In this episode of Energy Changemakers, host Elisa Wood sits down with renowned energy economist Skip Laitner to explore the surprising ways our “stuff” — from food waste to excess parking lots — is shaping our energy use, economy, and environment. Drawing from his decades of work at the EPA, ACEEE, and beyond, Skip reframes the energy conversation from simply producing more to using resources more productively.

Using vivid, household-level examples, Skip reveals how the sheer mass of human-made materials now likely outweighs all living biomass on Earth — and why that matters for energy demand. He discusses:

• How household habits, from car ownership to shoe purchases, add hidden costs to our energy system

• The difference between energy efficiency and energy productivity — and why the latter could cut total energy use in half

• The role of distributed energy systems in making people more aware of their consumption and waste

• How smarter policies and greater investment could boost economic resilience while reducing environmental pressures

• Why repurposing and reuse — not “degrowth” — are key to a healthier economy and planet

From the economics of waste to the scaling lessons we can learn from biology, Skip offers a big-picture view that connects our personal consumption patterns to global policy choices. If you care about making the grid cleaner, more local, and more equitable, this conversation will leave you thinking differently about where real change begins.

🔗 Download Skip’s paper Living More by Waste Than Ingenuity https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330383360_Let's_Talk_Trash_Do_We_Live_More_by_Waste_than_Ingenuity

Connect + Resources

• Learn more about the Energy Changemakers community: energychangemakers.com

• Follow host Elisa Wood on LinkedIn
  

As rising sea levels, floods, and wildfires continue to impact large swaths of the U.S., many people will be displaced from the coasts to the middle states. Hillary Brown, former director of the Urban Sustainability Program at City College of New York, sees this as an opportunity for faltering, inland communities to capture new economic opportunities — if they prepare for population growth now. Cultivating clean distributed energy resources is a key step.

In this episode, Hillary dives into the policy frameworks, energy planning, community-led models, and financial opportunities that can help small towns thrive while providing a lifeline for those displaced by climate change.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• What climate migration looks like in the U.S.—and why it’s already underway

• Why many people are still moving to climate-vulnerable areas like Florida and the Southwest

• How small towns can prepare to welcome newcomers and strengthen their local economies

• The role of distributed energy systems—solar, wind, microgrids, and storage—in climate-ready planning

• Real-world examples of small towns transforming through grassroots efforts, tax incentives, and energy innovation

• How philanthropic investment and private sector engagement can support local resilience

• The importance of Main Street revitalization in creating economically viable, socially connected communities
  

About the Guest:

Hillary Brown is a leading voice in urban sustainability and infrastructure planning. She served as director of the Urban Sustainability Program at City College of New York and is the author of several books on next-generation infrastructure. Her most recent book, Revitalize Resettle: How Main Street USA Can Offer New Beginnings for America’s Climate Displaced, offers a practical, visionary blueprint for how small towns can prepare for climate migration and create stronger, more resilient communities in the process.

Resources and Links:

• Revitalize Resettle: How Main Street USA Can Offer New Beginnings for America’s Climate Displaced — available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other major booksellers

• Making Rural America into a Climate Migration Mecca with the Help of Distributed Energy, Energy Changemakers, 8/8/2024

• Explore more conversations on the decentralized grid at energychangemakers.com
  

• Subscribe to the Energy Changemakers newsletter for industry updates and insights

Call to Action:

Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with colleagues in planning, energy, or local government.

Elisa Wood interviews Mark Feasel — a former leader at Schneider Electric and FuelCell Energy, and now an independent energy consultant — about the growing tension between energy demand and access in the age of AI. As data centers proliferate and energy demand rises, utilities and innovators face a new challenge: Where will the power come from?

Mark shares his perspective on how distributed energy resources (DERs), grid constraints, and new power generation models may reshape our energy infrastructure. They discuss the  blank-slate reality of many AI-driven projects, the rise of fully onsite generation, regulatory hurdles, and what the future may hold if some of the most powerful companies in the world begin generating their own electricity.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why access to grid capacity is becoming the new barrier for data centers

• How AI’s energy needs are reshaping assumptions about utility-scale power

• The evolving relationship between DERs and utilities—from competition to collaboration

• Why “oceanfront property” is the new metaphor for grid interconnection

• The surprising role coal and methane may play in next-gen energy systems

• How modular, scalable solutions are driving innovation in onsite power

• What Mark is seeing in the classroom as he teaches the next generation of energy leaders
  

Guest Bio:

Mark Feasel, a long-time leader and innovator in the distributed energy space, is the founder and principal of VisRete, a consultancy that services related to energy management, digitalization, microgrids, power grids and distributed generation. He previously served in senior roles at Schneider Electric and FuelCell Energy. Mark also teaches at Northwestern University’s graduate program in Energy and Sustainability, where he mentors the next generation of changemakers. His experience bridges policy, business strategy, and engineering, offering a rare depth of insight into the evolving energy landscape.

