Today we are talking with Dr. Carolyn Kissane from NYU to talk about where we can learn about solutions to the energy problems of today and tomorrow. Some can be learned in a classroom, others by the example of foreign actors, and some can be learned by listening to the bright experts of tomorrow. A discussion about decarbonization turns into one about education as we are wont to do here, and we learn a bit ourselves about who is leading the charge and who is lagging behind. The word of the day is "perspective" and we're bringing it in spades in this episode!

Music by bensound.com

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