Experts Only

This week’s guest is Greg Wetstone, President and CEO of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE). ACORE is a national non-profit organization that unites finance, policy, and technology to accelerate the transition to a renewable energy economy. Previous to ACORE, Greg served as Vice President for Terra-Gen Power LLC; Senior Director for Government and Public Affairs at AWEA; and Director of Programs at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

This episode focuses on ACORE’s annual report: ‘Expectations for Renewable Energy Finance in 2020-2023’. ACORE surveyed prominent renewable energy investors and developers to hear their thoughts on the future for renewable finance, as we are experiencing the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The episode also discusses progress toward ACORE’s goal of $1 trillion in private sector investment in renewable technologies by 2030.

This week’s episode was produced in collaboration with the New England Clean Energy Council (NECEC). The second Navigate program webinar of 2020, "Opportunities for the Next Decade", was made possible with support from NYSERDA. Navigate is a program under the Northeast Clean Energy Council that leverages its power to provide resources and support for clean energy startups.

Host Jon Powers leads a discussion with four panelists: Jason Kaplan of PowerMarket, Noah C. Shaw of Hodgson Russ LLP, Doran Hole of Ameresco, and Zoe Berkery of CleanCapital. Listen to hear expert opinions on the future of the renewable energy industry and what experts see on the horizon for the next decade.

This week’s guest is Chad Farrell, founder and CEO of Encore Renewable Energy. He is a developer, project manager, and engineer with over 20 years of experience in the industry. At Encore, Chad works towards the development of alternative energy and the redevelopment of contaminated sites.

Host Jon Powers dives into Chad’s past experiences, how he started Encore, and the company’s role in the energy transition. They discuss some interesting topics such as brownfield development and pollinators.

This week’s guest is John Chaimanis, co-founder and managing director of Kendall Sustainable Infrastructure. At Kendall, John works on all aspects of business, including deal sourcing, financial structuring, and asset management. Prior to Kendall, Mr. Chaimanis worked for Edison International, where he developed over $500M of energy projects, installing 250MW of renewable assets.

Host Jon Powers digs into John’s past and present experiences in the finance and renewable sectors as well as where the industry has been, and where it is headed in the next few years.

This week’s guest is Bill Weihl, Executive Director of ClimateVoice. At ClimateVoice, Bill focuses on mobilizing the influence of the corporate world to aid in addressing the climate crisis we are facing today. ClimateVoice works to use the power of companies to prioritize climate change, by vocalizing and mobilizing the corporate sphere to go #AllinOnClimate. Prior to ClimateVoice, Bill worked as Google’s Green Energy Czar, and as the Director of Sustainability at Facebook.

Host Jon Powers discusses Bill's past experiences and his current role in working to assemble the corporate sphere to help decarbonize our country. They discuss what is needed to reach our climate goal of keeping warming below 1.5℃, and how the corporate sector is a key player in achieving those goals.

This week's episode is in collaboration with NECEC or the Northeast Clean Energy Council's first Navigate Program webinar. Navigate is a program that leverages the connections and power of NECEC to provide resources and support to clean energy startups.

Host, Jon Powers discusses with three panelists; Matthew Nordan, Managing Director of Prime Impact Fund, Marnie LaVigne, CEO of Launch NY, and Hudson Gilmer, CEO of LineVision. These leaders in the industry discuss venture capital, fundraising, and entrepreneurship within the clean energy sector, and answer a series of questions.

This week's guest is Chris Archer, Senior Managing Director and Head of Americas at Macquarie’s Green Investment Group. Under Chris' leadership the Green Investment Group has commercialized over 1 gigawatt of renewable energy projects in North America, playing a key role as an investor, advisor and project manager and furthering our transition to a clean energy economy.

Host Jon Powers digs into Chris's deep experience in infrastructure & renewable energy investing and explores his thoughts on the opportunities for the continued growth of clean energy as well some of the complex challenges that remain barriers for investors in the sector.

This week's guest is Joe Bonfiglio, President of EDF Action. EDF Action is the Environmental Defense Fund’s 501(c)4 sister organization, advocating to protect the environment and the health of American families. Under Bonfiglio’s leadership, EDF Action has successfully fought against budget cuts for the EPA and other agencies, lobbied against unqualified nominees for important protective roles, and launched a new campaign training program for political candidates. Host Jon Powers explores the role climate and the environment will play in the upcoming presidential election, both before and after the Covid-19 outbreak.

This week's guest is Marilyn Waite, Program Officer in Environment at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and author of the book 'Sustainability at Work: careers that make a difference'. Marilyn manages the foundation’s grantmaking on climate and clean energy finance with the ambitious goal of addressing climate change by accelerating the transition to a climate-friendly economy. Her book, now used in higher education curricula in the United States and China, is a compelling guide for everyone who wants to have both a successful career and a career that makes a positive difference in society. Host Jon Powers explores Marilyn's innovative work on clean energy finance and sustainability in the U.S. and on the international stage.

On this episode of Experts Only, host Jon Powers moderates a special live recording at the Energy Storage Summit USA conference in March 2020. Entitled "Accelerating US Storage: Unlocking Hybrid Projects", the panel discussion features Ken-Ichi Hino, Director of Energy Storage at Geronimo Energy; Holly Christie, General Counsel for Hecate Energy; and Gary Dorris, CEO & Co-Founder of Ascend Analytics. Their discussion explores the unique dynamics of standalone storage and solar + storage projects.