In March 2012, the Edison Foundation and the Institute for Electric Efficiency hosted Powering the People 2.0, a conference that brought utility executives together with technology innovators. SGN's Jesse Berst was there and conducted a number of interviews with thought leaders.

Click to page 2 for his interview with Lisa Wood, Executive Director of the Institute for Electric Efficiency, the prime force behind the event. She doesn't pull any punches. She says that, after roughly 100 years in the same game, the industry must now rebrand itself. Here are some other highlights:

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00:32 – Lisa explains the purpose of the conference and why it's so important to bring together electricity providers and technology providers.

01:00 – She talks about the key themes of this year's event,including how to move technology from R&D and commercialization.

01:20 – She discusses the Green Button program and its importance.

02:00 – Lisa remarks on the change of attitude amongst utility CEOs and their increasing willingness to embrace technology innovations.

02:35 – She explains the challenge of rebranding and why it is so important right now.

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