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Introducing Opower, the Oracle acquisition that’s tackling Japan’s (and soon the world) energy problems. Realizing a decarbonized society is no easy feat, but since its inception the Nudge Project and Oracle Utilities Opower have assisted 300,000 households to reduce 47,000 tons of carbon dioxide. Hiroto Kobayashi, Opower Japan lead, shares his experience thus far on the journey to clean up the country’s energy supply.
When Oracle met Opower
Hiroto may have started out as part of the Oracle Japan family after graduation, but when he left to work for Opower ahead of their launch he didn’t think he’d ever have the chance to rejoin his first company so quickly. “I started my career at Oracle as a tech consultant and gradually moved to business application where my primary role was launching newly acquired product in Japan. It was the year 2014, I found Opower launching in Japan and I left Oracle,” he remembers.
What made the Opower lead pack his bags and switch companies? The same reason Oracle became interested in acquiring his new workplace—their mission. Hiroto explains, “Opower’s mission was driving energy efficiency across the globe.” When the company encountered some difficulty and faced withdrawing itself from the Japanese industry, Oracle spotted an opportunity to make real change.
“Just before my last day of Opower Japan, Oracle announced their acquisition of the company. I already had other offers, so decided not to go back at that time. The Opower staff who joined Oracle through acquisition initiated the MoE (Ministry of Environment) project and requested my support as lead solution architect. I had decided to continue working to make Japan’s clean energy future a reality.” Hiroto shares of how he came to find himself at an Oracle desk once more.
The Japanese way of life
In order to integrate the program with the daily lifestyles of its target users, efforts are consistently being made to ensure that it relates specifically to Japanese culture. “We have incorporated character design as Japanese consumers like characters everywhere and have added localized and regional energy saving advice by working with local utility and research partners,” Hiroto says.
By paying attention to small details, the team notices an increase in the outcome of the program that uses behavioral insights, including nudges that elicit low-carbon behavior changes, to create a society where every citizen pursues an eco-friendly and comfortable energy-saving lifestyle. He continues, “We have incorporated a mobile integration program as Japanese consumers use mobile more to access information, and also we have launched a mobile app for the duration of the program period. We have seen more interaction coming out from our digital program.”
Teaming up to tackle climate change
Alongside the professional opportunities harbored by the Oracle acquisition of Opower, Hiroto sees this merger as a great chance to work hard in tackling climate change. Following on from Oracle’s pledge to power its global operations with renewable energy by 2025, the Opower Japan lead is excited at the prospect of working at offices powered by 100% clean energy, no matter which corner of the globe he travels to with the company.
“I believe working with Oracle will also be an amazing opportunity to fight against climate change. I’m focusing on an Opower solution to help utility meet the decarbonization goal, but Oracle as a whole is committed to decarbonization. Using various approaches, we’re working with different companies to achieve these goals through our cloud infrastructure and application,” Hiroto explains.
People making a powerful impact
Whilst a good idea can make a great impact, nothing ever comes to fruition without a team of highly motivated, inspired individuals steering the ship. Creating connections and working with local experts exponentially increased the success of Opower, something Oracle incorporates across all areas of its business.
Hiroto shares, “In order to have very effective awareness and localized energy advice insight, we worked closely with local partner Jukankyo Research Institute (JYURI), experts in home energy management, and design expert Dentsu, for the design of the localized version of the energy consumption report.” He goes on to emphasis the amount of collaboration required in his senior role, “I was closely working with the Opower business and program lead at that time, and collaborating with stakeholders, to design a future program scope that would be deliverable and effective.”
Finally, the Opower Japan lead takes a moment to reflect on how much joy being a part of this team has given him, both personally and professionally, “It’s such a pleasure to have this outcome coming from the MoE project as it contributes, not only to setting a path for the Japanese government’s decarbonization goal, but is also helping achieve the global decarbonization goal.”
Interested in helping Oracle create a brighter future? Explore our career opportunities with Oracle Utilities in locations around the world or find out more about Oracle careers in Japan.