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Can AI do your capital planning for you? (brought to you by Copperleaf)

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As utilities face the mounting challenges of aging infrastructure, increasing demand, and evolving sustainability mandates, the need for smarter, more efficient capital planning is more pressing than ever. Simultaneously, you seemingly can't go a day without seeing a new, awe-inspiring headline about the power that artificial intelligence is newly bringing to the world. At the nexus of these two trending topics, this episode's guests see tremendous opportunity.

AI is playing a transformative role in helping utilities optimize their investment strategies, ensuring resources are allocated efficiently while mitigating risks. In this episode of Power Perspectives, Tom Ligocki, Global Head of Energy and Water Services at IFS, and Danilo Prates, Senior Director of Program Management at Copperleaf, explore how AI-driven analytics are revolutionizing capital planning, enabling utilities to make data-driven decisions on infrastructure upgrades, resilience planning, and cost management.

Listen in to learn firsthand expertise from these experts as they analyze:

  • The critical role of capital planning in the utility sector
  • How AI is enhancing investment decision-making for utilities
  • Key challenges utilities face in modernizing infrastructure and integrating renewable energy
  • Real-world benefits and cost savings from AI-powered capital planning solutions

Join podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester as they navigate these new opportunities shared by Tom and Danilo. Whether you’re a utility leader, an energy sector professional, or an AI enthusiast, this episode provides valuable insights into how technology is shaping the future of infrastructure investment.

 

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Thanks to the sponsor of this episode of the Power Perspectives: Copperleaf

 

Key Links:

Copperleaf on Energy Central: energycentral.com/o/copperleaf

Industrial AI is IFS.ai: https://www.ifs.com/ai 

Copperleaf eBook: Value-based Decision Making: https://www.copperleaf.com/knowledge-hub/ebook-value-based-decision-making-the-key-to-better-business-performance/ 

Decision Analytics Solutions for Electrical Utilities: https://www.copperleaf.com/solutions-for-industry/electric-utilities-decision-analysis-software/ 

Ask a Question to Our Future Guests: Do you have a burning question for the utility executives and energy industry thought leaders that we feature each week on Power Perspectives? Leave us a message here for your chance to be featured in an upcoming episode: www.speakpipe.com/EnergyCentralPodcast 

 

TRANSCRIPT

Jason Price:

As utilities face the dual pressures of aging infrastructure, and growing demand, the need for smarter, faster, and more efficient capital planning has never been greater. With increasing hurdles thrown at decision makers from supply chain disruptions, sustainability mandates, and balancing those amid ever-present financial constraints, the stakes are now higher than ever. Enter the power of AI, and industrial innovation. In today's episode, we'll explore how AI-driven solutions are redefining that process of capital planning, enabling utilities to make smarter decisions about where, when, and how to invest in their systems. From prioritizing upgrades to preparing for extreme weather, AI is helping utilities maximize value while minimizing risk. Joining us for this conversation are two industry leaders who have been deep in collaboration on solving these challenges.

Tom Ligocki, Global Head of Energy, and Water Services at IFS, and Danilo Prates, senior director of program management at Copperleaf. Together, they bring over 30 years of utility experience, and unparalleled expertise in leveraging AI, and digital transformation to empower utilities in their capital planning journey. I'm Jason Price, coming to you from New York City, and with me as always is Matt Chester, Energy Central producer, and community manager from Orlando, Florida. Matt, capital planning, and AI, both growing buzzwords on energy essential. How are these topics resonating with the community these days?

 

Matt Chester:

Yeah, thanks, Jason. And of course, as with everywhere across the industry, these topics are generating, like you said, a lot of buzz in the Energy Central community as well. So, our community members, they're keenly focused on how AI can drive those smarter data-driven decisions in areas like capital planning, especially with the growing need to balance things like reliability, financial pressure, sustainability goals, and all of those segments are individually becoming more complex each, and every year. So, any transformative, innovative tool like AI is very welcome, very needed. So, I'd say it's a hotbed of innovation, and collaboration right now in the Energy Central community. And I know our members, and our listeners, they're eager to explore these advancements. So, I'm hoping today's conversation, and with our guest today will add some welcome expertise to that discussion.