• Energy Changemakers Newsletter

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

• Subscribe on Spotify

• Learn more about Northwestern’s Energy & Sustainability Program
  

Connect with Elisa Wood:

• LinkedIn: Elisa Wood
  

Call to Action:

Want to help shape the future of the grid? Join the Energy Changemakers community by subscribing to our newsletter and following us on your favorite podcast platform. Share this episode with someone curious about how AI, regulation, and private capital are influencing the power grid of tomorrow.

What exactly is a “digital grid”—and why is it the cornerstone of our energy future?

In this episode, Elisa Wood sits down with Ruben Llanes, CEO of the Digital Grid business at Schneider Electric, to explore the digital transformation of energy infrastructure. With over 15 years at Schneider and a lifetime surrounded by energy systems (his father owned an electrical contracting business), Ruben shares his insider perspective on why grid modernization is the key to managing the explosive growth of data centers, aging infrastructure, and prosumer energy participation.

From rethinking load growth and AI-driven energy demands to unveiling Schneider’s One Digital Grid platform, Ruben offers a hopeful but urgent message: the technology exists—but will we move fast enough?

• Ruben’s journey from Deutsche Bank to leading digital grid innovation at Schneider Electric

• What a digital grid actually means—and how it changes everything from asset management to customer engagement

• How distributed energy, electrification, and AI are reshaping grid demands

• Why aging infrastructure and long interconnection queues are major challenges

• The role of grid management software and “non-wire alternatives” in solving energy supply gaps

• Incentive structures and regulatory shifts needed to accelerate modernization

• Schneider’s One Digital Grid platform and how it unifies IT, OT, and third-party applications

• Use cases powered by AI and integrated data ecosystems

• A vision of the future: resilient, intelligent, consumer-empowering grids
  

Ruben Llanes is the CEO of Schneider Electric’s Digital Grid business, where he oversees the integration of software, analytics, and system intelligence into the global energy infrastructure. With over 15 years at Schneider Electric—and prior experience at Deutsche Bank—Ruben brings a rare combination of financial expertise, operational leadership, and visionary thinking to the role. He previously led AutoGrid and has deep insight into the technological and regulatory forces shaping the future of energy.

• Schneider Electric Digital Grid

• AutoGrid (acquired by Uplight)

• Esri GIS Solutions

• AI Dash – Vegetation Management

• Distributech International
  If this conversation sparked new ideas about grid transformation, help keep it going:

  Subscribe to the Energy Changemakers Podcast

Scaling microgrids has long been a sticking point in the clean energy conversation—custom-built and complex, they’ve traditionally defied mass deployment. But what if microgrids could be treated as products rather than projects?

In this episode of the Energy Changemakers Podcast, host Elisa Wood sits down with Alok Singhania, Senior Partner at Gridscape, to explore how standardizing microgrids can reshape the energy landscape. Alok unpacks Gridscape’s innovative approach to making microgrids modular, scalable, and manufacturable, like any other piece of equipment. Together, they examine regulatory roadblocks, federal policy uncertainty, and the educational gaps holding back market adoption.

From tribal installations to community colleges, Alok shares real-world examples of Gridscape’s work, outlining a clear path to making microgrids central to a decentralized, resilient, and equitable grid of the future.

• Why most microgrids are stuck in a “custom project” loop

• Gridscape’s approach to productizing microgrids for scale

• How permitting delays and lack of public understanding slow adoption

• Why a decentralized grid is critical for resilience and cost savings

• The impact of utility policy and the “over-the-fence rule”

• How community microgrids could become the future of energy infrastructure

• Real-world examples from fire stations, tribal lands, and college campuses

• Insights on federal tax incentives, tariffs, and future-proofing the industry

Alok Singhania is a senior partner at Gridscape, a microgrid technology and project development company based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a background in both technology and entrepreneurship, Alok has been instrumental in transforming microgrid systems from custom installations into scalable, modular energy solutions. His work supports communities, critical infrastructure, and institutions in their journey toward energy independence and grid resilience.

• Gridscape Solutions

• U.S. Investment Tax Credit (ITC) overview: energy.gov

• San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians Microgrid Case Study

• Shabo College Microgrid Project

• Fremont Fire Station CEC Microgrid Project

🔗 Website: https://energychangemakers.com/

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In this episode, Elisa Wood sits down with Tim Hade to discuss why now—despite, or perhaps because of—federal policy turbulence, the distributed energy industry is poised for massive transformation. Tim unpacks his move to Santa Barbara (which, by the way, he calls “home to the worst grid in the continental U.S.”) and how that community could become a national model for DER-powered resilience.

