Experts Only

Our guest host, ScottySolar, is back by popular demand! This week, he welcomes COSSA's Mike Kruger, President & CEO, and Ellen Kutzer, General Counsel, to the show. This year, Colorado passed several bills and a suite of policy changes that will expedite the deployment of distributed energy resources and help the state meet its ambitious decarbonization targets. You'll hear from the dynamic duo at the front lines of Colorado's march toward a carbon-free energy future. Mike and Ellen unpack what happened during the 2024 legislative session and explore the emerging opportunities in Colorado's clean energy economy. Thanks for tuning in!

Welcome back to Experts Only Podcast! There's been a lot of excitement about unleashing a community solar market in California, and the potential to make it one of the most equitable community solar programs in the country. However, a March 4th proposed decision by the California Public Utilities Commission has put a community-solar plan backed by lawmakers, pro-solar groups, environmental-justice advocates, unions and homebuilders in jeopardy. This episode, our guest host, Scott Elias, better known as "ScottySolar," welcomes Derek Chernow from the Coalition for Community Solar Access, Matthew Freedman from The Utility Reform Network, and Alexis Sutterman from the California Environmental Justice Alliance to unpack the effort to revamp California's community solar market amidst the CPUC's proposed decision. Thank you for listening! For more information: - Comments of the Coalition for Community Solar Access on Proposed Decision Modifying Green Access Program Tariffs and Adopting a Community Renewable Energy Program: https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Efile/G000/M527/K884/527884666.PDF - Former FERC Chair and CCSA challenge Proposed Decision on California community solar in opening comments: https://communitysolaraccess.org/news/former-ferc-chair-and-ccsa-challenge-proposed-decision-on-california-community-solar-in-opening-comments - Our Sun. Our Power. California: https://oursunourpower.com/state/california/

Welcome back to Experts Only for our annual interview about the 2024 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook! Our host Jon Powers welcomes Lisa Jacobson, President of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE), back to the show for her 7th appearance! He also welcomed Tara Narayanan, Lead Analyst, US Regional Trends at BloombergNEF, for her inaugural interview! They discuss the Factbook, which is published by the BCSE, in partnership with BloombergNEF. This Factbook is the best compilation of data in our industry in terms of investment, manufacturing, production, mobility, and more. You can download the Factbook at https://bcse.org/market-trends/. Thanks for listening!

Happy Women's History Month! Welcome to the show Lynn Abramson, President of the Clean Energy Business Network. Lynn and her organization annually release a report on the state of clean energy, which dives into the numbers of how we are impacting states at the local level for jobs, investment, and deployment. Tune in to hear Lynn and Jon's conversation around advocacy, the industry's impact, and challenges we're facing. Check out the report at cebn.org. Thank you Lynn for being on the show, and thank you for listening!

Thank you for being on the show, Kelly Worden, VP, ESG and Investing for Health at IWBI! Kelly and our host Jon Powers dive into the world of ESG and healthy buildings, a space in which Kelly is an expert. Tune into have a better understanding of the connection between public health and our buildings, as well as the emergence of ESG, and how we measure those things -- both at the portfolio level for investors and the building level so people can demand better buildings to work in. The progress that we are making in this space is important for all of us. Thank you for tuning in!

Welcome back, Rob Diamond, Partner, Capitol Counsel! Rob and our host Jon Powers worked together in the Obama Administration. Rob is focused on building an infrastructure practice to help people understand the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, the IRA, and how to access those dollars and get them moving into your community. Rob and Jon discuss where we are today in terms of the implementation of these generational pieces of legislation. Thank you for listening!

2024 brought successes and surprises for the clean energy industry. From major impacts on the economy by adding over 20,000 jobs since last year to navigating the challenges deals face due to rising interest rates, the capital and debt markets – renewable energy has been battling to keep the ground gained. Despite these challenges, the clean energy transition continues to progress and our industry remains resilient. As we look to welcome 2024, the CleanCapital executive team shared what they believe should be prioritized, elevated, and executed to level up the efforts in clean energy and achieve industry-wide goals. In this webinar Jon Powers, President, Melinda Baglio, General Counsel & Chief Investment Officer, Paul Curran, Chief Development Officer, and Zoe Berkery, Chief Operating Officer, discussed: - How future of deals will be determined by markets - Why diversifying energy projects will create success - How the market needs to be prepared to meet demands (both in jobs and power) - Share stories that matter to the industry, not just marketing

We are back with new Experts Only episodes after taking a break after RE+. In this episode, our host Jon Powers interviews Greg Ridderbusch, CEO of Connexus Energy. He just announced his retirement after leading one of the most interesting utilities in Minnesota, helping to drive the energy transition. Utilities play a significant role in: - moving forward, driving, and scaling renewable energy - bringing more to the grid - helping to manage the grid in a way that's reliable and affordable Hear Greg's vision of where we're headed, and the opportunities and challenges ahead. We are ramping back up for 2024, and we thank you for tuning in!

