Inevitable

Today's guest is Adam Browning, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Vote Solar. We cover a lot in this episode from Adam’s beginnings to the future of solar in the U.S. We also dive into how solar works and the potential drawbacks of it. Finally, Adam talks in depth about policy advocacy on the local level and how Prop B came to fruition. In today’s episode, we cover:What is Vote Solar and its mission?How Adam found himself at Vote Solar and in climate.The origins of Vote Solar.How the passage of Prop B was a watershed moment in the solar movement in California.Factors driving down the cost of solar energy.The organization’s early mission of making solar cheap.The task of disintermediating the decision-makers to saying ‘yes’ to solar.The history and progress of clean energy compliance and regulations.Vote Solar’s definition of success.Adam’s thoughts on the intermittency problem associated with solar energy.Adam’s views on sustainability challenges with solar panels.How most energy regulation is set at the state-level.Wins Vote Solar has had.Adam’s belief in the need for a Federal clean energy standard.Links to topics discussed in this episode:Vote Solar: https://votesolar.org/Power for All: https://www.powerforall.org/Prop B: https://www.sfgate.com/green/article/S-F-could-be-leader-on-solar-energy-Props-B-2864444.phpBifacial solar panels: https://solarmagazine.com/solar-panels/bifacial-solar-panels/ Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In today’s episode, we cover:What is Aspiration?Cherny's background & experiences that led him to the idea of AspirationCherny's time working for Al GoreHow banks operate?Aspiration's model of success Challenges Aspiration is faced withCherny's perspective on fossil fuels & how it applies to bankingDiscussion on "do no harm"Collectivism versus individualismDivestment versus advocating within the existing systemsHow to create change within bankingThe power of consumersLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Banks & The Fossil Fuel Industry: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/18/global-banks-climate-crisis-finance-fossil-fuelsBanks & investments: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidrvetter/2020/03/18/jpmorgan-chase-tops-dirty-list-of-35-fossil-fuel-funding-banks/#6ef48c215dfeCarbon Offsets & their controversy: https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/carbon-offsets-are-not-our-get-out-jail-free-card Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Daniel Kammen, Professor of Energy at the University of California, Berkeley.We have a long form discussion in this episode about Dan's background, how his perspective on the problem of climate change has evolved over the years and how he thinks about the problem today. Dan's perspective is particularly unique given the diverse background that he brings, which I find super interesting given the systems nature of the problem.In today’s episode, we cover:Daniel’s background and early academic career in energy research.How Daniel’s research has been implemented outside of his lab.Origins and history of nuclear energy.The question of nuclear energy as a solution to climate change.The stigma around nuclear energy and reasons for it.Tension between proponents of nuclear and advocates of solar.The possibility and feasibility of going 100% renewable energy.The prospects of long-term energy storage.The need for more and lower-cost storage.The importance of moving climate from the development of science and technology into a social movement.Daniel’s thoughts on a price of carbon.The implications of switching from a “dirty” economy to a “clean” one.How clean energy is aligned with the objectives of social justice.His recommendations for the next U.S. President in addressing climate change.Links to topics discussed in this episode:Daniel’s website: http://kammen.berkeley.edu/Joe Biden’s Climate Plan: https://joebiden.com/environmental-justice-2/#Circular economy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circular_economy Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In today’s episode, we cover:Skelly’s background and journey as a renewable energy entrepreneur.His formative experience in canopy tourism.The reasons and motives that drove Skelly to get into wind energy.His reflection on the Industrial Revolution.What has changed in renewable energy since he first began working in it.Texas’ experience with renewable energy.Skelly’s thoughts on existing nuclear energy power plants.The prospect of putting a price on carbon.The importance of transmission line infrastructure and the current impediments.Skelly’s experience running for Congress in Texas.The Green New Deal and its viability.The role of big fossil fuel companies in renewable energy.Links to topics discussed in this episode:Clean Line Energy Partners: https://www.cleanlineenergy.com/HBS Profile (with mention of Skelly’s experience in canopy tourism): https://www.alumni.hbs.edu/stories/Pages/story-bulletin.aspx?num=5899“Factfulness”: https://www.amazon.com/Factfulness-Reasons-World-Things-Better/dp/1250107814ERCOT: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Reliability_Council_of_TexasForm Energy: https://formenergy.com/ Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Nicolas Pinkowski, Co-Founder of Nitricity.We cover a lot in this episode, including