About

Emmanuel Gonzalez

AI innovation for energy trading, from someone who has built the systems

I'm E (Emmanuel) Gonzalez. I write ETRM Insider to answer one question: how do you put AI to work in energy trading without breaking the controls, data, and trust that trading depends on?

AI is coming to the trading desk whether it's ready or not. Agentic AI is starting to move from demos into real workflows: trade capture, confirmations, scheduling, settlements, and compliance reporting. That raises practical questions most vendor material skips. Which tasks should an agent do, and which should it only suggest? Who approves its actions, and how are they logged? Is your reference data clean enough for any of this to work?

What I focus on

  • Agentic AI in trading workflows: where agents add real value across the deal life cycle, and where a human must stay in the loop.
  • AI governance in ETRM: controls, audit trails, model risk, and segregation of duties when software starts taking actions.
  • Data readiness: the reference data, market data, and integration work that has to come before any AI project.
  • Practical AI on the desk: small, controlled uses that save hours this quarter, not someday.
  • RECs and green energy: REC management, registries, and RPS compliance, including California's PCC framework.

Why listen to me

My view of AI comes from 26+ years building, implementing, and fixing energy trading and risk management software. I'm based in Houston. Along the way I was a Solutions Director at Adapt2 Solutions, and I delivered ETRM and compliance projects at Shell Energy North America, BP, and Florida Power & Light.

I've been a developer, architect, solutions designer, project manager, and product leader across power, gas and NGLs, crude and refined products, and environmental commodities. The lesson that carries over to AI: most system failures aren't software failures. They come from unclear requirements, bad data, and nobody owning the result. AI makes those problems bigger, not smaller.

What you'll get here

Practitioner analysis of AI and ETRM, vendor-neutral selection guidance, and REC and compliance deep dives, with no hype and no sales pitch. The weekly newsletter goes out every Tuesday. Subscribe here.

Independence and disclosure

ETRM Insider is an independent publication. It isn't affiliated with or sponsored by any software vendor, and the views are mine alone. I never use confidential client information, I don't publish paid reviews or rankings, and I don't accept sponsorships or paid placements from ETRM or REC software vendors. The full policy is on the Standards & Disclosure page.

How I use AI

I practice what I write about. I use AI tools for research, outlines, and first drafts. I review, edit, and fact-check every article before it's published, and the opinions are mine. If something's wrong, tell me and I'll correct it publicly.

Speaking and contact

I'm available for conference talks, panels, and podcasts on AI in energy trading. For speaking, questions, corrections, or a topic you'd like covered: emmanuel.d.gonzalez@outlook.com.