As AI and data centers increase energy usage, America’s power grid is straining to meet current needs and grow to power the future. Among the big questions still being answered: who will build the infrastructure, pay for it, and ultimately benefit?
In this episode, hosts Adam Murray and Stuart Saulters talk with University of South Carolina economic geographer Conor Harrison about the players reshaping the U.S. electricity industry. They explore how utilities make money, why mergers are accelerating, the growing influence of Wall Street in the power sector, and what soaring electricity demand means for consumers, regulators, and the natural gas industry.
If you’re curious about data centers, utility regulation, or the future of the electric grid, this conversation is for you — a clear, accessible look at one of the biggest energy stories of the decade and the next.
About Conor Harrison
Conor Harrison is an economic geographer who received his PhD in geography from the University of North Carolina in 2014. He earned a master’s degree in geography from East Carolina University, a B.A. in Political Science from Colgate University, and has work experience in supply chain management and consumer product distribution. He has been at the University of South Carolina since 2014 and is jointly appointed between the Department of Geography and the School of Earth, Ocean and Environment.
Harrison’s research examines the relationship between energy, society, and economy. His current research project examines the U.S. electricity system with a focus on how the financial industry is influencing the pace, location, and types of changes happening in the electricity sector. This work draws on interviews with financiers and project developers to understand why and where the electricity system is changing, as well as those places where it is not. His research in this area is supported by funding from the National Science Foundation.
Harrison’s past research explored historical development of electricity supply systems, regulatory regimes, and energy markets in the American South and the eastern Caribbean. Portions of this work focused on interactions of networked infrastructures with contrasting ideas and methods of financing and governance in the American South.
His new book, Brokers of Power, available for pre-sale, examines the financialization of the U.S. electricity system.
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