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Abby Hopper: What's Next for SEIA's CEO?
In this episode, Aaron talks with Abby Hopper, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
Reflecting on her nine-year tenure, Abby discusses how she transformed SEIA by creating a culture of vulnerability and embracing thought leadership.
(She also spills the beans on what she’s doing next).
Listen to this episode on:
* YouTube
* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
Connect with Abby on LinkedIn here.
Expect to learn:
* Why personal branding is a critical tool for getting messages out there in 2026 (Abby went from 30,000 LinkedIn followers to 70,000 in less than two years).
* How Abby built a company culture that SEIA’s employees love.
* Advice for solar industry newcomers on how to find “your people.”
Quotes from the episode:
“I believe in my soul that in order to be highly effective and deeply impactful, we need to be connected to the people around us.”
- Abby Hopper
“I’ve never met a more scrappy industry. We’re constantly being challenged, and we constantly keep coming up with new iterations and new ways to get our work done.”
- Abby Hopper
Transcript:
Aaron Nichols: Abby, I’ve noticed that you’ve like, really embraced thought leadership during your time at the Solar Energy Industries Association. And several other large companies seem to be doing the same thing like Kelly McPherson with Navigating the Grid at Radiant, Benoit Tanjan at Solar Maverick Podcast, Juliet Piper at Goodleap. Why do you think so many companies are now putting time and resources into putting faces on their brands?
Abby Hopper: Yeah, it’s a good question. Um. And I’ll tell you why I do it, and then I can hypothesize about why I think I’ll do it. I mean, I have done it not really as sort of a sea of branding exercise, but more of a way to talk to our members and the solar and storage community, right? Like there’s the world I live in, policy, politics. So it couldn’t feel really inaccessible and really far away, you know, and especially like over this summer and the spring and the summer when there’s all this battle over HR1 and are we gonna get the tax credits? Are we gonna keep the tax credits or the tax credits going away? Like not really knowing who to believe and what to believe and who had the story. I felt like it was really important to be a voice. I was like, let me just tell you what’s really going on.
And that like because of that, it became more of like a brand that it didn’t start out with that way. I feel like I know the other people that you mentioned, you know, in friends with all of them. And I think each of them are storytellers in their own way. And so it’s certainly for brands a way to differentiate themselves. It’s a way for people to feel a connection because they feel connected to the person. But I also think, especially the three that you mentioned are really interested in people and in what makes this industry go and how things are evolving and how technologies are evolving and where the innovation is happening. So I can say for me it’s been such a joy to like use my voice in this different way.
Aaron Nichols: Yeah, and I think that there’s a lot of data that seems pretty clear that people tend to follow people and engage with people a lot more than they do with an organization page. So you can really, I guess, think of your own LinkedIn page, which has grown tremendously, as just another way of getting information out there to people who don’t really want to follow a brand page.
Abby Hopper: Yeah. Well, I think that’s right. And one of the things I’ve noticed is that because I use my LinkedIn differently, I think then some people do, like, what I write about today. Oh, today I wrote about a Washington Post article that, you know, shows that there was there’s an experiment where a woman changed her gender to male and then asked Chachibiti to make her post more masculine, whatever that might mean, and her impressions quadrupled overnight. It’s fascinating, right? I’m not saying whether that’s good bad, but I’m saying like we should be thinking about what does that mean.
Tomorrow I’m writing about the word of the day after you and I get off the phone, I’ll do that. Then on Wednesday, I’m writing about supply chains and storage costs in the solar and storage, like not storage, but like getting stuff to places costs. And that, like, mix of personal and professional information and reflection, I think that makes it more interesting It makes me more interesting for me personally. That’s the kind of people I follow, like Kelly. You know, Kelly does that too. I know more about ranching and rodeos than I did.
Aaron Nichols: Yeah. She’s awesome.
Abby Hopper: She’s so awesome, but don’t you wanna go out to her house and ride around in her horses? It looks gorgeous.
Aaron Nichols: It does. Yeah.
Abby Hopper: Yeah. And I think, I mean, that’s the type of creator I am to and the reason, like, I was gonna do it somewhere and I picked LinkedIn, but I just, I’m interested in stuff and I want people to know. Well, I’m interested in stuff and I want people to know and I’m also interested in what other people think about stuff, right? Like, like, I’m curious. Like, how are people thinking about large language models and inherent bias or how are people thinking about, like, like what are they want to accomplish in 2026? Like I love, I love stories. Like I love people and I love the stories they tell. And so I have found like did to be a really good platform for eliciting those kinds of stories in ways that it might not have been intended for, but it’s certainly super effective at.
Aaron Nichols: Yeah, I’ve really, I’ve enjoyed my time on there so much. And unfortunately, as we all know, as everyone who follows you knows, you’re transitioning out of your role as the CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association. So I would love to know what you’re proudest of as you’re looking back on your time there and everything you’ve accomplished.
Abby Hopper: Yeah. It’s hard to pick like one thing, right, because I’ve been there for nine years now. But I will I will say there’s a personal one and a professional not personal but like an organizational one and a professional one and the professional one is the passage of the inflation reduction. I mean that was just was so Transformation for our industry and it was such a show of force in terms of our advocacy and our Impact and you know, we can have a long conversation.
Sorry. I’m always wiggly. I can’t sit still I do not sit still ever.
Aaron Nichols: So I have the same curse right I’m always like oh I’m standing right now are you really playing with my wedding ring yeah I could stay with mine but uh no I play with my hair I play with my pen and I rearrange my legs.
Abby Hopper: So the passage of the IRA like you know Now, it has been amazing, it has transformed the industry, it will continue to transform it, even with some of the rollbacks, it’s still transformational. So that’s what I’m like really proud of. And, you know, having been there for the years leading up to it on the whole fight for the year and a half that it happened, it did just happen overnight. That was awesome. And then getting to go to the White House and having this big party on our roof and like it was just awesome.
Um, um, I think internally the thing on the most proud of is the culture we’ve created. And I, you know, that’s like such a, what does that even mean, Abby? Like, you’re critical. I don’t know what that means.
Aaron Nichols: It’s a nice buzz word.
Abby Hopper: It is so busy. Um, but I mean, things like we’ve been voted multiple times as one of the best workplaces, right? By our employees. And, um, and it means that people, like come up to me, like at the holiday party we had last month and say, well, I’ve never worked anywhere like this before. Like I’ve been in politics. I’ve been in solar for a decade, two decades. And I’ve never been at a place where like people really value us as people and not just as workers, right? And and it’s I feel really proud of that. I’m really trust that that will continue after I leave because I think that’s a lot of magic sauce of what makes see a such an effective place.
Aaron Nichols: I didn’t write this down as a question, but I’m interested to go down that rabbit hole a little bit with you. Like, what is culture and how do you create great culture?
Abby Hopper: Yeah. The way I think about culture is sort of, how does it feel to be at work? Like for us, it’s work. How does it, what does it feel like? And do I, do I feel included and welcomed and listened to and valued and like listen to and value aren’t the same as being like I always agree with or get my way right that’s not the kind of workplace I create but something where people get to say their piece and get to have a voice and what and how the how the work gets done. So I think that’s part of it I think like how do we make that happen is through a lot of like conversations with employees around you know what do they think what are they doing how can we do it better but also like hey um you should probably go home like you know you don’t get an award here for staying late like you don’t get no word for emailing me at 10 o’clock at night in fact if you’re emailing me at 10 o’clock at night I’m probably gonna ask you like what’s going on um Yeah, I always tell my team like we don’t have emergencies in solar right like we really don’t We work really really hard, but we also like I’m better at my job when I’m happy And I’m happy when I see the people I love and I get enough sleep and I you know read interesting books I’m not really good at my job when I’m just running on fumes.
Yeah, so that’s a part of it And then like, you know, we pay for healthcare and we match our 401k and like we, uh, we give people the week between Christmas and New Year’s off without having to take PTO. And this year, I mean, the year was so rough that I just closed the office for a week at August. And it was like, everyone just go, go, we don’t have to take PTO, we’re just shutting down and resting for a week, right? Like that’s in my mind. That’s what it means. Right. Well, what do you think? I mean, you work. What is the culture mean to you?
Aaron Nichols: I think culture means being valued and just being seen as human, like not feeling like an automaton to me, being knowing that I’m able to just express how weird I am. Like, I have a very irreverent sense of humor. So getting to sneak in some jokes and have that be respected is a big part of culture for me because if If we’re not being ourselves, then what are we doing? I have a big issue with professionalism in general Because it’s just this idea that we pretend that we’re a bunch of people that we’re not I would much rather work in a place where I can I can be funny. I want I like being funny And I guess my guess is most people would prefer to be around you when you’re being funny.
Abby Hopper: Yeah. Yeah. I think that’s probably right.
Aaron Nichols: Well, going back to that unfortunate week in August where you’ve told everyone to go away for a week and just recharge. I mean, obviously we’ve had a very difficult year. We might be headed for a difficult few years as an industry. So, as you’re transitioning out as CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, what advice do you have for us all as we’re navigating this next few years together?
Abby Hopper: Yeah, I would say like, again, kind of the professional on the personal and the professional side. I mean, you know better than I, the demand is there, right? Customers want our product, and so remaining innovative and flexible about how we deliver that product And how we communicate about that product and what we’re offering and sort of being very solutions oriented and very like almost technology agnostic, which is funny because I represent the solar storage industry, but really, you know, understanding that customers want reliable affordable clean, they do, they want clean power and like, they don’t really care, like and what constellation it comes. So if it’s a combination of storage and solar or wind and storage or whatever, just like get it to them and the best way possible, one of the reasons I wanted to work in this industry was because I’ve never met a more like scrappy industry, right? We’re constantly being challenged and we constantly keep coming up with new iterations and new ways to get our work done.
So I was, that was my strong professional advice is to like stay ahead of the curve there. And then I think personally, it’s what like staying connected to other people and other people that make you happy both personally, but professionally, right? Like some of my closest friends I met in the solar industry, which I wouldn’t have guessed when I got here. You know, that wasn’t my goal in becoming the CEO. My goal was to just like pay the bills and have a good career, but I have met some of my closest friends here and feeling grounded in that and like there’s so much satisfaction in what we’re doing, even when it’s really hard is important. So, you know, find some really good friends. There’s a quote I love by Joseph Campbell that the influence of a vital person vitalizes.
Aaron Nichols: And it’s so yeah, it’s so important to stay connected, and I’ve actually, I’ve been really impressed by the quality of people that I’ve met in the solar industry and just, like, what a great filter it is for people of quality, because I’ve been in so many rooms that I thought were going to be my people and weren’t. Like, I was a, I was a Peace Corps volunteer, unfortunately, very briefly before we were evacuated and I was an educator and I kept thinking I was going to find my people and I didn’t until I got here. And what is it about the people here that makes me feel like they’re your people.
Abby Hopper: The scrappiness is a big part of it. The understanding that we’re a part of something bigger and the willingness to sacrifice in service of something greater is a big one and the creativity that it has taken to just constantly pivot business strategies. I mean, I’ve only been here two and a half years and we’ve done it so many times. I am last year was the 50th anniversary of Sia and I had the chance to interview some of the founders, like these older, you know, like gentlemen in their late 70s or early 80s and one of them said something that was so profound to me because, you know, imagine 1974 we were, it’s It’s not like it is today, right? And he said to me, like Abby, we were selling a dream. Like, we were, you know, we were asking people to believe and invest in a dream. That’s not us anymore. Like, we have product, we were $70 billion in a dream. It’s not a dream, but I just, I love that idea. And I do feel like part of the scrappiness, I’m part of the higher purpose, is that we can see a way that the world should be. And we believe in profit, right? Like, you have to pay our, you know, pay our workages and support our families. And so the idea that you can both do good and do well, I like that combination myself.
Aaron Nichols: That’s really funny that you say that because that’s exactly what brought me here because it was after that time, Peace Corps education, nonprofits. I was like, all right, I wanna save the world but I don’t wanna go broke doing it. Actually, I don’t wanna save the world. I save this all time. I don’t wanna save the world. I wanna save the wild. I’m a Colorado mountain boy, I want the wild, it’s to remain wild.
Abby Hopper: Yeah, yeah, I like that. I never heard it said that way. I don’t want to say the world I want to say the wild. Well, it’s interesting because I worked in nonprofits too, like before I went to law school. I worked in domestic violence shelter and it’s super important work and when you’re not compensated in a way that’s like, you can sustain a family. It really starts to like, it starts to mess with my head. Like, what is my value? Like, what am I, what is my worth? And, you know, people that are doing things that I don’t value are making so much more money than I am and therefore can have more freedom in terms of supporting themselves than I could. And so, um, like figuring out that, like, like how do both do work that really matters and be able to, you know, like kids in college, right? Like, that’s real.
Aaron Nichols: Yeah, what’s that trendy Japanese word where you draw all the Venn diagrams of the Ichigai?
Abby Hopper: Oh, I don’t even know that word.
Aaron Nichols: Oh, okay, yeah. It’s like the intersection of all the things you love.
Abby Hopper: I like that. I have a different Japanese word. Except, I can’t remember it, so it’s not that interesting. But do you know Jesse is is there you like oh yeah?
Aaron Nichols: Yeah, I’ve seen some of this stuff.
Abby Hopper: He’s married to the founder of spanks right? Yeah, I’m like we So she you know, one of his eight million companies is big-ass calendar Which I bought because I needed a big-ass calendar And his theory is like you pick your it’s Magoshi or something like this like you’re big thing of the year. The big thing you’re gonna accomplish...
Aaron Nichols: I know I know this. Yeah, it’s oh man. I used to have a fitness plan based on it. I can’t yeah. I’ll remember in a second.
Abby Hopper: You will. You will. You’re so gay. It’s in misogy.
Aaron Nichols: Yes. There we go.
Abby Hopper: So you pick your thing. Yeah. And then that’s what set like that’s what centers your year or your friends and then you kind of do around it. Anyway, that’s my contribution you should have the Japanese word.
