Season 2, Episode 2 - Releasing the potential of energy generation

Promise

In this week's episode, I chat with Jarman Stephens, co-founder of Gridmo. Gridmo is building software for a hidden problem in our electrical grid: that being the bottleneck of grid modeling.

What is that? Well, we get a crash course on the intricacies of the energy grid to begin with, before diving into what grid modeling is and the bottlenecks it causes. We also chat about Gridmo’s solution to the bottleneck, the different challenges posed by renewable versus non-renewable energy, the balance between regulation and innovation, and finish with a rallying cry to the energy industry.

Alongside co-founder Damien Vermeer, Jarman has just started the Startmate Accelerator program. If you’re interested in this problem space, tune in to the 26 minute mark to find out what skills Gridmo is looking for.

You can get in touch with Jarman via email: jarman[@]gridmo.io, and follow their Linkedin page here.

For more on new ways to think about our energy industry, check out my discussion with Billy Jeremijenko from Aquila, and their moonshot idea to build the “Internet of Energy”.

Links

* A US government page on the implications of transitioning to inverter-based energy (Article | 8 mins)

* A nuanced take on the pro/anti nuclear debate (Op-ed | 12 mins)

* The Dunning-Kruger Effect that Jarman referenced (article | 6 mins)

* The wiki page on the 2016 South Australia Blackout (20 mins)

* The corresponding government investigative report (210 pages)

Show notes

[00:01:42] - [First question] – How Jarman describes himself and what Gridmo is trying to do

[00:02:43] - Jarman’s description of how the Australian electricity market works

[00:05:05] - What grid modeling is, and why its important

[00:06:37] - How grid modeling becomes especially important as society shifts towards renewable energy sources

[00:08:33] - Where Gridmo might fit in, if the future was based around nuclear energy

[00:09:51] - Jarman’s background, and when he first noticed there were key problems in grid modeling

[00:10:55] - Taking the leap to founding a company to solve these problems

[00:12:51] - The efforts Jarman and co-founder Damien took to validate this issue around the industry

[00:13:51] - Where Gridmo software fits into the power systems software ecosystem

[00:15:08] - Who customers of Gridmo might be and why

[00:16:42] - What Jarman means when he refers to standardization of grid modeling

[00:17:44] - A rundown of the 2016 South Australia Blackouts

[00:18:52] - How Gridmo software works with the new rules created in response to the blackout

[00:20:06] - Shifting internationally with different regulatory regimes

[00:21:20] - Jarman and Damien’s unique advantages starting off in Australia first

[00:22:07] - How Jarman envisions Gridmo might work with energy regulators

[00:23:08] - Taking the next steps by beginning the Startmate accelerator

[00:24:50] - Key partners to work with in the near future

[00:25:57] - Additional skillsets needed in the team to really succeed

[00:27:35] - Jarman’s dream of a living renewable energy grid

[00:28:32] - Jarman’s call to arms for the energy industry to keep evolving

[00:29:20] - Social media and contact info

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit promisefm.substack.com