 

Jason Price:

Yeah, thanks Matt. And before we dive into today's episode, I do want to thank Copperleaf, our sponsor of today's show. Now let's get started. Tom, and Danilo thank you for joining us, and welcome to the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast.

 

Tom Ligocki:

Thank you for having us. Glad to be here.

 

Jason Price:

So, let's just dive in. So, IFS, and Copperleaf have made the news this past year. Given the acquisition, there seems to be quite a bit of movement by IFS, and I'm wondering if you'd like to give a brief overview of IFS, and its IFS, and its investment in Copperleaf, and other complementary acquisitions. Tom, do you want to kick this off?

 

Tom Ligocki:

Absolutely. Happy to. Thanks for having us. It's a very exciting time to be working for IFS. We are a global company that offers enterprise solutions for a narrow set of industries, and we're here to talk about the energy industry specifically, which is one of our key focus areas where we have over 300 utility clients globally enjoying the software, and more are coming. We offer a cloud-based enterprise solution based on an industrial AI. Before AI was a buzzword that became popular, we offer everything from enterprise asset management, field service management, asset investment planning, and ERP. The reason that we chose, and we're so happy that Copperleaf joined our community is because we wanted to have a leadership position in all of the product lines that we offer. And that is exactly what Copperleaf offers.

So, when you're looking at reports from IDC, Gartner, Verdantix, you can see that IFS is always in the top right corner enjoying a leadership position because of the investments that we're making in technology. The same we saw when we looked at Copperleaf, and their leadership position as well. So, together we offer now a complete enterprise asset management solution, a complete end-end asset lifecycle, but I'd love to have Danilo offer more.

 

Danilo Prates:

Yeah, absolutely, Tom, and I agree, this is a very beneficial partnership for both IFS, and Copperleaf because when you combine the IFS capabilities, and the Copperleaf's AI-powered analytics, definitely what you can get is a better end-to-end lifecycle management, and operational efficiency, consequently. So, at Copperleaf we do a data-driven battery-based decision analytics, this all powered by AI, and in fact Copperleaf, and IFS together now we are the first to offer these comprehensive end-to-end asset lifecycle managed capability, and we are very, very passionate about helping companies manage capital planning, and assets more efficiently. AI has been very influential in the digital world, and now we have more opportunities than ever to also use AI to impact the physical world through better managing critical assets. As you might imagine over the past years, lots of progress in digital applications. Now is the time to really impact the real world, the world of atoms, and combining IFS, and Copperleaf. Definitely we are bringing, as you said, the top, and the best of what we can offer to the market these days.

 

Jason Price:

That's great. Danilo, I'm glad you brought up capital planning. That's why we're here today to talk about that. So, let's dig in a bit further on that. I'm hoping you both can explain in broad terms the need for capital planning, and why it's such a focal point for utilities.

 

Danilo Prates:

We've seen in the recent years the focus in capital planning has really intensified due to many external factors. Utilities are facing challenges on climate change. This has been creating more severe, and frequent weather events. There is also regulatory aspects, customer expectations. So, with all that shift, there is an increase in more urgent need for modernizing, and integrations of sustainable energy sources. When you look at this, utilities, definitely they must plan for investments in the renewable space including smart grids, and other technologies so they can stay competitive, and also comply with these environmental regulations. And additionally, proper capital planning helps us avoid these sudden rate increases for customers by spreading out the costs over time, which is also key, right? You wanted to expand but have a predictable, and stable expenditure over time without these spikes. So, this is how actually proper capital planning can really help the industry.

 

Jason Price:

That's really helpful. So, back to you Danilo, since you wear the Copperleaf hat, let's double click a little bit further into that. So, help us understand how Copperleaf fits into the capital planning process. If you could speak about the process, and then at the end of the day, the value proposition that utilities, and the industry should be thinking about this application. Can you talk about that?

 

Danilo Prates:

Yeah, of course. Definition of the value framework is something that really sets our technology, and our solution apart because this really allows utilities to evaluate, and prioritize projects based on multiple dimensions of value. And these multiple dimensions of value is all about bringing everything to a common economic scale for making decisions. And this can include both financial, and non-financial dimensions such as reliability, affordability, safety, environmental risks, social impact. We can bring all this to the same equation, and many people they say we compare apples with bananas, right? As part of the Copperleaf better framework. And with the Copperleaf's BI powered analytics, utilities can assess the potential benefits, and risks of each investment so that the resources they are allocated to projects that they're going to deliver the highest overall value. So, as many all of us we face, these are the challenges of decisions, and making decisions.

These are very complex decisions, and when we are making an investment, usually you have several alternatives. So, what is the best alternatives? Should I replace? Should I refurbish, should I just keep in maintaining these assets? And when you're talking about a very large population of assets, these are quite complex decisions to be made. So, this approach not only enhances transparency, and accountability in decision making, but also aligns investment decisions with the organization's strategic goals. So, we have several cases, and we work with our customers, and we keep measure, and track of all these metrics. But what I can say that you can expect that if you have a CapEx of about... You have an annual capital expenditure of about one billion dollars per year, you should expect just by simply optimizations, and organizing these processes, and a predicted value of additional $38 million that can unlock. Just for, right to the start the minimum annual value for client-based from previous experiences of implementing, and deploying the Copperleaf solution. This is what we observe in the market.

 

Jason Price:

Yeah, I appreciate that. So, Danilo, let's stay with you for a moment. We talked about AI at the onset, so can you talk now, and weave in AI into the narrative here? So, what's the conversation been like in the field around the role of AI, and honestly, what is the role of AI when it comes to capital planning?

 

Danilo Prates:

Yeah, that's a great question. So, the way we see AI is that AI is not a feature, or a component in our solution. This is actually a core, and foundational technology that is going to drive all, and every aspect of the decision-making processes. And our philosophy is that the AI in this case is not going to tell you what to do. The AI, actually, it mentors you, it coaches the user to build a better business case with a better quality. We have an AI-powered optimization, and what if analysis, because the solution helps you to identify what are the different scenarios. For example, you can even generate different levels of constraints. If I have $100 million per year, or even if I have 110, or if I have 90, what is going to impact my operations my day to day? And you can see this as a result in all the different metrics that we've mentioned, safety, the reliability, environmental aspects, et cetera. AI is across the entire solution, and we see it so embedded in the capital planning process.

 

Jason Price:

Yeah. So, Tom, where you sit, you get sort of a broader perspective here because it's more industry-wide than just carpooling, so anything you want to add to that?

 

Tom Ligocki:

Yeah, I think at IFS we look at not just AI, we look at industrial AI, and within industrial AI we have six different components, and six different areas that we focus in on. I'll mention just a few of them. Number one, Gen AI is what most people talk about. And a good example of that can be in addition to what Danilo has already mentioned is I have a work order, and I have to generate an invoice based on that work order, understand that contextual knowledge can help me generate an invoice. So, that's one simple example. Another example can be anomaly detection. So, there's a lot of technologies, it's exciting that integrate to IFS as well as our own that help to identify those anomalies that require action. And it's about prioritizing action, and it's about prioritizing impact both safety, not only safety for the workers, but also safety for the consumer.

And of course reliability as you already mentioned. A third example that I would mention is predictive scheduling. So, now let's say that I have to schedule, and dispatch some worker to take action. So, now we've determined what asset, or service needs to be performed, having that kind of a predictive what if based scenario that takes into consideration both the past, but also the current circumstances, and provides those heuristics to inform the user as to what the best scheduling is. Those are just some of the AI advancements that we have seen that are here today that are practical, and that are actionable.

 

Jason Price:

So, Tom, let's stick with you, and then Danilo certainly chime in. I want to ask you about risk, and risk mitigation. This is an industry utilities very much risk, they're very much trying to mitigate, and control risk as much as possible. That's why there's always pilots, and planning, and so on, and so forth. So, talk to us, are there tools now that allow the utilities to do things that simply weren't possible in the past so that we could overcome, and maybe accelerate some of the innovations that we're trying to develop here that would prevent us from doing it because of these former risks, or potential risks that are always sort of in the background of these activities?

 

Tom Ligocki:

Yeah, no, great question. I think that the word risk really is about prevention, and we at IFS address both the preventative aspect as well as the reactive. So, post event. So, if there's a weather event, or some other disruption that's caused, we also help with after the event, but let's focus on what happens from before an event occurs. How can we prepare, and be best prepared for such an event? So, predictive asset health, predictive equipment maintenance, predictive anticipating where we need workers. So, for example, if you have a group of workers, you actually would take those workers before a storm, and you would take them off of the shift, because you want them to be rested, you want them to be ready. You also need to empower them because they are going to be receiving help potentially from out of state. And being able to collaborate with those folks that are from out of state, being able to do that in real time.

Having Copperleaf allows us to be able to predict which assets may not sustain a weather event as well, and therefore know which assets, and which parts may be required. So, it's not just about the people that may be required that can come, and aid in a major event, but also the assets, and parts that will be required as well. These events, it's fascinating when I look at the trend map of the events that cause one billion dollars, or more in damage, and in the United States alone they have increased to over 100 such events per year. I mean it's a phenomenal number, and the more solutions, the more innovation, and the more use of industrial AI that can be applied to both prevention as well as taking action afterwards, the better we all will be.

 

Danilo Prates:

The main risk that we see, and this is the origin of this conversation now, is about risks, is that the primary risk that we address is in fact the inefficient allocation of resources. And when we look at traditional methods, then they usually lead to very suboptimal investment decisions. And what the AI-driven solutions can do is that you can dynamically analyze current data, you can look at trends, and then prioritize investments that they're going to offer the highest returns, and also in alignment with these strategic goals of the organizations. So, this means that when you allocate these resources more efficiently, you can consequently reduce financial risks, and maximize impact of value. So, by using AI-powered investment planning software, in summary, I can say that utilities can make more informed strategic decisions. This is going to enhance resilience, and adaptability in all these challenging landscapes, and they can also make decisions faster, in smarter ways, and with more confidence because this is all driven by data.

 

Tom Ligocki:

If you would allow me, maybe just to give one example that I have seen you perform Danilo is that there was a customer that was seeing a subdivision growing very quickly, and they had a plan. The plan was to replace a transformer, because it was kind of reaching end of life. It was still safe, it was still operating according to the specifications, but they decided, because of your software to delay that decision, to delay that decision because they saw that the subdivision was growing, the number of EVs, electric vehicles, was growing, and so therefore replacing that transformer with an equivalent transformer was in fact not the best decision. It was better to delay the decision by a couple of years, and then upgrade that segment of the line to a much higher powered set of transformers because of the fact of that growth. But it was only because of your software that they were able to foresee that growth, and prevent unnecessary action.

 

Jason Price:

That's a powerful application, or example of the application. That's great. So, let's go a little bit further on terms of how you work with utilities. So, give, or walk us through the process now that there's been an acquisition. Help us understand how do you play a role when a utility reaches out? How do you collaborate with them, and how does IFS, and Copperleaf play out in that renewed relationship with the utility?

 

Danilo Prates:

One of the things that we are really proud of is our agility. We want to drive to value as fast as we can, and deliver that value to our clients, and to our community. So, what we currently have is an off-the-shelf industry solution that is very tailored to the energy sector, and our goal is to deliver this in 12 weeks, and then this is going to allow you to get using the tool, getting value right away, and then you can use the Copperleaf for your next planning cycle. So, that's the starting point. We also have what we call an accelerate program, and this means that you have access to industry experts from Copperleaf throughout the journey with us. This is going to reduce the management, change management efforts. We also create a value roadmap for the future where we can look at the functionality, and the adoption plan that makes sense for you, and solution, how it's going to evolve over time.

And I know that many people might be curious to understand, "Okay, what is actually within the 12 weeks", right? So, it's like you forget it started what does really mean if I wanted to implement a solution, and start working that way. So, the first step, and this is something we've mentioned earlier is the value framework. So, we are going to work together in aligning the organizational strategic objectives to a value-based decision-making framework. And this is a collaborative effort where we really understand what are the priorities, what are the things that they really matter for the business, then we are going to load all the investments that they already exist with the know alternatives, et cetera, into the system so it can have everything in one single place. And finally, we are going to enable you to optimize your plan, and starting using the power of what if within that 12 months cycle.

Then the idea is that, of course, it doesn't end there. That's the whole concept of the accelerate program. We are going to keep working closely with our clients, making sure that you can expand the functionality of the solution like the value framework, additional workflows, self-serve dashboards, and we also have dedicated people to work together with you in defining what is the roadmap that makes the most sense better achieve the value over time. So, it is all about a journey, and we have to acknowledge that there's no, let's say recipe, we have lots of experience in implementing this type of solutions. The whole concept is we work together 12 weeks, you can already achieve value, and then we can evolve together over time. But definitely we see clients that they have been working with us for many, many years, I would say over a decade, and every year they are implementing new functionality, new solutions, and maturing even more. And as you said very well Tom, it's just acknowledging that this is the combination of people, and the technology, right?

 

Jason Price:

I want to switch gears for a moment. We have been involved with the United States Utility Critical Infrastructure Consortium, and surrounding supply chain issues, supply chain concerns, and with the new administration coming in, there's also concerns about tariffs, and other impacts of supply chain, not just the supply itself, but the price changes, and fluctuations that may result in potential trade wars, and all the downstream impacts of that. So, does Copperleaf look at this? Can you talk about how much of those factors are played into rolled into the Copperleaf platform, and just share with our audience some of the attributes that the Copperleaf may look at this, or could look at this?

 

Tom Ligocki:

Maybe if you allow me to look at it through the lens of a customer, and through a specific example, and then we can dive into the technology behind it. I am thinking of a specific customer who has gone through having to change the way that they make decisions based on the very geopolitical, and tariff-based issues that they are facing. One of the decisions they had made was that they would have 100% renewable energy, which really only gives them five years in their plan. So, within five years their plan was to introduce solar, and photovoltaic, but that is now in question, because the majority of that is being produced from China, and with tariffs on the Chinese imports of solar that is not no longer financially viable. So, this specific utility has made a choice to instead pivot to another very useful renewable energy, which is wind.

However, if you speak to the wind manufacturers, they are saying that if you place an order now, it may be six years before they're able to fulfill such an order. I am generalizing here, obviously, but this is a real example. This is a real scenario, and this is where Copperleaf comes in to help weigh complex options of having a specific mandate, having a specific goal, and having to pivot between different renewable sources, and how to chart that course, and how to communicate about the choices that are being made, so that all stakeholders understand the decisions that have to be made, and the choices in front of them.

 

Jason Price:

Interesting. All right, so I made a note here, sign me up. So, let's go into the practical here. Let's say utility wants to get started. What are the first steps? How do they overcome adoption barriers? Who from the utility tends to reach out, and have these kind of conversations with you? Just walk us through that process.

 

Danilo Prates:

Right. So, I imagine that your question is in the focus of AI, right? In the technology of AI?

 

Jason Price:

Absolutely. The AI component to powering the capital planning, correct.

