The effects of climate change are upon us. Angela Tucci remembers the day her family fled a forest fire threatened her community:
“We drove away, not knowing whether we were ever going to be coming back to our house. And now half of that neighborhood is gone. It doesn't matter where you live, climate change can impact you.”
As Chief Operating Officer at Uplight, Tucci is taking a key leadership role at a software company that helps customers use energy in a more intelligent way. Justin Segall, Chief Strategy Officer at Uplight explains further:
“To meet the climate pledges that we have made, we've known the things that need to be done. Uplight’s role is to be that software layer that brings together the energy ecosystem in order to drive increased demand for clean energy, decarbonization of homes, buildings, and transportation.”
Adrian Tuck, Chief Executive Officer at Uplight says that the role of software is crucial to making significant positive impact across the grid:
“Our purpose is to build a more sustainable future using business as a force for good. That means marrying the capabilities of a company with an important mission: to do good in the world by driving the decarbonisation of the energy system. Most[1] [2] energy consumers don't understand what it is in their home that consumes energy and where the energy comes from. Our software can make small changes in those clients' homes, by asking somebody to do something different or automatically by controlling a device. Those small changes start to add up to whole power plants' worth of energy consumption.”
Can this change be delivered? Indy Ratnathicam, Chief Marketing Officer at Uplight believes that it can - and that consumers will feel the benefits:
“We have a goal of reducing carbon in the world by about a hundred million tons over the next five years. And at the same time reducing the related customer energy bills by over $10 billion. We believe that climate change can be impacted not just by bringing down carbon. We can bring down costs at the same time and make it available to everybody.”
What do these economies look like, and how do they help the wider decarbonization effort? Tuck explains:
“At home, you might have a smart thermostat and soon an electric car charger. The worst thing that can happen for the grid is that the car charger and the thermostat operate at the same time, as they're both big loads on the grid. Our job is to orchestrate those two devices to give the customer a full battery when they need it and a cool house while they're living in it, all without the customer ever noticing.”
Ratnathicam says that this is a fundamental shift in the relationship customers have with utilities:
“We're moving from being passive consumers of energy, to becoming active citizens of the grid. Now I'm generating electricity from my solar roof and storing it in my car battery. I'm making decisions in my home that benefit me, my bills and my carbon footprint, but also back to the grid for its capacity.”
Tuck says that Uplight’s utility clients have to face the challenge to decarbonize energy at scale. Chuck Caisley, Chief Customer Officer at Evergy, an investor-owned utility in the Heartland of America, says that the role of Uplight is critical:
“When people think about using less carbon, the first thing they go to is renewable generation. But it's only part of the solution. If we want to get to net zero, we need to change consumer habits and the way they use electricity. The question is, how do we get there? Engagement, awareness, orchestration, a seamless customer experience. And that's why Uplight is a huge part of our net zero 2045 strategy and goals.”
Meanwhile, Annette Clayton, Chief Executive Officer at Schneider Electric North America, an energy management and industrial automation company and an Uplight investor, says that her company and Uplight look at the world in a similar way:
“Schneider is an impact company. Uplight is a B corporation. We take the best of Schneider, a global multinational company with a lot of access to customers, contractors, marketplaces, and we take Uplight’s software technology from grid to plug. These two things married together can really impact in a more sustainable, more renewable and more decarbonized way.”
For Angela Tucci, having seen the devastation caused by climate change first hand, the mission is clear:
“The work that we do here has to happen. I can't imagine doing anything that is more important to the future of our world than anything that impacts everyday people and the assumptions they make about their everyday lives.”
