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The Backbone of Electrification
What if the biggest barrier to the energy transition isn't generation or demand — but the invisible infrastructure layer connecting them?
Lisa Magnuson has spent two decades at the intersection of utilities and technology, focused on one core challenge: how to turn complex infrastructure into real-world adoption. From her early years as the first marketing hire at Silver Spring Networks — helping large utilities adopt smart grid networking through a successful IPO — to a front-row seat at PG&E, she has watched the industry evolve from within. Now at Landis+Gyr, she is focused on the next phase of the transition: enabling a more intelligent, responsive grid through real-time data, connectivity, and grid-edge innovation.
While most conversations about the energy transition focus on generation and demand, Lisa argues the real story is the invisible layer underneath: metering, data, and real-time connectivity. As electricity demand grows twice as fast as total energy demand — driven by EVs, data centers, and electrification everywhere — that backbone becomes non-negotiable. "When you put intelligence into the grid, it now can respond," she says. Extreme weather has raised public awareness of utility challenges in a way that little else has, creating what Lisa sees as the right conditions for real, scalable solutions to finally take hold.
Lisa Magnuson is a marketing and communications leader with deep expertise in energy infrastructure and utility technology. She began her career at Apple and NeXT before joining Silver Spring Networks as the company's first marketing hire, rising over 14-15 years to VP of Marketing and staying through a successful IPO. She then moved to PG&E — one of Silver Spring's largest customers — where she experienced firsthand the operational and communications challenges utilities face. She subsequently held roles at Bozilla and Bloom Energy before partnering with Landis+Gyr on a rebranding initiative, where she now focuses on the company's transformation as a global leader in grid-edge intelligence.
In This Episode:
(00:00) Lisa Magnuson and the energy transition backdrop
(04:07) From Apple and NeXT to Silver Spring Networks
(07:54) Lessons from PG&E: ratepayers, customers, and communications challenges
(09:29) Grid intelligence and Landis+Gyr's essential role in electrification
(12:17) Lisa's Age of Adoption story: building the energy internet
(13:47) Communicating grid complexity and what excites and worries Lisa
Share with someone who would enjoy this topic, like and subscribe to hear all of our future episodes, send us your comments and guest suggestions!
About the show:
The Age of Adoption podcast explores the monumental transition from a period of social, economic, and environmental research and exploration – an Age of Innovation – to today's world in which companies across the economy are furiously deploying sustainable solutions – the Age of Adoption. Listen as our host, Keith Zakheim, CEO of Antenna Group, talks with experts from across the climate, energy, health, and real estate sectors to discuss what the transition means for business and society, and how corporates and startups can rise above competitors to lead in this new age.
This podcast is brought to you by Antenna Group, a global marketing and communications agency that partners with Fully Conscious brands — those with the courage to lead transformative change across Climate & Energy, Real Estate, Health, and beyond. Our clients include visionary corporations, startups, investors, and nonprofits who recognize that meaningful impact requires more than awareness; it demands bold action. In today's Age of Adoption, where every sector must incorporate sustainable solutions into foundational systems, we amplify brands standing at the forefront of change, shaping a better future for our planet and its people. To learn more, visit antennagroup.com.
Resources:
Lisa Magnuson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisamag/
Antenna Group
Keith Zakheim LinkedIn
View all episodes
By Keith Zakheim
4.6
99 ratings
What if the biggest barrier to the energy transition isn't generation or demand — but the invisible infrastructure layer connecting them?
Lisa Magnuson has spent two decades at the intersection of utilities and technology, focused on one core challenge: how to turn complex infrastructure into real-world adoption. From her early years as the first marketing hire at Silver Spring Networks — helping large utilities adopt smart grid networking through a successful IPO — to a front-row seat at PG&E, she has watched the industry evolve from within. Now at Landis+Gyr, she is focused on the next phase of the transition: enabling a more intelligent, responsive grid through real-time data, connectivity, and grid-edge innovation.
While most conversations about the energy transition focus on generation and demand, Lisa argues the real story is the invisible layer underneath: metering, data, and real-time connectivity. As electricity demand grows twice as fast as total energy demand — driven by EVs, data centers, and electrification everywhere — that backbone becomes non-negotiable. "When you put intelligence into the grid, it now can respond," she says. Extreme weather has raised public awareness of utility challenges in a way that little else has, creating what Lisa sees as the right conditions for real, scalable solutions to finally take hold.
Lisa Magnuson is a marketing and communications leader with deep expertise in energy infrastructure and utility technology. She began her career at Apple and NeXT before joining Silver Spring Networks as the company's first marketing hire, rising over 14-15 years to VP of Marketing and staying through a successful IPO. She then moved to PG&E — one of Silver Spring's largest customers — where she experienced firsthand the operational and communications challenges utilities face. She subsequently held roles at Bozilla and Bloom Energy before partnering with Landis+Gyr on a rebranding initiative, where she now focuses on the company's transformation as a global leader in grid-edge intelligence.
In This Episode:
(00:00) Lisa Magnuson and the energy transition backdrop
(04:07) From Apple and NeXT to Silver Spring Networks
(07:54) Lessons from PG&E: ratepayers, customers, and communications challenges
(09:29) Grid intelligence and Landis+Gyr's essential role in electrification
(12:17) Lisa's Age of Adoption story: building the energy internet
(13:47) Communicating grid complexity and what excites and worries Lisa
Share with someone who would enjoy this topic, like and subscribe to hear all of our future episodes, send us your comments and guest suggestions!
About the show:
The Age of Adoption podcast explores the monumental transition from a period of social, economic, and environmental research and exploration – an Age of Innovation – to today's world in which companies across the economy are furiously deploying sustainable solutions – the Age of Adoption. Listen as our host, Keith Zakheim, CEO of Antenna Group, talks with experts from across the climate, energy, health, and real estate sectors to discuss what the transition means for business and society, and how corporates and startups can rise above competitors to lead in this new age.
This podcast is brought to you by Antenna Group, a global marketing and communications agency that partners with Fully Conscious brands — those with the courage to lead transformative change across Climate & Energy, Real Estate, Health, and beyond. Our clients include visionary corporations, startups, investors, and nonprofits who recognize that meaningful impact requires more than awareness; it demands bold action. In today's Age of Adoption, where every sector must incorporate sustainable solutions into foundational systems, we amplify brands standing at the forefront of change, shaping a better future for our planet and its people. To learn more, visit antennagroup.com.
Resources:
Lisa Magnuson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisamag/
Antenna Group
Keith Zakheim LinkedIn