Aaron Nichols: Nice. All right, get a remember. Yeah. Well, I’m glad you found your people here.
Abby Hopper: Thank you. That makes me really happy. I mean, at the end of the day, right? It’s the people that were around that bring us joy.
Aaron Nichols: Yes. Yeah, I mean, yeah. And thank you for commenting on that. I am very happy right now. And I’ve been very intentional about filtering the right people into my life. and just got married, and I’m just in a good time.
Abby Hopper: Congratulations.
Aaron Nichols: Thank you.
Abby Hopper: When did you get married?
Aaron Nichols: Saturday.
Abby Hopper: What?
Aaron Nichols: Yeah, my fiance and I did a private ceremony in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Abby Hopper: Oh my god, no, what are you playing with your buddy rank?
Aaron Nichols: It’s been on there for like two days.
Abby Hopper: Shins, are you going on a honeymoon?
Aaron Nichols: Eventually we will. We did nothing but travel last year since we met. So we’ll yeah, we’re we’re nesting right now.
Abby Hopper: That is awesome. Well, I’m so excited for you. I love love.
Aaron Nichols: Yeah, me too. Yeah, I think like you it’s clear that you’ve facilitated that love and community in the culture that you’ve created and in the industry as a whole, which is amazing. And I’m curious like what do we do now that you’re gone? How do we can send? How do we continue to facilitate that community?
Abby Hopper: Oh my gosh. Well, first of all, it’s way bigger than one person. So you’ll, you’ll be fine. We’ll be totally fine.
Aaron Nichols: But, um, I know I will. I’m worried about all the data driven nerds, Abby.
Abby Hopper: What I think, you know, I think, like, go back to what you said about sort of professionalism, right? Like we’re professionals. So we shouldn’t be talking about you got married or I got married. or we shouldn’t be talking about are we happy or not? We should be talking about how much did we sell? What’s the bottom line who are political enemies and how do we fight them, right? Like, I don’t believe that that’s the most efficient and effective way for us to get our work done. Like, I believe in my soul that in order to be highly effective and deeply impactful, like, we need to be connected to the people around us. And so that is a theory of leadership, you know, doesn’t belong to anyone person. But I think that’s the way that we keep that connection and that energy in what we’re doing is by really like having covered, apparently just conversations with each other about what’s going on.
Aaron Nichols: Yeah, and I think I’d like to hear you talk about advice for new people as well. And I think to expand on that a little bit, I think the solar industry can be intimidating as someone who’s only been here for two and a half years. Like everyone who’s been in here longer than five years is like best friends and godparents to each other’s children and they show up to the conferences and they do a Viking handshake and they’re like brother and forged in the fires of war. So like how do you recommend like what advice do you have for people like me who are just finding their footing here and just getting into careers?
Abby Hopper: Yeah. Yeah, so when I got here nine years ago, I was brand new to the solar industry, right? And I found it. I’ve worked in other industries and law firms and energy sources, energy technologies, but I’d never been anywhere where everyone introduces themselves and then says, how long they’ve been in the industry, right? It’s true. Hi, I’m Aaron. I’ve been here for two and a half years. Him. I’ve been here for nine years, right? like it sort of sounds like AA, like hi, I’m here, I’m up in here, whatever, here, um so I felt that same way too.
Like I was I was because what I found was not only did I did just one have to figure out who everybody is, but then you have to do the next level of understanding of who people used to work with and where all of these other like embedded networks are especially like and for my world and the political world, like understanding that is critical. So I think my advice to people that are just coming into our industry is first of all, welcome. We’re really glad you’re here. And saying that to people who are here, I mean, imagine like walking into a room, walking into a conference, walking into a deal and just saying, hi, I’m so glad you’re here.
Aaron Nichols: So nice to meet you. Yeah. It totally changes the entire conversation.
Abby Hopper: Yeah. But I think finding your people really matters and so whether it is like mountain, man of Colorado or solar sisters or blacks and energy, like it is so important to find community. And that community can be defined in so many different ways. And that’s like, you know, I did not come into this work thinking I was going to spend this much time at trade shows. I’m an attorney. I know how to litigate. I didn’t really know what trade shows were before I got here. But obviously I spent a lot of time at trade shows. And one of the things I noticed immediately was that you walk into this huge trade show, and it’s like, I don’t know anyone. Nobody looks like me. I feel completely overwhelmed and isolated. and I was the CEO and the owner of the event. And I was like, God, I’m so proud, this is rough. And so we have really tried to create different pathways through our events where people can find community. And if it’s like, here’s the storage pathway and here’s the technical pathway and here’s the geographic pathway. So it’s not just like how we identify as humans, but sort of what is our business interest or what is our market segment or our geography. But that’s really what I would say to people coming into the industry as sort of find, find people with him you share some values.
The last thing I’ll say on that, that was a very strong opinions about networking, shocking. And I really, like, I sort of have a rule that if someone’s trying to talk to me about solar and storage after about eight o’clock at night, they’re dead to me, right? Like, you not want to be, you know, listening to a band at an event at RE Plus. Yeah. And some of the ones that talk to me about either their latest technology or whatever.
Aaron Nichols: You’re like, tell me something like, are you into model trains?
Abby Hopper: Tell me something interesting. Seriously. Tell me about breeding corgis. I don’t care. Tell me something.
Aaron Nichols: Yes. Yes. Right. Yeah. Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. You and I would get along just fine at a like 8.30 p.m. at a happy hour, but holy cow, authentic networking. That’s my strong advice. Right. Yeah, rather than hello, how can I use you today? That’s what an old friend of mine used to say about networking.
Abby Hopper: That’s really funny. It’s so true. It’s so transparent. Everyone knows that’s what you’re doing. Yeah. I always joke about that. We should just like, we should actually say what we mean.
Aaron Nichols: Yeah. And you know, when we’re not recording, I’ll tell you some of the jokes I’ve thought about like at singles events.
Abby Hopper: Oh my god, I would love to know. Well, I also, I also feel like there should be some way to be like, you know what? I’ve assessed and you’re of no use to me. So let’s just call it now, right? Like, like, can we dispense with the chat for the next 10 minutes? Well, I figure out how to exit this conversation.
Aaron Nichols: I have a good story for you when we finish recording. But I would be remiss as we’re winding this down here if I didn’t ask you what comes next for you. Obviously, you spent nine years in this role. You’ve seen such an evolution of the solar industry. I mean, I think the Solar Energy Industries Association is probably way bigger than it was. I’m only here two and a half years, so I have no idea. But you’ve seen so much change. So what what happens next?
Abby Hopper: For me or for the industry?
Aaron Nichols: For you?
Abby Hopper: Thank you for asking. Yeah, the organizations tripled in size, the budget tripled in size, like it’s a whole different game just in my company. I too just got married, although I think I have three months on you. So congratulations.
Aaron Nichols: Yeah. Thank you.
