This episode is a graduate-level course on tracking renewable energy from generation to the end user, and the complexities of how policies, processes and markets all interact. My guest is Ben Gerber, the Executive Director of M-RETS, the Midwest Renewable Energy Tracking System based in Minneapolis. And this episode is a first for this podcast as I…

This is a special episode of More Power to You, in which I bring you an episode of Offshore Wind Insider, a podcast I launched a few months ago for the Business Network for Offshore Wind, which in full disclosure is a client of mine. My guest is Liz Burdock, President and CEO of the Network. Our conversation covers both strengths and challenges fac…

My guest this episode is climate advocate Will Hackman. Will hails from America’s heartland, spent three seasons as a commercial fisherman in Alaska, has attended the past three UN climate conferences, and works in DC advancing climate and clean energy policy in the NGO community. We start our conversation by discussing the need for climate action.…

In this episode we focus on energy efficiency in rural America. My guest is Mary Shoemaker, State Policy Analyst at ACEEE, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Our conversation focuses on both challenges and solutions, and we cover a broad range of issues, starting with what makes rural America unique in terms of energy efficiency …

In this episode we focus on carbon pricing and its prospects both federally and in the states. My guests are Andres Jimenez, Senior Director of Government Affairs, and Jamie DeMarco, State-Level Carbon Pricing Coordinator, for Citizens' Climate Lobby. In a purely coincidental bit of good timing, the morning that our interview was scheduled, a bipar…

In this episode we put on our energy geek hats to focus on demand response, and explore how utilities are implementing demand response programs across the US. My guest is Brenda Chew, an analyst at SEPA – the Smart Electric Power Alliance, and lead author of SEPA’s 2018 Utility Demand Response Market Snapshot report which serves as the basis for ou…

This is a special episode of More Power To You, the first episode recorded in front of a live audience. Earlier this month the Maryland Clean Energy Center hosted its annual Maryland Clean Energy Summit in College Park, and I moderated a panel titled The Mechanics of Offshore Wind: Moving to the Grid of the Future. The four panelists were: Jason Fo…

Welcome to the sixth and final episode in a special series of More Power To You, produced in partnership with the Maryland Clean Energy Center for National Clean Energy Week 2018. Each episode spotlights a different clean energy technology, and features some of the people and companies leading the way in Maryland. In this episode, we focus on bioen…

Welcome to Part Five in a special six-part series of More Power To You, produced in partnership with the Maryland Clean Energy Center for National Clean Energy Week 2018. Each episode spotlights a different clean energy technology, and features some of the people and companies leading the way in Maryland. This week’s focus is electric transportatio…

Welcome to Part Four in a special six-part series of More Power To You, produced in partnership with the Maryland Clean Energy Center for National Clean Energy Week 2018. Each episode spotlights a different clean energy technology, and features some of the people and companies leading the way in Maryland. This week’s focus is offshore wind energy, …

Welcome to Part Three in a special six-part series of More Power To You, produced in partnership with the Maryland Clean Energy Center for National Clean Energy Week 2018. Each episode spotlights a different clean energy technology, and features some of the people and companies leading the way in Maryland. In this episode we focus on distributed en…

Welcome to Part Two in a special six-part series of More Power To You, produced in partnership with the Maryland Clean Energy Center for National Clean Energy Week 2018. Each of these episodes spotlights a different clean energy technology, and features some of the people and companies leading the way in Maryland. In this episode, the second in the…

Welcome to a special six-part series of More Power To You, produced in partnership with the Maryland Clean Energy Center for National Clean Energy Week 2018. Each of these six episodes spotlights a different clean energy technology, and features some of the people and companies leading the way in Maryland. In this episode, the first in the series, …

In this episode of More Power To You we explore the nexus of electrification, transportation and industrial marine ports. My guest is Christine Houston, Manager of Sustainable Practices at the Port of Long Beach, the 2nd largest port in the country and a national leader in electrification. In our conversation we touch on a range of issues including…

In this episode we take a regional look at energy efficiency in the Southeastern U.S. My guest is Mandy Mahoney, President of the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, or SEEA. We start off by discussing the concept of energy efficiency and what it means these days, and then dive into SEEA’s energy efficiency work in the South, including the energy…

This is the second of two episodes in which we look at clean energy advocacy and politics from different political points of view, as we approach November's midterm elections. This week we hear a progressive perspective from Craig Auster, PAC and Advocacy Partnerships Director at the League of Conservation Voters. We begin the conversation with a d…

This is the first of two episodes in which we look at clean energy advocacy and politics from different political points of view. In today's show I sit down with Charles Hernick, Director of Policy and Advocacy at CRES Forum and its political arm, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, for the conservative perspective. We begin the conversation…

