Our Blog

Chester Energy and Policy started in 2017 as a blog before blossoming into a full consulting business. The goal of the blog originally was simple: answer interesting questions in the world of energy & sustainability that weren’t being answered elsewhere, tapping into energy data sets, expert interviews, and a unique lens.

Today, the blog section of Chester Energy and Policy seeks to continue that mission: answering interesting questions. If you have a question that you think is worth diving into for a blog post, reach out and let us know! .

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Read Most Recent Blog Posts

Matt Chester 5/27/26 Matt Chester 5/27/26

How the Moon, Mars, and Antarctica Expose Our Grid Blind Spots

It’s a fallacy that ranks among the longstanding utility sector sins: “But we’ve always done it this way.”

Any business that continues with a practice simply because it’s familiar is already falling behind. This tendency leads to lazy thinking, uninspired problem-solving, and missed opportunities in the fast-changing modern energy landscape.

Matt Chester 5/13/26 Matt Chester 5/13/26

The Energy Hype Cycle Is Loud. The Grid Is Not: Clickbait vs. Reality in Energy

In popular media coverage, energy stories are often influenced as much by headline grabbiness as actual industry movement. The headlines yell at us:

Nuclear is back!

Geothermal is hot!

Coal is killing you!

But how much of these stories are actually rooted in true developments? Grid planners can’t keep the lights on based on what stories happen to be trending.

Matt Chester 4/29/26 Matt Chester 4/29/26

Energy as the new eggs: How power prices are scrambling the economy

Every year, keeping your ear to the ground of power sector conversations illuminates a major overarching theme. In 2026, the focus is undoubtedly on affordability.

I’m certainly not breaking news here. This situation has been reaching a fever pitch, paired with an increasingly common refrain: energy prices are the new egg prices (as a marker of the state of the economy). But what exactly is meant by this comparison?

Matt Chester 4/8/26 Matt Chester 4/8/26

If Silicon Valley ran the power sector: 8 slightly unhinged startup ideas to disrupt the grid

Silicon Valley tech has transformed nearly every facet of our lives, but one of the most impactful shifts it’s brought to bear? Disruption as a norm.

We now have a well-trodden path of manufacturing necessary disruption across industries: mix one part startup platform with one part stale industry, and there you have it—a new model for an old business. Uber for pet sitting? Rover. Notion for shipping logistics? Flexport. The list goes on.

Matt Chester 3/18/26 Matt Chester 3/18/26

What makes overhead lines fail (and how to fix it)

Reliability has become one of the most urgent topics in the utility sector today. As aging infrastructure meets rising electricity demand and more frequent extreme weather, utilities are facing growing pressure to keep the lights on while modernizing the grid. From vegetation management to conductor fatigue and storm resilience, the question isn’t whether upgrades are needed, but how utilities can make the smartest investments to strengthen the grid quickly, effectively, and affordably.

Matt Chester 4/16/24 Matt Chester 4/16/24

Keeping Workers Safe, Optimizing Maintenance, and Moving to the Future with Drones with Corey Hitchcock and Christina Park of Skydio [Power Perspectives Conversations at Distributech 2024]

In recent years, drones have emerged as symbols of innovation across a diverse set of sectors. However, the initial encounters with drones at industry conferences were characterized by curiosity and speculation about their future implications. Frequently, skeptics tended to perceive more challenges than opportunities, labeling drones as a solution in search of a problem. However, discussions with Skydio's Corey Hitchcock (Utility Solutions Specialist) and Christina Park (Senior Director of Energy Strategy) at Distributech 2024 revealed a shifting perspective on drones, especially when it comes to the power sector.