Abby Hopper: I plan I plan to spend time with the with the man that I’m wildly in love with. I mean, that obviously, like, you know, having spent so much time on the road for the last nine years, I haven’t known them for nine years, but it feels really different. Like, I’m not, we got home right after New Year’s and we’re not traveling for six weeks. I’m not traveling for six weeks and I don’t know. I don’t know the last time I was home for six weeks in a row. Like I honestly don’t know what, probably during COVID, like not even trying to be funny, probably during COVID.
So it feels different to be home. Like I really, I have so much energy and so much creativity and so much passion. And I feel very strongly about how the world is evolving. I don’t love it, I really don’t love it. And so I’m trying to figure out like how to use my passion for this energy transition, my deep belief in humanity and like the fact that all people should have human rights and be safe and loved. And my, like, I just love creating and building and writing and talking. And like so, I don’t know exactly what that looks like in terms of like, what job do you have Abby? I don’t know. But that’s what’s guiding this next period of like figuring it out right so I’m giving myself a couple months off to chill and rest like nine years of sleep deprivation to catch up on and then I’m gonna like feel see see how the world needs me next you know if I’m open to all good ideas anyone who has a good idea should share it with me
Aaron Nichols: I mean I think I think it’s far be it from me to give you advice, but you’re on a good track just coming from someone who spent four and a half years out of the country by myself like bag of bonding in various ways in my 20s. Like there’s nothing like, I don’t know, you can call it a micro retirement or just time to just actually figure out what comes next.
Abby Hopper: Yeah, I feel like it’s a combination of personal and professional, like, oh my God, I said that 12 times, like that’s sort of how, like because they’re the same, right? They’re the same. We’re one person. Like my mom passed away two years ago on Saturday. And so my mom passed away, my kids were all the way at school. Like it was the, it really marked the end of Abby being the primary caretaker. Right? The primary caretaker to at least one human since my daughter was born in 2002. So 2002 to 2024, that was my primary identity. That not ended, right? My kids don’t need me in that same way and my mom had passed on and then And so this is another chapter that’s closing, like, so it feels like over the last two years, like, personally, I’m not through so much change. And so, yeah, I’m not exactly sure what’s going to, like, come out of your other side. But I had to, I totally burst into tears this morning about all of this change and, um, but reminded myself that like, in order for new growth to happen, like, we’ve got to sort of close the door on what this is. So I’m excited to see where that new growth takes me and to give it a little time to germinate.
Aaron Nichols: That is so beautiful. Have you ever have you ever read Cheryl Straits tiny beautiful things?
Abby Hopper: No, but I feel like someone gave it to me over the weekend. I was looking around.
Aaron Nichols: I’m going to give you one of her books over the weekend. It probably was not, it’s true that it is. I’m going to look and I’ll email you after this, but I’m going to write it down nonetheless. I talked about it on my first date with my wife and I just bought her a copy for Christmas and if someone just gave that to you, that’s incredible because it’s one of the best books on transitions. it’s just a collection of Cheryl Strade’s writing when she was writing an advice column for the rompest, and it’s the most beautiful emotional thing I’ve ever read. It’s incredible.
Abby Hopper: Wow. No wonder you got a second date. I’m literate.
Aaron Nichols: Well, you’re literate and fairly compassionate. it. Like I’ll take you a long way in this world. I spent some time dating. I’ll take you a long way. Yeah. I mean, that was fun for a while before I decided to settle down. But yeah, it was nice how low the bar was when I was out in the dating world. Anyway, so to close things out.
Abby Hopper: And I tell you about like when I was single, I was like a hundred percent convinced we should have like singles parties at R.A. Plus, I was like seriously, we should definitely have singles parties at R.A. Plus, but we should have some sort of way to check because you know, everyone’s single at a conference. So like, people, why is there then made a sign of that was a terrible idea? yeah, yeah, probably.
Aaron Nichols: Well, Abby, I ask everyone who comes on this show, the same closing question. And it has to do with the fact that I spoke at my grandma’s 80th birthday party last year. And as I was sitting there afterwards, just thinking about everything I’d said and what that meant and how that was connected to what I do. I realized that 80 years means my grandma was born into a world where we’ll be called renewable energy didn’t even exist. Like she was born in 1945. Electrification had just come to Missouri where she was born in 1933. So she was born very shortly after that. PV wasn’t invented until 1954 and then it was super inefficient. Like Jimmy Carter didn’t put panels on the White House till 79. Those were water heating. Windmills didn’t even generate electricity when she was born. They just pumped water. And so everything that’s happened, that whole story arc of the invention of renewable energy and then it becoming the cheapest source of power and the invention of like long-term storage, all of that has happened within her lifetime. So if you’re going to play us out with just a wild moonshot prediction. What do you think clean energy looks like 80 years from right now?
Abby Hopper: 21.06. Nice. I have no way to verify that but I’m going to assume you’re correct.
Aaron Nichols: Yeah, you’re a literate and I can add.
Abby Hopper: One of the things that I think is going to happen, and I don’t think it’s going to take 80 years, is that like some of the issues around viewshad that are, you know, people bring up with solar, with termites, with offshore wind are just going to go away because I think about my children who are like 18, 21, and 23, they don’t notice solar panels, they don’t notice wind turbines, just like I don’t notice transmission lines when I’m going down the interstate, right? like I don’t notice the distribution lines that are outside of my house that there’s so much a part of our world that our eyes don’t see them anymore. And so I think there’s going to be like and then not that it’s in future, all of those like objections around viewshide will go away because we will just have change. It’s a cultural change.
But I think that But distributed energy is going to be like one of the most important ways that we democratize energy and energy access. Like I think that will have a hugely important impact on people. And people in this country, people on reservations, like people who are experiencing energy poverty and certainly in other countries and other continents. And then I think we are going to have to be dealing with climate refugees. We already are and it’s only going to continue. And so I think kind of the urgency of the need for the kinds of technologies that we work in will be increasing. I mean, we can’t wait until 2106. For that to happen, we’ll all have burned up by then. But I do think, so I feel like there’ll be some, honestly, I think, I’ve never thought about it in 80 years, but I think there will be some sort of equilibrium because we will have had to address so many of these issues. And so what, you know, you said there wasn’t alternative energy. What will be obviously the majority of energy will just be the norm. Hopefully we can move on to like, how do we address our food system so that people are not hungry?
Aaron Nichols: Yeah. I love the vision of renewal energy as no big deal. And there’s so many social causes that I hope like are the same that we just don’t even talk about them anymore because they’re just so integrated.
Abby Hopper: Yeah. Yeah, like people should have human rights. All people. Exactly. And be able to live with dignity and humanity and love home they love and be where they are. Yeah. Yeah. Very strongly about that.
Aaron Nichols: Well Abby, where do you want to be found going forward if you do want to be found online?
Abby Hopper: Oh my Dear friend, I definitely want to be found. I need all the advice people have to give me. So I’m not leaving LinkedIn. I’ll still be there. I still plan to post. It’ll be interesting to see how that evolves, but absolutely I’ll have a little bit more time even to post. And soon I’ll be watching my own website once I figure out how to make a website.