They explore why community organizing is becoming just as crucial as engineering, how local governments are key players in energy infrastructure, and what role utilities can play in funding distributed solutions. From virtual power plants to the Distributed Capacity Procurement model, this conversation is a masterclass in building pragmatic, bottom-up energy systems in a time of urgent change.

If you’re worried about the future of distributed energy, this episode will give you a reason to hope—and a blueprint for action.

Key Topics:

• Why load growth is reshaping utility priorities
  

• Santa Barbara’s unique grid vulnerability—and opportunity
  

• The role of local government in infrastructure resilience
  

• Virtual power plants vs. legacy grid systems
  

• Funding DERs without federal tax credits
  

• Building community support and political will
  

• Why DERs may thrive in a less supportive federal environment
  

Relevant Links:

• Learn more about Tim Hade’s work: Scale Microgrid
  

• Learn more about Leah Stokes’ research: https://www.leahstokes.com
  

• SparkFund’s Distributed Capacity Procurement model: https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/events/distributed-capacity-procurement-a-new-tool-for-utilities/
  

• More from Elisa Wood: EnergyChangemakers.com
  

Call to Action:

Are you ready to be part of the shift toward decentralized, community-driven energy? Subscribe to the Energy Changemakers Podcast wherever you get your shows, and leave us a review to help this message reach more listeners. Join our newsletter at EnergyChangemakers.com for exclusive content and updates.

In this insightful episode of the Energy Changemakers Podcast, Elisa Wood is joined by industry experts Lisa Cohn and Peter Asmus to explore the dynamic world of microgrids. They trace the evolution of microgrids from niche solutions for remote areas to vital tools for resilience in a world facing rising energy demands, data center expansion, and climate uncertainty.

Lisa and Peter share their extensive experience in the field, discussing how microgrids have evolved from basic solar-plus-storage setups to complex, multi-resource systems that integrate fuel cells, hydro, data centers, and even artificial intelligence. They dive into how microgrids are transforming industries, from agriculture in Oregon to energy resilience in Alaska.

Host: Elisa Wood, founder of Energy ChangemakersGuests:

Key topics include:

• The origins of microgrids and how Superstorm Sandy propelled them into the spotlight.

• The critical role of microgrids in data center resilience.

• Innovative microgrid projects, including Blue Lake Rancheria, Cordova, and Kodiak Island.

• Why data centers are now leading microgrid adoption.

• The impact of tariffs and regulatory uncertainty on microgrid growth.

• The future of microgrids as a solution for energy resilience and decentralized power.

Whether you’re a seasoned energy professional or simply curious about how microgrids work, this episode offers a comprehensive look at the past, present, and future of this transformative technology.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the Energy Changemakers Podcast on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Want to stay informed on the latest in energy innovation? Subscribe to our newsletter at https://newsletter.energychangemakers.com/

Call to Action:

Is it time to rethink who controls the grid?

Elisa Wood sits down with legal expert and author Sandeep Vaheesan to discuss the rarely told—but critically important—history of public power in the United States. From the rise and fall of rural electric cooperatives to today’s mounting frustration with investor-owned utilities, Sandeep offers a sweeping, insider’s look at why our energy systems are failing the public—and what we can do about it.

Together, they explore the roots of energy democracy, the tension between shareholder-driven utilities and the public good, and the resurgence of interest in publicly owned power. Sandeep shares examples of governance breakdowns (like Virginia’s Rappahannock Electric Cooperative) and inspiring success stories (such as Oregon’s Eugene Water and Electric Board). He also unpacks a surprisingly radical proposal from FDR and lays out his vision for a modern, democratic, and climate-resilient power system.

Whether you’re a grid operator, policymaker, energy advocate, or just tired of high electric bills, this episode offers vital insights—and a hopeful call to action.

Key Topics Covered:

• The two primary models of energy democracy

• Why public utilities don’t always serve the public

• Proxy voting abuses in electric cooperatives

• Lessons from Tri-County’s grassroots revolt in South Carolina

• The tension between scale and democracy in grid planning

• Sandeep’s proposal for democratic governance of large-scale energy infrastructure

• The future of public power in a post-IRA world

• Public involvement in regulatory commissions

• Promising models like BPA and Eugene’s EWEB

• A live policy fight in New York: Should NYPA lead the clean energy buildout?
  

About the Guest:

Sandeep Vaheesan is the legal director at the Open Markets Institute, where he focuses on competition policy and monopoly power. He has written extensively on the intersection of law, utilities, and the public interest. His book, Democracy in Power: A History of Electrification in the United States, offers a deeply researched and accessible account of how energy systems in the U.S. came to be dominated by private utilities—and how public alternatives can help us address the climate crisis and economic inequality.

Links & Resources:

• Get Democracy in Power from University of Chicago Press: Use code DMCRCYPWR24 for $15 off

• Listen to the August 28, 2024 episode: Are We Expecting Too Much from Virtual Power Plants?

