Episode 11 of Energy Stories features Dr. Andrea Nuesser, President at Util-Assist, discussing rising grid pressures driven by electrification, distributed energy resources (DERs), and growing energy demand. Andrea shares insights from her work at Hydro One and with other Canadian utilities during her time at Capgemini. She also describes the vision behind using solutions like NET2GRID EnergyAI® to maximize the value of AMI 2.0 investments, empowering North American customers with relevant information about their energy usage at home. Additionally, Andrea explains how data-driven energy analytics can help planners and operators optimize costly grid investments through non-wires alternative design. She also reflects on her leadership as a woman in the utilities industry during this year’s Women’s Month.
Our host is Emily Fisher, Regional Sales Manager at NET2GRID.
*The podcast episode was recorded on March 19th, 2026.
In this episode, you will learn
In this podcast you will learn
The key factors shaping the relationship between customers and the grid in the North American market.
In this podcast you will learn
How Hydro One leveraged an AMI 2.0 infrastructure upgrade to empower customers, while adopting a living lab approach.
In this podcast you will learn
How data-driven analytics support grid planners and operators in enabling non-wires alternatives and optimizing costly grid investments.
Our guest
President at Util-Assist,
ex-Capgemini, ex-Hydro One
Dr. Andrea Nuesser
Andrea Nuesser, is the President of Util-Assist, a professional and managed services firm that provides strategic guidance and innovative solutions to utilities across North America. Andrea has extensive experience in social sciences, marketing, and customer experience, and holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of British Columbia, where her research focused on behavioral studies and attitude formation. Andrea has worked as Grid Modernization Leader at Capgemini, Director of Customer Strategy and Experience at Hydro One, and Vice President at Innovative Research Group.
In the project with Hydro One and NET2GRID, we wanted to turn AMI 2.0 into more than an infrastructure upgrade: it became a way to engage customers, share insights, and build a smarter, more responsive grid in a fast and nimble way.
Knowing what customers are doing today, and what they’re going to do in the future, is hugely valuable, because it allows you to move beyond static assumptions, understand real load behavior, and ultimately prioritize investments much more effectively.