 

Danilo Prates:

Okay. Yeah. So, AI in capital planning, I think the first step is just to assess your current processes, and we can identify the areas that you can add value. So, to refer to what we spoke back in the earlier talking points, if you think about the challenges that you're facing, are the supply chain disruptions causing project delays? Are the tariffs eating your budget? Is AI analyzing, and I can actually analyze all these vast amount of data, and predict those potential disruptions, and assess their impact on your project. So, I think that the first step is just to understand what are the things that they really matter to you, and for your business.

You can proactively address these issues, and make more informed decisions by making sure that you are collecting the right data that is going to help you. People today actually they have another issue. They just have too much data. They're collecting tons of data, but they just don't know exactly how to use it effectively. So, this is where I think that AI applied to the capital planning process can really make a difference, because then you can start simulating different outcomes that are going to really drive better value to your business, and then this tools can help you find the most resilient, and cost-effective approaches.

 

Jason Price:

That's great. All right, so let's do the following. Maybe it's looking a little into your crystal ball, but nonetheless you have a good sense of the industry, and the needs, and demands. So, talk through what is in the pipeline for innovation. What trends, or opportunities do you see coming, and what might utilities be able to do, say five to 10 years out that they can't do today that is enabled by the trends that you're identifying?

 

Danilo Prates:

Yeah, Jason, in the context of AI, this is a very tricky question, right, because things are changing, and evolving so fast, so I can try, right? But one of the things to me that are very clear is that one of the biggest trends that we are seeing right now is the increasing sophistication, and customization of AI models. So, I see that in five to 10 years, utilities are going to have access to AI tools that are specifically trained on their unique datasets, and operational contexts. And this direction is going to lead to much more accurate predictions, and insights, and ultimately better decision-making in areas such as asset management, and grid optimization as well.

 

Tom Ligocki:

Yeah, I mean if I can pick one example, and there's many, but one example, one dream, one vision to fulfill I think as a consumer would be that when there is stress placed on the grid, when there is a perhaps insufficient supply, and a much larger demand that occurs instead of having the much more disruptive demand response programs, if you have a network of electric vehicle charging stations, you don't even have to shut them down. You could actually reduce the amount of electricity that you're offering. If the utility has a way of harnessing this, they don't even need to send electricity back from the electric vehicle back into the grid, which obviously there's a lot of discussion on prosumers that are both consumed but also send electricity back into the grid. But it doesn't even have to be this profound, or this disruptive. It can simply be using AI to understand the ever slight reductions that would help reoptimize, and rebalance the grid for the utility. And this is within reach.

 

Jason Price:

We want to give you the final word on the show, but we have now we've entered in what's called the lightning round, which gives us an opportunity to ask you some questions to learn more about you, the person rather than you, the professional. So, we're going to throw a bunch of questions at you, we ask you to respond with one word, or phrase, and yeah, so are you ready?

 

Tom Ligocki:

Bring it on.

 

Danilo Prates:

Let's go.

 

Jason Price:

Okay, Tom, I'll start with you, and Danilo you'll follow up. So, first question, let's see both of you hail from Canada, the great white north, what tradition, or aspect of Canada do you find superior to the United States?

 

Tom Ligocki:

I don't know about superior, but we sure love our Canadian bacon, and maple syrup, so I'll go with that.

 

Danilo Prates:

Well, Tom, I have to apologize because one Canadian tradition that we have, and I think that really stands out is the noble of apologizing. So, I apologize for that, but Canadians are so good at it that they could probably win a gold medal if apologizing were an Olympic sport.

 

Jason Price:

All right, Tom, your dream vacation spot?

 

Tom Ligocki:

Hawaii is always a great place to relax, and allow the brain to regenerate, and refocus on the next adventure.

