Webinar
Creating a Customer-Centric DER Strategy
As the energy landscape has become decentralized and more complex, utilities have evolved to recognize that their customers are more than meters and ratepayers – they act as an important part of the energy mix as consumers and more recently as prosumers and energy advocates. The rise of distributed energy resources (DERs) including rooftop solar, EVs, battery storage, and smart devices has led households and businesses to expect opportunities to participate and be fairly compensated in the energy marketplace.
In this webinar, Aaron August, SVP and chief customer and transformation officer at Puget Sound Energy (PSE), will share his passion and vision for how utilities can shift to a customer-centric model for DER management. He’ll explore PSE’s recently announced program to build a multi-asset, multi-vendor virtual power plant (VPP) that will reduce costs and help maintain reliable energy supply to its more than 1 million residential and business customers.
Learn best practices for:
- Expanding DER adoption among consumers and businesses.
- Streamlining the VPP engagement lifecycle to benefit both communities and energy providers.
- Managing extreme weather and incorporating VPPs into year-round operations.
- Evolving DER management to integrate grid optimization and flexibility management at the grid edge.
Whether you’re a utility professional, DER provider, business or building energy manager, or simply passionate about a sustainable energy future, this event will equip you with insights and strategies to unlock DER capacity and expand consumer engagement.
The Speakers:
Aaron August
senior vice president, chief customer and transformation officer for Puget Sound Energy (PSE).
Aaron August is senior vice president, chief customer and transformation officer for Puget Sound Energy (PSE). Aaron is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Customer Engagement ecosystem across the enterprise, with core functions that include: Customer Energy Management, Business Services, New Product Development, and Customer Solutions. Prior to joining PSE in July 2023, Aaron served as vice president of Utility Partnerships and Innovation at Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E). He was responsible for non-traditional utility partnerships, research and development, solutions management, load management, clean energy transportation and business development. Prior to that, he was responsible for the strategy, design, implementation, and effectiveness of PG&E’s energy programs including energy efficiency, demand response, distributed generation, low income and clean transportation. He also had oversight over PG&E’s account management team for small, mid-market, and large commercial business, and agriculture accounts, as well as business development and local customer experience programs. Aaron earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from California State University, East Bay, and is a graduate of the Energy Executive Course at the University of Idaho and the Organizational Leadership Executive Program at Stanford University School of Business.
Gisela Glandt
VP of Virtual Power Plants
Gisela Glandt leads our Virtual Power Plant business and oversees the growth and health of Autogrid’s Distributed Energy Partner ecosystem. With a career spanning over 15 years in the energy industry, she brings a wealth of expertise and a proven track record of excellence. Prior to joining, Gisela led Nest’s Smart Home and Energy Partnerships at Google, with a focus on formulating and executing growth strategies for cutting-edge products and cultivating strategic partnerships. Prior to Google, Gisela held various positions in business development and marketing leadership at Bloom Energy and Constellation Energy. She holds a BA from The University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Wharton School of Finance.
Scott McGaraghan
Chief Revenue Officer
Scott McGaraghan leads all of AutoGrid’s revenue-intensive functions, including sales, marketing, and industry solutions. He brings more than 25 years of experience in the cleantech space, and specifically in demand response and VPPs. Formerly VP of International Business Development at Voltus, Scott is an expert in demand response and VPPs for residential, commercial and industrial markets. He spent more than a decade in leadership roles at Nest, where he was responsible for the launch of the highly successful Nest Rush Hour Rewards program. Scott also serves as an advisor to a number of clean energy technology companies and was an early VPP pioneer as a core member of the team at EnerNOC. Scott completed his undergraduate and graduate studies from Stanford University.
