Grid 3.0: How James Richmond’s e2 Companies Is Disrupting Power as We Know It

The electric grid we rely on was designed for a world that no longer exists. Aging infrastructure, surging demand from AI and electrification, and multi-year wait times for grid interconnection have collided to form a perfect storm. In this episode of Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy, Wes Ashworth sits down with James Richmond, CEO of e2 Companies, to explore why the grid is breaking and how his company is leading the charge toward Grid 3.0.

With over 30 years in power systems and engineering, James shares how e2 Companies has pioneered the world’s first virtual utility: a revolutionary platform that delivers clean, resilient, on-site power without waiting for utility interconnections. It’s a solution born from the frustrations of skyrocketing costs, regulatory bottlenecks, and a grid built for an analog past.

Key themes in this conversation include:

• The Grid’s Design Flaws: Why a system built 140 years ago can’t keep up with AI, robotics, EV charging, and modern power quality demands and how this misalignment drives hidden costs and inefficiencies for businesses and consumers alike.
• Virtual Utility Explained: How e2 Companies decouples facilities from grid constraints, enabling instant transitions between grid power and local generation without the dreaded “blip” that can shut down sensitive operations like data centers.
• Demand-Side Power as the Fix: Why focusing on power “delivery” behind the meter can unlock 25-35% more capacity from existing grid infrastructure, avoiding massive new transmission investments.
• Inequity in the Energy Transition: James exposes how corporate renewables, credit trading, and regulatory structures can unintentionally shift costs onto small businesses and everyday consumers, and why true energy freedom must be affordable for all.
• AI’s Double-Edged Sword: While AI workloads drive huge new power demands, James argues the technology could offset its footprint through massive efficiency gains across industries.
• The Corescale Deal and NASDAQ Plans: A look at how e2 Companies’ partnership with Corescale Data Centers positions the company at the forefront of transforming how hyperscalers think about reliability, emissions, and speed to market, with plans underway to list publicly under the ticker VUTL.

James makes a compelling case that the future of energy isn’t just about generation; it’s about giving every consumer, from data centers to small businesses to homeowners, the power to choose how they produce and consume energy. It’s a vision of independence, resilience, and a grid designed for a digital, electrified world.

If you’re grappling with interconnection delays, grid reliability challenges, or planning for the power demands of tomorrow, this is an episode you can’t afford to miss.

Links: 

James Richmond on LinkedIn

e2 Companies Website

Wes Ashworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weslgs/

• Email: wes@leegroupsearch.com
• https://leegroupsearch.com/green-giants-podcast/
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