how Nitricity came to be, the impetus for its founding, progress made to date, and some of the twists and turns along the way. We also discuss the company’s longterm vision and what's coming next. We also touch upon the experience of starting a company within an academic environment and the pros and cons of doing so. Finally, we delve into what society can do to foster more of this type of innovation, that holds promise of delivering both impact and profit.In today’s episode, we cover:What is Nitricity?The background of the team and how they came to work together.How traditional fertilizers contributes to GHG emissions.How Nitricity arrived at the problem and discovered a solution.Experience with taking an entrepreneurial class and how it inspired Nitricity.The skills needed in developing their prototype.Pros and cons of prototyping on the farm versus in the lab.Nitricity’s pitch and value proposition for the farmer.Nitricity’s business model, expenditures and dependencies.The company’s financing efforts.Nitricity’s product vision moving forward.Links to topics discussed in this episode:Nitricity: https://www.nitricity.co/Stanford Energy Ventures: https://energy.stanford.edu/energy-transformation-collaborativeCalTech’s FLOW Competition: https://rocketfund.caltech.edu/Check out another interview with Nico on the MIT Energy Initiative podcast: http://energy.mit.edu/podcast/2020-mit-clean-energy-prize-winners/ Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In today’s episode, we cover:Jason’s work at SIPA and Center of Global Energy Policy.Jason’s time in policy in the Clinton and Obama Administrations and Brookings Institute.SIPA’s mission and how it serves as a resource for decision-makers in the energy industry.How the challenge among energy and climate policymakers is making research useful and actionable for industry.How Jason found his way in working on energy at Columbia.The early-optimism in Obama’s first-term to pass bipartisan legislation to address climate change.The optimal role for the U.S. in addressing climate change.What Jason would advocate a potential Biden Administration focus on to address climate change.The importance of bilateral cooperation, in particular with China, in tackling climate change.The significance of equity and justice in solving climate change.The implications of the U.S. passing a carbon price.How global sentiment toward climate change is encouraging and leading to social mobilization.The role of the big fossil fuel companies in the clean energy transition.Links to topics discussed in this episode:Jason’s Faculty Page: https://sipa.columbia.edu/faculty-research/faculty-directory/jason-bordoffColumbia’s SIPA: https://sipa.columbia.edu/Columbia’s Center on Global Energy Policy: https://energypolicy.columbia.edu/“Earth Day at 50 Reveals What’s Missing in Climate Change Fight”: https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/04/21/earth-day-50th-anniversary-climate-change/ Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Tim Latimer, Co-Founder and CEO of Fervo Energy.This is the first episode that I've done putting geothermal front and center, and Tim does a great job in this discussion of providing an overview of geothermal technology. I learn why it matters, where it is in its evolution, where it needs to get to and the barriers holding it back. We also talk a bunch about Tim's journey from starting as a drilling engineer, working in the Permian and Eagle Four Basins, to now being laser-focused on thermal technology and the clean energy transition. I really enjoyed this one and I hope you do as well. You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.In today’s episode, we cover:What is Fervo and what was its genesis?The origins of Tim’s interest in climate change.Tim’s early work experience in the fossil fuel industry as an oil-drilling engineer.How the vision of energy independence and coal-alternatives enticed him to enter the oil industry.The epiphany that prompted him to leave the fossil fuel industry and explore geothermal energy.Tim’s realization that the bottleneck for geothermal development is financing not research.Tim’s experience at Stanford Graduate School of Business and his decision to go all in on Fervo Energy.How geothermal systems work and what has historically hampered development outside of select countries.Fervo’s new horizontal-drilling approach and heat-flow distribution technique.Fervo Energy’s business model and its services.How geothermal offers a carbon-free renewable energy without the challenges of intermittency.Goal of developing first operational facility by 2021.How lands rights are treated.How geothermal can compensate for the night-time intermittency issue that has come with the growth of solar energy.The role of storage as it relates to geothermal energy.How Tim sees areas of risk for Fervo.What success looks like for Fervo.Links to topics discussed in this episode:Fervo Energy: https://www.fervoenergy.com/MIT: “The Future of Geothermal Energy”: http://energy.mit.edu/research/future-geothermal-energy/TomKat Center at Stanford: https://tomkat.stanford.edu/Cyclotron Road: https://www.cyclotronroad.org/California’s SB100 Regulation: https://www.energy.ca.gov/sb100Geothermal Risk Mitigation Fund For East Africa: https://grmf-eastafrica.org/ Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Bryce Smith, Founder & CEO at LevelTen Energy. We have a great discussion in this episode about Bryce's career and experience, what brought him into the energy world, and what led him to founding LevelTen. We talk about the vision of LevelTen, the company’s origin story, the products they've had to date, and what types of things are coming next. And we have a great discussion about the energy marketplace and how the projects LevelTen facilitates are helping to usher the transition to renewable energy.You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.In today’s episode, we cover:What is LevelTen Energy and its mission?The pain point of the renewable energy developers LevelTen serves.What is a PPA and why it’s sought by energy developers?The role of the utility companies in renewable energy development.Why the analogy of the “Zillow for energy contracts” is apt.LevelTen’s value proposition for energy developers and energy-seeking companies.Why it matters what type of energy is entered into the electricity grid.How Bryce thinks of carbon reduction in the electricity grid.What has motivate the corporate shift to renewable energy.The technical and political challenges to growing renewable energy adoption.The role carbon pricing might play in driving renewable energy innovationWhat Bryce sees as the future prospects of renewable energy.The NIMBY-ism that developers have had to contend with.The varied landscape of the renewable energy developer market.How the next movement in climate tech will be in carbon capture.How support from policy and government is critical to advance renewable energy.Links to topics discussed in this episode:LevelTen Energy: https://leveltenenergy.com/Power Purchase Agreement (PPA): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_purchase_agreementOne Energy: https://www.oneenergyrenewables.com/ Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guests are Nan Ransohoff & Ryan Orbuch, members of Stripe’s Climate team. Nan and Ryan work on the Climate team at Stripe, and I was very excited for the opportunity to interview them. While it’s not a climate company, Stripe recognizes that climate change poses a long term risk to its mission of growing the GDP of the Internet. As a result, Stripe is doing a number of things that I think are fascinating. For one, it’s treating the climate team like a product team. The company embraces a culture of experimentation and, as part of that, it’s leaning into negative emissions. The company has been transparent in its efforts, open sourcing much of its work. Second, Stripe is figuring out how to include merchants in its efforts to decarbonize. I can't wait to see what Stripe does in climate over time. It's a fascinating company, and a great discussion.You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.In today’s discussion, we cover:Nan’s and Ryan’s respective backgrounds and how it lead them to climate.What is Stripe and its mission?Stripe’s negative emissions commitment.How did Stripe go about learning about climate?The Stripe Climate team and how it operates.Purchasing an offset vs. a negative emission.Stripe’s project purchases and its selection process.How Stripe thinks of the policy landscape and its role in it.How much focus is spent on helping other businesses with negative emissions and reducing its own emissions.Links to topics discussed in this episode:Stripe’s 2019 negative emissions announcement: https://stripe.com/blog/negative-emissions-commitmentRyan’s climate blog post (lists project purchases): https://stripe.com/blog/first-negative-emissions-purchases45Q Tax Credit: https://www.betterenergy.org/blog/primer-section-45q-tax-credit-for-carbon-capture-projects/Stripe Negative Emissions Source Material on Github: https://github.com/stripe/negative-emissions-source-materialsStripe is looking to add a designer and operations manager to the climate team: climate@stripe.com Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In today’s episode, we cover:Sean’s experience as an entrepreneur.Sean’s background in science and his interest in climate change.How business revealed to him the regulatory and legislative barriers related to climate development.How his father and his work in cogeneration plants influenced his interest in biofuels and climate.The challenges faced by mission-driven energy companies.Why he feels, in general, the tech component is overstated as a barrier.Why deployment of technology is the real challenge.How Sean transitioned from business to politics.Why framing climate change, in a way that appeals to constituents’ specific interests, is key.The specific areas of the Green New Deal he takes issue with.How the needs of addressing climate change far exceed what’s politically possible currently.Why critical issues, like climate change, cannot be decided by the majority.What Sean recommends concerned citizens should do to address climate change.What Sean believes the U.S. needs to do to address climate change.Links to topics discussed in this episode:Website: https://casten.house.gov/aboutWikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_CastenRecycled Energy Development: http://www.recycled-energy.com/IMF Fossil Fuel Subsidy Report: https://www.imf.org/en/Topics/Environment/energy-subsidiesGreen New Deal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_New_Deal Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant