Uplight’s podcast tells stories of change in other industries and how they can be applied to energy companies. Co-hosted by our own Devren Hobbs and Brad Langley and produced by Stephen Lacey of The Energy Gang, the show is for energy geeks and business enthusiasts and everyone in between. Give it a listen to see what we mean.

On our first episode, we sit down with Erik Brynjolfsson, Director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy, Rebecca Henderson, economist and professor at Harvard Business School, and Brett Carter, chief customer and innovation officer at Xcel Energy to discuss how companies like Wal-mart and Xcel Energy are rising to both environmental and business challenges.

Here are some of the episode highlights:

We’re actually seeing the second age of electricity unfold right before our eyes. Better, smaller motors along with better, cheaper batteries are pushing us to electrified cars, planes, heavy machinery, scooters, buses, heating systems, and all kinds of things.

Erik Brynjolfsson, Director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy

There may be technology that we haven’t even heard of yet that comes into play. 15 years ago, there was no iPhone. 10 years ago, there was no Uber. So to say that we have it all marked out, I don’t think that would be a very smart thing to do.

Brett Carter, chief customer and innovation officer at Xcel Energy

Listen to hear more about what utilities can learn from retail, airlines, and consumer tech. And if you like what you hear, subscribe and give us a rating!