Aaron Nichols: Well, Abby, it’s been a pleasure and everyone listening that’s been this week in solar Thank you
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By Exact SolarIn this episode, Aaron talks with Abby Hopper, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
Reflecting on her nine-year tenure, Abby discusses how she transformed SEIA by creating a culture of vulnerability and embracing thought leadership.
(She also spills the beans on what she’s doing next).
Listen to this episode on:
* YouTube
* Apple Podcasts
* Spotify
Connect with Abby on LinkedIn here.
Expect to learn:
* Why personal branding is a critical tool for getting messages out there in 2026 (Abby went from 30,000 LinkedIn followers to 70,000 in less than two years).
* How Abby built a company culture that SEIA’s employees love.
* Advice for solar industry newcomers on how to find “your people.”
Quotes from the episode:
“I believe in my soul that in order to be highly effective and deeply impactful, we need to be connected to the people around us.”
- Abby Hopper
“I’ve never met a more scrappy industry. We’re constantly being challenged, and we constantly keep coming up with new iterations and new ways to get our work done.”
- Abby Hopper
Transcript:
Aaron Nichols: Abby, I’ve noticed that you’ve like, really embraced thought leadership during your time at the Solar Energy Industries Association. And several other large companies seem to be doing the same thing like Kelly McPherson with Navigating the Grid at Radiant, Benoit Tanjan at Solar Maverick Podcast, Juliet Piper at Goodleap. Why do you think so many companies are now putting time and resources into putting faces on their brands?
Abby Hopper: Yeah, it’s a good question. Um. And I’ll tell you why I do it, and then I can hypothesize about why I think I’ll do it. I mean, I have done it not really as sort of a sea of branding exercise, but more of a way to talk to our members and the solar and storage community, right? Like there’s the world I live in, policy, politics. So it couldn’t feel really inaccessible and really far away, you know, and especially like over this summer and the spring and the summer when there’s all this battle over HR1 and are we gonna get the tax credits? Are we gonna keep the tax credits or the tax credits going away? Like not really knowing who to believe and what to believe and who had the story. I felt like it was really important to be a voice. I was like, let me just tell you what’s really going on.
And that like because of that, it became more of like a brand that it didn’t start out with that way. I feel like I know the other people that you mentioned, you know, in friends with all of them. And I think each of them are storytellers in their own way. And so it’s certainly for brands a way to differentiate themselves. It’s a way for people to feel a connection because they feel connected to the person. But I also think, especially the three that you mentioned are really interested in people and in what makes this industry go and how things are evolving and how technologies are evolving and where the innovation is happening. So I can say for me it’s been such a joy to like use my voice in this different way.
Aaron Nichols: Yeah, and I think that there’s a lot of data that seems pretty clear that people tend to follow people and engage with people a lot more than they do with an organization page. So you can really, I guess, think of your own LinkedIn page, which has grown tremendously, as just another way of getting information out there to people who don’t really want to follow a brand page.
Abby Hopper: Yeah. Well, I think that’s right. And one of the things I’ve noticed is that because I use my LinkedIn differently, I think then some people do, like, what I write about today. Oh, today I wrote about a Washington Post article that, you know, shows that there was there’s an experiment where a woman changed her gender to male and then asked Chachibiti to make her post more masculine, whatever that might mean, and her impressions quadrupled overnight. It’s fascinating, right? I’m not saying whether that’s good bad, but I’m saying like we should be thinking about what does that mean.
Tomorrow I’m writing about the word of the day after you and I get off the phone, I’ll do that. Then on Wednesday, I’m writing about supply chains and storage costs in the solar and storage, like not storage, but like getting stuff to places costs. And that, like, mix of personal and professional information and reflection, I think that makes it more interesting It makes me more interesting for me personally. That’s the kind of people I follow, like Kelly. You know, Kelly does that too. I know more about ranching and rodeos than I did.
Aaron Nichols: Yeah. She’s awesome.
Abby Hopper: She’s so awesome, but don’t you wanna go out to her house and ride around in her horses? It looks gorgeous.
Aaron Nichols: It does. Yeah.
Abby Hopper: Yeah. And I think, I mean, that’s the type of creator I am to and the reason, like, I was gonna do it somewhere and I picked LinkedIn, but I just, I’m interested in stuff and I want people to know. Well, I’m interested in stuff and I want people to know and I’m also interested in what other people think about stuff, right? Like, like, I’m curious. Like, how are people thinking about large language models and inherent bias or how are people thinking about, like, like what are they want to accomplish in 2026? Like I love, I love stories. Like I love people and I love the stories they tell. And so I have found like did to be a really good platform for eliciting those kinds of stories in ways that it might not have been intended for, but it’s certainly super effective at.
Aaron Nichols: Yeah, I’ve really, I’ve enjoyed my time on there so much. And unfortunately, as we all know, as everyone who follows you knows, you’re transitioning out of your role as the CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association. So I would love to know what you’re proudest of as you’re looking back on your time there and everything you’ve accomplished.
Abby Hopper: Yeah. It’s hard to pick like one thing, right, because I’ve been there for nine years now. But I will I will say there’s a personal one and a professional not personal but like an organizational one and a professional one and the professional one is the passage of the inflation reduction. I mean that was just was so Transformation for our industry and it was such a show of force in terms of our advocacy and our Impact and you know, we can have a long conversation.
Sorry. I’m always wiggly. I can’t sit still I do not sit still ever.
Aaron Nichols: So I have the same curse right I’m always like oh I’m standing right now are you really playing with my wedding ring yeah I could stay with mine but uh no I play with my hair I play with my pen and I rearrange my legs.
Abby Hopper: So the passage of the IRA like you know Now, it has been amazing, it has transformed the industry, it will continue to transform it, even with some of the rollbacks, it’s still transformational. So that’s what I’m like really proud of. And, you know, having been there for the years leading up to it on the whole fight for the year and a half that it happened, it did just happen overnight. That was awesome. And then getting to go to the White House and having this big party on our roof and like it was just awesome.
Um, um, I think internally the thing on the most proud of is the culture we’ve created. And I, you know, that’s like such a, what does that even mean, Abby? Like, you’re critical. I don’t know what that means.
Aaron Nichols: It’s a nice buzz word.
Abby Hopper: It is so busy. Um, but I mean, things like we’ve been voted multiple times as one of the best workplaces, right? By our employees. And, um, and it means that people, like come up to me, like at the holiday party we had last month and say, well, I’ve never worked anywhere like this before. Like I’ve been in politics. I’ve been in solar for a decade, two decades. And I’ve never been at a place where like people really value us as people and not just as workers, right? And and it’s I feel really proud of that. I’m really trust that that will continue after I leave because I think that’s a lot of magic sauce of what makes see a such an effective place.
Aaron Nichols: I didn’t write this down as a question, but I’m interested to go down that rabbit hole a little bit with you. Like, what is culture and how do you create great culture?
