Experts Only

Welcome back to the show, Roger Ballentine, President, Green Strategies, Inc. Our show has been on a  bit of a hiatus but we are coming back with a vengeance, driven by the conversation you're about to listen to. We are following what's happening in Washington constantly, as the tax bill and the Trump Administration are trying to drive change to our industry. But there's a secondary fight that we're tracking now - major changes are coming to green house gas emission accounting. This is critical in terms of how companies buy and measure their renewable energy. If these changes go forward, they can be as detrimental to our market as losing the investment tax credit or some of the anti-IRA efforts that are being pushed in Washington today.  Please also read our blog on how to take action as soon as you can. The timing is really important, and it has to happen now. Thank you for tuning in! We hope you enjoy the conversation.

In our first episode of 2025, Experts Only host Jon Powers speaks with Lynn Abramson, President of the Clean Energy Business Network (CEBN), about effective advocacy strategies for engaging the 119th Congress and Trump Administration. CEBN is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that serves as a bridge to federal energy policies and programs for more than 8,200 small business and community leaders across the nation. In this conversation, Lynn particularly focuses on combatting divisive narratives around clean energy tax incentives. She highlights the decades of bipartisan support that have led to these credits, and the fact that the majority of these investments have gone to Republican districts. She also discusses the transformational impact they have had on small businesses—and the need for business and community leaders to express their priorities to their elected officials. Learn more about these topics in this accompanying post from CEBN. Tune into the conversation and learn more about CEBN’s strategy and impact in their 2024 Annual Report. (Note: This episode was recorded a week prior to the inauguration so does not touch upon any developments in the early days of the Trump Administration.)

The maturation of clean energy policy, technology, and finance has paved the way for a sustainable future. Now, in the face of escalating weather events that are placing our energy infrastructure at risk, we all have an important role to play in advancing decarbonization efforts. By leveraging investments and policy frameworks, there's an opportunity to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and foster the growth of clean energy sources. This interactive session will highlight case studies demonstrating both feasibility and economic viability in transitioning to renewables, even in the most unconventional of cases. Moderator: - Jon Powers, President, CleanCapital Panelists: - Jaime Carlson, Head of Commercialization and Market Risk, SB Energy - Sean Gallagher, Senior Vice President, Policy, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) - Peter Muhoro, PhD, SEPA Board Member & Chief Strategy, Technology and Innovation Officer, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative - Marta Stoepker, Senior Director of Corporate Communications, Qcells

Host Jon Powers sits down with Jenn Miller, CEO of Renewable IPP, an Alaska-based renewable energy developer that we partner with at CleanCapital. Under Jenn's leadership, RIPP is creating the next frontier of opportunities in Alaska. They discuss the challenges Jenn and her team are facing in Alaska, the opportunities that solar presents, and how to grow and scale a company like RIPP in the current market. Both Jon and Jenn will be at RE+ in September. To set up a meeting, please visit cleancapital.com/re-plus-2024.

Welcome back Abby Hopper, President & CEO at Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), to the show! Abby and our host Jon Powers reflect now that we're two years into the Inflation Reduction Act. They discuss what it was like to see it pass, the opportunities and challenges of the past two years, and how it's going. We're looking forward to joining SEIA at RE+ in Anaheim, CA this September! Make sure you register for this conference. It's the go-to event to engage with the solar and storage industry. See you there!

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!

2023 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 (Please note that this webinar was filmed on December 13th just before the Fed announcement regarding rate cuts in 2024).

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 more about the unique work of turning brownfields to brightfields. Paul explains that 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 the climate crisis solution. Paul was doing renewables well before renewables were cool. Tune in to hear more from him! Thanks for listening!

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!