Power to the people: How Dr Jemma Green is democratising energy distribution for a fairer world

Driven by a desire to create fairer access to green energy, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2023 judge, Dr Jemma Green, co-founded Powerledger in 2016 – disrupting the way energy markets view and manage distribution.

It’s a compelling illustration of what drives entrepreneurs like Jemma to find big answers to our greatest challenges.

The idea for Powerledger came about when I was working in finance and doing my PhD in electricity market disruption. I witnessed an ideological push towards renewable energy, but I could see that it was an oversimplification of something that's actually very complicated.

Slogans like "just stop oil" don’t help solve the problem, because you don’t have a like-for-like replacement. Even a tomato uses two tablespoons of oil in its production and transportation. There’s complexity at every level, because you can't swap a gas-fired power station for solar farms, for example. And you can't solve one problem by causing chaos elsewhere. It has to be sustainable in the broader sense.

Powerledger is a software platform that facilitates peer-to-peer renewable energy trading. We see a future where ordinary citizens and corporations can harness their rooftop storage and democratise their buying power. To make that happen, we have to find new ways to transmit and distribute electricity that are less liable to conventional grid failures. Part of this is the need for new market mechanisms to match energy consumption and generation in real time, so we aren’t “throwing energy away”.

I once designed a solar and battery system for an apartment building. It was like an eco-village, where each apartment was allocated a portion of the output of the solar farm and the battery system. If you weren't home to consume your allocation of power, you could trade that with your neighbour and offset your bill. That was the concept, but I couldn't find anyone who could make it happen. And then I met my business partner, John Bulich, who had developed applications using blockchain technology for other sectors. That was the moment Powerledger came to life.

We’ve been operating for six years now and have clients around the world. An exciting example of the change we’re creating is a peer-to-peer energy project in Uttar Pradesh, India’s largest and most populous state. This work has led to a regulatory decree being issued that allows blockchain-powered peer-to-peer trading across the state.

A bold vision demands tenacity and resilience. And you need persistence. You’re always seeing progress, but you know you haven’t achieved your goal yet, so you have to keep going. I saw a graph describing a day in the life of an entrepreneur which goes something like: “It’s awesome, it’s terrible, it’s amazing, it’s terrible!” You need a thick skin, and you need to really believe in what you’re working on.

Being discerning about what you act on is a real art. Ideally, you’ll have a co-founder or people around you that you can bounce ideas off, because you reach better decisions that way. Having people alongside you who get you and your mission keeps you buoyed and motivated. I try to get information from as many sources as possible, including mentors. But you also need to trust yourself, because no one knows your business as well as you do. You want to be instinctive and wise at the same time, and there’s definitely an art to that.

Being hungry, humble and smart are so important. We're all versions of that in different situations. Using these qualities as a barometer, you need to constantly ask where you are underperforming and what you’re missing as a leader, because those shortfalls show up in your team and the business won't succeed.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint. As an entrepreneur, the deep level of ownership you feel means you can get out of whack if you aren’t maintaining your health and wellbeing. After I had my third child, I found it hard to find time for exercise. So, I read a few books on health and wellbeing, and did a reset, getting into a routine of exercising three times a week. I’ve stuck to that routine for a full year and now I can fit back into my clothes! It’s important to feel good about yourself, so healthy routines that support you are crucial. You can't be obsessive and myopic about the business at the expense of all else.

Pursue things that light you up. I have a philosophy that these opportunities present themselves, and if you follow them, you can catalyse greatness. There’s real energy to that but there are only so many things you can pursue, so you need to figure out what to chase. Part of that comes from experience and knowledge, but then it’s also gut feel.

I don’t have it all figured out. Finding the people who enthusiastically support you and broaden your thinking is essential. A good example for me is Dr Bill Tai, who is a Powerledger ambassador and shareholder. He has a wide aperture on what's happening in the world, and lateral thinking that helps us form views on what may happen next and how we can approach that. Hearing from other entrepreneurs and business people who have invested in us, and learning what they’re working on, is exciting and opens new opportunities in places you might never have considered. These small moments propel you forward and make you feel like you’re on the right track.

I love hearing about those ideas that are really changing the game, whether it’s early-stage ventures with big potential and a lot to prove, or entrepreneurs with more conventional businesses that are taking big strides by doing things differently. It’s why I love being involved in EY Entrepreneur Of The Year and can’t wait to hear the stories of this year’s finalists, and their creativity in bringing to their ideas to life.

Photo credit: Power Ledger

The views expressed in this article are the views of the author, not Ernst & Young. This article provides general information, does not constitute advice and should not be relied on as such. Professional advice should be sought prior to any action being taken in reliance on any of the information. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.