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In The News

We never miss a beat when it comes to interacting with clients and engaging with you.  Click a link below to read more on recent articles, conference news, press releases and more.

  • Articles
    • Going Forward with Energy by Peter Weigand, CEO | Page 11|  Read Here
    • The Killer App for Renewable Generation by Ross Malme, Partner | Page 12 | Read Here
  • Press Releases
    • July
      • Skipping Stone Releases Japan Gas Market Landscape Report | Read Here
      • Skipping Stone Chairs Smart Home Energy Management Systems in Houston | Read Here
    • August
      • Skipping Stone Hosts Webinar On International Retail Energy Markets Opportunities | Read Here
      • Experient & Skipping Stone Awarded USTDA RTM for Refinery Performance | Read Here
    • September
      • CEO Speaks on International Retail Energy Expansion Opportunities | Read Here
      • Skipping Stone Partner, Ross Malme, Speaks on DR & DER in Transition | Read Here
  • Conferences
    • ACI Smart Home Energy Management Systems Conference | July 2017 |
    • Energy Marketing Conference | September 2017 |
    • 4th Annual Demand Response & Distributed Energy Resources World Forum | October 2017 | Read More
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The Ripple Effect: An Interview with Atsuyo Miller

Atsuyo Miller

Consultant | Japan Team

 

 

 

Tell me about the Skipping Stone Japan team?

AM: We have an innovative, analytical team with combination of strategy experts, market research capabilities, project managers and implementation resources.  The Japan team was built to provide the array of services Skipping Stone is known for and has a focus on making clients successful and happy.

Our newest team members bring some valuable skills.  Tomio has years of experience helping US companies enter the Japan markets as well as helping Japan companies enter US markets.  Kaoru has market research as well as translation skills being fluent in both English and Japanese. Lisa has spent years in the Japan financial markets which will be an invaluable skill as the energy financial market begins to develop.  I personally manage the market research initiatives, translation projects and work on client engagements, primarily with US retailers or technology companies entering Japan.

In addition to our new team members, we have people in the existing Japan team that have been working on bringing US retailers to Japan, as well as working on Japan’s wholesale market design. We are also working with a growing number of Japanese clients who are seeking to invest in US energy opportunities.

How does Skipping Stone keep up with all the changes going on in the Japan energy markets?

AM: We do an extensive amount of energy market research.  For non-Japanese clients, we convert that research into English and provide the analysis and experienced perspective in a series of monthly reports to help them make sense of the many changes.  In addition, our CEO Peter Weigand, and Managing Director, Sam Matsumoto spend time with regulators and university professors who are involved in various committees providing a US or international market perspective.

What kind of projects is the Japan team involved in?

AM: One of the things I like about working here is the wide diversity of clients and projects.  To highlight a couple, Skipping Stone has;

  • Helped several US retail energy companies enter the Japan retail market
  • Helped US energy technology companies modify and localize their systems to meet Japan market requirements
  • Developed and implemented innovation programs for Japan utilities that have led to them investing in emerging technologies outside of Japan
  • Working with Japan leaders to help shape the coming wholesale market design
  • Assisted several large Japanese companies with their investments and acquisitions in US and EU companies
  • Helped a biomass wood pellet supplier enter the Japan market

Thank you for your time, Atsuyo.  We appreciate your efforts working out of our Skipping Stone Los Angeles, CA Office.

For more information about our growing team or to connect with one of our offices, email Atsuyo Miller at amiller@skippingstone.com.

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Message From Our CEO

As we head into the fourth quarter home stretch of 2017, I am already seeing companies gearing up to either respond to the market changes we have experienced this year, or plan how to get ahead of the pack.

Some of the more notable trends we are seeing in various sectors, as evidenced by some of the projects we are working on, include:

  • Energy retailers are on a M&A rampage as the US market matures and acquisitions seem to be a popular growth model. The more progressive retailers are expanding internationally, either to Japan or to one or more of the EU markets.
  • A large number of gas pipeline projects are in the queue at FERC, many of which are being contested by either locals or environmental groups. The smarter groups contesting these pipelines have finally figured out that rather than march and protest, do the economic benefits homework and argue using real data.
  • The US has always been a popular market for international energy and technology players to enter and/or invest in. This year we are experiencing a heat wave of international companies either launching new business units or buying existing companies across a variety of segments.  Some of these segments include: gas fired generation, utility scale storage, renewables, retail and/or wholesale marketing, microgrids, and data management solutions.
  • The microtrend of five years ago with distributed generation and customer energy management solutions has morphed into one of the hottest growth markets in the energy space. The number of new entrants seems to grow daily and among the large legacy players trying to sort out the wheat from the chaff, the list includes pretty much all of them.
  • The impact of the item above on distribution utilities has been talked about for several years. Now that the adoption numbers are growing rapidly, we are seeing many utilities go back to the drawing board as their earlier assumptions and analysis are proving to be vastly different from today’s realities.

While the energy sector may never match the pace of change we see in the telecom business, over the past five years we have seen things changing must faster than ever before throughout our industry.

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