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Solar power has the ability to transform not only the grid but the individual energy experiences of homes across the country. And while the cost for solar panels has dropped dramatically in recent years and their pervasiveness has increased, the upfront costs required and the potential knowledge gap in how to choose and install solar have still kept many households outside of solar accessibility. Seeking to close that gap so all homes can reap the benefits is a core goal of the greater solar industry, and this task has been taken head-on by today's guests on the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast: Delores Montez, Community Solar Program Manager at Georgia Power, and Shannon Roberts, Product Manager at Clean Power Research.
In this episode, Delores and Shannon explain how Georgia Power's innovative solar journey, in collaboration with Clean Power Research, tackled the challenges of expanding solar offerings to Georgia Power customers and how the WattPlan tool emerged as the answer. With insights into best practices, lessons learned, and the ever-evolving solar landscape, this conversation illuminates the transformative impact of strategic partnerships. Whether you're a solar enthusiast or just curious about the future of energy, listen in as Delores and Shannon share with podcast host Jason price and producer Matt Chester dive deep into solar solutions and the bright possibilities they hold.
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Thanks to the sponsor of this episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast: Clean Power Research.
Key Links:
Delores Montez's Energy Central Profile: energycentral.com/member/profile/delores-montez
Shannon Roberts's Energy Central Profile: energycentral.com/member/profile/shannon-roberts-1
Clean Power Research on Energy Central: energycentral.com/o/clean-power-research%C2%AE
Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/
TRANSCRIPT
Jason Price:
Welcome to the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast, the show that brings leading minds from the energy industry to discuss the challenges and trends that are transforming and modernizing our energy system. And a quick thank you to Clean Power Research, our sponsor of today's show. Now let's talk energy. I am Jason Price, Energy Central Podcast host and director with West Monroe. Coming to you from New York City. And with me as always, from Orlando, Florida, is Energy Central producer and community manager, Matt Chester. Matt, living in the Sunshine State, I'm curious if you have access to solar power on your home.
Matt Chester:
Hey Jason. When my wife and I, we bought our home here a few years back, one of the first things I looked into after unpacking was how I could get solar panels on my rooftop. But what I ran into was that because I live in a townhouse in a community with a pretty tightly run HOA, it wasn't so simple for me as just calling up a solar installer. So with it being a townhouse, there would've had to been coordination among the other connected townhouses and then a lot of HOA related hoops to jump through and seemed like those were all likely to fail. So despite my desire to generate my own power, I unfortunately, had to give up that battle.
Jason Price:
Sure. Understand. I know your situation is a common one among the many reasons that may make it expensive, difficult, or outright impossible for customers who want to embrace clean energy to install the solar panel technology they'd like. But the appetite to go green and take control of the type of energy at home or even at businesses consuming is strong and only growing. Because of that, innovative stakeholders and forward-looking utility companies have been adapting compelling models, tools, and strategies to widen the reach of solar energy generation. One of those tools, WattPlan, has been implemented by Georgia Power with the assistance of clean power research. And today's episode will feature guests from these two organizations to highlight how they work and why such creative solutions are so important. Today we welcome Delores Montez, who is the program manager for Community Solar at Georgia Power. Welcome to the show today, Delores.
Delores Montez:
Thank you. I'm happy to be here.
Jason Price:
And we're thrilled to have you. And also joining us is Shannon Roberts, the product manager at Clean Power Research, who guided the implementation of WattPlan. Welcome to the show as well, Shannon.
Shannon Roberts:
Great. Thanks so much for having me, Jason.
Jason Price:
Well, before we dive into the successful and forward-looking collaboration between Georgia Power and Clean Power research, I'd love to give you all a minute to credentialize yourself even better. Please tell us a little bit about your role in the industry and how you got there. Delores, why don't we start with you?
Delores Montez:
Thank you. So I'm the program manager at Georgia Power for subscriber based community solar program. And also I designed and currently implementing an income qualified community solar pilot program. As this will serve the LMI community with our three existing facilities located in the state. Prior to that, I was a project manager serving as the liaison with the customer, the contracted solar installer, our distribution and field engineers to manage and process interconnection agreements. Prior to that, I was actually working at Alabama Power's sister company. And I was first introduced to the sustainability industry while helping program managers work on lead and green building certification products. So I became very interested, it caught my attention and that led me to the role I took at Georgia Power.