In this episode we focus on data, analytics, artificial intelligence and their impact on the electric grid. My guest is Sonny Garg, Managing Director of Global Energy Solutions at Uptake. We start this fascinating and wide ranging conversation with a look at how data and predictive analytics are being used to maximize the uptime, productivity and e…

In this episode of the podcast we focus on Alaska's unique energy landscape. Our guest is Chris Rose, Executive Director of the Renewable Energy Alaska Project, or REAP. We begin with an overview of energy in Alaska today, then delve into the unique way Alaska's grid operates without oversight from FERC—the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission—and …

In this episode we look at the current landscape for community solar, including trends, financing models and case studies. We close with a prediction about the state of community solar five to ten years in the future. My guests are Dan Chwastyk, K Kaufmann and Jared Leader from SEPA, the Smart Electric Power Alliance. Three new reports from SEPA se…

In this episode we focus on pollinator-friendly habitat and its inclusion in solar developments. My guest is Rob Davis, Director of the Center for Pollinators in Energy at Fresh Energy, a public interest non-profit based in St. Paul, Minnesota. We start by discussing the energy landscape in Minnesota, and then we get into pollinator-friendly habita…

In this episode we review the electric vehicle landscape in the Southeast. My guest is Anne Blair, Clean Fuels Director at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and one of the driving forces behind Electrify the South. We first discuss the factors affecting EV adoption in Georgia, then cover Florida, North Carolina and other states. Anne also touc…

In this episode I sit down for a brief conversation with Joe Fiordaliso, President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. It's an exciting time for clean energy in New Jersey: the state has a new governor and a new BPU president, and both are committed to positioning the state as a national leader in clean energy. This is the second of two in…

In this episode we explore public sentiment about offshore wind farms and the importance of community engagement in shaping it. My guest is Dr. Jeremy Firestone, Director of the Center for Carbon-Free Power Integration and Professor of Marine Policy at the University of Delaware. His research on public sentiment about the Block Island Wind Farm in …

In this episode we take a deep dive look at the solar market in the southeastern U.S. My guest is Bryan Jacob, Solar Program Director at SACE, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. We use SACE's new report Solar in the Southeast as the basis for our conversation. We start by discussing the report's methodology, then delve into the solar landscape…

In this episode we look at the energy transition from the perspective of one of its key players—the Consumer Advocate. My guest is Elin Katz, Connecticut's Consumer Counsel and the current president of NASUCA, the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates. We first explore broadly what the consumer's interest is; then we look at ener…

The offshore wind industry is growing quickly! Liz Burdock, Executive Director of the Business Network for Offshore Wind, returns to the podcast almost a year after our first conversation to discuss the outlook for offshore wind today. Liz presents an overview of state-level offshore wind developments on both coasts; discusses the implications of t…

This week we take a look at how the clean energy transition is impacting our built environment, as seen through the eyes of an architect with more than two decades of experience in green design. Our guest is Phil Kaplan, Principal at Kaplan Thompson Architects in Portland, Maine and the current Chair of NESEA, the Northeast Sustainable Energy Assoc…

In this episode we take a look at how the clean energy transition is playing out in the Land of Lincoln. Jen Walling, Executive Director of the Illinois Environmental Council, and MeLena Hessel, Policy Advocate with the Environmental Law and Policy Center, join me for a discussion about the policy and political developments shaping Illinois' clean …

For almost a year, one of the hottest topics among solar insiders has been the Suniva trade case. Its petition for the President to impose import duties on certain solar photovoltaic cells and modules created market uncertainty, galvanized the vast majority of the solar industry in opposition to the petition, and left everyone wondering--as usual--…

One of the big stories in clean energy in recent years has been the electrification of transportation. For our first show of 2018 we're sticking with that theme and discussing the EV landscape in New Jersey and the Mid-Atlantic. Our guest is Pam Frank, CEO of ChargEVC, a new organization based in New Jersey. References mentioned in the show include…

Since MPTY launched nine months ago, we've covered the clean energy landscape from solar to wind, hydrokinetic to nuclear, biofuels to electric vehicles, battery storage and more. Our shows have been downloaded thousands of times, in 45 states and more than 30 countries. Enjoy this brief audio mashup that sprints through all of our 2017 interview e…

Our electric grid is in the midst of arguably its biggest transformation of the last hundred years. Changes in technology, different regulatory approaches, new business models, as well as the rise of distributed generation in which consumers generate their own power behind the meter—all of these factors are fundamentally upending our traditional el…