Welcome back to the show, Jigar Shah, Director, DOE Loan Programs Office. You've heard from Jigar, a commercial financing expert, before in Experts Only Podcast #104. Now, hear from him LIVE at RE+ with Experts Only host Jon Powers. "This recording took place at the PowerUp Live Podcast Stage at RE+ Las Vegas in 2023. PowerUp Live is where attendees can top-up on all things energy, featuring interviews with clean energy experts and conversations with podcasters around the industry. - SunCast Media" Thank you for tuning in!

In 2023, the world experienced extreme weather events from rising ocean temperatures to detrimental wildfire smoke to the hottest consecutive days the Earth has ever seen. However, renewable energy is at a historical moment in time where policy, technology, and finance have aligned in a way to make a generational impact against the climate crisis. Thanks to the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) over the last year, the industry has built significant momentum. We are witnessing a generational opportunity to drive both public and private sector investment into clean energy solutions. Tune in as Jon Powers, President of CleanCapital, is joined by Thomas Byrne, CEO of CleanCapital; Alex McDonough, Partner at Pioneer Public Affairs; and Marta Stoepker, Director of Public Relations at Qcells discuss the following: - Why the clean energy transition is at an historic inflection point as policy, technology, and finance align. - How the IRA has reshaped climate policy, and navigating those real-time policy changes. - How U.S. manufacturing of clean energy technology is increasing and what more to expect based on the IRA incentivizes for Domestic Products. - Understanding how climate legislation is unleashing billions of dollars in private capital to build assets like solar and energy storage.

Welcome Barney Schauble, Chairman of Nephila Climate, to Experts Only! During this episode, Barney and host Jon Powers discuss the exciting future for the clean energy industry. Barney and Jon dive into insurance -- not just insurance on our assets, but also how we're insuring the broader risk of climate. Barney is also Chair of the Board of Ceres (a non-profit devoted to sustainable capitalism). He has been working in this space, both on the risk side and the capital markets side, for his entire career. They explore how he ended up working in climate, and the importance of thinking about risk and how we can better do it across the market. Tune in to hear more about the the work that needs to be done to ensure that we can address these issues overall in the climate crisis.

Welcome back Roger Ballentine, energy and sustainability strategist, to the show. Roger first appeared on Experts Only five years ago. Listeners got to know Roger as he discussed his experience in the clean energy space, helping to form the conversation around climate the last few decades. 106 podcast episodes have passed since then, and we're grateful to have him back on the show! During this episode, Roger and host Jon Powers discuss the Clean Air Task Force's report: "Modernizing How Electricity Buyers Account and are Recognized for Decarbonization Impact and Climate Leadership." Tune in to hear more about the work this report is trying to affect, and Roger's work at Green Strategies, Inc. Thank you for listening!

Welcome Zoe Berkery, CleanCapital's very first employee, to the show! Zoe and host Jon Powers go way back to their days working at The White House together when she was an intern. Zoe is now an emerging leader in the clean energy space. They discuss her career, the growth of CleanCapital, and how she navigates the challenges of managing hundreds of megawatts of distributed generation for the company. How does asset management need to change to help CleanCapital scale? Tune in to learn!

Host Jon Powers welcomes his longtime industry colleague Paul Curran, CEO of BQ Energy, to the show. BQ Energy is brownfield and landfill developer. They've developed hundreds of megawatts of wind and solar. CleanCapital acquired BQ Energy in June 2022 to scale up what they were already doing. Hear about how turning brownfields to brightfields is a unique space, so you have to know what you're doing, but the potential to solve the climate crisis and utilize the under-utilized or impossible land that are brownfields and landfills could be a critical piece of that solution.

