This week, Adam is joined by Doug Cook, Director of Strategy and Flexibility at Ohme. The pair discuss how software and flexible energy management can help balance the grid and integrate more renewable energy sources.

Doug gives his perspective on the importance of bridging information gaps in the supply and demand of electricity and using software to manage it. He highlights the big motivations for this, especially as the energy landscape shifts towards electric vehicles and heat pumps as a home’s most energy-hungry appliances. He also makes interesting observations on where the sector will get its data in the future and how to utilise it.

Alongside the software and technical considerations, Doug and Adam delve into the complexity of the energy industry and the need for simpler messaging to improve public understanding, which will drive change. Doug discusses the challenges facing both major players and smaller, innovative companies in building trust with customers and finding successful commercial models. He puts the energy industry in context with some of his unique analogies and shares his vision for the future, highlighting the importance of creative and bold thinking as part of the transition to a more sustainable future.

In this episode, Adam and Doug discuss:

• Using flexible energy management approaches to balance the grid
• The need for a maturity journey in the energy industry
• Where the innovation will come from in the sector
• Challenges in building trust and commercial models
• Setting bolder goals for the energy sector

The weekly Hypercube podcast sits down with leaders in the energy and utilities sectors to explore how data analytics can help businesses make smarter decisions and accelerate business growth.

Chapter Markers

[1:07] Grid balancing challenges and how software and flexible energy management can help.

[4:55] How local, decentralised energy assets can help with national grid challenges.

[7:38] The importance of considering the end-user when designing energy strategies.

[12:27] Changes in data collection, the limitations of smart metres, and the need for innovation.

[19:05] How Ohme has focused on building trust through transparency and customer-centric approach.

[24:18] Changing commercial models within the energy sector to build ongoing relationships with customers.

[26:58] Restrictions in how the energy industry operates that limit innovation.

[28:55] Thinking more boldly about energy, what it offers customers, and how it can be used.

This week, Jethro Browell, Professor of Statistics and Data Analytics at the University of Glasgow in the School of Maths and Statistics, joins Adam to discuss the importance of universities in nurturing the talent that will transform the energy sector.

Jethro discusses his academic journey from his mathematics background and how he is now looking at its practical application in the energy sector. He and Adam discuss the joint responsibilities of both universities and the energy industry itself to attract talent and equip individuals with the skills needed to advance in an increasingly high-profile sector.

From the role of hackathons and forecasting competitions to how universities grapple with teaching emerging technologies, the conversation covers the intersection of academia and the energy industry and why it is so key. Jethro talks about how changes in the availability of data are allowing better research to come from universities and how the evolution of models like AI weather forecasting will have a profound impact moving forward.

In this episode, Adam and Jethro cover:

• Attracting talent with the right skills to the energy industry
• The impact of forecasting competitions on innovation
• Teaching technologies that are still developing
• The development of “weather-led” energy systems
• Democratising access to accurate predictions with emerging technologies

The weekly Hypercube podcast sits down with leaders in the energy and utilities sectors to explore how data analytics can help businesses make smarter decisions and accelerate business growth.

Chapter Markers

[0:43] Introduction to Jethro, his career in academia, and what led him to focus on energy forecasting.

[2:52] Adam and Jethro explore whether universities are approaching subjects in the right way to prepare people for roles in the industry.

[5:22] What does the energy sector itself need to do to attract the best talent?

[7:14] Changes in data accessibility and the impact this has on researchers and innovation.

[10:10] Advice for researchers and those aspiring to follow in Jethro’s footsteps of academia.

[12:29] How energy forecasting and trading competitions have changed and what they do for the industry.

[19:09] The emergence of AI weather models and how they can be utilised for energy forecasting.

[20:58] Adam asks which technologies and trends will be most impactful over the next few years.

[23:15] How universities grapple with teaching emerging technologies, in particular, Large Language Models.

[25:42] Jethro explains where you can find out more about his research and upcoming University of Glasgow initiatives.

This week, Adam is joined by Robyn Lucas, Director of Data Science and Research at Modo Energy. Modo offers a platform to deliver data and analytics for the grid-scale battery market and has a huge focus on improving access to information in the energy sector.

Adam and Robyn zoom in on the UK energy sector and the real-world challenges of data science, analytics, and modelling for this market. Robyn outlines the issues with data quality and the fact that, in this space, the future does not necessarily reflect the past. They dig into how regulatory and policy decisions affect the industry and why it is essential to maintain stability through any changes to ensure ongoing financial investment.