Abby Hopper: Yeah. The way I think about culture is sort of, how does it feel to be at work? Like for us, it’s work. How does it, what does it feel like? And do I, do I feel included and welcomed and listened to and valued and like listen to and value aren’t the same as being like I always agree with or get my way right that’s not the kind of workplace I create but something where people get to say their piece and get to have a voice and what and how the how the work gets done. So I think that’s part of it I think like how do we make that happen is through a lot of like conversations with employees around you know what do they think what are they doing how can we do it better but also like hey um you should probably go home like you know you don’t get an award here for staying late like you don’t get no word for emailing me at 10 o’clock at night in fact if you’re emailing me at 10 o’clock at night I’m probably gonna ask you like what’s going on um Yeah, I always tell my team like we don’t have emergencies in solar right like we really don’t We work really really hard, but we also like I’m better at my job when I’m happy And I’m happy when I see the people I love and I get enough sleep and I you know read interesting books I’m not really good at my job when I’m just running on fumes.
Yeah, so that’s a part of it And then like, you know, we pay for healthcare and we match our 401k and like we, uh, we give people the week between Christmas and New Year’s off without having to take PTO. And this year, I mean, the year was so rough that I just closed the office for a week at August. And it was like, everyone just go, go, we don’t have to take PTO, we’re just shutting down and resting for a week, right? Like that’s in my mind. That’s what it means. Right. Well, what do you think? I mean, you work. What is the culture mean to you?
Aaron Nichols: I think culture means being valued and just being seen as human, like not feeling like an automaton to me, being knowing that I’m able to just express how weird I am. Like, I have a very irreverent sense of humor. So getting to sneak in some jokes and have that be respected is a big part of culture for me because if If we’re not being ourselves, then what are we doing? I have a big issue with professionalism in general Because it’s just this idea that we pretend that we’re a bunch of people that we’re not I would much rather work in a place where I can I can be funny. I want I like being funny And I guess my guess is most people would prefer to be around you when you’re being funny.
Abby Hopper: Yeah. Yeah. I think that’s probably right.
Aaron Nichols: Well, going back to that unfortunate week in August where you’ve told everyone to go away for a week and just recharge. I mean, obviously we’ve had a very difficult year. We might be headed for a difficult few years as an industry. So, as you’re transitioning out as CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, what advice do you have for us all as we’re navigating this next few years together?
Abby Hopper: Yeah, I would say like, again, kind of the professional on the personal and the professional side. I mean, you know better than I, the demand is there, right? Customers want our product, and so remaining innovative and flexible about how we deliver that product And how we communicate about that product and what we’re offering and sort of being very solutions oriented and very like almost technology agnostic, which is funny because I represent the solar storage industry, but really, you know, understanding that customers want reliable affordable clean, they do, they want clean power and like, they don’t really care, like and what constellation it comes. So if it’s a combination of storage and solar or wind and storage or whatever, just like get it to them and the best way possible, one of the reasons I wanted to work in this industry was because I’ve never met a more like scrappy industry, right? We’re constantly being challenged and we constantly keep coming up with new iterations and new ways to get our work done.
So I was, that was my strong professional advice is to like stay ahead of the curve there. And then I think personally, it’s what like staying connected to other people and other people that make you happy both personally, but professionally, right? Like some of my closest friends I met in the solar industry, which I wouldn’t have guessed when I got here. You know, that wasn’t my goal in becoming the CEO. My goal was to just like pay the bills and have a good career, but I have met some of my closest friends here and feeling grounded in that and like there’s so much satisfaction in what we’re doing, even when it’s really hard is important. So, you know, find some really good friends. There’s a quote I love by Joseph Campbell that the influence of a vital person vitalizes.
Aaron Nichols: And it’s so yeah, it’s so important to stay connected, and I’ve actually, I’ve been really impressed by the quality of people that I’ve met in the solar industry and just, like, what a great filter it is for people of quality, because I’ve been in so many rooms that I thought were going to be my people and weren’t. Like, I was a, I was a Peace Corps volunteer, unfortunately, very briefly before we were evacuated and I was an educator and I kept thinking I was going to find my people and I didn’t until I got here. And what is it about the people here that makes me feel like they’re your people.
Abby Hopper: The scrappiness is a big part of it. The understanding that we’re a part of something bigger and the willingness to sacrifice in service of something greater is a big one and the creativity that it has taken to just constantly pivot business strategies. I mean, I’ve only been here two and a half years and we’ve done it so many times. I am last year was the 50th anniversary of Sia and I had the chance to interview some of the founders, like these older, you know, like gentlemen in their late 70s or early 80s and one of them said something that was so profound to me because, you know, imagine 1974 we were, it’s It’s not like it is today, right? And he said to me, like Abby, we were selling a dream. Like, we were, you know, we were asking people to believe and invest in a dream. That’s not us anymore. Like, we have product, we were $70 billion in a dream. It’s not a dream, but I just, I love that idea. And I do feel like part of the scrappiness, I’m part of the higher purpose, is that we can see a way that the world should be. And we believe in profit, right? Like, you have to pay our, you know, pay our workages and support our families. And so the idea that you can both do good and do well, I like that combination myself.
Aaron Nichols: That’s really funny that you say that because that’s exactly what brought me here because it was after that time, Peace Corps education, nonprofits. I was like, all right, I wanna save the world but I don’t wanna go broke doing it. Actually, I don’t wanna save the world. I save this all time. I don’t wanna save the world. I wanna save the wild. I’m a Colorado mountain boy, I want the wild, it’s to remain wild.
Abby Hopper: Yeah, yeah, I like that. I never heard it said that way. I don’t want to say the world I want to say the wild. Well, it’s interesting because I worked in nonprofits too, like before I went to law school. I worked in domestic violence shelter and it’s super important work and when you’re not compensated in a way that’s like, you can sustain a family. It really starts to like, it starts to mess with my head. Like, what is my value? Like, what am I, what is my worth? And, you know, people that are doing things that I don’t value are making so much more money than I am and therefore can have more freedom in terms of supporting themselves than I could. And so, um, like figuring out that, like, like how do both do work that really matters and be able to, you know, like kids in college, right? Like, that’s real.
Aaron Nichols: Yeah, what’s that trendy Japanese word where you draw all the Venn diagrams of the Ichigai?
Abby Hopper: Oh, I don’t even know that word.
Aaron Nichols: Oh, okay, yeah. It’s like the intersection of all the things you love.
Abby Hopper: I like that. I have a different Japanese word. Except, I can’t remember it, so it’s not that interesting. But do you know Jesse is is there you like oh yeah?
Aaron Nichols: Yeah, I’ve seen some of this stuff.
Abby Hopper: He’s married to the founder of spanks right? Yeah, I’m like we So she you know, one of his eight million companies is big-ass calendar Which I bought because I needed a big-ass calendar And his theory is like you pick your it’s Magoshi or something like this like you’re big thing of the year. The big thing you’re gonna accomplish...
Aaron Nichols: I know I know this. Yeah, it’s oh man. I used to have a fitness plan based on it. I can’t yeah. I’ll remember in a second.
Abby Hopper: You will. You will. You’re so gay. It’s in misogy.
Aaron Nichols: Yes. There we go.
Abby Hopper: So you pick your thing. Yeah. And then that’s what set like that’s what centers your year or your friends and then you kind of do around it. Anyway, that’s my contribution you should have the Japanese word.
