Duane Peterson is no ordinary solar outfit.

 

The former Ben and Jerry's "Chief of Stuff" has an eclectic professional past that has culminated (for now) in clean energy. We sat down to talk about inspiration, what he wishes utilities and state energy agencies knew, branding, Thomas Edison, and yes, ice cream.

 

For those that don't know, SunCommon, a certified B Corp, is a solar company located in Waterbury Vermont, and recently expanded into the New York State market. You can read more about SunCommon's culture, accolades, and approach here.

 

@ashKSV: Duane, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us. Let's start with inspiration. Where did the inspiration for SunCommon come from?

 

@DuanePeterson: Well, my friend and co-founder, James Moore, and I had a conversation and we said, "Why is it that the adoption of clean energy is pathetically slow?" And then we imagined a better way. SunCommon exists to help people join the clean energy revolution; it's a market solution to climate change. 

 

When he first began, Peterson admits, he knew nothing about solar. But he was an expert communicator, a great storyteller (he still is), and he saw a problem. 

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

Next month, at the AESP Spring Conference on marketing, KSV was asked to speak on world class brands, and what energy companies can learn from them.

 

And there is a lot to explore on this topic.

 

But this week a big (BIG) world class brand made a big mistake.

 

Have you watched the now (in)famous Pepsi ad with Kendall Jenner?

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

The future is sustainable, with our without the White House.

The Clean Power Plan was introduced in 2015 by President Obama, who called it "the single most important step that America has ever made in the fight against global climate change."

The EPA estimated that the CPP would help to protect the most vulnerable among us, including children, seniors, the sick, and those living in poverty, as well as future generations from the dangers of air pollution. 

And the results weren't just platitudes. 

From the EPA website: 

• The Clean Power Plan itself is projected to contribute significant pollution reduction, resulting in important benefits, including:
  • Climate benefits of $20 billion
  • Health benefits of $14-$34 billion
  • Net benefits of $26-$45 billion
• Because carbon pollution comes packaged with other dangerous air pollutants, the Clean Power Plan will also protect public health, avoiding each year:
  • 3,600 premature deaths
  • 1,700 heart attacks
  • 90,000 asthma attacks
  • 300,000 missed work days and school days

And this week President Trump signed an executive order instructing the EPA to rescind the Clean Power Plan.

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

If you've ever downloaded a KSV brief, you know we ask you what you want to see more of on EnergyWire, and this week we got a great response to that question.

David told us (hi David!) that what he wants to see more of is "digital stories".

First of all, what a great request. Second of all, we're kind of in love with that term. 

Imagine if the way you were interacting with your customers was through digital stories, instead of through ads that weren't aware of the experience your customer had already had with you. 

Imagine if your advertising could be a storyteller for your brand, instead of being tone deaf.

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone!

This week Irish company Solar 21 won the award for Best Renewables Project/Installation in the Humber Area at the Humber Renewables Awards in Hull.

Everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, so let’s celebrate our collective win.

The project that won this prestigious award is a biomass plant that will produce the cheapest renewable energy from biomass of any comparable facility.

There are three things we can learn from this.

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

Or, as we like to think of it: Websites, Beyoncé and Bacon.

We’re extremely excited to announce that this week we launched the brand new KSV website.

It’s taken a lot of time and a lot of hard work.

But it’s finally here.

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

Tomorrowland was a dream of Walt Disney.

 

 

Did you know that Disney originally planned Disneyland as a group of five "lands", and Tomorrowland was complete with a "Rocket to the moon" ride, and the "Monsanto House of the Future"?

 

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten"

 

What processes is your company holding onto that no longer serve your customers, your employees, or your bottom line?

 

Where are you stuck?

 

 

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

How can you improve customer experiences, optimize operational processes, and enhance business models? 

 

Digital transformation.

Next week at AESP Nationals, we'll be presenting during an innovative session on digital transformation, and we thought we'd provide you with an appetizer of sorts this week.

When we're out in the world discussing the many challenges businesses are faced with today, we often hear the same laments (no matter the industry).

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

For our second installment in the KSV Voices of Industry series, we're featuring Adam Knudsen, the President of Dynapower.

Dynapower is on the bleeding edge of innovation, in just about every category you could imagine when it comes to energy. 

 

But it's their recent partnership with Samsung, and their energy storage business and how that's changing the way utilities, solar companies, C&I customers will manage their energy in the future that we wanted to focus on today.

 

 

Adam, thanks so much for contributing your voice and expertise to this.

@AdamKnudsen: No problem. We're always happy to talk about energy storage and how it's changing the future of energy.

 

Great. Let's dive in. Tell me about squirrels.

@AdamKnudsen:  You know, when we talk about energy storage, one of the things we focus on is the impact of downtime on C&I businesses. A few statistics to help orient things:

 

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation