Global Power & Energy Elites Publication is Back with Industry’s Stand-Out Performers

Cape Town, South Africa, January 28, 2021 --(PR.com)-- The seventh edition of the Global Power & Energy Elites publication features inspiring interviews with leaders of power utilities and energy businesses around the globe, discussing topics from Artificial Intelligence, lessons in leadership, to the best book they read during 2020.

Produced by Clarion Energy and Smart Energy International, this 100-page edition shines a spotlight on innovative projects that have made an impactful difference in their communities.

“Every year we endeavour to highlight leaders and projects that challenge the status quo, are stand-out performers in their field and achieve incredible project milestones,” says Ashley Theron-Ord, editor of the Global Power & Energy Elites.

“We have spread the net wide to cover a broad spectrum of the energy ecosystem from across the world. What stood out was how inclusive leadership, paired with knowledge sharing and a clear outcome, is key to navigating a team through a tumultuous phase.”

Interview and project highlights include:

Paula Gold-Williams: President and CEO, CPS Energy, San Antonio, Texas:
“What excites me most about the application of AI at CPS Energy is that we are making strikes while focusing on our customers and with a whole mentality of our culture. As a community-owned utility, we are always looking at what we are doing through the customer’s lens. This is an experience unique to public power.”

Saurabh Kumar, Executive Vice Chairperson, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL):
“The post-COVID challenge is one we are trying to turn into an opportunity. We initiated a nationwide programme to install smart meters across India. It’s a model that doesn’t require upfront capital investment. The incremental generation of revenue that comes up is because metering more people helps in paying back the initial investment.”

Jürgen Mayerhofer, Co-Founder and CE, enspired:
“Our whole business model is based on leveraging AI, and we are already applying methods such as reinforcement learning and deep neural networks as part of our trading activities. Many people in the industry think that AI is not suitable for trading physical energy – but we made it work!”

Deploying micro grids for humanitarian needs:
SimpliPhi Power, a US manufacturer of safe, cobalt-free lithium-ion energy storage systems, partnered with the non-profit organisation Footprint Project to supply and deliver a renewable energy micro grid field hospital for the Matamoros migrant camp in Mexico to power the facility’s first mobile medical ICU to treat COVID-19 patients.

Making the most of Hawaii’s sun:
The Lawai Solar project on Kauai island in Hawaii is playing a key role in transitioning the Pacific island territory away from fossil fuels and towards an all renewable future. With the goal to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels for both environmental and economic reasons, Hawaii became the first US state back in 2015 to commit to a 100% renewable goal to be achieved by 2045.

How BTM technologies will reshape the grid:
Behind-the-meter (BTM) technologies have fundamentally shifted the landscape for energy providers and network operators. A 15-year scenario analysis for Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) found that the growth in EVs and their relevant charging points will be the largest contributor to SSEN’s load growth.”

Cyber attacks
“Data and intelligent systems can help thwart one of the biggest threats to our industry: cyber attacks,” stresses Rodger Smith, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Oracle Utilities.

“The more distributed the grid gets, the more entry points exist for nefarious activity. Cyber attacks call for more focus on autonomous systems, AI and the cloud to identify anomalies and to stay abreast of weak entry points.”

Oracle Utilities is the lead partner for this edition of the Global Power & Energy Elites publication. Greenbird, Prime Alliance and Meters and More are category partners.

Nominations for 2022 edition
If you would like to be a part of the Elites programme or nominate a visionary leader or project, the nomination process for the 2022 edition of the Global Power & Energy Elites has kicked off and the categories include:

- AMI & Smart Metering
- Customer Engagement
- Data & Analytics
- Demand Response
- Finance & Investment
- Generation Innovation and Optimisation
- Leadership
- Micro grids and DER Integrations
- Renewable Energy Innovation and Optimisation
- Smart Cities
- Technology
- Utility Transformation

The 2021 edition is available on the website.

Playing a part in energy transition
Ross Hastie, Group Director of Media at Clarion Energy, says the journal’s production process mirrors many of the insights held in its pages: “What I love about the Elites project is that it brings together Clarion Energy’s global network of industry experts, to ensure that every region has high-quality nominations from their part of the world."

Clarion Energy runs over 40 events around the world that cover the power, energy, oil and gas sectors, making it one of largest portfolios of the UK-based Clarion Events Group.