Advisory Board,
Ed White

Ed White is a rockstar in the power sector, and we are a bit like groupies [wearing suits], thrilled to have him on our Advisory Board.

Part executive and part entrepreneur, he has been reshaping measurement and communication through software and metering innovation in the utility industry for decades.

In 1980, he founded Utility Translation Systems, Inc. (UTS), a successful remote meter-reading software company, which he sold to Itron, Inc. in 1996 and served as Itron’s Chairman until retiring in 2003. Mr. White currently serves as Chairman of Field2Base, Inc., a technology company that uses tablet PCs, wireless communications, and software to support the mobile workforce for a variety of industries. He is also the Founder of White Ventures, LLC, a private equity and commercial real estate development company.

On top of all of that, giving back and community leadership are part of his DNA. Ed is Chairman Emeritus and co-founder of the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster, former board member and president for the Morrisville, North Carolina’s Chamber of Commerce; and former President of the NC State University Engineering Foundation.

So, let’s learn more Ed…

 

You’ve been on the frontlines of power sector innovation for decades. At Causam eXchange, we think we have seen a new future for how power is bought and sold in real-time between anyone on the grid. What similarities do you see between your path of company building in the utility sector and the path we’re on?

I was very involved with deregulation of the power supply industry to create competitive markets in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the US. While the competitive market did not fully develop in the US because of the model and actions by Enron and others, the idea was there to develop a competitive market with day ahead pricing initially and then move to an hour-ahead market.

The US market (California in particular) was geared to bringing generators of power and wholesalers of power together to create a competitive market. The path today is somewhat similar except the idea is to bring together suppliers of power with users of power (retail customers) to create a competitive environment.

 

A key part of our vision is to enable a power grid that is more digital, distributed, connected, and renewable. What do you see as the most compelling indications that prove that these trends are here to stay?

Most competitive markets have been created by regulator action which can be easily reversed by political and other influences. In order to be sustainable, markets have to evolve that make the best use of sources of energy whether base load generation, renewable energy, demand response, or energy storage to meet the needs of energy consumers at the most economical price while maintaining reliability. We are now at the point where the economics of these sources can now be matched with consumers of energy with some form of transactional energy settlement.

 

You’ve grown startups and sold them to giants. How do you view the relationship between a nimble company like Causam eXchange and the 800-pound gorillas in the utility sector? Are we at odds, like David and Goliath? Or is this about innovation through partnership, outsourced innovation, and M&A down the road?

Small companies must have the financial resources to be sustainable. Assuming that financials are sound, these companies can be very impactful by responding to market opportunities quickly and professionally. They can leverage their expertise through partnerships with large companies who need the expertise but don’t have the time to develop in order to take advantage of the market opportunities available to them.

 

A key part of Causam eXchange’s business model is access to energy data for all buyers and sellers. However, data in the power sector has often been held behind walls, only accessible to select gatekeepers. How catalytic do you think open data and market transparency are to creating more consumer choice, reducing power costs, and yielding a cleaner grid?

Transactional energy is something that will happen over time where energy resources can be matched up with customers who need those resources. However, you cannot move electricity without engaging the wires business of incumbent utilities. I believe that the best strategy is to work with utility partners to develop a transactional energy strategy that is win-win for energy suppliers, utilities, and customers.

 

Blockchain is an important technology in our software solution. How do you see blockchain revolutionizing the energy sector? Or do you worry that there is more hype than reality when it comes to this buzzword?

I believe that there is a place for blockchain technology in the energy sector. However, it has to be understood by all participants, easy to implement, and absolutely proven for reliability and security of energy transactions.

 

One of our core customers is building owners with multiple tenants and multiple buildings, because we can help them find new revenue streams, increase building value, and become virtual power plants through more intelligent use of solar, energy storage, and generators to optimize behind-the-meter and grid-level benefits. As a real estate portfolio owner, how do you see these opportunities?

Reducing the cost of energy has tremendous benefits to building owners because it makes their facilities much more competitive.

 

Why is the energy industry so exciting at this time?

A combination of technology and market forces are moving us from a very conservative, vertically integrated, cost-of- service based utility industry that is highly regulated to one that is appealing to young professionals from a career standpoint as well as to investors who are looking as a dynamic industry with a reasonable chance at getting good returns for their investments.

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