Zpryme On The Grid

Happy Birthday to us! The podcast turns two years old this week and to celebrate we... did what we usually do: talk about energy! Dana Harmon from TEPRI is here today to discuss energy equity: the ability for everyone to have access to reliable and affordable energy. In our discussion we identify key stakeholders to coordinate with, talk about how to utilize data to create equity programs, and lay out both the moral and business cases for equity. Music by bensound.com

Now that we've cooled off from the massive heat wave in the US, how did it impact the grid? What lessons did we learn? Isn't it a bit sad that these kind of events are so commonplace these days because of the negligence of humankind over the past century? Was Dirk Nowitzki kind of a one-note power forward when you get right down to it? Some of these questions and more are discussed with two of Zpryme's top researchers: Senior Research Analyst Erin Hardick and Director of Content and Research Chris Moyer. Read Chris' article on the heat wave at https://etsinsights.com/insights/how-utilities-are-dealing-with-the-record-heat/ Music by bensound.com

Following up from last week, we have expanded upon the discussion of electric vehicles to talk about EV programs. How can you design a successful EV program for your utility and your customers? Who are the stakeholders you need to get involved? How do you educate customers and get them to buy in? Lindsey McDougall, EV program manager at Austin Energy is on the show today to answer these questions and more! Music by bensound.com

We've got Zprymers on the road! Erin Hardick and Erin Autin took a Tesla around Texas to see the sights, talk shop with utilities, and of course try out a top-of-the-line electric vehicle. While they were putting the car through its paces, they hopped on the phone with Dylan to discuss the details and initial lessons of the trip. They also took the time to call Ashley Horvat, VP of Public and Private Partnerships at Greenlots and full-time EV owner on what her experience has been with her own road trip. Check out the episode and follow the road trip with the hashtag #EVErinsTX Music by bensound.com

We're back ladies and gentlemen! Our first guest on the new and improved ETS On the Grid is Professor Luciano Castillo from Purdue. He and a consortium of University professors have put together a proposal for a renewable energy project along the entire US/Mexico border. Erin and Dylan sat down with Prof. Castillo to discuss details of what this project could potentially be and what the implications would be for the local communities and for the North American utility industry. Music by bensound.com

Whenever we talk about "the future of the energy industry" we very often mean changing business models, assets, and technologies; but an often overlooked aspect is the future of the energy industry workforce. As the industry evolves and takes on a different role in the lives of energy customers, a whole host of new skill sets are required to make the grid operate. To acquire the new talent necessary to create a grid of the future, how can we create and broadcast an environment that a new generation of professionals will want to participate in? This week we are discussing these issues with Gerardo Delgado, an energy lawyer who counsels Illinois Commerce Commissioner Sadzi Oliva. We also complain about the Warriors just a bit. Music by bensound.com

Every now and then we like to take stock of where the industry is and where we appear to be going. Keeping tabs on trends is a pastime for us at Zpryme so we brought in the head honcho, CEO Jason Rodriguez to talk trends with us and give a peek into what our plans are going forward. Music by bensound.com

Today we have ABB's VP of Smart Grids and Grid Modernization Gary Rackliffe to talk about digital maturity. Not every utility is on the same road to digital maturity because not every utility has the same size, customer and asset issues, or regulatory environment. However, there are some best practices when strategizing for digitization, digitalization, and enterprise integration. That's where Gary and Erin come in! Enjoy this discussion on what to keep in mind and who to look to when designing your digital roadmap. The full report: https://etsinsights.com/reports/building-the-21st-century-digital-grid/ The interactive infographic: https://etsinsights.com/media/infographics/the-digital-maturity-curve/ This episode was sponsored by ABB Music by Bensound.com

ETS has come and gone but while we were there, we managed to meet up with Carol Johnston, VP of Product Management at Clevest, to talk about Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). There were numerous discussions and presentations at the event, but we wanted to go beyond the novelty and discuss the promise and current live applications of the technologies. We went over the results of a survey we did around this topic and how it fits our preconceived notions about what the technology can do in this space. AR and VR are new to the energy space but they're already making waves! You can find the paper at: https://etsinsights.com/reports/hands-on-transformation-to-the-digital-future-augmented-and-virtual-reality-in-utility-operations/ This episode was sponsored by Clevest Music by bensound.com

