During my internship at Enbridge, one detail caught my attention: the company sponsors a podcast. As someone who follows podcasts closely, I was curious enough to explore it. The show is called Chris Hadfield On Energy, hosted by Canadian astronaut and engineer Colonel Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian to command the International Space Station.
Hadfield is well known for sharing the wonder of space with the public, but here he turns his attention to something closer to home: the hidden systems that power our daily lives. Each episode begins with a familiar touchpoint—a phone, a flight, or a winter storm—and unpacks the technologies, trade-offs, and innovations shaping the future of energy. The conversations are not about politics, but about possibilities: if we get energy right, we get the future right.
The Spectrum of Energy Innovation
So far, the series has covered a wide spectrum of energy topics—from the challenges of powering space exploration and the evolution of the electric grid, to the role of oil, renewables, and nuclear power, as well as frontier innovations like advanced batteries, hydrogen, and space-based solar. Together, these conversations illustrate how energy is both a technical system and a societal choice, shaping everything from our homes to our future in space.
Reliability in Extreme Conditions
Among these, the third episode is particularly compelling. Hadfield speaks with Michele Harradence, President of Enbridge Gas, about what it takes to keep millions of homes powered when extreme temperatures hit. Their conversation highlights how natural gas remains a foundation for heating reliability, especially during harsh winters; how hybrid systems that combine natural gas with electric heat pumps can add flexibility and efficiency; and how everyday tools like smart thermostats can empower households to cut costs and reduce emissions.
They also stress the collective impact of incremental steps—efficiency upgrades, hybrid systems, smarter controls—on lowering household emissions. But above all, the key message is reliability. In moments of crisis, what matters most is not the source of energy but whether the system continues to deliver.
Connecting Space to Home
Listening to Chris Hadfield On Energy while working at Enbridge added an extra layer of meaning to my internship. Much of my day-to-day work centered on building data pipelines, strengthening governance practices, and ensuring system reliability—concerns that, as the podcast reminded me, are just as critical in people's homes as they are in enterprise data platforms. Energy innovation isn't only about discovering the next breakthrough; it's about making sure the systems we already depend on are smarter, cleaner, and above all, reliable.
Energy is not just about what powers us today, but about how we build the resilience to power tomorrow.
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What's your experience with energy systems in your daily life? Have you noticed the hidden infrastructure that keeps your home powered? I'd love to hear about your observations and insights.