conducted a field experiment to find out how different pricing strategies and subsidies influence people’s willingness to pay for clean drinking water; she and her colleagues gauged the effectiveness of these strategies by monitoring health outcomes for households that had varying levels of access to clean water. Burlig discusses the design and findings of her study, what these findings reveal about how people value clean water, and the involvement of both the public and private sectors in expanding access to clean water in developing nations. References and recommendations: “The Value of Clean Water: Experimental Evidence from Rural India” by Fiona Burlig, Amir Jina, and Anant Sudarshan; https://www.nber.org/papers/w33557 “Development Impact” blog from the World Bank; https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/impactevaluations

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Angela Parker, an assistant professor at the University of Denver and member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Cree Tribes. Parker recently published a book on the history of the Three Affiliated Tribes—the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara—who live on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. This land, situated along the Missouri River, became the site of the Garrison Dam, a project built by the US Army Corps of Engineers in the 1940s and 1950s that flooded parts of the reservation and forced roughly 90 percent of the Native population to relocate to higher ground. Parker discusses the cultural and ecological significance of the Missouri River to the Three Affiliated Tribes, the efforts of community members to resist the dam’s construction, and the lasting negative impacts of the dam. References and recommendations: “Damming the Reservation: Tribal Sovereignty and Activism at Fort Berthold” by Angela K. Parker; https://www.oupress.com/9780806194615/damming-the-reservation/ Image of George Gillette signing a contract for the sale of Fort Berthold land; https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/indian-weeps-at-land-sale-washington-dc-george-gillette-news-photo/515360260 “The Effects of Dams on Tribal Lands, with Heather Randell” episode of the Resources Radio podcast; https://www.resources.org/resources-radio/the-effects-of-dams-on-tribal-lands-with-heather-randell/ “The Pitt” television show; https://www.max.com/shows/pitt-2024/e6e7bad9-d48d-4434-b334-7c651ffc4bdf “Careless People” by Sarah Wynn-Williams; https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250391230/carelesspeople/

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Jonathan Jennings, a meteorologist at the Utah Division of Water Resources and president of the Weather Modification Association. Jennings’s work focuses on cloud seeding, a technology that can reduce hail and increase rainfall or snowfall by introducing chemicals into clouds, yielding more water for agriculture, aquifers, and bodies of water. Jennings outlines the chemistry and physics behind cloud seeding, how much additional precipitation the technology can elicit from clouds, and the scale at which cloud seeding is used. He also speaks to public concerns about modifying weather and shares insights on how experts can better communicate the goals, methods, and impacts of this technology to the public. References and recommendations: “Economic Impacts of Cloud Seeding on Agricultural Crops in North Dakota” by Dean Bangsund and Nancy Hodur; https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/291806 “A Benefit-Cost Analysis of Texas Weather Modification Activities Resulting in an Additional One Inch of Rainfall Across a Region” by Jason L. Johnson; https://perma.cc/ERJ6-HGLZ “Bitter Waters: The Struggles of the Pecos River” by Patrick Dearen; https://www.oupress.com/9780806152011/bitter-waters/

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Brian Kennedy, a senior researcher at the Pew Research Center. Kennedy focuses on science and society research, studying public attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs about science—including energy and environmental issues. Kennedy and a coauthor released survey results about US public opinion on climate change and related issues at the end of 2024. Kennedy discusses how the survey was conducted and shares his insights on the survey’s findings, such as differences in public attitudes toward the clean energy transition; how partisanship is a powerful predictor of views on climate change, climate policy, and even perceptions of extreme weather events; and points of overlap at which Democrats and Republicans share support for certain climate and environmental policies and objectives. References and recommendations: “How Americans View Climate Change and Policies to Address the Issue” by Brian Kennedy and Alec Tyson; https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2024/12/09/how-americans-view-climate-change-and-policies-to-address-the-issue/ “What the data says about Americans’ views of climate change” by Alec Tyson, Cary Funk, and Brian Kennedy; https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/08/09/what-the-data-says-about-americans-views-of-climate-change/ “Climate Insights” survey series from Resources for the Future; https://www.rff.org/climateinsights/ “Religious Landscape Study” from Pew Research Center; https://www.pewresearch.org/religious-landscape-study/ “Surveying American Public Opinion on Climate Change, with Jon Krosnick” podcast episode from Resources Radio; https://www.resources.org/resources-radio/surveying-american-public-opinion-on-climate-change-with-jon-krosnick/

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Laura Grant, an associate professor at Claremont McKenna College. Many environmental nonprofit groups have been working to influence policy, but relatively little research has demonstrated how the efforts of these groups shape policy outcomes, and how some groups may support, catalyze, or even substitute for government action. In this episode of Resources Radio, Grant discusses new research that aims to better understand the work of environmental nonprofits, including various methods that environmental groups use to advance progress on key environmental issues, from headline-grabbing protests to litigation and research. References and recommendations: “The Roles of Environmental Groups in Economics” by Laura Grant and Christian Langpap; https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/730902 “Orwell’s Roses” by Rebecca Solnit; http://rebeccasolnit.net/book/orwells-roses/

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Emily Theokritoff, a research associate at Imperial College London. Theokritoff specializes in climate damage attribution—the emerging science of connecting human activity and climate change to extreme weather events. Theokritoff breaks down this evolving field of study, how research that attributes extreme weather events to climate change is conducted, the challenges posed by a lack of historical data in parts of the world, and how scientists deal with uncertainty in determining the causes of past and future events. She also shares her perspective on how scientists in the field of extreme weather attribution are adapting research and communication methods to provide the public with faster, clearer insights in the face of increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather events. References and recommendations: “Mapped: How climate change affects extreme weather around the world” from Carbon Brief; https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/attribution-studies/index.html