June 19, 2025

#TSEP 222 Power Beyond Politics: Surviving the Storm When Policy Changes

38 minutes

Podcast Intro

“Powering Through: The Resilience of Renewables” is a feature series of The smarter E podcast, recorded on-site at The smarter E 2025 in Munich. Spanning six episodes, the series highlights the critical role of resilience in the global energy transition. It explores how electricity networks, renewable energy companies, research institutions, and public policy development intersect to build a more robust and sustainable energy future.

Episode Intro

Electrons may not be political – but energy policy certainly is. From solar and wind to battery storage and e-mobility, the pace and scale of clean technology deployment are shaped by public policy. And 2025 has been another year of seismic shifts in the policy landscape.

In this episode of Powering Through, we explore what it takes to create resilient, long-term energy policy and how to build lasting public support for the clean energy transition.

The speakers

Abigail Ross Hopper is the president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the national trade organization for America's solar and storage industry. She currently serves on the board of directors of RE+ Events, the Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society at Dartmouth, the Consumer Energy Education Fund, and Earthday.org.

Jenny Chase is a solar analyst with BloombergNEF having founded its solar team in 2006. The team provides market research for financial and corporate clients on solar demand, supply, price, technology and investment. She authored Solar Power Finance Without the Jargon in 2019.

Walburga Hemetsberger has been the CEO of SolarPower Europe since 2019. She has been working in Brussels for more than 20 years predominantly in the energy sector. Before joining SolarPower Europe, Walburga headed the VERBUND Representation Office in Brussels and was a Board Member of Hydrogen Europe.

Host

Jonathan Gifford is the co-founder and Head of Content at Climate Copy, a clean-energy communications agency.

Company Introductions

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) is leading the transformation to a clean energy economy in the United States. SEIA works with its 1,200 member companies and other strategic partners to fight for policies that create jobs in every community and promote competition and the growth of reliable, low-cost solar power.

BloombergNEF provides clear perspectives on global commodity markets and the technologies driving the energy transition, empowering decision-makers to navigate disruptive trends in an evolving energy economy.

SolarPower Europe is the premier association for the European solar PV sector, uniting more than 300 organisations. Based in Brussels, it shapes regulations and business landscapes for solar’s growth in partnership with its members. It helped found the RE-Source Platform, Renewable Hydrogen Coalition, and the Energy Storage Coalition, and actively engages in EU and international projects, fostering partnerships with 40+ organisations globally.

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By The smarter E