They share their perspectives on future trends, particularly in relation to energy storage, and touch on demand-side responses for domestic users. Robyn goes on to emphasise the importance of delivering simplified, explainable insights for industry stakeholders as it moves towards net-zero.

During their conversation, Adam and Robyn cover:

• Data quality issues that make modelling a particular challenge
• Bringing more data science talent into the industry
• The importance of stability in the sector for investment
• Energy market reforms in the UK and their impact
• Maintaining precision in data models without sacrificing usability

The weekly Hypercube podcast sits down with leaders in the energy and utilities sectors to explore how data analytics can help businesses make smarter decisions and accelerate business growth.

If you enjoyed the episode with Robyn, go back and listen to our previous episode with Modo Energy CEO Quentin Scrimshire for more on how the company is focused on increasing the visibility of information within the sector.

Chapter Markers

[0:50] Robyn gives an overview of Modo Energy and her background in the energy storage sector.

[3:30] Robyn and Adam discuss the challenges of data science in the energy sector and the difficulties of building accurate models in the sector.

[5:18] Robyn touches on the difficulties of finding and developing talent for data science roles in the energy industry and offers advice for students and those looking to get into the sector.

[8:07] Robyn unpacks the key takeaways from the second consultation of REMA and the considerations around pricing structure changes

[11:37] Here, the pair discuss the need for a stable investment environment and certainty around regulation to secure the finance needed for the green transition.

[14:01] Robyn discusses the UK's CFD reforms and how they can be used to incentivise positive behaviours within the sector.

[16:55] Adam and Robyn talk through changes to the capacity market and the progress that is needed to support net-zero goals.

[20:27] Robyn predicts an increased demand for storage and flexibility in the future UK energy system, driven by wind and solar.

[24:07] Robyn gives a breakdown of Modo's work and the different levels of focus on the areas of insights, modelling, and product development

[28:37] Balancing a full and accurate reflection of the complexity of the industry with accessibility and usability when building models.

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If you want to explore how data and artificial intelligence can be used to help your organisation make smarter decisions and accelerate business growth, get in touch by visiting the Hypercube website: https://wearehypercube.com/

This week’s guest on the Hypercube podcast is Quentin “Q” Scrimshire, CEO and Founder of Modo Energy, a SaaS company that delivers data and analytics for the grid-scale battery market. In conversation with host Adam Sroka, this episode focuses on the technical complexity of the energy asset market and how to make it as accessible as possible.

Adam and Q dive straight into the nitty-gritty of the energy asset space. They look at how to navigate the intersection between the energy and finance sectors to accelerate the energy transition. Q gives an overview of the Modo platform as a software-based answer to questions on energy asset valuation and modeling. He also goes on to discuss the challenges of growth, including mistakes made along the way.

He and Adam share the books that inspired their business strategies as start-ups serving the energy market. They discuss the changing demographics of the energy industry and how to generate content that builds an engaged community working towards the same energy transition goals. Listen right to the end as Adam shares a funny story of one of his earliest interactions with the Modo team.

In this episode, Adam and Quentin cover:

• Simplifying the complexity of the energy industry for the finance community
• Learning from mistakes while scaling internationally
• Carving out a niche as a start-up in the energy sector
• Using content to build an engaged audience

The weekly Hypercube podcast sits down with leaders in the energy and utilities sectors to explore how data analytics can help businesses make smarter decisions and accelerate business growth.

If you want to find the books mentioned in this episode, the links are below:

Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore

The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes

The Snowball System by Mo Bunnell

Chapter Markers

[0:55] Introduction to Quentin, including his journey to set up Modo, their recent Series A fundraising round, and his move to Texas.

[3:43] Both discuss the size and scale of the energy asset market and the evolution of Modo Energy into a SaaS provider focused on asset valuation.

[8:37] Why simplifying technical and complex information in the energy asset sector for the financial community is crucial.

[11:40] Adam and Q discuss the importance of making mistakes to grow and how the size of mistakes scales with the business.

[13:29] The challenges Modo faced when expanding internationally and the value of customer feedback.

[15:03] Adam and Q share the books that inspired their business strategies as they discuss Modo’s philosophy of doing a small number of things really well.

[20:44] How the demographic changes within the energy industry make content-based marketing more impactful for building both an audience and a business.

[23:10] Q gives insight into the importance of video content as part of Modo’s strategy and how to keep audiences engaged.

[26:03] Adam shares a funny story about one of the early interactions he had with the Modo team.

[28:27] Q details where listeners can go to find Modo’s content and the forecasting capabilities they offer.