 

Danilo Prates:

Yeah, I would also probably choose Hawaii is a nice place to go, a good destination, but for a different purpose because my passion is hiking. I really love doing very long hikes, mountaineering, backpacking adventures. I've been actually in Hawaii already, and it's definitely to me this is how I re-energize is going for very long walks, and hikes.

 

Jason Price:

If you could wave a wand, and solve one energy industry challenge, what would it be?

 

Tom Ligocki:

For sure, I think that it would have to center around using AI to transform the way that we distribute energy, and that the way that we plan for the energy demands of the future.

 

Danilo Prates:

Well, if I had this one, the problem that I would ask to be solved, or I would solve is the strong reduction, or elimination of carbon emissions from power generation. This can really have a profound impact on climate change, which is a challenge that we face. And this can also reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that are currently released in the atmosphere.

 

Jason Price:

Okay. We also collect in the lightning round questions from former guests. So, I have one here submitted from Rob Brook of Neera. He had his question, he wants to ask a future guest, and that is what's your perspective on localized generation consumption? What's missing, and how do we bring it to life?

 

Tom Ligocki:

So, localized generation is great if you generate, for example, if you have a hydroelectric dam, or a nuclear SMR generator, if you could also have the consumers around that source. Sometimes it's possible, sometimes it's not. Obviously we see a lot of AI data centers being built in, and around the sources of power. So, that's certainly is efficient, and effective. Sometimes the negative side of that unfortunately is that smaller communities where this kind of generation is taking place have had a major source of power taken away from them, and dominated by an energy consumer that is very mission-critical. And so that can create some competing needs as well. But I think that just like with food, the same with energy, having more of the energy being generated in the same place where it's being consumed is very effective, because as we know, transmission lines lose 15%, or so in the process of transmitting. So, I think that the line loss associated, and that's just with line sag for example, that you can lose that much energy. So, I think that having more localized generation, and consumption is a great way to go.

 

Danilo Prates:

Yeah, I fully agree, Tom. I think that this can significantly reduce transmission losses, but what I feel right now that it is missing is a more robust way to incentivize, and fully integrate these resources into the larger grid. And to bring this to life, there is a few challenges ahead of us. I think we should focus on community education, investing in energy storage solutions, and also think about the software aspect in terms of how we can optimize the resources in real time. And yeah, I think that it's a promising concept. It does require some incentives right now, and it can really lead us to a more sustainable, efficient, and reliable energy landscape.

 

Jason Price:

Yeah, it's very interesting thinking. Never really framed it that way. I really like what you guys have said. If I may, I'd like to now turn the table, and ask you to ask a future guest a question. So, what question, or challenge do you want to present? And of course it can be topical, related to energy, or it can be an off the wall question. So, what would it be? Tom, you want to start?

 

Tom Ligocki:

I prefer Daniel to start with.

 

Danilo Prates:

I can kick it off. Well, Jason, I'm very passionate about technology, and innovation. So, I think a good question to ask is if we are in this era that technology is rapidly advancing, and the energy landscape is also evolving. So, what is the single most underrated innovation that has the potential to really revolutionize the energy sector, and why has it not been fully embraced by the market, or the industry?

 

Jason Price:

Well, gentlemen, thank you both for indulging us, and navigating through the lightning round, gracefully. So, I did promise I'll give you the final word. So, knowing that you've got utility CEOs, and executives, and key decision makers listening in, what do you hope they retain as the key takeaway from our discussion today? I'd love to hear from both of you. Danilo, you want to start, and Tom follow?

 

Danilo Prates:

Yeah, I would just say that if you are hesitating about AI, my recommendation is just start small. You can definitely identify a specific problem area, explore how AI can provide a solution. The technology is evolving so rapidly, and we are just scratching the surface of what's possible right now. So, I do believe that AI power solutions can really help utilities make this transition, and transformation smoothly. So, use this to improve your AI driven decision making journey. Start small but start, do not leave it for tomorrow. You can just start right now with what you have, and this is going to really make a big difference for us in the future.

 

Tom Ligocki:

Great point. I think that from my perspective, what I would want utility CEOs, and managers to take away from this is that to be hopefully excited about the industrial AI that is available today, not just about what's coming, because there's certainly a lot more ahead of us yet, but there are tools that are available, tools that are actionable today, whether they concern the assets, or the people, and to make decisions not only from a tactical, and operational perspective, but to include asset investment planning as part of their strategic planning process as well. That way they can take a look at holistically at the complete asset life cycle, and create a vision for their utility that sustains them, and their communities for many years to come. Thank you.

 

Jason Price:

That's great. Gentlemen, this has been a really insightful conversation. I really enjoyed it, and I have no doubt that the Energy Central community will feel the same, and post a lot of questions, and comments, and share around this discussion. So, I'm sure you'll be engaged, and pull back in for follow-up conversations. So, thank you, again, both of you for taking time today to talk to us on today's episode of the podcast.

 

Tom Ligocki:

Well, thank you for having us, and it's wonderful that Energy Central is bringing together a community that is so vital, so important, and that this particular juncture, especially with so much transformation taking place, both technology transformation, demand transformation, consumer expectations, there's so much change, and it's so hard to navigate. And Energy Central brings that information together in bite sized pieces, understandable, and actionable. So, thank you for what you do for the entire community.

 

Jason Price:

Thank you. We also want to give a shout of thanks to the podcast sponsors that made today's episode possible. Thanks to Copperleaf. Copperleaf, an IFS company provides enterprise decision analytics software solutions to companies managing critical infrastructure. It uses operational, and financial data to empower organizations to make investment decisions that deliver the highest business value. Copperleaf is also involved in shaping, and implementing global industry standards, and sustainability principles through organizations like the Institute of Asset Management, and more. Its industry leading solutions, and commitment to providing extraordinary experiences are distributed, and supported by regional staff, and partners worldwide. Together they're transforming how the world sees value. And once again, I'm your host Jason Price. Plug in, and stay fully charged in the discussion by hopping into the community at energycentral.com. And we'll see you next time at the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast

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About Energy Central Podcasts

Power Perspectives features conversations with thought leaders in the utility sector. At least twice monthly, we connect with an Energy Central Power Industry Network community member to discuss compelling topics that impact professionals who work in the power industry. Some podcasts may be a continuation of thought-provoking posts or discussions started in the community or with an industry leader that is interested in sharing their expertise and doing a deeper dive into hot topics or issues relevant to the industry.

Power Perspectives is the premiere podcast series from Energy Central, a Power Industry Network of Communities built specifically for professionals in the electric power industry and a place where professionals can share, learn, and connect in a collaborative environment. Supported by leading industry organizations, our mission is to help global power industry professionals work better. Since 1995, we’ve been a trusted news and information source for professionals working in the power industry, and today our managed communities are a place for lively discussions, debates, and analysis to take place. If you’re not yet a member, visit www.EnergyCentral.com to register for free and join over 200,000 of your peers working in the power industry.

Power Perspectives is hosted by Jason Price, Community Ambassador of Energy Central. Jason is a Business Development Executive at West Monroe, working in the East Coast Energy and Utilities Group. Jason is joined in the podcast booth by the producer of the podcast, Matt Chester, who is also the Community Manager of Energy Central and energy analyst/independent consultant in energy policy, markets, and technology.  

If you want to be a guest on a future episode of Power Perspectives, 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 see broken down in more detail in a conversation, feel free to send us a note to nominate them.  For more information, contact us at [email protected]. Podcast interviews are free for Expert Members and professionals who work for a utility.  We have package offers available for solution providers and vendors. 

Happy listening, and stay tuned for our next episode! Like what you hear, have a suggestion for future episodes, or a question for our guest? Leave a note in the comments below.

All new episodes of the Power Perspectives will be posted to the relevant Energy Central community group, but you can also subscribe to the podcast at all the major podcast outlets, including:

 

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