More Than Eight Minutes - Extended Interviews

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AI data centers are overwhelming the power grid — but the fastest, cheapest, and cleanest solution may already be sitting on rooftops. In this episode, Paul Schuster sits down with Sachu Constantine, Executive Director of Vote Solar, to explore why distributed solar and battery storage are the overlooked key to powering America's AI boom.

Paul and Sachu unpack why utilities are struggling to keep pace with unprecedented data center load growth, why quick-fix solutions like repurposed jet engines fall short on cost, efficiency, and community impact, and how rooftop solar paired with storage at the grid edge can deliver speed, flexibility, and clean energy at scale.

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Paul sits with Tim Christophersen, VP of Climate Action at Salesforce and previously Head of Nature for Climate Branch at UNEP. Tim's recent book, Generation Restoration - How to Fix Our Relationship Crisis with Mother Nature, digs deep into the broken bond that we have with our natural world. Paul and Tim discuss not only how we got here in the first place, but what the public and private sector needs to do to help us replenish the natural infrastructure of this planet.

For more research:

Generation Restoration - How to Fix Our Relationship Crisis with Mother Nature - Tim Christophersen

Future Forests Alliance - World Economic Forum

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States have shifted to the forefront of climate leadership here in the US. And one of the tools that many of these States are employing to make it easier and less risky for individuals and companies to invest behind energy savings has been the Green Bank, a financial institution designed to overcome some of the barriers to financing climate action.

Massachusetts set up their Green Bank in a novel way, though. They embedded the institution inside of MassHousing and gave it the dual mandate to address not only climate change, but the challenge of affordable housing as well.

So, how are they doing? Paul sits with Maggie Super Church of the Massachusetts Community Climate Bank to understand more about how the entity is delivering on its promise to save energy and costs for Massachusetts homeowners.

NOTE: Since this episode was recorded, the Massachusetts Community Climate Bank has officially released their MA Energy Savings Finder. If you're interested in how you can take advantage of these programs, this tool is a great one-stop resource for finding all clean energy incentives, rebates and tax credits for your home.

For more research:

Maggie Super Church

Massachusetts Community Climate Bank

All In Energy

Cape Light Compact

Center for ECO Technology

MA Energy Savings Finder

Abode Energy Management

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With millions of miles of gas distribution pipelines under our feet, the transition away from gas and toward electrification needs to account for that existing infrastructure somehow. And that comes with risks, not only to gas distribution companies but to their customers as well.

Understanding, anticipating and managing these risks is a vital part of a safe, equitable transition. To discuss this topic, Paul is joined by Jan Rosenow of Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP). They really dig into what is needed to decommission an entire industry.

For further research:

Jan Rosenow

Regulatory Assistance Project

"The elephant in the room: How do we regulate gas transportation infrastructure as gas demand declines?" - Rosenow, Lowes & Kemfert

"Planning and regulating Europe’s gas networks: breaking up with fossil gas" - Regulatory Assistance Project

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The demand for electricity continues to go up. But instead of relying upon utilities to build more dirtier gas and oil fired power plants, a more novel approach is emerging. These Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) aggregate together a number of residential or commercial buildings and adjust demand in order to keep the grid operating optimally.

Paul talks with Courtney Blodgett, Co-Founder and Director of Strategy at Edo on how VPPs work and how Edo is helping commercial buildings become powerful grid assets.

For further reference:

Courtney Blodgett

"Sector Spotlight: Virtual Power Plants" - Department of Energy

Edo

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In this episode, Paul sits with Stephanie Doyle, the California State Affairs Director for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), to discuss the changes that California has implemented to their net metering tariff for rooftop solar.

NEM 3.0 (or also known as the Net Billing Tariff (NBT)) has reimagined the solar market in California, dramatically reducing the compensation that homeowners receive for generating excess power while incentivizing investment into battery storage and into disadvantaged communities. One year on from the launch of NEM 3.0 and we have a bit of perspective on how the new tariff is working. Paul and Stephanie dig into what NEM 3.0 is all about and the impact it's having on California's solar market.

For further reference:

Stephanie Doyle

"NEM 3.0 in California: What you need to know" - Energy Sage

"One Year In: Tracking the Impacts of NEM 3.0 on California’s Residential Solar Market" - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

"The fight over the future of rooftop solar in California" - Canary Media

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In order to meet the ambitious climate goals as enshrined in New York's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), the state is about to embark upon a far reaching program to ratchet down emissions from heavy emitters. The Cap and Invest program has a lot of similarities to RGGI and other Cap & Trade efforts, with some key nuances on how New York is planning on using this tool to transition to a clean energy economy.

Karsten Barde, Director of US Policy and Regulatory Strategy for National Grid, joins Paul to discuss the construct of the program, who it's likely to impact, and what to expect as it navigates its way through this preliminary structuring phase.

For further reference:

Karsten Barde

New York Cap and Invest

Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

Preproposal Stakeholder Outreach - Preliminary Scenario Analyses

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Philanthropic giving to climate related causes is woefully small. But charitable dollars have a really important role to play because of their flexibility and different motivations. They can catalyze investment in areas where private or governmental dollars can not.

In this episode, Paul sits with Randall Kempner, Senior Advisor to the Aspen Institute to discuss the role of philanthropic dollars in the capital stack, why foundations and donors have not contributed as much, yet, and what is needed to further catalyze this funding source.

For the Eight Minutes version, visit here

For further research:

Randall Kempner

The Aspen Institute's Energy & Environment Program

The Global Methane Hub

Much Alarm, Less Action: Foundations & Climate Change - The Center for Effective Philanthropy

Global Energy Alliance for People & Planet

Giving to Amplify Earth Action - World Economic Forum

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Paul sits with Mike Roeth of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) to discuss the current state of trucking and how that industry is decarbonizing. Although trucks only account for 5-10% of the vehicles on the road, they contribute up to a quarter of the transportation sector's greenhouse gas emissions.

But whereas challenges remain to fully decarbonize long haul, heavy duty trucking, Mike and Paul dig into the different use cases and opportunities that the industry has to electrify existing vehicles today.

If you want to hear the Eight Minutes overview of Paul's interview with Mike, visit Eight Minutes

For further reference:

Mike Roeth

North American Council for Freight Efficiency

Calstart - Medium and Heavy Duty EV Deployment: Data Collection

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About 70% of New York City's emissions come from their buildings. So, getting a handle on this is super important. As one tool to enact, the city implemented Local Law 97 which not only requires buildings to become more energy efficient and, eventually, to reach net zero emissions - but the law ascribes penalties for properties that fail to meet the ratchet schedule. The first year that these penalties kick into effect is here in 2024.

Paul sits down with Luke Surowiec of the New York City Accelerator, a program run by ICF on behalf of the Mayor's Office for Climate and Environmental Justice. Luke is the Accelerator's program director and he and Paul discuss the challenges, opportunities and lessons learned from the implementation of this first-of-a-kind building performance standard.

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