Zpryme On The Grid

On this episode, the gang talks about what living in a digital energy future actually looks like with Mike Carlson from Siemens. We also delve into personal energy journeys and also speculate where the next generation of energy professionals will come from. Christine also gets an idea for a new survey. This episode was sponsored by Siemens Music by bensound.com

It's time to launch ETS18! Recorded at our launch party in Austin, TX we hung out with Nancy Bui-Thompson from SMUD to discuss what the theme "Dream in Digital" means to us. We also talked about our careers and played a game of "Would You Rather".

Carlos Nouel from National Grid joins the podcast to reflect on everything we learned about Distributech and the change in focus for tech companies in the nascent smart era of the energy industry. Christine also brought us a nerdy sci-fi game to try. This episode was sponsored by SAP Music by bensound.com

What? It was the only Star Wars reference I could think of! We hung out with S&C's David Chiesa in San Antonio to talk about his work with microgrids and how people might have been too hard on the Last Jedi. This episode was sponsored by S&C Music by Bensound.com

At Distributech, we met up with Henry Bailey in SAP’s cool media booth and we talked about the Digital Prosumer. We addressed the disruption they are causing in the industry and break down who digital prosumers are, and who is likely to become one. We also talk about how demand influences technology and somehow we get onto the Walking Dead. CARL!!!!!! This podcast was sponsored by SAP. Music by Bensound.com

"Innovative Partnership" is a simple enough phrase to understand, but the means of developing the kind of partnerships that lead growth and developoment rather than just sales is fairly nuanced. Our guest this week is Dan Bradley from Navigant. He breaks down how innovative partnerships are becoming more of a necessity with today's evolving utility landscape. We also tackle the notion that utilities are "slow-moving" innovation, and we discover a new type of microgrid that fits on a desk! Dan's "Microgrid" Linkedin Post we mentioned in the podcast. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6355162904353918976 Music by bensound.com

Get your cones and sprinkles ready! Today on the podcast we have Chris Miller, the Social Mission Activism Manager at Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream. He's here to talk to us about how businesses are getting involved in the energy space both directly and indirectly. We also dive into what activism means from a business perspective, the difference between value-based activism and cynical marketing gimmicks. A different flavor of podcast this week, with plenty of chocolate chips. Music by bensound.com

Our regular podcast crew breaks down what changed for energy in 2017 as well as what changed in our own lives as energy professionals. Please find @dylockwood, @hc_richards, or @erin_hardick on twitter to share your stories of the year. We discuss trends in how Smart Cities are talked about these days and what cybersecurity means going into 2018. We also make some predictions about the upcoming year. A fun little sendoff of the year. Music by bensound.com

Our guest this week is Philippe Malone from Energy Ottawa and we talk about aging infrastructure as well as best practices for addressing aging assets. We also reflect on the different worlds that younger and older energy professionals experienced in their formative years. ...Well we talk about all that after a short rant on geography. Music by bensound.com

Today we have SparkCognition CEO and Founder, Amir Husain. We talk about Artificial Intelligence, how it changes the energy industry, and how it's a necessary step in human evolution. A bit later on we get pretty deep on the nature of human obsolescence and what about us as people has intrinsic value. Of course we also nerd out about Star Trek. Music by bensound.com

Our regular crew breaks down last week's engaging Start@ETS competition. Following a short recap and a conversation with the judges of the event, we talk a bit about why startups are important in the industry and how they drive innovation, using the competitors at Start as pertinent examples. Music by bensound.com

Things get a little silly on a Friday afternoon. We have Commissioner Lorraine Akiba from the Hawaii Public Utility Commission on to talk about how her role as a regulator and how Hawaii's energy successes can be modeled in other places. We also talk about stew both as a metaphor and as a lunch option. Music by bensound.com

This week we're all hosting together at Lake Austin near Austin, Texas. We bring in Daito Design Group Founder and CEO Jared Huke to talk about Smart Homes and Design. The discussion evolves into fundamental questions about the nature of smart devices and AI. Who are they for? What is the promise, and what are the realities? The digital world is rapidly changing but we still haven't figured out all of the logistics. You certainly don't want to miss this discussion! Music by bensound.com

This week we talk about the value of data both in the wake of powerful events like the recent hurricanes, and also as a product to be bought and sold going forward. Our guest this week is Zpryme CEO Jason Rodriguez who recently had a groundbreaking presentation called "Data: The Currency of the Future." You can help with Hurricane relief at: https://www.redcross.org/ns/apology/disaster_homepage.html https://donate.worldvision.org/hurricane-irma-disaster-relief http://www.houstonfoodbank.org/get-involved/harvey-disaster-relief/ Music by bensound.com

This week we talk to Principal of North Bridge Energy Partners and contributor to Forbes.com Peter Kelly-Detwiler about Demand Response; how it influences the grid today, and its role in the future, how IoT and advanced data analytics are changing what we think Demand Response is, and whether or not the term "Demand Response" is becoming outdated with its ever-changing nature. Don't forget that even though the rain has stopped, the people of Texas are still suffering from the effects of Hurricane Harvey. Thousands are still waiting in shelters and cannot return to their homes. There is a long road ahead for many people and you can help with the relief by donating either to the Red Cross at http://www.redcross.org/ or the Houston Flood Relief Fund at https://www.youcaring.com/victimsofhurricaneharvey-915053 or the Houston Food Bank at https://secure3.convio.net/hfb/site/Donation2?df_id=9314&mfc_pref=T&9314.donation=form1 Music by Bensound.com

Our topic today is "Dialogue." In our day to day lives we often encounter difficulties having meaningful dialogue with friends, family, coworkers, etc. However, the ability to overcome our pride and our fears is what allows us to have these discussions that better us as people. The same can be said for those in the energy industry. Utilities, activist groups, and lawmakers all face complex issues and are often at odds with each other. While dialogue is not a magic bullet solution to these problems, dialogue helps create an understanding that lays the first brick on the road to a solution. Our guest this week is Kathryn Sheps, Operations Manager and Dialogue Convener for Renewable Cities in Vancouver, BC. She discusses how her work bringing together utilities in dialogue with cities participating in the "100% renewables" movement. She also lays out what makes for productive dialogue and how to overcome some of the apprehension. Music by bensound.com

Our first episode! Today we talk about "The Power of Local" and what it means to be a locally active utility. Innovation comes from a local level in this industry, and while utilities are often pushed to change through internal factors, customers are increasingly looking for better products and better relationships with utilities. Later we speak with our guest, Karl Popham, Manager of Emerging Technologies and Electric Vehicles at Austin Energy. He talks about Austin as a local market and what his work in that community has meant for the city and for Austin Energy's identity. He also gives us a scoop! Music by bensound.com