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Inevitable
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Inevitable episodes
- EP 40: Josh Freed, SVP of the Clean Energy Program at Third Way
Today’s guest is Josh Freed, SVP of the Clean Energy Program at Third Way.
Third Way is a national think tank that champions modern center-left ideas. Their work is grounded in the mainstream American values of opportunity, freedom, and security. As the founder and leader of Third Way’s Clean Energy Program, Josh promotes policies to use every tool possible to combat climate change—including scaled-up innovation, advanced nuclear, and carbon capture technologies in addition to the increased use of renewables and efficient storage.
Since 2009, he has overseen Third Way’s clean energy and climate advocacy efforts, serving as the organization’s chief strategist on these issues. He regularly advises senior federal and state policymakers, philanthropies, academics, and business leaders. Under his leadership, his team’s accomplishments include Third Way’s groundbreaking research on advanced nuclear technology—which transformed federal support for nuclear innovation—and building new alliances to defend federal support for clean energy research and development.
Josh regularly writes and speaks on climate, clean energy, and innovation issues, and his work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, National Journal, POLITICO, The Los Angeles Times and Wired.
In today’s episode, we cover:
- Josh’s history and what led him to Third Way
- Third Way founding story
- What the climate team looked like when he got there vs today
- Their goal to get to net zero carbon emissions by 2050
- Areas of focus, how they prioritize, and what they do in each area to help drive things forwards
- Current political climate and the path forwards
- Sober assessment of where we are with climate progress, and what it will take to solve
- Josh’s thoughts on GND, carbon tax, and other topics
- Josh’s advice for others looking to find their lane in the climate fight
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
- Jim Kessler: https://www.thirdway.org/about/leadership/jim-kessler
- 2004 US Presidential Election: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_United_States_presidential_election
- Advanced nuclear: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_nuclear
- Rachel Pritzker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelpritzker/
- Ray Rothrock: https://www.energy.gov/ne/contributors/ray-rothrock
- Ross Koningstein: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosskoningstein/
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission: https://www.nrc.gov/
- ClearPath: https://clearpath.org/
- Niskanen Center: https://niskanencenter.org/
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Enjoy the show!
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].
Connect with MCJ:
- Cody Simms on LinkedIn
- Visit mcj.vc
- Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter
*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
54 min - Ep 39: Joseph Majkut, Director of Climate Policy at Niskanen Center
Today’s guest is Joseph Majkut, Director of Climate Policy at Niskanen Center.
Joseph is an expert in climate science, climate policy, and risk and uncertainty analysis for decision making. He is frequently cited by prominent media outlets; his writing has been featured in scientific journals, public media, and environmental trade press; and he has been invited to testify before Congress on climate and scientific research. Before joining the Niskanen Center, he worked on climate change policy in Congress as a congressional science fellow, supported by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He holds a PhD from Princeton University in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, a master’s degree in Applied Mathematics from the Delft University of Technology, and a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Harvey Mudd College.
In today’s episode, we cover:
- Joseph’s background pre-Niskanen, including why he left academia and came to DC
- Overview of Niskanen and their work
- Niskanen origin story, including how it is similar and different to the Cato Institute
- Joseph’s role as director of climate policy and how his team fits in
- Initiatives they are currently working on, and how they select and prioritize
- Discussion about carbon pricing, viability and implications
- Discussion about political landscape and best way to make headway in polarized climate
- Advice to others looking to help
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
- Niskanen Center: https://niskanencenter.org/
- Joseph’s bio: https://niskanencenter.org/blog/staff/director-of-climate-science-2/
- AAAS fellowship program: https://www.aaas.org/programs/science-technology-policy-fellowships
- Jerry Taylor bio: https://niskanencenter.org/blog/staff/jerry-taylor/
- Cato Institute: https://www.cato.org/
- Article on Supreme Court decision from 2014: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-limits-epas-ability-to-regulate-greenhouse-gas-emissions/2014/06/23/c56fc194-f1b1-11e3-914c-1fbd0614e2d4_story.html
- Waxman-Markey: https://www.c2es.org/document/waxman-markey-short-summary/
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Enjoy the show!
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].
