Buildings account for roughly 40% of global energy consumption and carbon emissions, yet one of the biggest drivers of that energy use remains largely invisible: HVAC systems.

In this episode of Green Disruptors: Scaling the Future, host Megan Kjar sits down with Jim Metropoulos, founder of BlueBox Air, to unpack a problem that’s been hiding in plain sight for over a century — biofouling inside HVAC heat transfer coils.

Jim shares how a background far outside traditional engineering led to an accidental but powerful breakthrough: a patented, enzyme-based process that cleans and automates HVAC systems from the inside out — without chemicals, shutdowns, or disruption. The result?

• 30–50% efficiency restoration in fouled systems
• Dramatically lower energy costs and peak load demand
• Improved indoor air quality
• Fast ROI that often pays back in under a year

From hospitals and high-rise buildings to data centers powering AI, this conversation reveals why HVAC is the foundation of the modern world — and why solving this one choke point could meaningfully impact global energy use and emissions at scale.

This episode isn’t about moral arguments or sustainability buzzwords. It’s about performance, economics, and systems that finally work the way they were supposed to.

What does it take to scale a clean energy company without losing focus, culture, or profitability?

In this episode of Green Disruptors, host Megan Kjar sits down with Lev Buslovich, President of Apadana Energy, to explore leadership lessons behind sustainable growth in clean energy.

Lev shares his remarkable personal story—from growing up as a refugee to leading a rapidly scaling energy company—and breaks down the leadership principles that helped Apadana double year over year.

Topics include:

Why focus is critical for scaling

Engineering-driven growth vs. custom chaos

Building teams around strengths

Systems, process, and leadership in clean energy

If you’re a founder, operator, or energy professional thinking about scale, this conversation is for you.

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with leaders shaping the future of energy.

The conversation with Dave Harper delves into the intersection of renewable energy, indigenous sovereignty, and cultural preservation. It highlights the challenges faced by tribal communities in the development of renewable energy projects and the importance of trust, dignity, and collaboration in this space. Dave's vision for Haraav Energy focuses on uplifting tribal communities and promoting sustainable development.

Takeaways

• Renewable energy and indigenous sovereignty can be in partnership
• Cultural preservation and historical trauma are important aspects of renewable energy projects

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Dave's Background
• 07:06 Collaboration and Funding Challenges
• 27:21 Vision for Haraav Energy

In this episode of Green Disruptors, host Megan Kjar sits down with Tim Raines, a climate tech commercialization advisor specializing in SBIR funding and go-to-market strategy.

Tim shares what separates successful SBIR applicants from those that stall out—and why technical excellence alone isn’t enough. From customer discovery and value propositions to sales, marketing, and founder mindset, this conversation unpacks what it really takes to bring climate technologies out of the lab and into the market.

If you’re a climate tech founder navigating grants, funding uncertainty, or commercialization challenges, this episode offers practical insight and hard-earned lessons from the field.

The clean energy transition isn’t just about building more solar and wind — it’s about making the power grid smart enough to handle them.

In this episode of Green Disruptors, host Megan Kjar sits down with Dan Travers, co-founder of Open Climate Fix, to explore how AI-powered forecasting is transforming the way electricity grids operate.

Dan shares:
• How outdated grid systems struggle with renewable variability
• Why forecasting errors cost utilities millions
• How open-source AI tools reduce risk for grid operators
• The surprising role data plays in accelerating (or slowing) the energy transition
• Why the future of clean energy must be both mission-driven and commercially viable

This conversation is a must-watch for anyone working in climate tech, energy markets, utilities, or AI — or anyone curious about how the energy transition actually works behind the scenes.

👉 Subscribe for more conversations with leaders shaping the future of clean energy.

What if you could benefit from solar energy — without installing panels, investing upfront, or taking on risk?

In this episode, Megan Kjar sits down with Jason Kaplan, President of PowerMarket, to explore how community solar is unlocking clean energy savings for renters, apartment dwellers, and businesses across the United States.

