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Power grids worldwide suffer from outages, insufficient generators, and weak systems. When unpredictable grids fail, people and businesses lose.

The energy market's instability raises the question: What is the best way to deliver power that works, scales, and stays affordable?

Join HEX-Files Energy Podcast host and CEO of HexaGroup, Arnaud Dasprez, as he speaks with Bill Lenihan, from ZOLA iNTELLIGENCE, about the emerging role of AI platforms in the energy industry.

Keep reading for Bill’s insights on how AI platforms' effect on hardware, software control, and customer journey can empower energy providers to serve the medical, educational, and utility industries.

Listen to the full podcast here and check out the capabilities of B2B podcasts here!  

"Delivering energy as a service is new."

Energy-as-a-service sounds simple, but the model requires some explanation. Education becomes essential during the sales cycle. The customer value is simple: reliable, affordable power for a monthly fee. The provider side can be more complex.

 The model asks industry leaders to move from a one-time hardware sale to a long-term service relationship.

They must rethink:

  • financing
  • operations
  • service teams
  • customer support
  • underwriting
  • recurring revenue

Companies like Zola help simplify that transition. They give customers the tools to manage leads, approve financing, install systems, and support users over time. 

These AI-enabled enterprise platforms combine a complete hardware stack with intelligent control, data, and software layers, giving energy providers the tools to manage the entire customer journey, from lead generation through long-term support.

"We are focused on markets that lack reliable, affordable energy." 

 Globally, markets contain places where power is missing, weak, or too costly. Markets with unpredictable power grids are the target customers for AI platforms with a multi-prong approach. 

 Grids can face multiple challenges:  

  • Prices are too high
  • Power fails often
  • Supply doesn’t match demand

 Grids need more than rural electrification. It requires a full system change.  

Energy-as-a-service companies see demand across community-level systems, homes, commercial sites, and public facilities. The goal is to help local providers deliver dependable power where the traditional system still falls short. Their market is any place where everyday energy isn't trusted.

"Our target market is wherever there is a lack of reliable, affordable energy." 

AI platforms generally sell to enterprises rather than to end users. Usually, their customers are local companies that need efficient, reliable power. 

 The ideal customer often falls into one of two groups: 

  1. Telecom providers that want to add energy to their current services
  2. Energy distributors that already sell equipment and want to shift into service models

That makes the go-to-market approach very focused. In most countries, the true target list is small. There may be only 10 to 15 strong prospects that have the size, balance sheet, and market fit to make the model work 

 Market specificity shapes sales and marketing. AI-enabled enterprise platforms simplify targeted outreach and strategic relationships, helping shift technology sales toward developed service sales. 

"Our core technology is made up of three layers."

Platforms work through three interconnected layers, each with a different role. 

  1. Hardware layer: The physical equipment, such as batteries and inverters, that generate and distribute power
  2. Control layer: The intelligence core that uses data, software, and firmware to improve performance and lower operating costs
  3. Application layer: The technology that manages the customer journey, from lead generation to sales, financing, installation, service, and lease renewal 

Why does this layered approach matter?. Energy-as-a-service is not just about equipment. It is about delivering a full operating model.

Customers need financing, uptime, maintenance, and a simple experience. AI platforms help energy providers deliver a streamlined experience that goes beyond power delivery.

"We have all the data." 

Data is the baseline. Quality data and accurate aggregation are differentiators. Choosing the right AI platform helps transform years of disparate data points into deep customer behavior, financing, operations, and service patterns understanding 

This caliber of data supports a streamlined workflow:  

  1. Sales conversion
  2. Financing approval
  3. System deployment
  4. Service performance
  5. Renewal decisions

The platform gets its edge from key automation, giving operations better judgment at scale.  

"We just got to do 'em right. " 

 The next big challenge is execution. As platforms implement projects across multiple customers and continents, energy-as-a-service companies must ask themselves whether their models can scale fast enough. 

 During implementation, two changes occur simultaneously : 

  1. A physical rollout of energy systems
  2. A workflow and software change inside the provider's business

 It also means constant change management. Platforms must be able to seamlessly adapt to updated processes, new tool integration, and recently hired talent without slowing the business down. Many AI enterprise platforms advertise this capability, but the real test comes next. Success is measured in effective delivery. Customers' lives become easier, the market gets clearer, and the model gets stronger. Simply put, execution is the real growth engine. 

Explore more ideas and practical advice on this topic.

Catch the full conversation with Bill Lenihan on The HEX-Files, HexaGroup’s energy marketing podcast for leaders who want real results. 

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