More Power To You®️

In this episode we focus on pollinator-friendly habitat and its inclusion in solar developments. My guest is Rob Davis, Director of the Center for Pollinators in Energy at Fresh Energy, a public interest non-profit based in St. Paul, Minnesota. We start by discussing the energy landscape in Minnesota, and then we get into pollinator-friendly habitat—best practices, finances, and benefits it offers solar developers which can help build support among community and agricultural stakeholders. We close with a look ahead at what Rob thinks the state of pollinator-friendly solar will be in a few years.

Show references include:

• Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
• Energy Resources Center at the University of Chicago 
• Energy News Network
• 56 Brewing in Minneapolis, brewers of Solarama Crush, the world's first beer made with honey from pollinator-friendly solar

Recorded April 25, 2018.

Published May 14, 2018.

In this episode we review the electric vehicle landscape in the Southeast. My guest is Anne Blair, Clean Fuels Director at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and one of the driving forces behind Electrify the South. We first discuss the factors affecting EV adoption in Georgia, then cover Florida, North Carolina and other states. Anne also touches on the Volkswagen diesel settlement, the NextCar Pledge, and the relationship of offshore oil drilling to EV adoption.

References include:

• Georgia's 2015 HB 170 (Transportation Act of 2015)
• City of Atlanta Passes "EV Ready" Ordinance into Law (press release,) 11/21/17
• Electrify the South's Volkswagen Settlement page
• Solar United Neighbors
• Drive Electric Orlando
• North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association's Electric Vehicle Working Group
• Plug-In NC
• NextCar Pledge
• New Numbers Are In and EVs Are Cleaner Than Ever, Union of Concerned Scientists, 5/31/17
• Electric Vehicles: Driving Reduced Demand for Offshore Oil (SACE blog series,) April 2018

Recorded: April 26, 2018.

Published: April 30, 2018.

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Thank you to our sponsor! The Atlas EV Hub gives stakeholders from across the electric vehicle industry quick access to key data and information on the market, policies and regulations, and activities by the EV community. The Hub is the place to track activities in the states related to the Volkswagen Settlement. Visit www.atlasevhub.com to learn more, including how to gain free access for public agencies and Clean Cities Coalitions.

In this episode I sit down for a brief conversation with Joe Fiordaliso, President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. It's an exciting time for clean energy in New Jersey: the state has a new governor and a new BPU president, and both are committed to positioning the state as a national leader in clean energy.

This is the second of two interviews I recorded at the 2018 International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum, or IPF, hosted by the Business Network for Offshore Wind earlier this month in Princeton. Not surprisingly, President Fiordaliso discusses the important role offshore wind has to play for New Jersey to meet its goals. I came away from the conversation optimistic not only about New Jersey's clean energy goals but its ability to meet them.

References: 

• Governor Murphy Signs Executive Order to Promote Offshore Wind Energy (press release)

Recorded: April 6, 2018.

Published: April 16, 2018.

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Thank you to our sponsor! The Business Network for Offshore Wind is the first and largest non-profit organization devoted solely to advancing the US offshore wind industry and its supply chain. If you're interested in US offshore wind, the Network has what you need. It hosts a variety of training and networking events throughout the year and brings together industry leaders and stakeholders to grow the industry.

Its flagship event is the International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum, or IPF -- the industry's top venue to establish and grow the relationships so critical to a project's success. Mark your calendars now for next year's IPF from April 9-11, 2019 in New York City!

In this episode we explore public sentiment about offshore wind farms and the importance of community engagement in shaping it. My guest is Dr. Jeremy Firestone, Director of the Center for Carbon-Free Power Integration and Professor of Marine Policy at the University of Delaware. His research on public sentiment about the Block Island Wind Farm in Rhode Island serves as the basis for our conversation.

References: 

• Wind in the sails or choppy seas?: People-place relations, aesthetics and public support for the United States’ first offshore wind project, by Firestone, Bidwell, Gardner & Knapp (Available for free download until April 26, 2018. Afterwards you may contact the author.)
• Block Island Wind Farm 

This is the first of two interviews I recorded at the 2018 International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum, or IPF, hosted by the Business Network for Offshore Wind earlier this month in Princeton, New Jersey.

Recorded: April 5, 2018.

Published: April 16, 2018.

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Thank you to our sponsor! The Business Network for Offshore Wind is the first and largest non-profit organization devoted solely to advancing the US offshore wind industry and its supply chain. If you're interested in US offshore wind, the Network has what you need. It hosts a variety of training and networking events throughout the year and brings together industry leaders and stakeholders to grow the industry.

Its flagship event is the International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum, or IPF -- the industry's top venue to establish and grow the relationships so critical to a project's success. Mark your calendars now for next year's IPF from April 9-11, 2019 in New York City!

In this episode we take a deep dive look at the solar market in the southeastern U.S. My guest is Bryan Jacob, Solar Program Director at SACE, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. We use SACE's new report Solar in the Southeast as the basis for our conversation. We start by discussing the report's methodology, then delve into the solar landscape in the seven states the report covers, including the political and policy activity shaping the numbers. We close by considering the possible impact of recent federal actions, and contemplate what the Solar in the Southeast report may look like a few years from now.

Reports:

• Solar in the Southeast - 2017 Annual Report, by SACE
• Energy Information Administration's Annual Energy Outlook
• EIA's 860 data (utility)
• EIA's 861 data (distributed)
• 2017 Solar Market Insight, by SEIA and GTM Research

Other references:

• North Carolina legislative staff overview of 2017 Competitive Energy Solutions for NC legislation
• Regulators approve Georgia Power IRP, Utility Dive article by Robert Walton, 7/28/16
• Floridians for Solar Choice
• South Carolina's 2016 Act 236 Implementation Report
• Jacksonville Electric Authority's Battery Incentive Program
• The Interchange Podcast: Why US Solar Had a Down Year in 2017

Recorded: March 26, 2018.