• Learn more and join the conversation at energychangemakers.com
  

Call to Action:

Help shape the future of our energy system:

Subscribe to the Energy Changemakers Podcast

 Leave a review on your podcast platform of choice

Join our newsletter at energychangemakers.com

Share this episode with your network

Let’s build a grid that works for everyone.

Most Americans have never heard of their state’s public utility commission—yet these low-profile regulatory bodies control over $200 billion in annual utility spending and directly influence the price you pay for electricity and gas. In this episode of Energy Changemakers, host Elisa Wood sits down with Charles Hua, founder and executive director of PowerLines, a national nonprofit pushing for smarter, more consumer-centered utility regulation.

Together, they unpack the eye-opening findings of PowerLines’ latest national survey with Ipsos, revealing a rare bipartisan consensus: Americans across political lines feel powerless about their utility costs—and most don’t know where to turn for solutions. Charles explains why this regulatory opacity persists, what it means for energy affordability and the economy, and how PowerLines is working to modernize an outdated system for a more inclusive, transparent, and effective energy future.

If you’ve ever looked at your utility bill and wondered, Why is this so high—and who decides this anyway?, this episode will give you the clarity (and motivation) to learn more.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why state utility commissions wield more power over your wallet than you think

• The real drivers behind rising electricity and gas bills (hint: it’s not what you expect)

• How regulatory systems can evolve to center consumer voices

• The uphill battle of participating in public utility commission meetings—and what needs to change

• Why both policy insiders and everyday Americans need to care about this issue now

• Opportunities to engage with Power Lines and push for a more equitable grid

Charles Hua is the founder and executive director of PowerLines, a nonprofit organization working to make the utility regulatory system more accountable, equitable, and responsive to American consumers. With experience at the U.S. Department of Energy and Berkeley National Lab, Charles brings deep policy expertise and a practical mission: ensuring that the energy system works for everyone – not just insiders.

🌐 Visit PowerLines.org

📧 Contact Charles: [email protected]

Resources & Links:

• Learn more about state Public Utility Commissions: NARUC (National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners)
  
  Join the Energy Changemakers community: EnergyChangemakers.com

As uncertainty looms over the future of the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC), many in the distributed energy sector are concerned about how to keep solar and storage projects economically viable. In this episode, host Elisa Wood sits down with Gareth Evans, CEO of VECKTA, to unpack his recent analysis that offers surprising—and hopeful—insights.

Gareth’s findings challenge conventional wisdom: solar and storage projects can still achieve a viable return without the ITC—but only if we radically rethink how these systems are structured. Elisa and Gareth discuss real-world project comparisons, the importance of optimization, and how resilience and cost savings are quickly becoming more compelling motivators than sustainability branding alone.

If you’re navigating the complex landscape of decentralized energy, this conversation is a must-listen.

Guest Bio:

Gareth Evans is the CEO of VECKTA, a leading SaaS platform and marketplace that empowers businesses to design, evaluate, and deploy profitable and resilient onsite energy systems. With a focus on removing soft costs and increasing project viability, VECKTA’s technology enables companies to analyze their full portfolio of assets, optimize energy strategies, and connect with qualified suppliers—all while saving time, money, and emissions. Gareth brings decades of experience in clean energy innovation and is a vocal advocate for practical, scalable solutions in the transition to decentralized power.

Learn more: www.veckta.com

Key Topics & Highlights:

• [00:00–03:00] Introduction to the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and why it’s on shaky ground

• [03:00–06:00] What VECKTA does: a SaaS platform and marketplace to de-risk and scale onsite energy

• [06:00–10:00] The IRA’s impact on distributed energy—how it shifted the global energy conversation

• [10:00–14:00] Real-world analysis: how project viability changes with and without the ITC

• [14:00–17:00] Why optimization—not just solar saturation—is the key to post-ITC success

• [17:00–20:00] What types of businesses are leading the charge (hint: it’s not who you’d expect)

• [20:00–25:00] Resilience vs. sustainability: changing motivations in a high-risk energy landscape

• [25:00–27:00] Quantifying resilience: how to prevent costly outages

• [27:00–29:00] The future of decentralized energy—why Gareth remains optimistic, ITC or not

 Resources & Mentions:

• Veckta: Official Site

• Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) summary: White House Overview

• American Society of Civil Engineers Grid Report: ASCE Infrastructure Report Card

• Energy Changemakers Community & Newsletter: energychangemakers.com

Call to Action:

If this conversation inspires you, be sure to:

• Subscribe to The Energy Changemakers Podcast on your favorite app

• Leave a review to help more listeners find us

• Join our newsletter at energychangemakers.com

• Follow VECKTA for more insights into optimizing your energy future

Together, we can shape a cleaner, more resilient grid—one project at a time.