Solar Holler: Mining the Sun in West Virginia

What Does It Profit Podcast

In this episode, we are headed to West Virginia to flip the script on what we know about the energy business in the heart of coal country. We introduce you to a new type of energy and a new type of business. Meet Solar Holler, the “benefit corporation” that addresses some of the toughest economic issues in West Virginia.

Joseph “Joe” and Elizabeth Opoke are father-and-daughter descendants of miners who came to Marion County, WV in the turn of the 20th century. Their immigrant kin came from Hungary to work in the West Virginia coal mines. Family is important in a place like West Virginia. Joe and Elizabeth tell us about what the coal industry has meant to West Virginia and what headwinds are faced when trying to imagine a new kind of economy and a safer and healthier way of life.

One of those creative West Virginia dreamers facing these challenges is Dan Conant, the founder and CEO of Solar Holler. Dan uses the tool of a benefit corporation to create a business that seeks profit while at its core focusing on its social purpose. Dan’s vision for the social purpose of Solar Holler is creating (1) affordable energy and (2) facilitating good-paying career jobs that are safe for workers and protect West Virginia’s natural environment.

Dan tells the rough and rocky story of how Solar Holler made this happen. This episode will inspire us all to find new ways to “power our lives.”

Learn more about benefit corporations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benefit_corporations and about Solar Holler: https://www.solarholler.com/

What Does It Profit is powered by the Solidary Economy Workshop at Georgetown University. Our host and executive producer is Dr. Dawn Carpenter. Our senior producer is Jordan Gass-Poore’, and our engineer and sound designer is Mark Bush. Music for WDIP was composed by Nick Pennington. Season 3 researchers and assistant producers are Sofia Chen, Hannah Woodford, and Andy Feng. Our intern is Abby Trepacz.

Special thanks on this episode to our friends at Heartland Capital Strategies: https://www.heartlandnetwork.org/