2025: Year in Review and Themes for 2026
Wed Dec 17 2025
Dr. Greg Trainor, Neil Belford, and Ben Meek reflect on the inaugural season of Wired for Energy and preview what's coming in 2026.
Since launching in May 2025, the podcast has covered remarkable ground—from Jack Kotlyer at Energy Australia discussing commercial EV charging to Tim Washington at Jet Charge rolling out networks across Australia. Each guest brought unique perspectives on the energy transition, from artificial intelligence with Dave King to grid stability innovations with Mark Vincent at South Australian Power Networks, and spatial analytics breakthroughs with Nigel Barry at Intelfuse.
Greg, Neil and Ben share their personal highlights from the year. Greg discusses the artificial intelligence episode and how AI will transform home energy management, business models, and network operations—though the energy industry remains characteristically slow to adopt new technology. Ben reflects on the Intelfuse episode, highlighting how Australian utilities' sparse networks drove world-leading innovation in spatial analytics, with Nigel's contrarian hypothesis that individual trees, not just canopy, interfere with power lines. Neil champions Mark Vincent's "Keeping the Lights On" episode, celebrating South Australian Power Networks' light-touch engineering approach to grid stability that used brilliant voltage management ideas rather than expensive infrastructure.
Looking ahead to 2026, the team introduces seven new themes: Proof of Life (what's actually working), Digital Frontier (operations and workforce transformation), The Outsiders (innovation from adjacent industries), Social License (customer and community relationships), Government and Regulation (policy frameworks under pressure), The Horizon (academia and future vision), and Capital (infrastructure investment and funding). These themes will focus on execution over theory, examining real solutions to the challenges everyone faces in the energy transition.
(02:00) Season overview and diverse guest perspectives
(04:00) Greg's highlight: artificial intelligence with Dave King
(10:00) Ben's highlight: spatial analytics innovation with Nigel Barry
(14:00) Neil's highlight: Mark Vincent and grid stability solutions
(18:00) Theme One: Proof of Life—what's actually working
(20:00) Theme Two: Digital Frontier and operations transformation
(22:00) Theme Three: The Outsiders bringing non-energy innovation
The views and opinions expressed by the guest speaker during this podcast are solely their own and do not reflect the official policy or position of their employer or any other organization they may be affiliated with.Our guest shares personal experiences and insights based on their individual journey, and listeners should understand that these reflections are meant for informational purposes only.Any advice or opinions presented in this podcast should not be construed as professional guidance, and individuals are encouraged to seek their own counsel regarding their specific situations.
Wired For Energy is a production of Network Edge, with episodes produced and edited by Posterboy Media.
To find more information about the energy transition visit - www.networkedge.io
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Dr. Greg Trainor, Neil Belford, and Ben Meek reflect on the inaugural season of Wired for Energy and preview what's coming in 2026. Since launching in May 2025, the podcast has covered remarkable ground—from Jack Kotlyer at Energy Australia discussing commercial EV charging to Tim Washington at Jet Charge rolling out networks across Australia. Each guest brought unique perspectives on the energy transition, from artificial intelligence with Dave King to grid stability innovations with Mark Vincent at South Australian Power Networks, and spatial analytics breakthroughs with Nigel Barry at Intelfuse. Greg, Neil and Ben share their personal highlights from the year. Greg discusses the artificial intelligence episode and how AI will transform home energy management, business models, and network operations—though the energy industry remains characteristically slow to adopt new technology. Ben reflects on the Intelfuse episode, highlighting how Australian utilities' sparse networks drove world-leading innovation in spatial analytics, with Nigel's contrarian hypothesis that individual trees, not just canopy, interfere with power lines. Neil champions Mark Vincent's "Keeping the Lights On" episode, celebrating South Australian Power Networks' light-touch engineering approach to grid stability that used brilliant voltage management ideas rather than expensive infrastructure. Looking ahead to 2026, the team introduces seven new themes: Proof of Life (what's actually working), Digital Frontier (operations and workforce transformation), The Outsiders (innovation from adjacent industries), Social License (customer and community relationships), Government and Regulation (policy frameworks under pressure), The Horizon (academia and future vision), and Capital (infrastructure investment and funding). These themes will focus on execution over theory, examining real solutions to the challenges everyone faces in the energy transition. (02:00) Season overview and diverse guest perspectives (04:00) Greg's highlight: artificial intelligence with Dave King (10:00) Ben's highlight: spatial analytics innovation with Nigel Barry (14:00) Neil's highlight: Mark Vincent and grid stability solutions (18:00) Theme One: Proof of Life—what's actually working (20:00) Theme Two: Digital Frontier and operations transformation (22:00) Theme Three: The Outsiders bringing non-energy innovation The views and opinions expressed by the guest speaker during this podcast are solely their own and do not reflect the official policy or position of their employer or any other organization they may be affiliated with.Our guest shares personal experiences and insights based on their individual journey, and listeners should understand that these reflections are meant for informational purposes only.Any advice or opinions presented in this podcast should not be construed as professional guidance, and individuals are encouraged to seek their own counsel regarding their specific situations. Wired For Energy is a production of Network Edge, with episodes produced and edited by Posterboy Media. To find more information about the energy transition visit - www.networkedge.io