Connect with MCJ:
- Cody Simms on LinkedIn
- Visit mcj.vc
- Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter
*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
1 hr 3 min - Ep 38: Steve Oldham, CEO of Carbon Engineering
Today’s guest is Steve Oldham, CEO of Carbon Engineering.
Founded in 2009, CE is a Canadian-based clean energy company leading the commercialization of groundbreaking technology that captures CO₂ directly from the atmosphere, and a second technology that synthesizes it into clean, affordable transportation fuels. From a pilot plant in Squamish, B.C., CE has been removing CO₂ from the atmosphere since 2015 and converting it into fuels since 2017.
Steve brings more than 20 years of executive experience to CE’s team, stemming from previous roles in technology, robotics, and aerospace sectors. Steve served as Senior Vice President, Strategic Business Development for MDA, a leading Canadian technology firm. At MDA, Steve held a variety of senior executive positions across Canada and the US, covering General Management, Business Development, and Strategy. He has secured financing from Government and commercial sources for a variety of complex technologies, including several large satellite programs. Steve holds a bachelor of science degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Birmingham in England.
In today’s episode, we cover:
- Overview of direct air capture and how it works
- Progress to date, long vision, and what is coming next
- Cost drivers, and go to market strategy
- Discussion about carbon math and why carbon removal is so important
- Discussion on 45Q tax credits, LCFS credits, what they are and why they matter
- Discussion around price on carbon, whether it is essential, and why it may make sense to distinguish legacy carbon removal from removal at point of emission and also why incentives may make sense based on carbon intensity
- Discussion about enhanced oil recovery vs pure CO2 removal services, and Carbon Engineerings short and longterm plans
- Discussion around historic role of big hydrocarbon companies, role going forward, and how important they are to the equation
- Discussion around CE and how they are working with some of the big hydrocarbon companies, and the nature of those relationships
- CE’s licensing model, profile of partners to take into other parts of the world
- What policy initiatives Steve finds to be most impactful
- Steve’s advice for others trying to find their lane in the climate fight
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
- Carbon Engineering: https://carbonengineering.com/
- Chevron: https://www.chevron.com/
- Occidental Petroleum: https://www.oxy.com/aboutOccidental/Pages/default.aspx
- BHP: https://www.bhp.com/
- Jim McDermott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesacmcdermott/
- Direct air capture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_air_capture
- 45Q: https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:26%20section:45Q%20edition:prelim)
- California Low Carbon Fuel Standard: https://ww3.arb.ca.gov/fuels/lcfs/lcfs.htm
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Enjoy the show!
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].
Connect with MCJ:
- Cody Simms on LinkedIn
- Visit mcj.vc
- Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter
*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
54 min - Ep 37: John Larsen, Director at Rhodium Group
Today’s guest is John Larsen, a Director at Rhodium Group who leads the firm’s US power sector and energy systems research.
John specializes in analysis of national and state clean energy policy and market trends. Previously, John worked for the US Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis where he served as an electric power policy advisor. Prior to working in government, John led federal and congressional policy analysis in the World Resources Institute’s Climate and Energy Program.
John is a non-resident Senior Associate in the Energy and National Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He has lectured at several academic institutions including Johns Hopkins University and Amherst College. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a Master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University.
In today’s episode, we cover:
- Overview of Rhodium Group
- The state of the state in US in regards to climate policy, emissions projections, energy makeup looking forwards, and the role of specific technologies and policies
- Role of federal vs state government and what we can learn from history that applies looking forwards
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
- Rhodium Group: https://rhg.com/
- John’s bio: https://rhg.com/team/john-larsen/
- Department of Energy: https://www.energy.gov/
- Dr. Stephen Chu: https://www.energy.gov/contributors/dr-steven-chu
- Ernest J. Moniz: https://www.nti.org/about/leadership-and-staff/ernest-moniz/
- Columbia Center on Global Energy Policy: https://energypolicy.columbia.edu/
- Francis Rooney: https://francisrooney.house.gov/
- Ted Deutch: https://teddeutch.house.gov/
- California Low Carbon Fuel Standard: https://ww3.arb.ca.gov/fuels/lcfs/lcfs.htm
- Direct air capture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_air_capture
- 45Q: https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:26%20section:45Q%20edition:prelim)
You can find me on twitter at @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Enjoy the show!
