The Green Light

hat does it take to break into the clean energy industry? Kate Henningsen went from being a corporate litigator with no energy experience to COO & Co-Founder of Arcadia, which now manages 1 GW of community solar & has 800 employees. In this Green Light episode, Catherine spoke with Kate about her transition into, & success within, cleantech, her advice for others looking to do the same, as well as about Arcadia’s acquisition of Urjanet & recent raise of $200M for its Arc platform. 

According to Canary Media Inc. Media, 99% of people who will be working in climate by 2030 haven’t begun yet. If you’re looking to start working in cleantech or are looking to level up your clean energy career, join the largest growing network of cleantech professionals and be the first to know about when industry leading cleantech companies first post new job openings, from development to finance to marketing, by checking out the jobs listed here: dylan-green.com/latest-jobs.

What does it take to start a hydropower company from the ground up? In this Green Light episode, Catherine spoke with Gia Schneider about this, what it was like to found Natel Energy with her brother & father, as well as their fish-safe hydropower projects with Apple in Oregon & MyHydro in Africa. Natel Energy has been featured by Bloomberg & Time & has been named to Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas 2022 list alongside several other innovative Breakthrough Energy Venture companies. Catherine thoroughly enjoyed speaking with Gia about the ways in which Natel is making it safer for fish to pass through hydropower turbines without compromising on power or efficiency, as well as hearing Gia’s insights on what leaders need to drive real change within climate tech.

Are you looking for your next role in climate tech? Join the largest growing network of cleantech professionals and be the first to know about when industry leading cleantech companies first post new job openings, from development to finance to marketing, by checking out our website: dylan-green.com/latest-jobs.

How are artificial intelligence & digitization being leveraged to realize huge cost savings for growing wind turbine fleets? In this Green Light episode, Catherine spoke with Danielle Merfeld, VP & CTO of GE Renewable Energy, about this, how she went from winning science fairs across the country as a child with Air Force parents to receiving her PhD in Electrical Engineering & ultimately taking the helm for technology at GE Renewable Energy. They also spoke about how her most instrumental mentors did not have technical backgrounds, as well as what it takes to effectively drive technology across a wide range of renewable energy business units within a Fortune 500 company. 

Are you looking for your next role in climate tech? Join the largest growing network of cleantech professionals and be the first to know about when industry leading cleantech companies first post new job openings, from development to finance to marketing, by checking out our website: dylan-green.com/latest-jobs.

In this Green Light episode, Catherine spoke with her good friends, Abby Hopper & Erin Duncan, from SEIA - two of the incredible women behind the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. They spoke about what it takes to succeed in their roles, what it was like behind the scenes to get the IRA across the finish line & what parts of the IRA they’re most excited about. Notably, Abby & Erin both came from other industries - legal/government & education/government affairs - & are prime examples of the immense benefits our industry serves to gain from those with non-clean energy backgrounds. Not only does our industry reap significant benefits from those that are from outside the industry, hiring leaders & experts from other industries is also the primary way we will increase overall net diversity in clean energy. Congrats again, Erin & Abby, on successfully transitioning into & excelling within clean energy, & thank you for all that you have done on behalf of our industry!

Are you looking for your next role in climate tech? Join the largest growing network of cleantech professionals and be the first to know about when industry leading cleantech companies first post new job openings, from development to finance to marketing, by checking out our website: dylan-green.com/latest-jobs.

What does it take to lead sustainability initiatives for a Fortune 500 company like Microsoft? In this Green Light episode, Catherine speaks with Dawn James about this as well as her career journey from creating predictive models for water management to energy and sustainability strategy at Microsoft. They also speak about Microsoft’s latest sustainability initiatives, designed to cut its carbon emissions by more than half by 2030; Dawn’s work with Greentown Labs; & Diversity in Clean Energy (DiCE), an action based coalition involving Duke, Microsoft, T-Mobile & Kroger. Dawn also shares her insights on why self care & advocating for yourself are essential when it comes to progressing in your sustainability career.  

Are you looking for your next role in climate tech? Join the largest growing network of cleantech professionals and be the first to know about when industry leading cleantech companies first post new job openings, from development to finance to marketing, by checking out our website: dylan-green.com/latest-jobs.

Congratulations, Ike Emehelu, on your new role as Partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP! Although Ike knew he wanted to be a lawyer from his earliest days in Nigeria, he never imagined he would get to work on two of the three largest onshore wind projects in the U.S. Focusing almost exclusively on renewable energy project finance since 2008, Ike has worked on impactful projects throughout Africa, Latin America & the US, including through the Energy Access Relief Fund, which provided support to energy entrepreneurs facing liquidity challenges due to COVID-19. In this Green Light episode, Catherine speaks with Ike about his career journey in clean energy as well as the key trends that he thinks will make or break renewable energy in M&A in the coming years.

