509: Why You Should Care About Distributed Energy Resources (DERs); Mathew Sachs of CPower

Today we explore energy management and the customer-focused opportunities it creates to monitor, control and conserve energy. We'll examine the topic through the lens of CPower Energy Management — better known as CPower, a leading provider of commercial and industrial demand-side energy management programs.CPower is one of the most recognized load management companies servicing clients in the Distributed Energy Resources (DER) market. DER has been defined by many entities (including way back in 2002 by NREL!), but I prefer the SEPA definition circa 2017:  DERs are physical and virtual assets that are deployed across the distribution grid, typically close to load, and usually behind the meter, which can be used individually or in aggregate to provide value to the grid, individual customers, or both.If you’re totally unfamiliar, you’re in good hands, just sit back and enjoy today's conversation with Mathew Sachs, senior vice president of strategic planning and business development at CPower.Mathew is a seasoned cleantech executive with experience developing and implementing distributed and renewable growth strategies that leverage technological advances in solar, energy storage, intelligent software and other DERs. He was one of the earliest team members at Yingli Solar (where many of you might have met him) and has been a trusted voice in the sector for many years.Join us today for an interesting show and perspective on DERs from an industry leader.If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to his contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 730 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus