Design Thinking to Electrify Industry
How do you convince medium sized companies to convert their fossil-fueled industrial processes to renewable energy? And how do you do that if the amount of emissions saved seems tiny compared to the overall problem of global warming? It requires listening deeply to them, and building partnerships to meet them where they are, even if that means less electricity use in the short-term. It means understanding the fundamental economics behind their decisions,and working with them to develop solutions that address their fundamental concerns.
Sarah Williams of Simply Energy has taken a Design Thinking approach to help medium to large New Zealand companies have deeper conversations around how they source and use energy. In her workshops, she helps these companies think about the long-term desirability, feasibility and economic sustainability of the choices they have. In the short term that might lead to increased energy efficiency in the office areas that reduce demand for electricity. In the long run, it means helping them replace gas and coal-fired systems with renewable energy to maintain their competitiveness in a world that demands action on climate change