Jason Price:
Delores, thank you for that. And Shannon, over to you.
Shannon Roberts:
Great, thank you. I'm currently the product manager at Clean Power Research working on WattPlan. WattPlan is a self-guided customer education tool that utilities can use to inform their customers about their energy decisions. So around rooftop solar, battery storage, electric vehicles, and much more. Previous to clean power research, I actually got my start in this industry working on battery storage. I was at SunPower working on residential storage on the SunVault, and then prior to that I was at Doosan GridTech working on utility scale storage. I became interested in sustainability many years ago, even though I'm recently working in the industry and got my start actually working with tool libraries in the circular economy to reduce waste. So really excited now to be working with utilities and making a big impact on the energy transition.
Jason Price:
That's fantastic and welcome as well. Now let's start at the beginning. I'd like to go to the Georgia Power perspective. Delores, can you tell us before there was WattPlan program, what exactly was the problem you saw need to fill with some innovation in terms of the solar offerings available to Georgia Power customers?
Delores Montez:
Well, prior to WattPlan, we handled each customer's inquiry individually. While this gave us an opportunity to educate the customer about solar, it involved calling or emailing well over a thousand requests a year. As national attention grew about solar, we had to find a solution. We had to automate the process, make it more self-serve so that we can divert our resources towards the interconnection process.
Jason Price:
Delores, have you tried other methods that had fallen flat? Was this a constant hurdle with you trying different ideas to see results?
Delores Montez:
Pretty much. We had set up a generic solar calculation tool on our website, but customers still didn't feel it addressed their individual concerns. And so they would use the generic calculator, but they would still submit a request for a callback because they didn't feel comfortable and they didn't feel like it addressed their issue. After all, whose house is like mine? So they wanted something that's more customized for their home. But we found we were making follow up calls and all we were doing was confirming the information they had already received on the website. It was the best estimate we could give unless they were ready to get an installer quote. So we were going back and forth trying to solve the problem, but it did not solve the problem.
Jason Price:
Yeah, understood. So let's bring in clean power research. Shannon, how did you and your team get involved and how were you able to identify new opportunities that maybe hadn't been tried before?
Shannon Roberts:
Yeah, absolutely. When working with Georgia Power, we had the background of having worked with many other utilities and energy agencies over the year to name a few PG&E, NV Energy, OGE, AEP and many more. So when Georgia Power came to us with this problem, it's definitely one that we'd solved before. So we felt like we were in a really good place to help them. One thing that's really exciting about the Georgia Power implementation is they also have community solar programs. So WattPlan in its initial instances was really targeted towards rooftop solar. So someone needs to own a home or be able to make that investment. Whereas Georgia Power can also educate their customers on their simple solar offset program and their community solar program. So with their pushing, we were able to implement two new modules, which allows someone to see the three different options side by side, put in their energy usage and see their different options for rooftop solar and community solar.
Jason Price:
Sure. And when introducing a tool like this, I imagine one of the key concerns is not overwhelming the customer. What are some of the best practices you implemented or maybe some of the lessons you learned along the way to allow this process and tool to be beneficial for your customers rather than stressing them out and making this a more challenging process overall? I'd love to hear from both of you, but let's start with Shannon.
Shannon Roberts:
Yeah, absolutely. I think there's three main things that we focus on. So the first one is always keeping in mind our customer and recognizing that there's a variety of people that are going to come to learn about solar. Therefore, we want to give enough information in the first estimate that allows them to get a good picture without needing to make any modifications. So for example, we use Lidar data to learn about the rooftop of their home to inform where we lay out the solar panels, and we also on the backend are taking into account their actual electric rate. But let's say there's someone who really wants to dig deep and place solar panels in certain locations, you can dig deeper and really make those changes, but you don't have to. So it's both allowing someone who wants a simple process as well as putting the tools in there for someone who really wants to play around.
The second thing we do is rely on user testing. So as a product manager here developing features, I might think that I've developed something that's super clear, and of course someone's going to understand it, but we go that extra mile of really testing it with end users and making sure that it makes sense to them. And then lastly, we're always the looking for feedback. So both feedback from our utility partners like Delores, and then actually we have the ability within WattPlan for end users to submit feedback. So they might tell us, "Hey, I couldn't find this, or I had a question about this." And that allows us to be constantly iterating and improving the product based on customer feedback.
