The ZENERGY Podcast: Energy Leadership, Finance, and Technology

In this episode we will be speaking with Ram Ramanan, who is a Vice President and former Head of Engineering at Bloom Energy, which is a public company headquartered in California that is one of the leaders in developing Hydrogen Technology and Hydrogen Electrolyzers. In this conversation we discuss Ram’s career pathway, his perspective on hiring engineers, and the economics of hydrogen technology. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Ram Ramanan!

In this conversation, we will be speaking with Ian Springsteel, who is the Director of U.S. Regulatory Strategy at the National Grid. In this capacity, Ian develops and oversees regulatory strategy and implementation of new programs and petitions to U.S. regulators. His areas of focus include: electric vehicles and electrification of heat, solar incentive programs, grid modernization, and energy storage. In this conversation we discuss several of the programs he developed within those technology areas and also dive into what inspired Ian to get involved in the Energy Sector to begin with. Hope you enjoy my conversation with Mr. Ian Springsteel!

We have a special episode of the Zenergy Podcast today, wheasre we are joined by 3 guests to breakdown the Inflation Reduction Act.

Topics discussed: 

Topic 1:

There is a lot to unpack in the Climate bill. Will walks us through some of the key highlights. 

Climate Tracker: https://airtable.com/shrzbm0uBAWOyP7Sd/tblFzX5IPIamN8zzB

Topic 2:

The Rhodium Group initially indicated odds of a 24-35% cut in US net GHG emissions, but upon the introduction of the Inflation Reduction Act, Rhodium estimates indicate a likelier scenario of a 31-44% cut of US net GHG emissions below 2005 levels by 2030.

Tappan talks about specific parts of the bill that he believes will have the most direct impact on reducing GHG emissions?

Good resource: https://rhg.com/research/inflation-reduction-act/

Topic 3:

Grant, as a leader in climate advocacy, walks us through his feelings on the bill, and the advocacy efforts that go into it.

Brief Bios: 

Will Hackman: The Climate Explainer

Will Hackman is a conservation and climate policy expert with more than a decade of experience in campaigns and global environmental issue advocacy. Will served as a political fundraiser and campaign manager on four federal races for the U.S. House and Senate as well as a gubernatorial campaign. He then joined the public sector conservation community as a marine fisheries conservation advocate. Will developed a love for the ocean over years working as a commercial Alaskan fisherman. Will has dedicated his career to advancing public policies related to ocean and land conservation as well as energy and the environment. He has attended four United Nations climate conferences and is a frequent policy expert voice on podcast interviews and articles. Will recently filmed a TEDx talk on stage in Washington, DC discussing ways we need to reframe our climate conversations.

Grant Samms: President of the DC Climate Reality Project

With proven competence and passion to address the challenges of a changing climate, Grant design's the climate solutions and policies our world desperately needs. Grant excels at illuminating complex socioenvironmental issues with both the quantitative and qualitative research skills needed to create human-centered solutions. Grant's research efforts have created a community-based socioeconomic risk model for a warming world and reported on patterns of resilient and sustainable urban development. Grant's skilled communication has translated the interconnections of the environmental and social facets of climate change through publications like Forbes and Smart Cities Dive. With a keen eye toward equitable solutions, Grant takes a holistic aim at the climate crisis.

Tappan Parker: Project Specialist at the World Resources Institute

Tappan Parker is a Project Specialist in the Tools, Reporting, and Analysis for Climate Initiative. He supports the creation of a strategy for open energy data as part of the "Global Energy Data Commons" project. Prior to joining WRI, Tappan worked on anti-corruption projects in Europe and Eurasia with the Center for International Private Enterprise, supported program development and grassroots campaigns with Environment America, and conducted media monitoring with the American Wind Energy Association. Tappan holds an M.A. in International Development from American University and a B.A. in Festival and Event Management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In his free time, Tappan enjoys biking, board games, playing music and tacos.

In this conversation, we will be speaking to Shari Friedman, who leads the Eurasia Group’s climate and sustainability coverage, working across regions and sectors to help clients understand evolving policies and how they will affect clients’ businesses today and in the future.

