More Power To You

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 habitat—best practices, finances, and benefits it offers solar developers which can help build support among community and agricultural stakeholders. We close with a look ahead at what Rob thinks the state of pollinator-friendly solar will be in a few years. Show references include: Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Energy Resources Center at the University of Chicago  Energy News Network 56 Brewing in Minneapolis, brewers of Solarama Crush, the world's first beer made with honey from pollinator-friendly solar Recorded April 25, 2018. Published May 14, 2018.  

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 touches on the Volkswagen diesel settlement, the NextCar Pledge, and the relationship of offshore oil drilling to EV adoption. References include: Georgia's 2015 HB 170 (Transportation Act of 2015) City of Atlanta Passes "EV Ready" Ordinance into Law (press release,) 11/21/17 Electrify the South's Volkswagen Settlement page Solar United Neighbors Drive Electric Orlando North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association's Electric Vehicle Working Group Plug-In NC NextCar Pledge New Numbers Are In and EVs Are Cleaner Than Ever, Union of Concerned Scientists, 5/31/17 Electric Vehicles: Driving Reduced Demand for Offshore Oil (SACE blog series,) April 2018 Recorded: April 26,

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 interviews I recorded at the 2018 International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum, or IPF, hosted by the Business Network for Offshore Wind earlier this month in Princeton. Not surprisingly, President Fiordaliso discusses the important role offshore wind has to play for New Jersey to meet its goals. I came away from the conversation optimistic not only about New Jersey's clean energy goals but its ability to meet them. References:  Governor Murphy Signs Executive Order to Promote Offshore Wind Energy (press release) Recorded: April 6, 2018. Published: April 16, 2018. Sign up for email news and updates from More Power To You.  Thank you to our sponsor! The Business Net

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 Rhode Island serves as the basis for our conversation. References:  Wind in the sails or choppy seas?: People-place relations, aesthetics and public support for the United States’ first offshore wind project, by Firestone, Bidwell, Gardner & Knapp (Available for free download until April 26, 2018. Afterwards you may contact the author.) Block Island Wind Farm  This is the first of two interviews I recorded at the 2018 International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum, or IPF, hosted by the Business Network for Offshore Wind earlier this month in Princeton, New Jersey. Recorded: April 5, 2018. Published: April 16, 2018. Sign up for email news and updates from More P

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 the seven states the report covers, including the political and policy activity shaping the numbers. We close by considering the possible impact of recent federal actions, and contemplate what the Solar in the Southeast report may look like a few years from now. Reports: Solar in the Southeast - 2017 Annual Report, by SACE Energy Information Administration's Annual Energy Outlook EIA's 860 data (utility) EIA's 861 data (distributed) 2017 Solar Market Insight, by SEIA and GTM Research Other references: North Carolina legislative staff overview of 2017 Competitive Energy Solutions for NC legislation Regulators approve Georgia Power IRP, Utility Dive article by

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 energy storage and electric vehicles; and we close by contemplating the convergence of utilities such as electricity and telecom, and how the focus of the Advocate may continue to evolve in the future. References include: Alliance for Transportation Electrification Edison Electric Institute NASUCA's 2018 Mid-Year Meeting, June 24-27 in Minneapolis  Recorded March 9, 2018. Published March 19, 2018. Sign up for email news and updates from More Power To You.  Thank you to our sponsor! Have you ever thought about making the switch to clean energy? With CleanChoice Energy, you don’t need to install solar panels or even own your home to get 100% of your electricity from cl

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 technological advances for future offshore wind development; shares news about the Network's work with federal partners to establish national industry standards; announces some upcoming Network-sponsored events; and closes with a prediction about offshore wind prices in the future. Resources mentioned in the show include: Offshore wind energy and fishing thrive together, video by University of Delaware and American Wind Energy Association Tradepoint Atlantic Maine's Aqua Ventus floating wind turbine Navigant Research, Offshore Wind Market and Project Assessment 2017 Bloomberg, These Four Power Giants Rule the World's Growing Wind Market 2018 International Offshore W

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 Association (and a fellow podcaster). Our wide-ranging conversation touches on net zero buildings, integrated design, the economics of residential solar, the role of energy storage and more. We close with a preview of NESEA's big conference and trade show next month in Boston. References mentioned include: Green Architects' Lounge Podcast BrightBuilt Home BuildingEnergy Boston Conference and Trade Show   Recorded: February 19, 2018. Published: February 19, 2018. Sign up for email news and updates from More Power To You.  Thank you to our sponsor! The Atlas EV Hub gives stakeholders from across the electric vehicle industry quick access to key data and information on

  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 energy economy. Resources mentioned include: Future Energy Jobs Act (SB 2814, passed Dec. 1, 2016) Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition Recorded February 14, 2018. Published February 19, 2018. Sign up for email news and updates from More Power To You.  Thank you to our sponsor! The Atlas EV Hub gives stakeholders from across the electric vehicle industry quick access to key data and information on the market, policies and regulations, and activities by the EV community. The Hub is the place to track activities in the states related to the Volkswagen Settlement. Visit www.atlasevhub.com to learn more, including how to gain free access for public agencies and Clean Cit