Published: April 2, 2018.

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Thank you to our sponsor! The Atlas EV Hub gives stakeholders from across the electric vehicle industry quick access to key data and information on the market, policies and regulations, and activities by the EV community. The Hub is the place to track activities in the states related to the Volkswagen Settlement. Visit www.atlasevhub.com to learn more, including how to gain free access for public agencies and Clean Cities Coalitions.

In this episode we look at the energy transition from the perspective of one of its key players—the Consumer Advocate. My guest is Elin Katz, Connecticut's Consumer Counsel and the current president of NASUCA, the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates. We first explore broadly what the consumer's interest is; then we look at energy storage and electric vehicles; and we close by contemplating the convergence of utilities such as electricity and telecom, and how the focus of the Advocate may continue to evolve in the future.

References include:

• Alliance for Transportation Electrification
• Edison Electric Institute
• NASUCA's 2018 Mid-Year Meeting, June 24-27 in Minneapolis 

Recorded March 9, 2018.

Published March 19, 2018.

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Thank you to our sponsor! Have you ever thought about making the switch to clean energy? With CleanChoice Energy, you don’t need to install solar panels or even own your home to get 100% of your electricity from clean and renewable energy sources. Learn more about CleanChoice Energy—and get a $25 rebate when you sign up—by visiting cleanchoiceenergy.com.

The offshore wind industry is growing quickly! Liz Burdock, Executive Director of the Business Network for Offshore Wind, returns to the podcast almost a year after our first conversation to discuss the outlook for offshore wind today.

Liz presents an overview of state-level offshore wind developments on both coasts; discusses the implications of technological advances for future offshore wind development; shares news about the Network's work with federal partners to establish national industry standards; announces some upcoming Network-sponsored events; and closes with a prediction about offshore wind prices in the future.

Resources mentioned in the show include:

• Offshore wind energy and fishing thrive together, video by University of Delaware and American Wind Energy Association
• Tradepoint Atlantic
• Maine's Aqua Ventus floating wind turbine
• Navigant Research, Offshore Wind Market and Project Assessment 2017
• Bloomberg, These Four Power Giants Rule the World's Growing Wind Market
• 2018 International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum (IPF)

Recorded February 26, 2018.

Published March 5, 2018.

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Thank you to our sponsor! More Power to You is sponsored by CleanChoice Energy, a 100% renewable energy provider based in Washington, DC. CleanChoice Energy seeks to transform the U.S. electric grid by making clean energy accessible to everyone. With CleanChoice Energy you don’t need to install solar panels or even own your home to access clean energy.  Learn more about CleanChoice Energy in your area by visiting cleanchoiceenergy.com.

This week we take a look at how the clean energy transition is impacting our built environment, as seen through the eyes of an architect with more than two decades of experience in green design. Our guest is Phil Kaplan, Principal at Kaplan Thompson Architects in Portland, Maine and the current Chair of NESEA, the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (and a fellow podcaster). Our wide-ranging conversation touches on net zero buildings, integrated design, the economics of residential solar, the role of energy storage and more. We close with a preview of NESEA's big conference and trade show next month in Boston.

References mentioned include:

• Green Architects' Lounge Podcast
• BrightBuilt Home
• BuildingEnergy Boston Conference and Trade Show

  Recorded: February 19, 2018.

Published: February 19, 2018.

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Thank you to our sponsor! The Atlas EV Hub gives stakeholders from across the electric vehicle industry quick access to key data and information on the market, policies and regulations, and activities by the EV community. The Hub is the place to track activities in the states related to the Volkswagen Settlement. Visit atlasevhub.com to learn more, including how to gain free access for public agencies and Clean Cities Coalitions.

In this episode we take a look at how the clean energy transition is playing out in the Land of Lincoln. Jen Walling, Executive Director of the Illinois Environmental Council, and MeLena Hessel, Policy Advocate with the Environmental Law and Policy Center, join me for a discussion about the policy and political developments shaping Illinois' clean energy economy.

Resources mentioned include:

• Future Energy Jobs Act (SB 2814, passed Dec. 1, 2016)
• Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition

Recorded February 14, 2018.

Published February 19, 2018.

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Thank you to our sponsor! The Atlas EV Hub gives stakeholders from across the electric vehicle industry quick access to key data and information on the market, policies and regulations, and activities by the EV community. The Hub is the place to track activities in the states related to the Volkswagen Settlement. Visit www.atlasevhub.com to learn more, including how to gain free access for public agencies and Clean Cities Coalitions.

For almost a year, one of the hottest topics among solar insiders has been the Suniva trade case. Its petition for the President to impose import duties on certain solar photovoltaic cells and modules created market uncertainty, galvanized the vast majority of the solar industry in opposition to the petition, and left everyone wondering--as usual--what the President would decide. 

Today, the President issued his decision, bringing the long guessing game to an end. Now the question becomes, what did the President approve, and what will the impact be?

Joining the show for immediate feedback less than an hour after the President issued his decision is John Berger, CEO of Houston-based Sunnova, one of the largest residential solar service providers in the U.S.

Resources include:

• US Trade Representative's Fact Sheet announcing President's decision
• Full USTR solar trade case docket
• Excellent article by Utility Dive's Krysti Shallenberger last December with solid background and perspectives from both sides

Recorded January 22, 2018.

Published January 22, 2018.

(Audio file edited 1/23/18 at 9:23 ET)