Host Jon Powers welcomed Lisa Jacobson, President of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE), and Ethan Zindler, Head of Americas for BloombergNEF, back for their sixth annual conversation about the Sustainable Energy in America 2023 Factbook. This conversation is an annual tradition that covers the data in the Factbook, highlighting where the industry is today. The Factbook has been published every year for over a decade, so now you can track the growth in the market over the last 10 years. Tune in as Jon, Lisa and Ethan look both backwards and out of where the market is. The Factbook is available to download here: https://bcse.org/market-trends/. Thanks for listening!

Host Jon Powers welcomes Joe Bryan, Chief Sustainability Officer & First Senior Advisor to the Secretary, United States Department of Defense. Joe is an expert in creating change and doing interesting, innovating things both internally and externally, and he brings out the Department as a leader in both the markets and internationally. This conversation brings our host back to his days of working at the Pentagon with Joe. He was excited to dive back in and see the work Joe is doing to bring change on the issues they care about. Welcome to the show, Joe!

In August Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, a landmark climate and clean energy bill. Six months later, we're asking: where are we now? We recently hosted a webinar titled "How is the Inflation Reduction Act Affecting Clean Energy Developers" for listeners to better understand how the rollout of IRA policies will impact clean energy developers. - What are the steps to full implementation? - What progress has been made on tax and other key policy levels within the administration? CleanCapital's Jon Powers was joined by Tax Expert Elizabeth Crouse and IRA Expert Elizabeth Gore to recap recent & upcoming announcements and the exciting potential outcomes for solar and storage developers. Hosted by: - Jon Powers President, CleanCapital Panelists: - Elizabeth Crouse Tax Partner & Co-Lead of Power, K&L Gates - Elizabeth Gore Senior Vice President, Political Affairs at Environmental Defense Fund

Experts Only Podcast is back for Season 2! Welcome Governor Bill Ritter, Jr., the 41st Governor of Colorado, who served from 2007 to 2011. He founded and now leads the Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University. Governor Ritter and our host Jon Powers discuss the way policy and markets emerge, and the work they're doing to help create the environment for the clean energy industry to thrive. Thanks for tuning in!

The US Department of Commerce recently opened an investigation into whether solar cell and module manufacturers are circumventing US import tariffs on Chinese solar products. The potential impact of these tariffs can significantly affect solar and storage developers pipelines. Thanks for tuning in for a conversation with Solar Energy Industry Associations President & CEO Abby Hopper to understand the Department of Commerce Auxin Solar Tariff situation and what actions we should all be taking to create a positive outcome.

Hear an expert's outlook on the new frontier of sustainable travel. Host Jon Powers welcomes Christian Møller-Holst , CEO & Founder of Goodwings, to the show to discuss how businesses can book and manage a net zero travel strategy. Thank you for listening!

Did you know that ESG approaches are being utilized by companies representing 80% of the world's GDP? Tune in to hear from Kara Mangone, Global Head of Climate Strategy at Goldman Sachs. Kara joins host Jon Powers to discuss the roadmap for #ESG through 2030 along with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new rules and the effect they'll have on the industry. We hope you enjoy this deep dive on the state of ESG and its future. Thanks for listening!

Host Jon Powers was thrilled to welcome back Lisa Jacobson, President of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE), and Ethan Zindler, Head of Americas for BloombergNEF, for their fourth annual conversation about the Sustainability in America 2022 Factbook. Learn from the experts about the Sustainable Energy in America 2022 Factbook, which chronicles the progress of clean energy in 2021, as well as the latest market & policy trends of the US energy economy. The Factbook is available to download here: www.bcse.org/factbook. Thanks for listening!

Welcome Robert Diamond, Partner, Capitol Counsel, LLC, to Experts Only Podcast. Rob joined his longtime friend and our host, Jon Powers, for an in-depth conversation on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, which was signed into law last year. During this episode, Rob, who leads the agency's infrastructure practice, explains the opportunities clean energy and climate companies have to access the $1.2 Trillion, and how they can take part in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Thanks for listening!

Host Jon Powers welcomes Taite McDonald, Partner at Holland & Knight for an expert discussion on commercializing energy technology.

Welcome Jigar Shah, Director, Loans Program, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), to Experts Only Podcast. Jigar joins host Jon Powers for an expert conversation on the unique American approach to commercial financing. Tune in to learn how Shah's team will support the commercialization of technology that has been developed and demonstrated in the U.S. and scale it up to meet ambitious global decarbonization goals.