Shari has been involved with climate and sustainability issues for over 25 years. She worked for the US government during the Kyoto negotiations and moved on to roles in venture capital, consulting, and banking. Immediately prior to joining Eurasia Group, Shari worked at the IFC, where she led climate strategy and managed a team of industry specialists focused on renewable energy, green buildings, battery storage, sustainable waste, electric vehicles, low-carbon cities, and emerging green technologies such as hydrogen and carbon capture storage and utilization. During this time, Shari also launched the Climate Biz Podcast, which has served as a huge inspiration for the Zenergy Podcast Series. It was a real privilege and honor to interview Ms. Shari Friedman, and I hope you enjoy our conversation!

Vivek Pathak is IFC’s Global Head and Director of Climate Business. In this role, he facilitates business growth, provides thought leadership, new product development and facilitates all work related to climate business. He is responsible for identifying new business opportunities for climate business and facilitating the mobilization of capital into this space. Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Pathak was IFC’s Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific, leading advisory and investment operations across 18 countries, which in fiscal year 2020 reached US$4.2 billion in long-term investments, including funds mobilized from other investors. He has extensive emerging markets experience in principal investments, restructuring and risk management. Earlier in his career, Mr. Pathak was Global Head and Director for Investment and Credit Risk, responsible for global coverage of credit risk, investment risk, integrity risk, pricing and credit/equity training. Prior to that he oversaw IFC’s portfolio in the Middle East and North Africa and led business development in frontier markets in the Middle East and North Africa. Before IFC, Mr. Pathak worked at Bank of America and ABN AMRO Bank in new business and risk management. In this episode we discuss Climate Finance, ESG investing, and how an economic downturn might impact Climate Investments. Hope you enjoy my conversation with Mr. Vivek Pathak!

Will Hackman is a conservation and climate policy expert with more than a decade of experience in campaigns and global environmental issue advocacy. Will served as a political fundraiser and campaign manager on four federal races for the U.S. House and Senate as well as a gubernatorial campaign. He then joined the public sector conservation community as a marine fisheries conservation advocate. Will developed a love for the ocean over years working as a commercial Alaskan fisherman. Will has dedicated his career to advancing public policies related to ocean and land conservation as well as energy and the environment. He has attended four United Nations climate conferences and is a frequent policy expert voice on podcast interviews and articles. Will recently filmed a TEDx talk on stage in Washington, DC discussing ways we need to reframe our climate conversations. You can find him on Twitter @ClimateExplainr

2. Ted Talk: "The Earth Doesn't Care About Us: Reframing Our Climate Conversations"

In this episode, we will be talking to John Belizaire, who is the CEO of Soluna Holdings, a company helping to shape the future of renewable energy development. Soluna Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: SLNH) is currently the leading developer of green data centers that convert excess renewable energy into global computing resources. Prior to starting Soluna and early in his career, Mr. Belizaire was the recipient of the Intel Scholarship Program and after receiving his computer science and engineering degree from Cornell University, went on become the lead architect for Intel’s Digital Enterprise Group. He then subsequently founded a software start-up company, which he later sold for $150 million.

Topics discussed in this this interview:

Rahul Kitchlu is currently the Sector Leader for Infrastructure & Coordinator for the Energy Sector of The World Bank in Hanoi, Vietnam covering the fields of energy, transport, digital development and infrastructure financing. He has about 10 years of experience with the World Bank in renewable energy development, especially in Africa, and has worked in power sector reforms and finance. In this conversation, we explore his work in the Sub-Saharan region, as well as the initiative in Ethiopia. Mr. Kitchlu also elaborates on how World Bank guarantee programs operate in practice, in cases the government does not abide to power purchase obligations. Hope you enjoy this conversation!

Topics covered in this podcast:

1. A brief introduction of Mr. Kitchlu and his involvement in the energy sector

2. Involvement in the Sub-Saharan African region as a Senior Energy Specialist

3. How did the IFC scaling solar initiative become realized in Ethiopia 

4. World Bank Guarantee Programs for Renewable Energy Project Development

In this episode, we will be speaking with William Brent, who is the Chief Marketing Officer at Husk Power Systems, which is one of the world’s leading distributed utilities. In this conversation we discuss everything micro grids, including the opportunities and challenges to scale this  innovative emerging technology. 

In this episode, I will be speaking with Ms. Lynn Abramson, who leads the Clean Energy Business Network, which is the small business voice for the clean energy economy. CEBN elevates opportunities for small- and midsize clean energy providers through policy support, market and technology education, and business development assistance and its network spans over 6000. I hope you enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Ms. Lynn Abramson!