This is the third of three episodes recorded at the Electric Drive Transportation Association’s first Leader Series Event, held at the National Press Club in downtown Washington, D.C. Titled Beyond the Beltway, the event brought together market and policy influencers to detail market trends and policy initiatives outside Washington that are driving…

This is the second of three episodes recorded at the Electric Drive Transportation Association’s first Leader Series Event, held this week at the National Press Club in downtown Washington, D.C. Titled Beyond the Beltway, the event brought together market and policy influencers to detail market trends and policy initiatives outside Washington that …

This is the first of three episodes recorded at the Electric Drive Transportation Association’s first Leader Series Event, held at the National Press Club in downtown Washington, D.C. Titled Beyond the Beltway, the event brought together market and policy influencers to detail market trends and policy initiatives outside Washington that are driving…

In this episode, we dive into energy storage with Chief Content Officer Tanuj Deora and Senior Associate Nick Esch of SEPA, the Smart Electric Power Alliance. SEPA recently issued its annual Utility Storage Market which serves as the basis for our conversation. I start off with a ridiculously corny joke, then we get into the types of energy storage…

National Drive Electric Week, sponsored by Plug-In America, the Sierra Club and the Electric Auto Association, is billed as a "national celebration" of electric vehicles. Hundreds of locally organized ride-and-drive events are held throughout the week across the country and overseas. I was in Chicago last month during the last few days of National …

In this episode we focus on rural America with two former state directors for USDA Rural Development: Bill Menner and Bill McGowan. Our conversation begins with a discussion about the need for homegrown local leadership to act as a sparkplug, and continues with why some rural communities struggle while others survive; the importance of broadband co…

North Carolina's Outer Banks are a popular vacation spot for millions of families who come for the hundreds of miles of sandy beaches, the surf and the sun. The Outer Banks are also well known historically as the place where the Wright Brothers first pioneered controlled flight more than 100 years ago. These days, the Outer Banks are also the site …

Electric Vehicles (EVs) represent the largest new source of electric load since the air conditioner was invented. They also represent new, flexible sources of distributed energy resources (DERs) that can put power back into the grid. In this episode we delve into these challenges and opportunities with Erika Myers, Director of Research at SEPA, the…

This episode is all about Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE -- a relatively new financing mechanism that allows property owners to pay for energy efficiency and clean energy upgrades without spending a dime out of pocket. Our guest is Gerard Neely, Manager of Maryland Commercial PACE, a statewide administrator for commercial PACE projects acr…

In this episode we finally dive into solar energy with Pam Cargill, Principal at Chaolysti consulting and a board member of SEIA, the Solar Energy Industries Association. Our conversation begins with a look at the type of solar consulting work Chaolysti does, and continues with SEIA's recent Lobby Day on Capitol Hill; a discussion about the Suniva …

This special episode of More Power To You comes to you from the Aspen Institute in Washington, D.C. Hosted by the Institute's Community Strategies Group (CSG) and Rural Development Innovation Group (RDIG), the event focuses on the unique importance of infrastructure in fueling economic development in rural communities. The event kicks off with open…

On this episode of the podcast we sit down with Barry K. Worthington, Executive Director of the United States Energy Association, for a big-picture discussion about U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord, the prospects for a carbon tax, and grid reliability. We close with Barry's prediction about what the U.S. grid will look like ten years f…

This special episode of More Power To You was recorded last week at the Bipartisan Policy Council in Washington, D.C. The BPC and the International Council on Clean Transportation sponsored a fascinating panel discussion entitled "International Competitiveness and the Auto Industry: What's the Role of Motor Vehicle Emission Standards?" BPC presiden…

This special episode of More Power To You brings you Congressman Joe Barton's remarks at the United States Energy Association's 2017 Annual Membership Meeting and Public Policy Forum. The event was held at the National Press Club in downtown Washington, D.C. USEA presented Rep. Barton with its Annual Energy Award for his longtime contributions to t…

Americans have had a longtime love affair with the automobile. You could even say it's ingrained into our national psyche. It's not surprising, then, that this industry in which 90% of fuels are fossil-based generates 27% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Fortunately, this high-carbon transportation model is being disrupted by the emergence of …

On this episode we're talking about biology. Not your high school biology, though; we're talking about biotechnology and biofuels with Paul Winters, Director of Communications, and Erick Lutt, Director of Industrial and Environmental Policy, for BIO, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization. Paul and Erick start off with the basics of how agricult…

So much of the discussion about the environment and the clean energy transition these days centers on the new Trump Administration and on Congress. So, who better to talk about it than someone who is in the midst of it every day—U.S. Senator Ben Cardin from Maryland. Senator Cardin joins the podcast from his office on Capitol Hill to share his pers…