Jason Price:
Thank you for that. Shannon. Delores, do you have anything to add?
Delores Montez:
Shannon made some great points and did a great job of highlighting many of the technical features of WattPlan. What I'll add is when we had our old tool, we did a review of when we were losing the customer. And surprisingly, the one question where we lost the most customers was, "Do you own your home?" And that led us to believe customers thought this is for homeowners only. So that we knew we had to address right away. And WattPlan has done a great job of this, allowing all of the options to be available with more off-ramps. I live in an apartment. Okay, this off-ramp will take you to your information and it'll get all the solar options in front of the customer early in the experience. So I've been very pleased with it. It addresses all of our concerns that we had before and we're not getting the replies back asking for more information.
Jason Price:
That's great. I'd love to hear more about WattPlan tool and how it's evolved to meet the customer and the grid needs where they are. Since the power landscape is changing dramatically, customer needs are changing, utility grid continues to modernize. So who has some thoughts to share? Do you have any stories from the field to ground and personalize these results a bit for us?
Delores Montez:
But the implementation of WattPlan, that one little feature of customizing the results included that map view of the customer's home. When they can see their home, then they feel more comfortable that this is my experience, this is my calculation. So that's very helpful. The next area of growth and where we'd like to implement more tools within WattPlan involve modeling battery storage, electric vehicle calculations, and a more robust connection to our LMI offerings and energy efficiency programs. So that's where we're headed. That's where a lot of interest, a lot of requests have come from that battery storage being number one, electric vehicle definitely and always helping our LMI community to be able to get into the renewables game.
Jason Price:
Shannon, would you like to share a story? You have more of a national perspective? Any other stories you'd like to add to that?
Shannon Roberts:
Yeah, absolutely. And I think what we're hearing from Delores and where she's going aligns with what we're seeing across the country. WattPlan a few years ago developed a battery storage module that can be added on. So maybe that's in the future here with Georgia Power, where someone's estimate can see, okay, if I add a battery, what does that do? We've seen big changes in California, for example, with NEM 3.0, how that really changes the calculations with should I add battery storage? So that's definitely pushed interest there. And then with electric vehicles, that's a really big one as well as we're electrifying the whole home, it's becoming a lot more important to answer these questions holistically. And then on the last point of connecting to LMI customers, I think this is a really good example where a utility and Georgia Power and their programs will really push us to say, okay, how can we make sure that WattPlan is addressing this and what new features or workflows can we do to address that? So exciting stuff.
Jason Price:
Yeah, no, that's great. It seems like WattPlan is really scaling as the market matures. That's interesting. Shannon, let's stay with you.
Shannon Roberts:
Yeah.
Jason Price:
Basically, the question I have is really around who really wins from this? Is it really the utility? Is it the customer? Is it the stakeholder? Who's driving it? And in your words, who's the hero in this collaboration? I'd love to hear from you, Shannon, but certainly Delores, feel free to chime in as soon as Shannon's done.
Shannon Roberts:
Yeah, absolutely. This is a question Delores and I have been chatting about. And I think what we keep coming back to and is really clear here is we're really both supporting each other as we're helping the end use customer. So what I mean by that is as clean power research, we can provide this software solution to Georgia Power that can help them with their current needs with solar and then grow as they need further education around electric vehicles and storage. And because we're working with utilities all across the US and actually North America, we can bring that insight of, oh, this is what we're seeing at other utilities and keep building. And then Georgia Power is so critical because it's their programs. For me to hear from Delores who's talking to the end use customers like this is what they're asking about, this is what we care about. So we really see this mutual win-win situation that at the end of the day really helps the utility customers, everyone who's trying to make those intelligent energy decisions and just wants objective, reliable information that's easy to understand.
Jason Price:
Delores.
Delores Montez:
I definitely agree with Shannon on all those points, we went back and forth. You're the hero. No, you're the hero. We're both heroes, aren't we? Because we're responding to the changing energy needs of the customer, and the mission of both of our companies involves that. So the customer is the driving factor for our collaboration and will be for any changes or any new tools that we add to the WattPlan program. So I've called the customer the hero for inquiring about it.
Jason Price:
Oh, for sure. Certainly as more DER comes on the market, tools like this will be even more important. So congratulations to both of you. We want to give you the final word, but we also have what we call the lightning round, which gives us an opportunity to learn more about you, the person, and not just you, the professional. So we have five questions, and we ask you to keep your response to one word or phrase. We'll start with Delores, and then Shannon, you can follow up. So ladies, are you ready?