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].
Connect with MCJ:
- Cody Simms on LinkedIn
- Visit mcj.vc
- Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter
*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
51 min - Ep 36: Nathaniel Keohane, SVP of Climate at Environmental Defense Fund
Today’s guest is Nat Keohane, Senior Vice President of Climate at Environmental Defense Fund, where he leads EDF’s Climate program and helps to shape the organizations advocacy for environmentally effective and economically sound climate policy.
EDF is one of the world's largest environmental organizations, with more than two million members and a staff of 700 scientists, economists, policy experts, and other professionals around the world. Guided by science and economics, they tackle urgent threats with practical solutions.
An economist with expertise in energy and environmental policy, Nat also holds a position as Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University, where he teaches a seminar on climate change policy.
Previously, Nat served in the Obama Administration as Special Assistant to the President for Energy and Environment in the National Economic Council and Domestic Policy Council, where he helped to develop and coordinate administration policy on a wide range of energy and environmental issues. Before joining the Administration, he directed economic policy and analysis at EDF, playing a lead role in the efforts to enact comprehensive cap-and-trade legislation in Congress.
Prior to EDF, Nat was an Associate Professor of Economics at the Yale School of Management. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2001, and his B.A. from Yale College in 1993.
In today’s episode, we cover:
- Nat’s history, what led him to care about climate change, and what led him to EDF
- What EDF does, and how Nat’s responsibilities have evolved at EDF since 1994 when he joined to today
- Nat’s time teaching at Yale, what he liked about it, and what ultimately led him back to the advocacy world at EDF
- His time at the White House in 2011/2012 as Special Assistant to President Obama for Energy and Environment in the National Economic Council and Domestic Policy Council
- The role of markets vs policy
- The importance of striking the right balance between urgency and hopefulness
- EDF’s focus on pragmatism and getting stuff done, not just what the right answer is in theory
- EDF’s bipartisan approach and the importance of that for any meaningful policy initiatives to be durable over the long term
- Importance of the 2020 US presidential election, and the stakes
- The role of China, and of geography in general when determining climate impacts and strategy
- Some reasons for optimism
- How Nat would allocate $100B to maximize its impact in the climate fight
- Nat’s advice for you and I on how to help
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
- Nat Keohane’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaniel-keohane-00809988/
- Nat Keohane’s twitter: https://twitter.com/natkeohane?lang=en
- EDF: https://www.edf.org/
- Yale School of Management: https://som.yale.edu/
- Waxman-Markey bill: https://www.businessgreen.com/bg/glossary/1805110/waxman-markey-bill
- National Economic Council: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/administration/eop/nec
- EPA: https://www.epa.gov/
- Cap and trade: https://www.edf.org/climate/how-cap-and-trade-works
- China cap and trade: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/611372/china-is-creating-a-huge-carbon-market-but-not-a-particularly-aggressive-one/
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Enjoy the show!
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].
Connect with MCJ:
- Cody Simms on LinkedIn
- Visit mcj.vc
- Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter
*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
1 hr 6 min - Ep 35: Kathy Hannun, Co-Founder & CEO at Dandelion
Today’s guest is Kathy Hannun, the co-founder & CEO of Dandelion. Originally conceived at X, Alphabet’s innovation lab, Dandelion is now an independent company offering geothermal heating and cooling systems to homeowners, starting in the Northeastern US.
Previously, Kathy was a product manager and Rapid Evaluator at Alphabet's X. Prior to Dandelion, Kathy led a team that created technology to extract carbon dioxide from seawater to create carbon-neutral fuel.
Kathy has been recognized as one of Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business, one of Albany Business Review's 40 under 40, and as a Leader of Tomorrow. Kathy graduated from Stanford with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and M.S. in Computer Science.