PowerMarket manages over 1 gigawatt of community solar projects and partners with municipalities and nonprofits to bridge the trust gap that often slows adoption.

They discuss:

• How community solar works
• Who qualifies
• Why skepticism exists — and how to overcome it
• The political dynamics shaping renewable energy
• The coming shifts in 2026 and beyond
• Why staying cashflow positive in a volatile industry matters

Community solar may be one of the most accessible energy solutions available today — and most people don’t even know it exists.

Learn more at: powermarket.io

What if inspecting a wind turbine or solar farm was as simple as pressing a button?

In this episode of Green Disruptors, Megan sits down with Itai, Chief Revenue Officer at VHive, to explore how AI-powered digital twins are transforming infrastructure management across wind and solar energy.

VHive enables energy companies to use off-the-shelf drones to autonomously scan assets, analyze performance, and generate actionable insights — without scheduling third-party inspection crews. The result? Faster inspections, lower operational friction, and a scalable path forward for renewable asset owners.

We discuss:

• What a true “digital twin” actually means
• DIY drone inspections for wind turbines
• Coordinated multi-drone deployments for large solar farms
• Operational efficiency vs. traditional inspection models
• Scaling an energy vertical inside a high-growth startup
• 100%+ year-over-year growth goals for 2026

If you’re in renewable energy, asset management, infrastructure tech, or climate innovation — this episode is packed with insight.

Subscribe for more conversations with leaders scaling clean energy.

How do we make sure more capital flows to the right climate solutions?

In this episode of Green Disruptors: Scaling the Future, Megan Kjar sits down with Noah Miller, co-founder of Rho Impact, a climate advisory and software company helping investors, consultants, and capital allocators forecast the real impact of emerging climate technologies.

With 2050 net-zero commitments looming and ESG under political scrutiny, the need for structured, defensible, and actionable climate data has never been more urgent.

Noah shares:

• The origin story of Rho Impact
• How the Crane tool evolved into their flagship platform, Koi
• Why better data transforms strategy into action
• How climate funds evaluate “thousands of things we could invest in”
• What’s driving growth and partnership momentum heading into 2026
• The cultural realities of scaling a distributed climate company
• And why Koi might just be the “Iron Man suit” for climate investors

If you’re a climate founder, investor, consultant, or capital allocator trying to navigate complex impact claims and allocation commitments — this episode delivers clarity.

🔗 Learn more about Rho Impact: https://koi.eco
🎙 Hosted by Megan Kjar
🌎 Green Disruptors: Scaling the Future

The conversation with Darrell Liski, co-founder of EnBioorganic Technologies, explores the challenges and opportunities in the adoption of biological solutions for environmental problems. It delves into the unique bio-organic treatment system developed by EBioorganic Technologies and the scalability and affordability of the solution. The discussion also covers the go-to-market strategy, overcoming bottlenecks, and the challenges in outreach and adoption.

Takeaways

• Biological solutions for environmental problems
• Challenges in the adoption of biotech solutions

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to EnBioorganic Technologies
• 06:06 The Unique Solution
• 11:00 Scalability and Affordability
• 18:01 Overcoming Bottlenecks
• 23:02 Outreach and Adoption Challenges

How do we make sure more capital flows to the right climate solutions?

In this episode of Green Disruptors: Scaling the Future, Megan Kjar sits down with Noah Miller, co-founder of Rho Impact, a climate advisory and software company helping investors, consultants, and capital allocators forecast the real impact of emerging climate technologies.

With 2050 net-zero commitments looming and ESG under political scrutiny, the need for structured, defensible, and actionable climate data has never been more urgent.

Noah shares:

• The origin story of Rho Impact

If you’re a climate founder, investor, consultant, or capital allocator trying to navigate complex impact claims and allocation commitments — this episode delivers clarity.

🔗 Learn more about Rho Impact: https://koi.eco