Last week was ETS19, the biggest week in energy (maybe we're a little biased). Thought leaders from all over the industry came to tell their stories and how we can work together to overcome the hardest challenges facing the industry. Just like last week, Nancy Bui-Thompson, an elected member of the board of directors for SMUD sat down with some of the most prominent leaders at the event to discuss their journeys. Gil Quiniones, CEO of NYPA and Thought Leader of the Year for ETS19 stopped by to talk about how the work he's done in New York models what he believes the future of the industry should look like. Nancy also talked with Arlen Orchard, CEO of SMUD, about using your position to make your community better. Though both of these men come from different backgrounds and work on opposite coasts, they have a similar message of inclusiveness and community that demonstrates why they are respected leaders in our industry. Hope you enjoy these interviews! Music by bensound.com

Today we have John Baksa from Hansen Technologies on the show following our Energy Thought Summit Conference. There was a lot of discussion about data at the conference and John goes through what he's interested to see utilities doing, or not doing, with data. We also play a game of data prescriptions and come up with some do's and don'ts. Make sure you're taking notes! This episode was sponsored by Hansen Technologies Music by bensound.com

At ETS19, many thought leaders were brought together to discuss some of the most pertinent issues in the energy industry. One of the most provocative and engaging keynotes was Steve Westly, Founder of the Westly Group discussing misconceptions and imperatives for the utility of the future. To expand upon that talk, Nancy Bui-Thompson, member of the board of directors at SMUD sat down with Steve at the event to get some of his thoughts on the transformation of the utility recorded for all of you to listen to! Music by bensound.com

Today Tom Willie, CEO of Blue Pillar, joins the podcast to discuss what commercial and industrial businesses are doing behind the meter as they think of ways to lower their energy footprint and reduce costs. This inevitably leads into a discussion about the relationship between utilities (or energy service providers) and C&I customers and how it needs to change along with other important aspects of the energy environment. This episode was sponsored by Blue Pillar. Music by bensound.com

Today on the podcast we have Sitetracker VP of Sales Irene Scher to talk about Transmission and Distribution planning: how to address legacy systems in an increasingly digital grid and how to plan for new technologies and systems. We also discuss reliability and safety issues coming the forefront in discussions around infrastructure. This podcast was sponsored by Sitetracker. Music by bensound.com

As we get closer to ETS we're talking to thought leaders who have big ideas to share about the future of the energy industry. To that end, we interviewed Kim Shumway from Allconnect to talk about how to use data to tailor energy content to customers and avoid miscommunication in customer engagement. She also talked about looking to leaders outside the energy space to help better reach customers where they spend most of their time — their mobile devices. To find out more about ETS go to https://ets19.co/ This episode was sponsored by Allconnect. Music by bensound.com

The Zpryme content crew is back! After our WE3 water-energy nexus event, we had a lot on our minds about issues and trends revealed through the discussions. Erin, Erin and Chris have their own ideas about what the relationship between water and energy will look like in the future and what everyone in this industry needs to be looking toward in this space. Pour yourself a glass of water and join us! Music by bensound.com

Last week we joined with CPS Energy to put on our first ever City of the Future event in San Antonio, Texas. There were talks about evolutions in transportation, city planning, water, customer expectations, data, and so much more. But at the center of all of it was people. People are the driving force of innovation in the city of the future and that was the starting point for the event. If you weren't able to attend, we've got you covered! Our recap podcast today. We gathered the research team in Austin to break down our favorite talks and lessons learned from the conference. Music by bensound.com

Today on the podcast we have Ross Smith, a digital transformation and complex program delivery expert at PA Consulting. We discuss the digital operation model, organizational agility, and how utilities form partnerships in the digital age. This podcast was sponsored by PA Consulting. music by bensound.com

Live (sort of) from New Orleans we have a full Zpryme crew of Erin Hardick, Erin Autin, Chris Moyer, and CEO Jason Rodriguez to break down the trends present in Distributech 2019. How does this conference color the energy discussion of 2019 and what are the tech providers saying about the viability of the utilities in the future? All that and more in this cajun-flavored podcast. Music by bensound.com

PG&E has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. How did this happen? What does it mean for the people of California? What lessons can other utilities learn from this? Is this in part due to the complicated business models of utilities? All these questions and more are discussed by Erin Hardick and Chris Moyer of the Zpryme content team. Music by bensound.com