Are you looking for your next role in climate tech? Join the largest growing network of cleantech professionals and be the first to know about when industry leading cleantech companies first post new job openings, from development to finance to marketing, by checking out our website: dylan-green.com/latest-jobs.

In this Green Light episode, Catherine speaks with Bri Hamilton, Stephanie Johnson, & Christy Searl, who were recently hired by Javelin Capital, Chesapeake Solar & Storage Association, & Leyline Renewable Capital, LLC. Catherine was grateful to have had the opportunity to help place these incredibly talented individuals at top clean energy companies, knowing that they all bring a lot of important skills to this industry. They each discuss with Catherine how their transition into clean energy has been, the myriad benefits of coming from outside the industry & much more. 

Shout out to the executives at these organizations for having the foresight to see the substantial value of hiring from outside of the clean energy industry. As the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) just reported, job growth in the energy sector outpaced overall U.S. employment from 2020 to 2021, with EV jobs increasing by 26%. There are more job openings than there are candidates, & fortunately, plenty of top-tier candidates from more developed industries with relevant contacts & knowledge to help the clean energy industry rapidly scale & expand. So far, 10% of Dylan Green’s placements in clean energy have been from outside our industry. We look forward to further increasing this number, & net diversity in clean energy, while simultaneously helping the industry grow with necessary skills & experiences, by bringing in exceptional individuals from more developed industries. Learn more about our new net diversity mission: bit.ly/3IU6ICL.

Are you looking for your next role in climate tech? Join the largest growing network of cleantech professionals and be the first to know about when industry leading cleantech companies first post new job openings, from development to finance to marketing, by checking out our website: dylan-green.com/latest-jobs.

In this Green Light episode, Catherine is joined by Andrea Luecke, Executive Director of Cleantech Leaders Roundtable (CTLR) and former President and Executive Director at the Solar Foundation (now IREC). While at the Solar Foundation for ten years, Andrea grew it from zero staff & budget to a $6M organization at its peak, as well as initiated and implemented the first ever Solar Jobs Census. Andrea also speaks about her new role at CTLR, angel investing in cleantech and how CTLR is supporting underrepresented founders and CEOs.

In addition to talking about her new role at CTRL, Andrea also speaks about how she transitioned from the Peace Corps in Morocco to cleantech, as well as what it was like to spearhead Clean Energy for America’s (CE4A) Inaugural Ball, which had 3,000 attendees & raised $200,000 for environmental justice organizations. 

Are you looking for your next role in climate tech? Join the largest growing network of cleantech professionals and be the first to know about when industry leading cleantech companies first post new job openings, from development to finance to marketing, by checking out our website: dylan-green.com/latest-jobs.

In this Green Light episode, Catherine is joined by Heather Reams, President of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES). CRES is a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit that engages Republican policymakers & the public about responsible, conservative solutions to address our nation’s energy, economic & environmental security while increasing America’s competitive edge. Heather speaks with Catherine about how she transitioned into clean energy & advice she has for others looking to make the switch into the industry. She also talks about why conservatives are increasingly supporting clean energy legislation & what it has been like as a conservative woman working in cleantech. 

Are you looking for your next role in climate tech? Join the largest growing network of cleantech professionals and be the first to know about when industry leading cleantech companies first post new job openings, from development to finance to marketing, by checking out our website: dylan-green.com/latest-jobs.

In this Green Light episode, Catherine is joined by Candice Michalowicz, COO of EDPR Distributed Generation, & Tom Weirich, Senior Marketing Manager at EDP Renewables North America. She speaks with these two brains behind the world’s 4th largest renewable energy producer about how EDPR’s Distributed Generation business unit - which now clocks over 50 employees - came to fruition just 3 years ago, & it all started with Candice. Catherine also speaks with Tom about his exciting new book that’s focused on the cleantech industry’s risk-taking pioneers. Candice & Tom also speak about why Walmart chose, & continues to choose, to partner with EDPR on a number of renewable energy projects throughout the U.S. as well as EDPR’s recent acquisition of Sunseap Group Pte Ltd. 

Are you looking for your next role in climate tech? Join the largest growing network of cleantech professionals and be the first to know about when industry leading cleantech companies first post new job openings, from development to finance to marketing, by checking out our website: dylan-green.com/latest-jobs.