By Ted Ko | Director of Policy

Stem sits in a unique position in the world of “the grid”. Unlike many technology providers who focus predominantly on either the electricity customer or the utility, Stem thrives in between, serving both. For this reason, Stem highly values our membership in SEPA, an organization that educates members on how customer-sited technologies such as solar, demand response and other distributed energy resources work in concert with utility systems to deliver safe, reliable and clean electricity.

The election of Karen Butterfield, Stem’s Chief Commercial Officer, to SEPA’s Board of Directors, speaks to the growing diversification of SEPA and the electric industry as a whole. With more than 25 years of experience at energy sector leaders such as SunPower and Honeywell Grid Solutions, she brings a deep understanding of the storage, solar and demand response industries. At Stem, we know that energy storage and other smart grid technologies simply cannot succeed long-term without everyone sharing their key data and ideas as well as committing to evolving business models to keep pace with technology development. SEPA serves a valuable role in spurring and continuing these conversations throughout the energy industry.

The Stem team frequently strategizes for what the electric grid will look like in 5, 10 or even 25 years. Guided by a vision of an integrated system, where utility and industry success is fully aligned with customer empowerment and societal benefit, we continue to innovate beyond the current opportunities, considering the future needs of the commercial, utility and wholesale energy markets. SEPA is doing the same with its research and forward-looking initiatives such as the 51st state. Together, Stem and SEPA will help drive the conversation towards a cleaner, more reliable grid where everyone thrives.