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Seeing the need for the clean energy transition and thinking about what that would mean for the future of energy, the serial entrepreneur Bill Nussey set out to interview hundreds of people in the sector and publish a book on what he learned, titled "Freeing Energy". While the utility sector has a reputation over its history for being somewhat insular and slow to change, that reputation is finally falling as various revolutions across the power industry are being embraced: digitalization, clean energy, and more.

On this episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast, Bill shares what he learned about the energy industry from a complete outsider's perspective to identify where the sector could be most suitably and impactfully disrupted. Critically, Bill shares his key lessons learned surrounding the two D's he sees as critical to the energy industry of tomorrow: Distributed and Disruptive:

"Think about the definition of a disruption. It's a term like innovation that's thrown around and such degree people don't even really know what it means anymore. But technically what a disruption means is that the industry changes faster than the incumbents are ready for. And that's the difference between an evolution or an evolving industry and one that's being disrupted. And the thesis I have, and I think is supported by years of research and strategic analysis and economic analysis, say that the DERs, or what I call local energy in the book, are going to happen faster than utilities are prepared for. The other very interesting, the definition of disruption is that it's when incumbent power is displaced or even replaced by outsiders. And that's a really big deal. And that's also something that I think regulators and utilities don't really understand. Entrepreneurs and others are coming into the industry with ideas that are crazy and probably are going to fail like mad. And so they are being widely dismissed. But that perspective fails to understand how innovation happens. All you need, of the thousands of new startups happening is you need only a half dozen to work and they will disrupt the industry. "

This entry into the podcasts, like all of the series episodes, can be found on all major podcast outlets, including iTunes and Spotify, or it can be listened to directly on the Energy Central platform (where we also feature a written transcription if you'd prefer to read). Give it a listen and share your reaction in the comments.

Episode #101: 'Disrupting Energy with an Entrepreneurial Perspective' with Bill Nussey [an Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast]

About Energy Central Podcast Series:

The 'Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast' Series features conversations with thought leaders in the utility sector. At least twice monthly, we'll connect with a Power Industry Leader to discuss compelling topics that impact utility professionals. Some podcasts may be a continuation of thought-provoking posts or discussions started in the community by an Energy Central Community Member. Others may be with an industry leader interested in sharing their expertise and doing a deeper dive into hot topics or issues relevant to the industry.

If you want to be a guest on a future episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast, let us know! We'll be pulling guests from our community members who submit engaging content that gets our community talking, and perhaps that next guest will be you! Likewise, if you see an article submitted by a fellow Energy Central community member that you'd like to hear about in more detail, feel free to send us a note to nominate them. To contact us, email community@energycentral.com. Podcast interviews are free for Expert Members and professionals who work for a utility. We have package offers available for solution providers and vendors.