One of the biggest challenges I face is trying to keep up with all the great books my guests recommend as part of the show. One that I absolutely loved and found incredibly useful was The Grid: The fraying wires between Americans and our energy future. After the recent black outs in Texas I thought it a great time to speak with the author Gretchen Bakke, and ask why that happened, what needs to change, and what opportunities that creates for cleantech start-ups, scale-ups and VCs. I’m delighted that Gretchen accepted my request and joins me on the podcast this week.About Gretchen Bakke: Gretchen is interested in what people do when the systems they rely upon stop working. Whether speaking of the end of political systems like communism, infrastructural systems like the electric grid, economic systems like whaling, energetic systems like fossil fuels, or cultural systems like the contemporary university what unites my work is an abiding concern for both the inventive creativity and the normative impulses that systemic collapse begets. What is the nature of renewal, she asks, and what do people, diversely, make of things when all that is solid fades unexpectedly into air. About Grid- The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future:“A remarkable achievement. Bakke deftly shows us how a system most of us are happy to ignore–the electrical grid–is both inseparable from everything we think of as civilization and on the verge of complete failure.” Paul Roberts, author of The End Of Oil and The Impulse Society. “This book, about our aging electrical grid, fits in one of my favorite genres: ‘Books About Mundane Stuff That Are Actually Fascinating.’ … even if you have never given a moment’s thought to how electricity reaches your outlets, I think this book would convince you that the electrical grid is one of the greatest engineering wonders of the modern world. I think you would also come to see why modernizing the grid is so complex and so critical for building our clean-energy future.” - Bill Gates, “My Favorite Books of 2016Social links: Gretchen Bakke on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-bakke-485067135/ Gretchen Bakke Website: http://bakkeconsolidated.org/about.php About Hyperion Executive Search:Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in the sector. With our clients we are transforming business and growing a strong and prosperous cleantech economy.If you want to grow your team, or move forward your career, visit www.hyperionsearch.com, or email [email protected] EPISODE LINKS How to Access Venture Capital – eBook - https://hyperionsearch.co.uk/download-guide-to-access-venture-capital/ The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future - https://www.powells.com/book/the-grid-9781608196104 Mission is Possible- Guidehouse podcast - https://missionispossible.podbean.com/ Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribeI'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the website, or Twitter. If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.Twitter https://twitter.com/CleantechleaderFacebook https://www.facebook.com/DavidHuntCleantechGuideInstagram https://www.instagram.com/davidhuntcleantech/