The ZENERGY Podcast: Energy Leadership, Finance, and Technology

Brief Description: In this episode, we will be speaking with Neil Chatterjee, a former Commissioner and Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Mr. Chatterjee is a policy reformer who broke down market barriers for the entrance of new technologies, particularly for low-carbon technologies. He has been an advocate for harnessing technology to mitigate physical and cyber threats to critical energy infrastructure. Mr. Chatterjee also has experience working as a principal in government relations for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. He began his career as a staff member on the House Committee on Ways and Means. Hope you enjoy our conversation!

In this episode, I will be speaking with Craig O’ Connor, the founder of the Renewable Energy Business Development Program at the U.S. Export-Import Bank that, since 2008, has generated over $2 billion in financing for renewable energy projects. We dive into the stories behind Exim’s involvement in financing some of India’s earliest solar projects and also discuss key financing terms that Exim Bank looks for when financing these projects. Hope you enjoy! 

In this episode we will be talking to Kartikeya Singh, a director of programs at the SED Fund, where he manages the portfolio to support energy transition efforts around the world. Mr. Singh is also a non-resident fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in the Energy Security and Climate Change Program. In this conversation, we explore different clean energy technologies and how the US and India can collaborate to help both in their pursuit of a cleaner energy future. Hope you enjoy! 

In this conversation, we speak to Mr. Richard Rossow, a Senior Advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), which is a leading think-tank based in Washington, D.C. Richard Rossow holds the Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies at CSIS. In this role he helps frame and shape policies to promote greater business and economic engagement between the two countries. 

In this episode we will be speaking with Claire Johnson, a co-founder of SunEdison, which at its peak had a market capitalization of $10 Billion and more than 7,000 employees. Sun-Edison is largely attributed as the pioneer of the US solar industry. In this conversation we discuss the origin story of SunEdison, the ‘solar as a service’ and ‘pay as you use model’ which it pioneered, and some of Ms. Johnson’s key learnings during it all. Hope you enjoy our conversation!

Topics covered: 

1. What led Ms. Johnson to work in solar and get involved in co-founding Sun Edison

2. The process for convincing the first adopters of SunEdison solar systems (aka Whole Foods)

3. SunEdison had 50% of the whole country's regulatory affairs staff 

4. Is now the time to start a solar company?

5. Professional piece of advice to give to younger self

In this conversation we will be speaking with Linda Silverman, who recently retired from the US Department of Energy after spending over 30 years with this government organization. Ms. Silverman and I discuss how the USG energy focus has evolved over time, what the process for multilateral energy events looks like, and also her experience running the world renowned solar decathlon competition. Hope you enjoy this wide-ranging conversation!

DOE Profile: https://www.energy.gov/eere/contributors/linda-silverman 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lssilverman/

Blog: https://lsinsights.com/blog/ 

In this conversation we will be speaking with Dan Stein, the Chief Economist of IDinsight and the founder of IDinsight’s Giving Green initiative. IDinsight is a mission-driven global advisory, data analytics and research organization that helps global development leaders maximize their social impact. In our conversation we discuss what types of data help maximize climate investments and the work Mr. Stein is engaged in with regards to improving climate outcomes across several emerging markets. Hope you enjoy!

In this conversation we will be speaking with Alexander Hogeveen Rutter who was recently leading the IFC’s market creation efforts for energy storage and green hydrogen in developing Asia, and is now spearheading private sector development initiatives for the International Solar Alliance. In this conversation we dive into the economics of energy storage technology and whether renewable energy systems paired with storage can currently outcompete coal generation plants. 

Links to referenced articles:

Rajeev Singh is the chief technology officer of AutoGrid, a company which is known as a pioneer in the energy management space—and the first company that was backed by Arpa-E to pursue research in smart grid applications.  Mr. Singh was AutoGrid’s first engineer, and in this conversation, we discuss AutoGrid’s work with helping grid operators integrate renewable energy. Hope you enjoy my conversation with Mr. Singh!

Topics covered in this podcast:

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The story behind AutoGrid and Mr. Singh's initial attraction to the company

How AutoGrid leverages Cloud servers to help manage supply and demand flows

Why is elasticity important for AutoGrid's functionality?

What is AutoGrid Flex and how do utilities benefit from this service?

How is AutoGrid able to manage renewable energy generation at such a wide scale?

The variables AutoGrid takes into account when forecasting generation and consumption

What is the energy storage management system that AutoGrid has developed?

Sameer Shukla is the Head of Global Energy Practice World Bank for the European and Central Asian regions. Mr. Shukla's background is in finance and energy and he has been working for the World Bank for 24 years. Throughout his career, Mr. Shukla has been working to support countries in energy security and reforms and also to help them successfully manage the energy transition. In this interview, Mr. Shukla discusses the global shift towards sustainable forms of energy, and the important factors which a government must consider as it seeks to create an enabling environment. Mr. Shukla also talks about the importance of private investment, and the key obstacles that emerging countries must overcome to successfully integrate renewable energy sources.

Topics to be discussed:

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A brief introduction to Mr. Shukla and his involvement the global renewable energy space

Is there a clear global transition towards cleaner forms of energy and where in this process do various countries stand?

What are the most important factors for the integration of renewable energy adoption in emerging markets?

Are investors becoming more willing to invest in these long-term time horizons in developing countries?

What are the challenges which need to be addressed in order for renewable energy to reach greater penetration levels?

How does the World Bank uses its capital provision commitment to facilitate more capital investments