Aaron Nichols: Nice. All right, get a remember. Yeah. Well, I’m glad you found your people here.
Abby Hopper: Thank you. That makes me really happy. I mean, at the end of the day, right? It’s the people that were around that bring us joy.
Aaron Nichols: Yes. Yeah, I mean, yeah. And thank you for commenting on that. I am very happy right now. And I’ve been very intentional about filtering the right people into my life. and just got married, and I’m just in a good time.
Abby Hopper: Congratulations.
Aaron Nichols: Thank you.
Abby Hopper: When did you get married?
Aaron Nichols: Saturday.
Abby Hopper: What?
Aaron Nichols: Yeah, my fiance and I did a private ceremony in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Abby Hopper: Oh my god, no, what are you playing with your buddy rank?
Aaron Nichols: It’s been on there for like two days.
Abby Hopper: Shins, are you going on a honeymoon?
Aaron Nichols: Eventually we will. We did nothing but travel last year since we met. So we’ll yeah, we’re we’re nesting right now.
Abby Hopper: That is awesome. Well, I’m so excited for you. I love love.
Aaron Nichols: Yeah, me too. Yeah, I think like you it’s clear that you’ve facilitated that love and community in the culture that you’ve created and in the industry as a whole, which is amazing. And I’m curious like what do we do now that you’re gone? How do we can send? How do we continue to facilitate that community?
Abby Hopper: Oh my gosh. Well, first of all, it’s way bigger than one person. So you’ll, you’ll be fine. We’ll be totally fine.
Aaron Nichols: But, um, I know I will. I’m worried about all the data driven nerds, Abby.
Abby Hopper: What I think, you know, I think, like, go back to what you said about sort of professionalism, right? Like we’re professionals. So we shouldn’t be talking about you got married or I got married. or we shouldn’t be talking about are we happy or not? We should be talking about how much did we sell? What’s the bottom line who are political enemies and how do we fight them, right? Like, I don’t believe that that’s the most efficient and effective way for us to get our work done. Like, I believe in my soul that in order to be highly effective and deeply impactful, like, we need to be connected to the people around us. And so that is a theory of leadership, you know, doesn’t belong to anyone person. But I think that’s the way that we keep that connection and that energy in what we’re doing is by really like having covered, apparently just conversations with each other about what’s going on.
Aaron Nichols: Yeah, and I think I’d like to hear you talk about advice for new people as well. And I think to expand on that a little bit, I think the solar industry can be intimidating as someone who’s only been here for two and a half years. Like everyone who’s been in here longer than five years is like best friends and godparents to each other’s children and they show up to the conferences and they do a Viking handshake and they’re like brother and forged in the fires of war. So like how do you recommend like what advice do you have for people like me who are just finding their footing here and just getting into careers?
Abby Hopper: Yeah. Yeah, so when I got here nine years ago, I was brand new to the solar industry, right? And I found it. I’ve worked in other industries and law firms and energy sources, energy technologies, but I’d never been anywhere where everyone introduces themselves and then says, how long they’ve been in the industry, right? It’s true. Hi, I’m Aaron. I’ve been here for two and a half years. Him. I’ve been here for nine years, right? like it sort of sounds like AA, like hi, I’m here, I’m up in here, whatever, here, um so I felt that same way too.
Like I was I was because what I found was not only did I did just one have to figure out who everybody is, but then you have to do the next level of understanding of who people used to work with and where all of these other like embedded networks are especially like and for my world and the political world, like understanding that is critical. So I think my advice to people that are just coming into our industry is first of all, welcome. We’re really glad you’re here. And saying that to people who are here, I mean, imagine like walking into a room, walking into a conference, walking into a deal and just saying, hi, I’m so glad you’re here.
Aaron Nichols: So nice to meet you. Yeah. It totally changes the entire conversation.
Abby Hopper: Yeah. But I think finding your people really matters and so whether it is like mountain, man of Colorado or solar sisters or blacks and energy, like it is so important to find community. And that community can be defined in so many different ways. And that’s like, you know, I did not come into this work thinking I was going to spend this much time at trade shows. I’m an attorney. I know how to litigate. I didn’t really know what trade shows were before I got here. But obviously I spent a lot of time at trade shows. And one of the things I noticed immediately was that you walk into this huge trade show, and it’s like, I don’t know anyone. Nobody looks like me. I feel completely overwhelmed and isolated. and I was the CEO and the owner of the event. And I was like, God, I’m so proud, this is rough. And so we have really tried to create different pathways through our events where people can find community. And if it’s like, here’s the storage pathway and here’s the technical pathway and here’s the geographic pathway. So it’s not just like how we identify as humans, but sort of what is our business interest or what is our market segment or our geography. But that’s really what I would say to people coming into the industry as sort of find, find people with him you share some values.
The last thing I’ll say on that, that was a very strong opinions about networking, shocking. And I really, like, I sort of have a rule that if someone’s trying to talk to me about solar and storage after about eight o’clock at night, they’re dead to me, right? Like, you not want to be, you know, listening to a band at an event at RE Plus. Yeah. And some of the ones that talk to me about either their latest technology or whatever.
Aaron Nichols: You’re like, tell me something like, are you into model trains?
Abby Hopper: Tell me something interesting. Seriously. Tell me about breeding corgis. I don’t care. Tell me something.
Aaron Nichols: Yes. Yes. Right. Yeah. Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. You and I would get along just fine at a like 8.30 p.m. at a happy hour, but holy cow, authentic networking. That’s my strong advice. Right. Yeah, rather than hello, how can I use you today? That’s what an old friend of mine used to say about networking.
Abby Hopper: That’s really funny. It’s so true. It’s so transparent. Everyone knows that’s what you’re doing. Yeah. I always joke about that. We should just like, we should actually say what we mean.
Aaron Nichols: Yeah. And you know, when we’re not recording, I’ll tell you some of the jokes I’ve thought about like at singles events.
Abby Hopper: Oh my god, I would love to know. Well, I also, I also feel like there should be some way to be like, you know what? I’ve assessed and you’re of no use to me. So let’s just call it now, right? Like, like, can we dispense with the chat for the next 10 minutes? Well, I figure out how to exit this conversation.
Aaron Nichols: I have a good story for you when we finish recording. But I would be remiss as we’re winding this down here if I didn’t ask you what comes next for you. Obviously, you spent nine years in this role. You’ve seen such an evolution of the solar industry. I mean, I think the Solar Energy Industries Association is probably way bigger than it was. I’m only here two and a half years, so I have no idea. But you’ve seen so much change. So what what happens next?
Abby Hopper: For me or for the industry?
Aaron Nichols: For you?
Abby Hopper: Thank you for asking. Yeah, the organizations tripled in size, the budget tripled in size, like it’s a whole different game just in my company. I too just got married, although I think I have three months on you. So congratulations.
Aaron Nichols: Yeah. Thank you.