If you want to explore how data and artificial intelligence can be used to help your organisation make smarter decisions and accelerate business growth, get in touch by visiting the Hypercube website: https://wearehypercube.com

This week, Daniel Fletcher-Manuel, Director of Prices and Data at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, joins the Hypercube podcast to discuss the company’s role as a price reporting agency, the challenges of gathering and analysing data from opaque commodity markets like lithium, and the important role it plays in the energy transition.

Daniel gives an insight into how, in a hyped market like lithium, Benchmark uses diverse data sources and analytical techniques to verify production capacity claims and gather market intelligence for reliable reporting. He discusses the pitfalls of using information that strays too far from fact into opinion and speculation and the impact this has on reporting accuracy.

We also step back and look at the bigger picture of why accurate price reporting on commodities like lithium is so essential as part of the energy transition. He explores the wider consequences of exaggerating volatility for policymakers and decision-makers, particularly around energy storage.

In this episode, we discussed:

• Why accurate lithium pricing data is essential for the energy transition
• How geospacial capabilities can be used to verify market information
• The problem of conflating plurality and liquidity in PRAs
• The human challenge of data collection for price reporting
• Allocating capital to the assets needed to drive the energy transition

The weekly Hypercube podcast sits down with leaders in the energy and utilities sectors to explore how data analytics can help businesses make smarter decisions and accelerate business growth.

Chapter Markers

[0:42] Daniel starts by giving an overview of his background and the current focus at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.

[2:26] Daniel emphasises the importance of lithium prices in the context of decarbonisation and electric vehicle production.

[5:16] Adam asks Daniel to explain in more detail about the role of a commodity price reporting and market intelligence agency, particularly around utilising data.

[7:45] Daniel highlights the importance of pricing analysts having relationships across the supply chain.

[9:13] Daniel outlines the techniques that Benchmark employs to verify market information, including using geospatial capabilities.

[12:53] Daniel walks through the structured and unstructured data challenges that he faces when compiling market analysis.

[17:02] Daniel demonstrates why accurate pricing data for lithium is crucial for decision-making around the energy transition.

[20:03] Daniel compares the methodology of price reporting for new markets like lithium and graphite with that of mature commodities and explains the need for a different approach.

[22:43] Daniel discusses the challenge of capital investment in assets needed for the energy transition.

[26:14] Daniel shares where listeners can access information, including policy and pricing newsletters from Benchmark.

If you want to explore how data and artificial intelligence can be used to help your organisation make smarter decisions and accelerate business growth, get in touch by visiting the Hypercube website: https://wearehypercube.com

This week’s guest on the Hypercube podcast is Anjukan Kathirgamanathan, Senior Data Scientist at GridBeyond. As part of the modelling and forecasting team, Anjukan joins us to talk about machine learning (ML) techniques in the energy space.

Adam and Anjukan take a deep dive into reinforcement learning (RL), a subset of ML. RL enables an agent to learn how to take the optimal set of actions by interacting with a dynamic environment, learning in a similar way to humans. It is an area with great possibilities for the energy space, but there are a number of challenges to overcome—from educating customers to having sector-specific talent. Anjukan shares his perspective as a data scientist working on real-world RL applications.

In this episode, we discussed:

• Human oversight in AI-powered trading.
• Data quality for ML modelling.
• Challenges in deploying RL in practical applications.
• Managing smaller, distributed resources with RL
• Attracting data science talent to the industry.

The weekly Hypercube podcast sits down with leaders in the energy and utilities sectors to explore how data analytics can help businesses make smarter decisions and accelerate business growth.

Chapter Markers

[0:30] Anjukan introduces himself and gives an overview of where GridBeyond sits in the ecosystem.

[3:02] Anjukan explains why pricing is the area of forecasting where he sees the greatest value-add.

[4:31] Adam asks Anjukan to talk more about AI-based control methods and reinforcement learning.

[7:57] Anjukan digs deeper into the topic of reinforcement learning and the challenges of bringing it to market.

[10:59] Adam and Anjukan discuss how to help customers buy-in to reinforcement learning.

[14:41] Anjukan shares his advice for battery owner start-ups interested in adopting AI and reinforcement learning.

[16:57] Anjukan gives his view on the potential for reinforcement learning to be used within the energy industry.

[19:13] Adam asks Anjukan to share his perspective on the talent crunch in AI and reinforcement learning, specifically for the energy sector.

[21:30] Anjukan emphasises multi-agent reinforcement learning in the energy space as an area he thinks will be exciting over the next few years.

[23:00] Anjukan speaks about the technologies he feels are overhyped in the energy space.

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If you want to explore how data and artificial intelligence can be used to help your organisation make smarter decisions and accelerate business growth, get in touch by visiting the Hypercube website: https://wearehypercube.com/

This week, Rachel Hassall, Head of Data Analytics at SSE, drops into the Hypercube podcast to share her insights on how SSE is tackling data analytics and what the future holds for the organisation and the energy sector as a whole.

Rachel walks us through the nuts and bolts of how SSE is approaching data analytics, the transition from a centralised to a federated model, and how her team is helping enable the company's vision of leading in low-carbon, localised energy infrastructure solutions.

We get Rachel’s take on a wide range of topics, from the foundational need for data quality to the future and the need for tools like time series forecasting. Rachel shares her perspective on current environmental issues and the need for sustainability to become as important as cost when looking at optimisation.

In this episode, we discussed:

• Insight into how SSE is approaching data, from the tech stack to future projects.
• The importance of quality data as a foundation for all data initiatives.
• How rising interest in energy and sustainability is positively impacting recruitment.
• The importance of avoiding distractions on your data journey and linking to business strategy.
• The sustainability challenges of data centres and how they impact the green agenda.

The weekly Hypercube podcast sits down with leaders in the energy and utilities sectors to explore how data analytics can help businesses make smarter decisions and accelerate business growth.

Chapter Markers

[0:29] Rachel gives an overview of her role as Head of Data Analytics at SSE, her career journey to date and the evolution of data analytics within SSE.

[5:45] Adam asks Rachel to give some insight into the tech stack within SSE and asks about the customers and end-users they serve.

[8:26] Rachel explains some of the challenges of communicating forecasting and model performance and ways to approach presenting technical findings.

[9:38] Rachel walks through how forecasting tools have changed and what this looks like within SSE.

[10:48] Rachel and Adam discuss the increasing interest in forecasting and the energy market more generally, and how this has impacted recruitment.

[12:37] Rachel highlights some of the upcoming exciting projects at SSE, including full microgrid optimisation.

[14:10] When asked about market challenges, Rachel emphasises the need for reliable data quality, data access, and data interoperability.

[15:24] Rachel shares her advice for organisations and individuals who are on their own data analytics journey.

[16:16] Rachel shares thoughts on how the next generation will view attitudes toward data storage.

[17:51] Adam asks Rachel to share her view on the big trends over the next five years.

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If you want to explore how data and artificial intelligence can be used to help your organisation make smarter decisions and accelerate business growth, get in touch by visiting the Hypercube website: https://wearehypercube.com/

This week we are joined on the Hypercube podcast by Chris Wallace, Head of Data and Analytics at InterGen, to get his take on how data and AI are impacting both the organisation, and the wider industry.

Chris takes us behind the scenes at InterGen and talks through how the data team is working closely to support the trading team and the business more broadly. He cuts through the hype of new technologies, focusing on where the application of established technologies like predictive modelling and automation can have a tangible business impact. He also highlights the limitations of AI tools like ChatGPT, emphasising the importance of trust and confidence in the models being used, and gives us a frank and realistic assessment of the current landscape.

In this episode, we discussed:

• Taking a cautious approach to cloud migration.
• The challenge of finding the overlap between on-premises and cloud skills
• Which data tools are currently adding the most value.
• The need for data teams to educate the wider business
• Delivering data tools that work for the end user

The weekly Hypercube podcast sits down with leaders in the energy and utilities sectors to explore how data analytics can help businesses make smarter decisions and accelerate business growth.

Chapter Markers

[0:29] Chris gives a quick introduction to InterGen and his role with the company.

[2:42] Chris explains the need for caution when tackling cloud migration in the energy industry.

[4:00] Chris discusses some of the skills challenges in the energy sector and attracting the right talent.

[5:18] Adam asks if there is anything now holding back the energy/utility sectors.

[7:52] Chris shares his perspective on the current use of AI and data science in the industry.

[9:31] Chris shares his view on educating non-technical stakeholders on the limitations of AI.

[13:16] Chris highlights the need to be cautious about what can be achieved with LLMs.

[15:06] Chris talks about some of the ways AI and data are being used to support energy trading.

[20:53] Chris talks about implementing tools that work for the end user.

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If you want to explore how data and artificial intelligence can be used to help your organisation make smarter decisions and accelerate business growth, get in touch by visiting the Hypercube website: https://wearehypercube.com/