The Green Light

What does it take to transition from aerospace to leading the nation’s #1 fastest-growing community solar developer? In this episode, Catherine McLean spoke with Erica Brinker, Chief Commercial & Sustainability Officer at Chaberton Energy, about the company’s 7,300% growth & its origination of 350 MW annually. Some of the company’s recent work includes floating solar projects with Noria Energy & community solar projects throughout the U.S. with Pivot Energy & Prosperity Works. Erica also shared about how Chaberton is donating $5,000 per MW deployed to local communities, prioritizing pollinator habitats, & about some of toughest decisions she’s had to make in her role at Chaberton. 

If you’re a clean energy employer & need help scaling your workforce efficiently with top tier staff, contact Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, directly on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. If you’re looking for your next role in clean energy, take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs. 

In this Green Light episode, Catherine spoke with EDP Renewables North America’s CEO, Sandhya Ganapathy, from the WRISE Leadership Forum in D.C.! They discussed EDPR NA’s partnerships with Microsoft & Volt Energy Utility, including their innovative Environmental Justice PPA. They also spoke about EDPR NA’s agreement with Google to develop & install 80 distributed solar projects - the largest distributed generation sponsorship signed between two companies in the U.S. at the time. Sandhya also shared her insights on the role that AI will play in the energy transition, EDPR NA’s ambitious "Close the Loop" recycling initiative that aims for a 90% waste recovery rate by 2030, & DEIJ-focused initiatives at the company.

If you’re a clean energy employer & need help scaling your workforce efficiently with top tier candidates, contact Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, directly on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. If you’re looking for your next role in clean energy, take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs. 

From increasing women staff from 38% to 46% in 2 years to implementing innovative solutions like breast milk shipping for traveling mothers, Staci Schwartz & Primergy have been making waves in creating a supportive, inclusive work culture. In this Green Light episode, Catherine McLean spoke with Staci about this, as well as about childcare costs & the impact of caretaking on both genders, & the importance of seeking sponsorship, not just mentorship. Staci also shared about some of Primergy’s exciting new projects, including the 690 MW solar + 380 MW 4-hour battery storage Gemini project in Nevada. 

If you’re a clean energy employer & need help scaling your workforce efficiently with top tier candidates, contact Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, directly on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. If you’re looking for your next role in clean energy, take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs. 

Looking for some inspiration? In this episode, Catherine McLean spoke with leaders of 3 women-founded climate tech companies that are driving energy equity through partnerships with local communities, & organizations like Microsoft, T Mobile & Okta. Hear how: Dana Clare Redden at Solar Stewards is integrating renewable energy credits into underserved communities; Laura Zapata at Clearloop is transforming renewable energy landscapes in areas like rural Tennessee, making solar projects an engine for economic growth; & Sean Kenney at Emrgy is bringing distributed hydropower to water systems. All 3 companies are part of ACORE's Accelerate Program, which provides a robust community & resources to enable clean energy innovators to thrive.  Learn more about ACORE's Accelerate Program: https://t.ly/fyA8P.

If you’re a clean energy employer & need help scaling your workforce efficiently with top tier candidates, contact Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, directly on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. If you’re looking for your next role in clean energy, take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs. 

How can gaps in the U.S. solar supply chain be overcome to increase clean energy production & job growth? In this episode, Catherine spoke with John Smirnow at Smirnow Law & Arielle Brown at Wacker about this & the Polysilicon Coalition that they’re making advances through, alongside REC & Hemlock. While the U.S. is making strides in domestic module manufacturing, there’s currently an oversupply of foreign polysilicon & other necessary solar components due to trade policies abroad. John & Arielle share the latest updates on U.S. solar manufacturing, recent guidance on the IRA, & where we’ll be seeing the greatest job growth in the domestic solar industry in the coming years. 

If you’re a clean energy employer & need help scaling your workforce efficiently with top tier candidates, contact Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, directly on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. If you’re looking for your next role in clean energy, take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs. 

Biodigesters, sustainable vineyards, & board positions for women are just a few of the fun topics Catherine discussed with Suzanne Hunt, VP of Policy at Generate Upcycle, in this Green Light podcast episode. With operations in Europe, Canada & the U.S., Generate Upcycle is dedicated to scaling up mature infrastructure in areas like organic waste recycling & wastewater, & has invested in companies like Atlas Organics. Suzanne shared about some of the challenges of advancing policy goals in a politically volatile environment, as well as advice on how climate activists & cleantech companies can work more cohesively together. 

Suzanne has had a diverse & impressive career. She began her career at the Environmental Defense Fund & eventually went on to do work for organizations like XPRIZE, Carbon War Room & Generate. Some of her recent accomplishments include working with coalitions to help get food waste diversion/recycling and climate legislation passed in her home state of New York. Suzanne is also on the board of organizations like Cornell AgriTech, & shared her advice on how women & those with other underrepresented identities can best prepare for a board position. 

If you’re a clean energy employer & need help scaling your workforce efficiently with top tier candidates, contact Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, directly on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. If you’re looking for your next role in clean energy, take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs. 

In this Green Light episode, Catherine sat down with Lightsource bp’s COO & Head of USA, Emilie Wangerman, to hear about her latest updates - from 520 MW of solar projects with Verizon, Bank of America & McDonald’s to scaling agrivoltaics to bp fully acquiring the company. Emilie has worked her way up from Director to now COO at the company. Six years after Emilie began working at Lightsource bp in business development, the team has executed 4+ GW of power contracts & raised over $4 billion in project financing, with a pipeline of 30+ GW in the U.S. 

If you’re a clean energy employer & need help scaling your workforce efficiently with top tier candidates, contact Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, directly on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. If you’re looking for your next role in clean energy, take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs. 

Did you know the U.S. Army has over 950 renewable energy projects that supply it with over 480 MW of power? The Army also plans to add 25 new microgrids by 2024. The Department of Defense is one of the largest consumers of energy in the U.S., & for over a decade, Ameresco has been enabling the DoD to decarbonize & transition to renewable energy. Nicole Bulgarino, Executive Vice President at Ameresco, has personally overseen the development & implementation of over $3 billion of sustainable solutions in federal & government energy projects. In this episode, Catherine spoke with Nicole about this, as well as about Ameresco’s recent military projects in places like California & Hawaii.

Nicole is also part of Cleantech Leaders Roundtable (CTLR), the nation's most prominent private community of cleantech & climate-tech leaders. CTLR's mission is to bring together a diverse group of founders, investors, & entrepreneurs for the purpose of idea sharing, networking, & building a supportive and collegial fellowship.

If you’re a clean energy employer & need help scaling your workforce efficiently with top tier candidates, contact Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, directly on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. If you’re looking for your next role in clean energy, take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs. 

Solstice recently partnered with ENGIE North America & Microsoft to bring up to 60% electricity savings to low-income households & nonprofits in Illinois through community solar. In this Green Light episode, Catherine spoke with the Founders of Solstice, Steph Speirs & Sandhya Murali, who met in business school at MIT after working in off-grid solar in places like India, Pakistan & Peru. Together, they have made significant progress in bridging the clean energy access gap in the U.S. Solstice’s success has been due in part to their AI & machine learning models, which have helped achieve their 99% collections rate & 98% subscription rate. If you’re looking for some inspiration & to learn about the latest advancements in community solar & climate equity, check out this episode.

If you’re a clean energy employer & need help scaling your workforce efficiently with top tier candidates, contact Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, directly on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. If you’re looking for your next role in clean energy, take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs. 

Heading to the WRISE Leadership Forum in D.C. this year? In this Green Light episode, Catherine spoke with Doseke Akporiaye, Executive Director of WRISE, about what will be new at the Forum, including their executive track, which will help empower senior women & non-binary leaders. Doseke & Catherine also discussed the impact that the WRISE Speakers Bureau & #NoMoreManelsPledge are having on women’s careers, including Anne Locke at E3 Consulting & Yejide Olutosin at the Business Climate Finance Initiative, whose career trajectories have been transformed after having been discovered through the Bureau. Doseke also shared about an initiative she is spearheading at WRISE to enable conferences like Solarplaza to publicly share data about representation on their panels. Shoutout to WRISE’s latest additions to its Board, including Constance Thompson at ACORE, Asha Gandhi at energyRe, & Lauren Haller at Pattern Energy Group. This episode was recorded at ACP’s Cleanpower conference in Minnesota.

If you’re a clean energy employer & need help scaling your workforce efficiently with top tier candidates, send a message to Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. If you’re looking for your next role in clean energy, take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs.