Energy Talks

Hosted by OMICRON electronics GmbH

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Episodes

132

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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About the show

Energy Talks is an OMICRON podcast series where experts, users and industry peers share their views on various topics related to power system testing, data management and cybersecurity in the power industry. For us, communication is key to understanding customer and user needs. For this reason, we would like to invite you to follow the discussions as a listener and to enter into a dialog with us. Simply send us an email to podcast@omicronenergy.com or visit our website at www.omicronenergy.com for more information.

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60 recent

August 20, 202622 min

#133: Bridging the IT and OT Gap: Inside the OWASP OT Top 10 Project

In this episode, OMICRON's OT security expert Simon Rommer, along with security research experts Andreas Happe and Siegfried Hollerer, discuss their work and experience with the open-source OWASP OT Top 10 Project, which addresses critical industrial cybersecurity challenges affecting OT environments. Simon and his guests describe how critical cybersecurity risks are mapped directly to global frameworks like IEC 62443 and NIST, providing actionable countermeasures and a shared vocabulary for improved industrial resilience.

August 6, 202618 min

#132: Beyond Compliance │Part 1: Why Asset History Matters

Every diagnostic test leaves a digital history—from settings and firmware to maintenance documentation. As substations modernize, preserving this contextual history becomes vital for engineers, cybersecurity teams, and auditors years down the road. This episode of Energy Talks kicks off a new miniseries exploring how software supports compliance readiness in power system testing and digital substation operations. In Part 1, OMICRON Regional Training Manager Will Scheibe explains why preserving device history matters and how OMICRON’s ADMO software with its InSight data visualization platform supports structured data across the asset lifecycle.

July 24, 202620 min

#131: Bushing Diagnostics - From Mains Frequency to Advanced Assessment

Bushings are critical power transformer components, responsible for nearly 40 percent of failures. In this Energy Talks episode, OMICRON experts Hannes Rothleitner and Jakob Hämmerle explain how modern bushing diagnostic methods detect early insulation degradation. They highlight the industry shift toward combined testing techniques to uncover hidden flaws and discuss the future of the field, emphasizing high-quality data interpretation for better decision-making.

July 10, 202619 min

#130: Reclosers in Modern Grids: Protection, Automation, and DER Integration

Reclosers have long been essential for protecting distribution networks and restoring power after faults. Today, they are evolving from standalone protection devices into coordinated system actors that combine protection, automation, communication, and control. In this episode, OMICRON application engineer Alex Auman, who specializes in reclosure and protection testing, explains how reclosers help utilities integrate distributed energy resources (DER), improve reliability, and enable self-healing grid concepts. Alex describes various automation schemes that help utilities keep more customers energized during faults and disturbances and highlights the growing importance of comprehensive testing and validation.

June 25, 202625 min

#129: The Basics of Rotating Machine Testing

In this episode of Energy Talks, OMICRON application engineer Alexander Herrera discusses the basics of rotating machine testing, covering diagnostic procedures for stator cores, windings, and rotors to ensure the reliability of motors and generators. He explains how data-driven insights assist in identifying defects early, optimizing condition-based maintenance, and highlights essential safety procedures during testing.

June 11, 202630 min

#128: What Makes a Cybersecurity Vulnerability Dangerous?

In this episode of Energy Talks, OMICRON OT Cybersecurity Consultant Simon Rommer speaks with Benjamin Floriani and Patrick Pongratz, founders of SecCore GmbH, about how penetration testers identify vulnerabilities, develop exploits, and assess real-world cyber risks. They discuss why context matters more than vulnerability scores, the growing role of AI in offensive security, and practical measures, such as network segmentation, least privilege, and regular penetration testing to strengthen cyber resilience.

May 28, 202625 min

#127: PD Monitoring │Part 2: The Tech Behind Continuous Defect Tracking

Join OMICRON experts Daniel Gebhardt and Hendrik Schleifer for Part 2 of our Energy Talks mini-series on continuous online PD monitoring. Discover how these systems track insulation issues 24/7, filter noise using PRPD and 3PARD technology, and integrate into SCADA networks. Learn how continuous defect tracking and automated alerts deliver the trend analysis needed to optimize asset planning, ease workloads, and ensure greater peace of mind.

May 21, 202618 min

#126: PD Monitoring │Part 1: The Shift to Condition-Based Asset Planning

Aging infrastructure and unplanned downtime force asset managers to shift from time-based to proactive, condition-based maintenance. In this Energy Talks episode—part one of a two-part series—OMICRON experts Daniel Gebhardt and Hendrik Schleifer discuss how partial discharge (PD) monitoring transforms electrical asset management. They compare offline testing with online monitoring, explain when to use temporary or permanent systems, and show how 24/7 real-time insights predict faults and improve reliability.

April 30, 202620 min

#125: OT Cybersecurity Risk Assessments in the Power Industry

In this episode of Energy Talks, host Simon Rommer discusses together with his colleague Jaron Stammler, OT Cybersecurity Consultant at OMICRON, how OT cybersecurity risk assessments are conducted in the power industry. Using current substation and BESS projects as examples, they explain the IEC 62443-based approach, key steps like system scoping and risk analysis, and common challenges such as late project involvement and missing data. Lastly, they highlight the importance of actionable results.

April 16, 202633 min

#124: Experts Behind the Scenes in Power System Testing │Product Manager

In this fourth episode of our "Experts Behind the Scenes" mini-series, OMICRON Product Manager Dr. Sruti Chakraborty joins us to discuss how the use of digital twins, data-driven modeling, and AI is revolutionizing electrical power equipment condition assessments. Drawing from her global experience, Sruti explains the critical balance between market needs and research and highlights the essential data science skills today’s engineers need to master the future of power system testing.