During this important webinar, hear from the experts: - Jon Powers (President & Co-founder, CleanCapital) - Melinda Baglio (Chief Investment Officer & General Counsel, CleanCapital) - Shannon Maher Bañaga (Spokesperson, The Partnership for Clean Energy Investment) - Christopher Mathey (Federal Policy & Business Development, Stem, Inc.) - Joshua R Baribeau, CFA (VP of Finance & Corporate Treasury, Ameresco) Learn what direct pay is, how we expect it to move the clean energy industry forward, its status in Congress, and what you can do to help during this critical time in the Solar+ Decade. Tune in to hear more.

Welcome JC Kibbey, Illinois Clean Energy Advocate at Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), to Experts Only Podcast. Illinois recently passed a monumental piece of legislation, the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, signed by Governor J. B. Pritzker. This Act presents a binding 100% carbon-free energy standard by 2045 and establishes Illinois as a national leader in clean energy policy. JC Kibbey has been monumental in pushing this legislation forward. Tune in to hear host Jon Powers' discussion with Kibbey, a clean energy advocate, as they discuss the opportunities the Act presents for investing and developing clean energy in Illinois. Thanks for listening!

Welcome Trenton Allen, Managing Director and CEO of Sustainable Capital Advisors, and Member of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board, to Experts Only Podcast. Tune in to hear host Jon Powers' discussion with Allen, an expert in sustainable capital. Thanks for listening!

Host Jon Powers welcomes Jan Vrins, Global Energy, Sustainability and Infrastructure Segment Leader, Guidehouse, to the show for our 100th episode. Tune in to learn more from an expert on decarbonization.

Experts Only Podcast #99: with Climate Investment Expert Ted Roosevelt V by CleanCapital

Host Jon Powers welcomes Shannon Maher Bañaga, Managing Director, Public Affairs, Energy & Natural Resources at FTI Consulting Strategic Communications and Frank DeRosa, Senior Policy Advisor at 8minute Solar Energy, for an expert conversation on Direct Pay for clean energy investment and the advocacy efforts of the Partnership for Clean Energy Investment.

Host Jon Powers welcomes Eric Dresselhuys, ESS Inc. CEO, to Experts Only for an important conversation about flow battery technology. Tune in to hear more from an energy storage expert.

Welcome Cullen Kasunic, Chief Financial Officer & Head of Project Finance at BlocPower to Experts Only. Cullen joins host Jon Powers to address energy efficiency in climate change and climate justice. Tune in to hear from a renewable energy finance leader!

Welcome Richard Hummel, Manager, Threat Research at Arbor Networks, the security division of NETSCOUT, to Experts Only Podcast. Hear from a #cybersecurity expert as he joins host Jon Powers to discuss #cyberthreats and #cyberattack prevention in the #energy industry. Tune in for this alarming–but important–discussion.

Welcome to the show, climate finance expert Stacy A. Swann, CEO of Climate Finance Advisors. Stacy joins host Jon Powers to discuss how her consultancy helps firms measure, manage, and prepare to disclose climate risk. She also provides her expert insight on how federal and state governments are moving on climate risk policies. Thanks for listening!

Podcast #93: With Energy Storage Expert John Carrington, CEO of Stem, Inc. by CleanCapital

Welcome Dawn Lippert, CEO, Elemental Excelerator & Innovation, Emerson Collective, to Experts Only. Dawn, a.k.a. the Bruno Mars of clean energy, spoke with host Jon Powers live during the RISE Consortium. Hear from an expert on funding the improvement of systems that impact the planet and people's lives through energy, water, agriculture, transportation, and beyond.

Welcome Greg Wetstone, President and Chief Executive Officer at American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), to Experts Only Podcast #91 for a preview of the virtual ACORE Finance Forum. Hear from the expert on the state of the renewable energy industry and where it's headed. Tune in!

Podcast #90: How is the Department of Defense is Approaching Clean Energy with Michael Wu by CleanCapital

Host Jon Powers welcomed Derek Walker, Vice President, U.S. Climate at Environmental Defense Fund, to the show to explain carbon pricing. Hear from an expert on #CarbonPricing: its history, implementation, and influence on the #cleanenergy industry.