In today’s episode, we cover:
- Founding story of Dandelion
- Overview of geothermal and how it works
- Its market potential and what has been holding it back
- Why now is the right time for it to flourish and how Dandelion plans to make that happen
- The process that went into identifying the Dandelion opportunity, and what led to the decision to spin out from X
- What utilities like about the approach
- The impact Dandelion/geothermal can have @ scale on decarbonization
- How special it is that a high impact opportunity like this fits neatly in the venture capital model and timelines
- Whether the process to select Dandelion could be repeatable to find other ideas
- The pros/cons of launching at X vs independently and how to decide
- The magic of finding a solution that makes people’s lives easier while having a meaningful impact
- Some key wishes Kathy has for things that would change that would help accelerate the clean energy transition
- Some surprising advice Kathy has for people concerned about climate change for how you can help
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
- Kathy Hannun Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cooperkathy/
- Dandelion website: https://dandelionenergy.com/
- Geothermal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_energy
- Google X: https://x.company/
- Dan Yates: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/dan-yates
- Con Edison partnership: https://dandelionenergy.com/press-release/con-edison-dandelion-energy-partner-offer-westchester-homeowners-5000-off-geothermal-installation
- Impossible Foods: https://impossiblefoods.com/
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Enjoy the show!
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].
Connect with MCJ:
- Cody Simms on LinkedIn
- Visit mcj.vc
- Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter
*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
55 min - Ep 34: Jessica Lovering, Director of Energy at The Breakthrough Institute
Today’s guest is Jessica Lovering, Director of Energy at The Breakthrough Institute.
Jessica is the director of Breakthough’s Energy program and has worked on nuclear energy policy since 2012. Jessica’s research has focused on how innovation in nuclear energy can bring down costs and accelerate deployment to help mitigate climate change, as laid out in the reports How to Make Nuclear Cheap and How to Make Nuclear Innovative.
Jessica was the lead author on the peer-reviewed paper, Historical construction costs of global nuclear power reactors, which was the top-rated paper in Energy Policy for over a year. She co-authored the report Atoms for Africa: Is There a Future for Civil Nuclear Energy in Sub-Saharan Africa?, with several Breakthrough Generation Fellows. She worked with experts from R Street Institute and ClearPath to publish a set of policy recommendation around micronuclear in Planting the Seeds of a Distributed Nuclear Revolution. And she has published more broadly on energy innovation and clean energy standards.
Jessica has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Foreign Policy, Vox, Forbes, Wired, and The Australian. You can hear her interviewed on The Interchange podcast and on Titans of Nuclear. Jessica is a frequent public speaker and has given talks across the US as well as in Japan, Australia, China, France, and Argentina. She is featured along with Ted Nordhaus in the documentary The New Fire.
Jessica holds a B.A. in Astrophysics from the University of California, Berkeley, as well as an M.S. in Astrophysics and Planetary Science and an M.S. in Environmental Policy, both from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She also worked for two years on NASA's New Horizons mission, which flew by Pluto in July 2015.
Jessica grew up mostly in northern California, but has also lived in Texas, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. In her spare time she enjoys doing ballet, reading post-apocalyptic fiction, and pursuing a PhD. She is married to Linus Blomqvist.
In this episode we cover:
- Jessica’s history and what led her down path to focus on climate change
- What led Jessica to BTI and to working on nuclear specifically
- What Jessica feels is the biggest thing holding nuclear back domestically, what led her to that conclusion and what we can do about it.
- The role, advantages, and stage of advanced nuclear development
- The role of the federal government versus the states
- The pros/cons of public utilities and deregulation
- The ecomodernist movement, and different flavors such as “hard ecomodernists” vs pragmatists
- The most impactful things that, if changed, would help accelerate rapid decarbonization
- What you and I can do to help
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
- The Breakthrough Institute website: https://thebreakthrough.org/
- The Breakthrough Institute funders: https://thebreakthrough.org/about/who-we-are/funders
- Jessica Lovering Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicalovering/
- Jessica Lovering twitter: https://twitter.com/J_Lovering
- Fukushima nuclear accident: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_Daiichi_nuclear_disaster
- Ecomodernist Manifesto: http://www.ecomodernism.org/
- Roger Pielke, Jr.: https://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/about_us/meet_us/roger_pielke/
- Vogtle Power Plant: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogtle_Electric_Generating_Plant
- Climate Bathtub Model: https://scied.ucar.edu/climate-bathtub-model-animations
- Nuclear Energy Leadership Act: https://www.energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2019/3/murkowski-booker-and-13-colleagues-reintroduce
- Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act (NEICA): https://www.energy.gov/articles/president-trump-signs-bill-boost-advanced-nuclear-america
- Advanced nuclear: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_nuclear
- Highly enriched uranium: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enriched_uranium#Highly_enriched_uranium_(HEU)
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Enjoy the show!
