Social Entrepreneur and non-profit leader, Wendy Philleo, Executive Director of Generation 180, joins host Bill Nussey as they explore how her organization is using innovative educational content to transform interest into action, community by community all across the US. Wendy shares examples of their pathways to action programs, including the Solar for All Schools effort, which is saving schools millions of dollars nationwide, making the case that technology and policy changes alone are not en...
Oct 26, 2021•32 min•Ep. 69
A soldier, lawyer, teacher, judge, and 25 year veteran leader in the energy world as an appointed regulator, utility executive and leading clean energy thinker and advocate, our guest, Karl Rabago shares with host Bill Nussey powerful insights into a new roadmap for the lowest cost, reliable electric grid and why local solar costs less as a part of his solution. Listen too as Rabago summarily dismisses prevailing arguments by cost shifting advocates that local energy is hurting our communities....
Oct 12, 2021•51 min•Ep. 68
The way humans produce, distribute and consume electricity will be cleaner, cheaper, and infinitely more complex in the very near future. But how do we get there? Freeing Energy Hosts Sam Easterby and Bill Nussey catch up with leading energy industry expert Peter Kelly-Detwiler to talk about his recently published book, The Energy Swtich. Peter delves into different aspects of the transformation: how we got here, where we are going, and the implications for all of us in our daily lives.
Sep 28, 2021•54 min•Ep. 67
In part two of this special interview, global renewable energy leader Michael Liebreich breaks down the core elements driving the shift to a net-zero economy and how public policy and finance influence the rate of change. Plus, Liebreich shares insights on startups and what shapes his investment strategies.
Sep 14, 2021•25 min•Ep. 66
In this first of a two part interview, host Bill Nussey talks with the founder, chairman and CEO of Liebreich Associates and founder of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Michael Liebreich. This world-renowned thinker, investor, philanthropist and much sought after advisor, weighs in on the renewable energy solutions we should all pay attention to and why.
Aug 31, 2021•33 min•Ep. 65
In this episode, host Bill Nussey catches up with Heila Technology Co-Founder and CTO, Jorge Elizondo. Learn how Helia’s breakthrough technology is changing the way complex local energy systems are managed and operated, making each component smarter while making the whole system far more efficient and resilient.
Aug 17, 2021•36 min•Ep. 64
Host Sam Easterby talks with entrepreneur and founder of the Freeing Energy Project, Bill Nussey. Nussey tells us why the local energy approach will reshape the transition to clean renewable electricity and shares, in their words, lessons learned from some of the new breed of clean tech entrepreneurs interviewed in the past year.
Jul 20, 2021•26 min•Ep. 63
Host Bill Nussey talks with Loren McDonald, founder of EV Adoption and leading consultant in the electric vehicle arena. Loren and Bill take a drive through the unexpected twists and turns that EVs will face in reshaping our electric grid. With hundreds of billions being invested, the implications of electric vehicles goes so much further than cleaner transportation.
Jul 06, 2021•33 min•Ep. 62
Host Bill Nussey talks with Garrett Nilsen, Deputy Director of the Solar Industry Technologies Office in the US Department of Energy about the amazing and enormously practical scope and scale of DOE work across the energy landscape. Garrett explains how innovators and entrepreneurs can tap into vast resources to help vet, test, fund, pilot and even commercialize the energy technologies shaping our future.
Jun 22, 2021•37 min•Ep. 61
Freeing Energy founder Bill Nussey and Dr. Jemma Green, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Australian-based Power Ledger take us on an illuminating journey into emerging peer-to-peer electricity trading business models, where P2P pilot programs are proving themselves and how distributed ledger technologies, like blockchain, are helping to securely and accurately track local energy trading.
Jun 08, 2021•38 min•Ep. 60
Host Bill Nussey catches up with Steph Speirs, CEO and Co-founder of community solar leader, Solstice, to learn how her team is using a game changing, door-opening mechanism to bring clean energy to people who cant get it. And, why re-defining the energy customer experience is critical to growth and a more inclusive energy future.
May 25, 2021•39 min•Ep. 59
Advocates, innovators and entrepreneurs, here is a discussion you don't want to miss. Listen in as Samir Ibrahim, CEO and Co-Founder of SunCulture, shares how his vision for the first affordable, widely available solar powered irrigation system in East Africa took shape, the impact that system is having on lives there and the business challenges he has faced along the way.
May 11, 2021•43 min•Ep. 58
In this second of a two part series, John Farrell, Director of Energy Democracy at the Institute for Local Self Reliance, walks us through how the power and influence of investor owned utilities is trampling customers and how necessary changes in that relationship can benefit all parties.
Apr 27, 2021•38 min•Ep. 57
In this first of a special two part interview, John Farrell, Director of Energy Democracy with the Institute of Local Self Reliance, describes the challenges and barriers we face in shifting to clean local energy and the programs his leading think tank believes will move us toward a more equitable energy future.
Apr 13, 2021•40 min•Ep. 56
Renowned journalist, editor and Atlantic Council Senior Fellow, Steve LeVine joins host Bill Nussey and shares how the dramatic recent innovations in battery technology will change your world in just five years and completely redefine entire industries.
Mar 30, 2021•32 min•Ep. 55
Innovators and entrepreneurs, listen up. Join in as Abby Hopper, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association takes us on an insider's tour of the policies the solar industry is advocating with the new administration, how those policies are shaped, and what a diverse solar industry needs to do to continue growing.
Mar 16, 2021•33 min•Ep. 54
Utilities and Consumers in California are in a pitched battle over the value of residential solar generated electricity fed back to the grid. It’s important because the money consumers are paid for their excess solar directly affects how quickly their panels pay for themselves. If the state’s utilities have their way in the upcoming “Net Metering 3.0” debates, California’s local energy market could get shut down overnight. Listen in as Bernadette Del Chiaro, Executive Director of the California ...