Delores Montez:
Yes.
Shannon Roberts:
Yes.
Jason Price:
Okay. What is your guilty pleasure food?
Delores Montez:
Oh, banana pudding.
Shannon Roberts:
French fries for me.
Jason Price:
What's the first major splurge you'd make if you won the lottery?
Delores Montez:
Okay, I'm not trying to be political, but student loan debt. Okay. Student loan debt.
Shannon Roberts:
Nice. Because it'd be a big lottery, a lakefront house.
Jason Price:
Favorite clean energy or energy efficiency practice you adopt at home.
Delores Montez:
Are we still sticking to one word, phrase or can I expand?
Jason Price:
Go ahead. No constraints.
Delores Montez:
The low hanging fruit, of course, changing out your light bulbs to LED. But my favorite is finding companies that have a proven track record in sustainability. From cleaning products to my vacation choices of hotel or cruise providers. So that's one of my favorite practices that I stick to.
Shannon Roberts:
Ooh, I love that, Delores. I was also going to say light bulbs because I'm a renter, so I feel like there's not too much I can do, but I love your response.
Jason Price:
Okay. If you ended up in a completely different career, non-energy career path, what might you have been doing today?
Delores Montez:
I believe I would be an architect. I love structures and learning about the history. Gargoyles, I just love gargoyles on top of a building, so definitely architect.
Shannon Roberts:
Awesome. Let's see. I might work in physics research, maybe I'd be a high school physics teacher.
Jason Price:
And lastly, what are you most motivated by? Delores.
Delores Montez:
Well, my grandchildren. Four grandchildren. So I'm motivated to make things better for them. And if I have any small part of it, I want to know that I'm leaving things better for my grandchildren.
Shannon Roberts:
That's great. Similar, I think I'm really motivated to connection to others and that wanting to leave the world a better place than I found it.
Jason Price:
Well, nicely done. So you've now earned a final parting message for our listeners. Through the WattPlan implementation process surely you've learned a lot that would be beneficial for your peers to learn from. So what's that one message or lesson you hope fellow utility professionals take away from today? Let's start with you, Delores.
Delores Montez:
Well, understanding what's important to your customers, it takes good old fashioned conversation. All tech and no touch will not get you to where you need to be. So even though you have automation, but you should still find a way to either conduct surveys or speak with customers and respond to their inquiries individually. It can still be an automated process, but try to incorporate something that makes them feel that you are speaking to them directly. Because you will gain insight into what's important to that customer. And I'll tell you when their priorities shift. I've seen a shift in priorities from just saving money to them wanting to help the environment.
Jason Price:
Shannon?
Shannon Roberts:
Yeah, I think to echo what Delores says, and I think I'll also say, seeing if this podcast is for people working in the utility industry, that if you're developing, let's say a software product and working with utilities and their customers, it's so key to talk to them. So both for me to talk to Delores and hear what she's hearing from her customers. And then can we add things to the tool, like surveys to get feedback directly. So yeah, that partnership and making sure that you're really keying into the specific needs, make sure you're going to be successful as we all work towards electrification.
Jason Price:
That's terrific. And thank you both for some real fantastic insight today. We know that our listeners will have some questions to follow up on the conversation, and we invite those listeners to log into energycentral.com and leave those comments and questions for the episode, and we hope that you'll continue following and answer them back to our guests. So until then though, thanks again for sharing your insight with us on today's episode of the podcast, Delores and Shannon. Our guests can always be reached through the energy essential platform where they welcome your questions and comments. We also want to give a shout out of thanks to the podcast sponsors that made today's episode possible.
Thanks to Clean Power Research. Clean Power Research empowers utilities and energy agencies to successfully navigate the energy transformation. Its innovative solutions help utilities scale energy programs by streamlining customer education, program enrollment, regulatory reporting, and grid planning. Clean power research is a trusted partner of leading utility and energy enterprises. And learn more at cleanpower.com. Once again, I'm your host, Jason Price. Plug in and stay fully charged into the discussion by hopping into the community at energycentral.com. And we'll see you next time at the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast.
About Energy Central Podcasts
The ‘Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast’ 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.
The ‘Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast’ 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.
The Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast 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.
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