On The Grid

We've been podcasting for a hundred episodes! Can you believe it? Erin and Dylan reflect on their milestone and Zpryme cofounders Jason Rodriguez and Mark Ishac join to discuss how media and Zpryme have changed in 2020. We also conclude with a 'greatest hits' reel of cool moments in On the Grid history. Thank you always for listening!

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How has the utility industry changed over the course of this year? Countless operations and internal processes have changed as a result of transformative business models, introduction of new technologies, and of course Covid-19. So how has all of this change affected resource management? Black and Veach's Senior Managing Directo Mark Von Weihe sat down with Chris Moyer to talk about how models are changing and how resource management has changed as a result as well as what additional steps need to be taken.

This episode was sponsored by Black and Veach.

(Please note that this podcast was recorded on March 4, 2020)

We have a guest host today! Back in March, Accenture’s Innovation Leader, Erin Grossi, and Utilities Strategy Leader, Greg Bolino, sat down with Brett Carter, Xcel Energy’s Chief Customer and Innovation Officer to talk about the changes that he sees on the horizon for utilities and their overall business models.

Today we're talking about how COVID-19 has affected the mental wellness and interpersonal communities in online workplaces. Emma Garcia is Zpryme's Director of People and Culture and she is here to share what she's been working on to keep Zpryme healthy and motivated during difficult times.

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We've got a hot solar questionnaire that we want experts in the solar industry to answer! We have NREL's National Center for Photovoltaics Lead Wyatt Metzger, Demand IQ Founder and CEO Austin Rosenbaum, and 17TeraWatts CEO Scott Nguyen here to tell us what the next step in solar looks like for them, what key obstacles are, and what needs to change about the solar mindset.

This episode is sponsored by NREL. Check out the next round of the American Made Solar Prize at https://americanmadechallenges.org/solarprize/round4

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As operational demands increase, and load growth remains flat, traditionally utility resource planning that focusses only on the supply side does not adequately address future challenges and opportunities. Utilities like Consumers Energy Michigan have turned to an Integrated Resource Plan to plan for future supply and demand needs effectively. Their MI Clean Energy Plan is a long-term tool for supplying affordable, reliable energy to customers throughout the state. They created a forecast of Michigan’s energy future using a variety of assumptions about factors such as market prices, energy demand, and levels of clean energy resources, including wind, solar, demand response, and energy efficiency. This plan embodies a commitment to the Triple Bottom Line of people, planet, and prosperity, and a “clean and lean” generation strategy of moving away from coal. To discuss the changing utility planning landscape, Zpryme's Chris Moyer spoke with Tim Sparks, the Vice President of Electric Grid Integration at Consumers Energy.

This episode is sponsored by Black & Veatch

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On the Grid Host Erin Hardick is back this week to read aloud one of our guest contributor articles, "Designing an Inclusive Future" by Sophie Horrocks. She talks about design; how we can design a space that enables people of all stripes to be their best selves which is why we have this audio version to complement the written version which can be found here: https://zpryme.com/insights/designing-an-inclusive-future/

Today we're talking about Mastercard's City Possible Network for urban development, so we've brought on Executive Vice President of Enterprise Partnerships Miguel Gamino to discuss what the goals, methods, and successes of the network are. We also have Co-Founder of the North Texas Innovation Alliance Jennifer Sanders to talk about how networks affect local issues and what network collaboration means for her operations in North Texas.

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Today on the show we have Energy Tax Partner at Ernst & Young Brian Murphy and he's here to tell us what the future of renewable energy looks like from his perspective. We also dive into how the energy landscape is being disrupted from various angles at this moment and how that affects long-term strategizing.

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Today we're talking with Angel Lance, Founder of Motive Power. Angel tells the story of creating the management consulting company as a values-driven business. From there, we dig deeper into what values mean in the world of consulting, why the practice of consulting often gets a bad rap, and what can be done better to create a better business ecosystem in energy.