On a very special episode of the Experts Only podcast, host Jon Powers interviews his friend and co-founder of CleanCapital, CEO Thomas Byrne. CleanCapital recently secured a $300 million commitment from Manulife Investment Management, a landmark investment that marks a new phase in CleanCapital's six-year history. Jon and Thomas discuss that history, the learnings that led them to seek this arrangement, and the future of CleanCapital with the backing of a blue-chip investment partner like Manulife / John Hancock. Listen now!

Welcome Jason Kaminsky, Chief Operating Officer for kWh Analytics. Hear from an industry expert on the next phase of solar and best practices to use data to better manage assets and ensure predictable revenue. Jason and Jon spoke about the next phase of solar and the cutting edge advancements they're making in data management. Our team enjoys working closely with kWh, as they're a market leader in solar risk management, and we're thrilled to welcome Jason to the show.

Host Jon Powers was thrilled to welcome back Lisa Jacobson, President of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE), and Ethan Zindler, Head of Americas for BloombergNEF, for their third annual conversation about the Sustainability in America 2021 Factbook. Learn from the experts about the revolution in US clean energy production as described in the ninth version of this important resource. Hear about their research into the trends they're seeing in the industry in production, transportation, decarbonization, energy efficiency, and jobs. The trends are showing we have a fundamentally strong industry and marketplace.

We're back with a timely Experts Only podcast episode. Host Jon Powers recently interviewed Jonathon Monken, Principal of Converge Strategies, about the devastation taking place in Texas. Hear from an industry expert on how a polar vortex could cause this chain of disasters impacting power, water, and other major infrastructure. Learn about the failures that took place within the grid, and most importantly, how experts are planning for this to never happen again.

Tune in as host Jon Powers discusses the big picture of sustainability in the film industry with Julie Christeas and Jonny Blitstein of Tandem Pictures. Did you know the film industry is both a massive consumer of energy and a large carbon emitter? How can we decrease the amount of waste that the film industry produces? Hear from two industry experts about their latest film, sustainability efforts behind the camera, and the innovative changes they're making to lead the industry toward a greener future.

Welcome Andy Klump, CEO & Founder of Clean Energy Associates (CEA), to Experts Only Podcast. With 20+ years of experience in solar and storage, both in the #US and #China, hear what Andy has to say about the supply chain both today and changes he's seen over the past two decades. Host Jon Powers digs into how the supply chain has become more efficient, as well as how it's been challenged due to #Covid19. What does the future of solar and storage look like here in the US and overseas? Tune in!

This week on Experts Only podcast, host Jon Powers welcomes back Vote Solar CEO Adam Browning for an important discussion including their predictions for the upcoming year with the incoming Biden-Harris Administration and how we can work toward clean energy access for all. Also, hear how you can be more engaged with Vote Solar to help push solar energy policies forward at the state level.

This week on Experts Only podcast, host Jon Powers welcomes back Vote Solar CEO Adam Browning for an important discussion including their predictions for the upcoming year with the incoming Biden-Harris Administration and how we can work toward clean energy access for all. Also, hear how you can be more engaged with Vote Solar to help push solar energy policies forward at the state level.

This week on Experts Only podcast, host Jon Powers welcomes back Vote Solar CEO Adam Browning for an important discussion including their predictions for the upcoming year with the incoming Biden-Harris Administration and how we can work toward clean energy access for all. Also, hear how you can be more engaged with Vote Solar to help push solar energy policies forward at the state level.

We're thrilled to kick off a new year of Experts Only podcast episodes with Gia Schneider, CEO & Co-Founder of Natel Energy, as she discusses the connection between water and climate change with host Jon Powers. Hear how her upbringing in Texas led her to a career devoted to protecting the climate, and the market opportunity that hydroelectricty has today.

Host Jon Powers recently moderated a fireside chat with Devin Hampton, CEO of Utility API, as part of the Navigate Webinar Series from the Northeast Clean Energy Council (NECEC) in collaboration with CleanCapital. Jon and Devin talked about building an equitable energy future and hiring a diverse workforce as we continue the transition to a clean energy economy. They discussed not only the topic of diversity, but also what action listeners can take to drive change within their companies. Though this chat was previously recorded and participants who listened live were able to submit questions, we hope you come away with a better understanding of diversity in the cleantech sector. If you have any questions after listening to the chat, please tweet @NECEC and @CleanCapital_ to keep the conversation going. Thank you to all of the Navigateseries sponsors, including New York State Energy Research & Development (NYSERDA), for supporting this chat, and thank you for listening!