(show addendum: Jessica moved on from the Breakthrough Institute in September 2019)
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].
Connect with MCJ:
- Cody Simms on LinkedIn
- Visit mcj.vc
- Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter
*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
48 min - Ep 33: Jim McDermott, Managing Partner at Rusheen Capital Management, LLC
Today’s guest is Jim McDermott, Managing Director of Rusheen Capital Management, LLC.
Rusheen Capital Management is a Santa Monica, CA-based private equity firm that invests in growth-stage companies in the carbon capture and utilization, low-carbon energy and water sustainability sectors. Prior to co-founding RCM, Jim has started, invested in and run numerous companies. These include: US Renewables Group (Founder & Managing Partner), Stamps.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:STMP – Founder), Spoke Software, Inc. (Founder & CEO), Archive, Inc. (Founder & CEO – sold to Cyclone Commerce), NanoH2O, Inc. (Founder & Board Member – sold to LG Chemical), SolarReserve (Founder & Board Member), Fulcrum Bioenergy, Inc. (Founder & Board Member), Common Assets (Founder & Board Member – sold to NASDAQ:SCTY), SET Technology (Board Member) and OH Energy, Inc. (Founder & Board Member). Jim holds a BA in Philosophy from Colorado College and an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA.
In this episode we discuss:
- Jim’s transition from dot com entrepreneur (back) to energy/climate
- Formation and operation of US renewables group
- Some examples of companies Jim has backed
- His views on impact capital and how it returns relative to a more mercenary approach
- Importance and necessity of carbon removal
- Role of the big hydrocarbon companies looking backward and forward
- Importance of policies like the 45Q tax credit
- The emergence of the carbon-to-value economy
- Some of the most exciting innovations to keep an eye on
- What Jim would do with $100B if he could put it to work to maximize impact in the climate fight
- Jim’s advice to people trying to find a way to help
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
- Jim McDermott Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesacmcdermott/
- US Renewables Group: https://usregroup.com/
- Fulcrum BioEnergy: http://fulcrum-bioenergy.com/
- Bret Kugelmass: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/bret-kugelmass
- 45Q tax credit: https://www.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/CATF_FactSheet_45QCarbonCaptureIncentives.pdf
- Carbon Engineering: https://carbonengineering.com/
- Renewable portfolio standard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_portfolio_standard
- Oil depletion allowance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_depletion_allowance
- Low carbon fuel standard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-carbon_fuel_standard
- Electrolysis: https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-production-electrolysis
- Photocatalyst and hydrogen production: https://phys.org/news/2017-05-photocatalyst-hydrogen-production-efficient.html
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Enjoy the show!
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].
Connect with MCJ:
- Cody Simms on LinkedIn
- Visit mcj.vc
- Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter
*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
49 min - Ep 32: David Buzby, Private Impact Investor
Today’s guest is David Buzby.
David has been starting, building and investing in “impact” businesses for the last 27 years with an emphasis on renewable energy generation, energy storage/grid services, wastewater treatment and e-commerce.
He currently sits on the Board of Cambrian Innovation, Leading Edge Crystal Technologies, Paragon Power and Stem, as well as being a member of the Investment Committee at the PRIME Coalition.
He has in the past been a founding investor and director of SunRun (NASD:RUN), SunEdison (NYSE: SUNE), Valueclick (NASD:VCLK), Brilliant Light Power, Bright Plain Renewable Energy, Prevalent Power, Resource Holdings and Best Internet.
David has an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a BA from Middlebury College.