Abby Hopper: I plan I plan to spend time with the with the man that I’m wildly in love with. I mean, that obviously, like, you know, having spent so much time on the road for the last nine years, I haven’t known them for nine years, but it feels really different. Like, I’m not, we got home right after New Year’s and we’re not traveling for six weeks. I’m not traveling for six weeks and I don’t know. I don’t know the last time I was home for six weeks in a row. Like I honestly don’t know what, probably during COVID, like not even trying to be funny, probably during COVID.
So it feels different to be home. Like I really, I have so much energy and so much creativity and so much passion. And I feel very strongly about how the world is evolving. I don’t love it, I really don’t love it. And so I’m trying to figure out like how to use my passion for this energy transition, my deep belief in humanity and like the fact that all people should have human rights and be safe and loved. And my, like, I just love creating and building and writing and talking. And like so, I don’t know exactly what that looks like in terms of like, what job do you have Abby? I don’t know. But that’s what’s guiding this next period of like figuring it out right so I’m giving myself a couple months off to chill and rest like nine years of sleep deprivation to catch up on and then I’m gonna like feel see see how the world needs me next you know if I’m open to all good ideas anyone who has a good idea should share it with me
Aaron Nichols: I mean I think I think it’s far be it from me to give you advice, but you’re on a good track just coming from someone who spent four and a half years out of the country by myself like bag of bonding in various ways in my 20s. Like there’s nothing like, I don’t know, you can call it a micro retirement or just time to just actually figure out what comes next.
Abby Hopper: Yeah, I feel like it’s a combination of personal and professional, like, oh my God, I said that 12 times, like that’s sort of how, like because they’re the same, right? They’re the same. We’re one person. Like my mom passed away two years ago on Saturday. And so my mom passed away, my kids were all the way at school. Like it was the, it really marked the end of Abby being the primary caretaker. Right? The primary caretaker to at least one human since my daughter was born in 2002. So 2002 to 2024, that was my primary identity. That not ended, right? My kids don’t need me in that same way and my mom had passed on and then And so this is another chapter that’s closing, like, so it feels like over the last two years, like, personally, I’m not through so much change. And so, yeah, I’m not exactly sure what’s going to, like, come out of your other side. But I had to, I totally burst into tears this morning about all of this change and, um, but reminded myself that like, in order for new growth to happen, like, we’ve got to sort of close the door on what this is. So I’m excited to see where that new growth takes me and to give it a little time to germinate.
Aaron Nichols: That is so beautiful. Have you ever have you ever read Cheryl Straits tiny beautiful things?
Abby Hopper: No, but I feel like someone gave it to me over the weekend. I was looking around.
Aaron Nichols: I’m going to give you one of her books over the weekend. It probably was not, it’s true that it is. I’m going to look and I’ll email you after this, but I’m going to write it down nonetheless. I talked about it on my first date with my wife and I just bought her a copy for Christmas and if someone just gave that to you, that’s incredible because it’s one of the best books on transitions. it’s just a collection of Cheryl Strade’s writing when she was writing an advice column for the rompest, and it’s the most beautiful emotional thing I’ve ever read. It’s incredible.
Abby Hopper: Wow. No wonder you got a second date. I’m literate.
Aaron Nichols: Well, you’re literate and fairly compassionate. it. Like I’ll take you a long way in this world. I spent some time dating. I’ll take you a long way. Yeah. I mean, that was fun for a while before I decided to settle down. But yeah, it was nice how low the bar was when I was out in the dating world. Anyway, so to close things out.
Abby Hopper: And I tell you about like when I was single, I was like a hundred percent convinced we should have like singles parties at R.A. Plus, I was like seriously, we should definitely have singles parties at R.A. Plus, but we should have some sort of way to check because you know, everyone’s single at a conference. So like, people, why is there then made a sign of that was a terrible idea? yeah, yeah, probably.
Aaron Nichols: Well, Abby, I ask everyone who comes on this show, the same closing question. And it has to do with the fact that I spoke at my grandma’s 80th birthday party last year. And as I was sitting there afterwards, just thinking about everything I’d said and what that meant and how that was connected to what I do. I realized that 80 years means my grandma was born into a world where we’ll be called renewable energy didn’t even exist. Like she was born in 1945. Electrification had just come to Missouri where she was born in 1933. So she was born very shortly after that. PV wasn’t invented until 1954 and then it was super inefficient. Like Jimmy Carter didn’t put panels on the White House till 79. Those were water heating. Windmills didn’t even generate electricity when she was born. They just pumped water. And so everything that’s happened, that whole story arc of the invention of renewable energy and then it becoming the cheapest source of power and the invention of like long-term storage, all of that has happened within her lifetime. So if you’re going to play us out with just a wild moonshot prediction. What do you think clean energy looks like 80 years from right now?
Abby Hopper: 21.06. Nice. I have no way to verify that but I’m going to assume you’re correct.
Aaron Nichols: Yeah, you’re a literate and I can add.
Abby Hopper: One of the things that I think is going to happen, and I don’t think it’s going to take 80 years, is that like some of the issues around viewshad that are, you know, people bring up with solar, with termites, with offshore wind are just going to go away because I think about my children who are like 18, 21, and 23, they don’t notice solar panels, they don’t notice wind turbines, just like I don’t notice transmission lines when I’m going down the interstate, right? like I don’t notice the distribution lines that are outside of my house that there’s so much a part of our world that our eyes don’t see them anymore. And so I think there’s going to be like and then not that it’s in future, all of those like objections around viewshide will go away because we will just have change. It’s a cultural change.
But I think that But distributed energy is going to be like one of the most important ways that we democratize energy and energy access. Like I think that will have a hugely important impact on people. And people in this country, people on reservations, like people who are experiencing energy poverty and certainly in other countries and other continents. And then I think we are going to have to be dealing with climate refugees. We already are and it’s only going to continue. And so I think kind of the urgency of the need for the kinds of technologies that we work in will be increasing. I mean, we can’t wait until 2106. For that to happen, we’ll all have burned up by then. But I do think, so I feel like there’ll be some, honestly, I think, I’ve never thought about it in 80 years, but I think there will be some sort of equilibrium because we will have had to address so many of these issues. And so what, you know, you said there wasn’t alternative energy. What will be obviously the majority of energy will just be the norm. Hopefully we can move on to like, how do we address our food system so that people are not hungry?
Aaron Nichols: Yeah. I love the vision of renewal energy as no big deal. And there’s so many social causes that I hope like are the same that we just don’t even talk about them anymore because they’re just so integrated.
Abby Hopper: Yeah. Yeah, like people should have human rights. All people. Exactly. And be able to live with dignity and humanity and love home they love and be where they are. Yeah. Yeah. Very strongly about that.
Aaron Nichols: Well Abby, where do you want to be found going forward if you do want to be found online?
Abby Hopper: Oh my Dear friend, I definitely want to be found. I need all the advice people have to give me. So I’m not leaving LinkedIn. I’ll still be there. I still plan to post. It’ll be interesting to see how that evolves, but absolutely I’ll have a little bit more time even to post. And soon I’ll be watching my own website once I figure out how to make a website.
Aaron Nichols: Well, Abby, it’s been a pleasure and everyone listening that’s been this week in solar Thank you
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