On The Grid

Today we bid a fond farewell to podcast cohost Erin Hardick as she moves on to the next chapter of her life, but not before she can let us know about what role she sees for herself and the media she's done. We also talk with Omaya Ahmad from APS about Arizona's decarbonization plans, how to leverage community resources to promote sustainability, and how the industry needs to operate in the era of...

Today's guest is Harvard Foward founder Danielle Strasburger who talks about her work using grassroots organization to push Harvard towards decarbonization. We discuss the role colleges can play in the fight against climate change as well has how to get young people involved in the issues they care about most. Music by bensound.com

Zachary Holman, co-founder of Sunflex Solar, one of the winners of Round 2 of NREL's American Made Solar Prize, is here to talk about the aluminum foil-infused secret to their winning solar panel innovation as well as how innovation finds the solar market. For more information on the competition as well as how to register for round 4, go to https://americanmadechallenges.org/solarprize/ Music by b...

ETS20 has concluded and while it was certainly...different doing it online during a pandemic, it came together thanks to the hard work of a lot of talented people who we interviewed for this show! Erin Hardick emceed the event and opens the discussion by talking about what the content was like and how discussion was fostered. Also Sarah Fregeau, Zpryme's Program and Events Manager also drops in to...

COVID-19 has changed the way workplaces operate. How are workers protected? How is efficiency maintained? What does the 'new normal' look like for the industry? Chris Moyer discusses these topics and more with David Price, CTO of Black and Veatch, and Ed White, Chairman and CEO of Field-To-Base. This episode was sponsored by Black and Veatch Music by bensound.com

Katharine Beisner, Senior Sales Engineering Program Manager at FTC Solar, is here to talk about what the solar industry of the future is going to look like. We follow two paths in this discussion, the first being about the increased market for solar trackers and what it says about solar tech investment strategies. We also discuss diversity in the solar industry and how it is trying to catch up in...

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! Music by bensound.com

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...

(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. Music by bensound.com

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...

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 sup...

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-a...

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 me...

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. Music by bensound.com

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.

I will not apologize for the pun. We're talking with Robert Sewell, CEO of VesprSolar, a company that makes clip attachments for PV solar modules. We primarily discuss tackling the "last mile" of solar installation to help drive down solar costs. We also talk about where startups see promise and opportunity but also challenges in the solar industry. This episode was sponsored by NREL. Check out th...

Capital metro in Austin is rolling out six electric buses for public transportation, with two already on the streets! How does one do this kind of public transportation project in a pandemic? What does such a process look like from the inside to potentially be modeled by other transit agencies? We wanted the answers to these questions as well, so we brought on Sam Sargent, Deputy Chief of Staff at...

Adrian Garcia, VP of Transformation & Strategy at Daito Design, is our guest this week. The discussion centers around moving digital transformation out of the abstract and into reality: what is transformation in service of? Who makes the plan and what should they keep in mind? How do we distinguish a "transformation" from just on-boarding tech to do business as usual? Music by bensound.com

It's been a while since we've dug into a specific project, but when word came to us of a long-term storage project with a new battery, we had to sniff the story out. We have Minnesota's Great River Energy Chief Power Supply Officer Jon Brekke, and the Form Energy's cofounder, president, and COO Ted Wiley to discuss the "aqueous air" battery project set to be fully rolled out in 2023. As we've done...

How has the pandemic affected cities' commitments to building more ecologically-minded? What do those standards look like in the first place? To answer these questions and more we brought on Anita Ledbetter, Executive Director at Build San Antonio Green. If you want to donate to help protesters fight for racial justice across the country here are some resources: Freedom Fund - https://www.lgbtqfun...

Today on the show we have Dr. Massoud Amin of the University of Minnesota talking about the powers of resiliency. The conversation flows between grid resiliency, cyber resiliency, and personal resiliency against the various threats of the modern era. Dr. Amin lays out prescriptive practices in these fields based on years of research and observation. Music by bensound.com

Today we're launching a monthly solar podcast focus for the coming year and we're starting it off with NREL's Sarah Gomach who is here to talk about round two of the American Made Solar Prize. The lessons learned from round 1 have helped shape the solar network of developers, labs, entrepreneurs and other key figures. We also talk about the larger implications of the movement towards solar in all...

Our guest today is Chris King, SVP of emobility policy and regulatory affairs at Siemens. He discusses EV charging standards and interoperability allowing for a better customer experience, but on a larger scale this episode explores what the most cost-effective way is to create a user-friendly infrastructure. The ultimate goal is to help remove barriers to EV adoption and prepare for what looks li...

Today we have Rod West, President of Utility Operations at Entergy, on the show to talk about two key aspects of COVID-based disruption in the energy space. Initially we dive into resiliency and what precautions are taking place to ensure reliability of power alongside safety of workers. Then we take a look at how the customer journey has been upended by the personal, cultural, and economic impact...