In this episode we discuss:
- The two moments in David’s life that led him to focus on impact based businesses
- How David got his start in the impact business world
- Some of the companies that David has started, invested in, and advised
- The criteria David uses for his investments and the dual focus on impact and profits
- Some of the issues with funding impact businesses with traditional venture capital, and thoughts on how to solve
- A teaser of what David is thinking about doing next
- David’s thoughts on science risk, time horizons, upside, price on carbon, nuclear, and more
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
- David Buzby LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-buzby-8840a217/
- Johns Manville: https://www.jm.com/
- SunEdison: http://www.sunedison.com/
- Jigar Shah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jigarshahdc/
- SunRun: https://www.sunrun.com/
- Stem: https://www.stem.com/about-us/executive-team/
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Enjoy the show!
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].
Connect with MCJ:
- Cody Simms on LinkedIn
- Visit mcj.vc
- Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter
*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
1 hr - Ep 31: Gregg Dixon, CEO of Voltus, Inc.
Today’s guest is Gregg Dixon, the CEO . of Voltus, Inc.
Gregg connects customers, investors, teammates, and the world with Voltus value, ensuring that the vision for the company, and its culture, is meeting their expectations. Gregg is a world-renowned expert in commercial and industrial energy management and has pioneered many of today’s innovations that unlock the economic and environmental benefits of “intelligent energy.”
Prior to co-founding Voltus, Gregg was the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales and a founding executive at EnerNOC, a leading provider of demand response, energy procurement, and energy intelligence software, where he led all facets of marketing, sales, product, and professional services. Gregg developed and executed EnerNOC’s award winning go-to-market strategy that took EnerNOC from $0 to nearly $500 million in revenue over the course of 10 years. Among his proudest achievements, he created more than 350 jobs, brought to market more than 10,000 MW’s of demand response around the world, delivered more than $1 billion in cash savings to customers, opened more than two dozen markets for the very first time to demand side resources, architected the company’s product strategy, and, before he left, led EnerNOC’s Supreme Court of the United States case on FERC Order 745, which was decided in favor of EnerNOC, ensuring that the demand response industry can continue to grow.
Prior to joining EnerNOC, Gregg was Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Hess Microgen, the leading provider of commercial on-site co-generation systems and services in the United States, where he pioneered efforts to bring more than 100 co-generation systems to leading grocery, hospitality, commercial property, and manufacturing customers. Gregg was also a Partner at Mercer Management Consulting, where he advised Fortune 1000 companies on customer and product strategy, economic analysis, and new business development.
Gregg has been the keynote and contributing speaker at hundreds of energy conferences, and his work in the industry has been cited broadly in the media, including The Wall St. Journal, The Economist, USA Today, Wired Magazine, and The Boston Globe, among others. Gregg graduated from Boston College with bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration and Information Systems and he is a Certified Energy Manager, Certified Demand Side Management Professional, and Certified Sustainable Development Professional with the Association of Energy Engineers with whom he was also recognized as a “Lifetime Legend in Energy.” Gregg was also voted one of Boston’s “40 Under 40” by Boston Business Journal as recognition for having established himself as a leader to be watched in the field of technology and energy.
In this episode we discuss:
- Overview of Voltus, Inc., including founding story
- Gregg’s history with EnerNOC, and how Voltus is a natural extension of that work
- Overview of demand response and how it works
- Discussion on climate change and capitalism, and how the two interrelate
- Discussion on climate impact Voltus can have, if successful
- What Voltus skeptics would say, and how Gregg responds
- Voltus value prop to customers and pitch
- What Gregg does to help combat climate change in his own life
- His advice for others trying to figure out how to make an impact
- How Gregg would allocate $100B to maximize impact in climate fight
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
- Gregg Dixon Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregg-dixon-4521b61/
- Gregg Dixon Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregg_dixon
- Voltus, Inc: https://www.voltus.co/
- EnerNOC: https://www.enernoc.com/index.php
- FERC Order 745: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/supreme-court-rules-in-favor-of-demand-response
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Enjoy the show!
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].
Connect with MCJ:
- Cody Simms on LinkedIn
- Visit mcj.vc
- Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter
*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
46 min
About Inevitable
From the publisher's feed
Join Cody Simms each week as he engages with experts across disciplines to explore innovations driving the transition of energy and industry. Inevitable is an MCJ podcast. This show was formerly known…
as 'My Climate Journey.'
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