Mar 02, 2021•46 min•Ep. 53
Simplifying the permitting and inspections of residential PV system installation may be the perfect local opportunity for making a big change in the solar industry, but is the young industry up for the challenge? Solar industry leaders, Yann Brandt, CEO of SolarWakeup, and Mike Casey, President and founder of Tigercomm, share why one piece of the growth puzzle is squarely in the hands of local clean energy advocates, what tools they have to work with, and the simple actions they need to begin ta...
Feb 16, 2021•45 min•Ep. 52
Strap on your walking shoes and listen in as Michael Chanin, founder and CEO of Cherry Street Energy, takes us on a walking tour of the beautiful Emory University Campus in Atlanta GA where one of the largest and coolest deployments of on-site solar power at a higher education institution in the Southeast is being developed. From seven stories up on a high rise parking deck with its sea of solar panels back down to ground level where electrical conduit becomes a work of art, Chanin shares detail...
Feb 02, 2021•38 min•Ep. 51
Solar panels by themselves are just 10% of the cost of a residential solar system, yet US buyers are paying significantly more than homeowners in other parts of the world. Why is this? The answer is “soft costs” -- the design, permitting, and sales costs associated with system installation in the US. And, if this leading architect of the modern clean energy era has his way, we will see big cost savings in the near future. Listen in as Andrew “Birchy” Birch, co-founder and CEO of Open Solar, unfo...
Jan 19, 2021•40 min•Ep. 50
Hosts Bill Nussey and Sam Easterby offer up some of their favorite tidbits from 2020 shaping the local renewable energy story and take a peek at what’s in store for 2021 on the technology, policy and adoption fronts.
Jan 05, 2021•31 min•Ep. 49
For the last few decades, rooftop solar was like Ford’s old Model T.....you could have any kind of system you wanted as long as it had black rectangles bolted to a frame on your roof. But, what if your roof could generate the electricity directly, without any panels at all? Host BIll Nussey talks with Martin DeBono, President of GAF Energy, about how and why the world’s oldest and largest roofing materials company is pioneering the shift from PV panels to PV roofs. Martin shares how the solar-sp...
Dec 22, 2020•40 min•Ep. 48
Many of us think of the US government’s role in solar innovation in terms of laboratories, deep science, and long term projects. But, that is only part of the story. Listen in as Dr. Becca Jones-Albertus, Director of the Solar Energy Technologies Office in the US Department of Energy, shares how her office’s programs are bringing innovation to market more quickly than ever before and creating greater access for all Americans to clean renewable solar energy.
Dec 08, 2020•38 min•Ep. 47
Hurricanes, wildfires, and even forced outages are highlighting the shortcomings of our century-old grid. At the same time, a growing majority of people are looking to accelerate the shift towards cleaner energy sources like solar and batteries. Microgrids sit at the center of these two huge trends and they are becoming increasingly available and affordable. FEP host Bill Nussey talks with Ryan Goodman, CEO and Co-Founder of microgrid leader Scale Microgrid Solutions. Listen in as Goodman explai...
Nov 24, 2020•34 min•Ep. 46
Rooftop solar growth is staggering. Why are so many going solar? Bill Nussey catches up with Vikram Aggarwal, Founder and CEO of EnergySage, the most popular web-based, solar marketplace and #1 source on solar information in the US for solar buyers. Vikram shares the personal story behind founding Energy Sage and the unique insights gained into the solar marketplace. Choosing the right equipment, financing, and installers are key areas to focus on. Considering solar or just interested? Listen in...
Nov 10, 2020•43 min•Ep. 45
If you are even remotely interested in helping accelerate the shift to clean local renewable energy, this podcast is for you. Why? Getting the right message out there today is tricky...but our guest today has been helping clean tech companies and renewable energy groups for some 30 years and he has some powerful ideas on how to be more effective. Mike Casey, founder and president of Virginia-based TigerComm joins Freeing Energy Host Bill Nussey to discuss how to effectively put 21st Century Comm...
Oct 27, 2020•38 min•Ep. 44
Heating and cooling the spaces we live in amounts to just over 50% of the energy consumed in the average home in the United States, according to the US Energy Information Agency. Add in water heaters and the percentage climbs to just over 60%. That’s a lot of energy and today that energy is supplied predominantly by electricity and natural gas. But, what if there was a local renewable resource for heating and cooling that was as clean as solar and right under our feet? Dandelion Energy CEO Micha...
Oct 13, 2020•31 min•Ep. 43
Once the leader in the technology and manufacturing of solar products, the US lost that lead to China. But, if one company’s vision is realized, the US can again lead in this critical industry. FEP catches up with Charlie Gay, solar industry legend and CEO of startup Violet Power. With a game changing approach that almost cuts the cost of generating solar energy in half, Violet Power is poised to re-establish world-class solar manufacturing leadership in the US where the technology was first bor...
Sep 29, 2020•40 min•Ep. 42
For homeowners, communities, or commercial users it’ s not easy jumping all the compliance hurdles when building out a solar installation: But, how many of those hurdles are just adding cost and time and how many are really needed? Solar leader James Marlow gives us a peek inside the challenging rules and regulations piece of the local energy puzzle and how he thinks we can make positive changes making cutting red tape and cost along the way.
Jun 23, 2020•29 min•Ep. 41
If you think just knowing sunrise and sunset is enough to manage a 21st Century Solar Power generation system, think again. Having accurate weather data can make the difference between being profitable or not. Join us as Nick Engerer, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of global weather data service, Solcast, shares the role of weather data in today's world of solar energy.
Jun 09, 2020•38 min•Ep. 40