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--what the President would decide.  Today, the President issued his decision, bringing the long guessing game to an end. Now the question becomes, what did the President approve, and what will the impact be? Joining the show for immediate feedback less than an hour after the President issued his decision is John Berger, CEO of Houston-based Sunnova, one of the largest residential solar service providers in the U.S. Resources include: US Trade Representative's Fact Sheet announcing President's decision Full USTR solar trade case docket Excellent article by Utility Dive's Krysti Shallenberger last December with solid background and perspectives from both sides Recorde

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: Gabel Associates New Jersey Coalition of Auto Retailers (NJCAR) Gov.-Elect Phil Murphy's Transition Team Isles, a Trenton-based non-profit Forth Alliance for Transportation Electrification (ATE) Recorded January 3, 2018. Published January 8, 2018.

  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 episodes, starting with our very first show. Thank you to my podcast mentors Tim Hamilton (The Maryland Crabs) and Scott MacMullan (The Annapolis Podcast) for their early guidance and encouragement. Thank you as always to The New Mastersounds for permission to use their tune Freckles. And thank you listeners for your feedback, suggestions and for listening this year! 

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 electric grid, as well as making people question what the role of the utility should be in the future. Joining the podcast to discuss the grid of the future are Christine Stearn, Senior Manager, 51st State Initative, and Tanuj Deora, Chief Content Officer, at SEPA, the Smart Electric Power Alliance based in Washington, D.C.  Resources mentioned include: Baskin-Robbins' Old Fashioned Butter Pecan MPTY Podcast Episode 21: Electric Vehicles, Managed Charging and Utilities Light and Hope for Puerto Rico Recorded: December 4, 2017. Published: December 11, 2017.

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 the future of electric transportation. This episode brings you the event’s closing panel, The New Movers in Electric Mobility: Public/Private Collaboration. Its panelists include: Matthew Nelson, Director of Government Affairs for Electrify America Elaine O’Grady, Senior Policy Advisor at NESCAUM, the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management Ashley Horvat, VP for Public and Private Partnerships at Greenlots Colleen Quinn, SVP for Global Public Policy at ChargePoint Terry O’Day, VP for Product Strategy and Market Development at EVgo Nick Nigro, Founder of Atlas Public Policy, moderates the discussion. Recorded: November 1, 2017. Published: November 3, 2

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 are driving the future of electric transportation. This episode brings you remarks from Sue Gander, Director of Energy, Environment and Transportation at the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices. Recorded: November 1, 2017. Published: November 3, 2017.

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 the future of electric transportation. This episode brings you the event’s opening panel, titled Scaling Solutions: Regional Electrification Strategies. Its panelists include: Bill Elrick, Executive Director of the California Fuel Cell Partnership Roland Hwang, Director of Energy and Transportation for the National Resources Defense Council Jeanette Shaw, Director of Governent Relations for Forth Chris Budzynski, Director of Utility Strategy at Exelon Lisa Jerram, Principal Research Analsyt at Navigant Research, moderates the discussion. Recorded: November 1, 2017. Published: November 3, 2017.

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 SEPA tracks; SEPA's methodology and key findings; ways in which state policies drive deployment; several different ways in which utilities are using storage both to address emergency power needs and in conjunction with distributed energy resources (DERs); how island grids can use storage to make their grids more resilient; how 2017's storage numbers are shaping up; and predictions for storage five or ten years from now, including the potential synergies with energy storage and electric vehicles. We also cover the neat analogy SEPA uses to explain the difference between power capacity and electrical energy.  Resources mentioned in the show include: SEPA's 2017 Util

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 Drive Electric Week 2017, and stopped by two nearby events to check out the current EV landscape in the Midwest. First up in this episode is the Naperville, Illinois event located about 30 miles west of Chicago, where I speak with Bruce Jones, a longtime board member of the Fox Valley Electric Auto Association. Then we head to Portage, Indiana, about 40 miles east of Chicago, where I interview Lauri Keagle, Membership and Program Manager for South Shore Clean Cities. Neither of these interviews were scheduled ahead of time, and I appreciate Bruce and Lauri for being so game when this stranger showed up unannounced with a field recorder and asked to interview them. S

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 connectivity for rural economic development, and the need for government financial support for it; the economics and politics of clean energy in rural communities; and the political divide between rural and urban America. We wrap up the conversation with predictions about sustainable development and the future of rural America. References include: USDA Rural Development Chesapeake Heritage Center B-CROP Act of 2017 Iowa's Cultivation Corridor Recorded September 10, 2017. Published September 18, 2017.

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 of research into a new clean energy technology: marine hydrokinetic energy. On this episode of the podcast we are joined by Dr. Lindsay Dubbs, Co-Director of UNC Chapel Hill's Outer Banks Field Site, and Research Associate at the Renewable Ocean Energy Program at UNC's Coastal Studies Institute. We begin with Lindsay explaining what the Renewable Ocean Energy Program is and does. We then discuss some of the types of work its researchers are doing; some of the unique challenges that marine energy faces; how researchers are collecting oceanographic data and how it is being used; some of the different types of marine energy devices such as underwater turbines and kites