Experts Only

In the first Experts Only episode of the new decade, Jon sits down with renowned climate scientist Dr. Michael E. Mann. Dr. Mann is Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Penn State and director of the Penn State Earth System Science Center. His research involves the use of theoretical models and observational data to better understand Earth's climate system, and his conclusions have put him at the epicenter of the climate movement. Dr. Mann is the author of more than 200 peer-reviewed and edited publications, numerous op-eds and commentaries, and four books, including: 'The Hockey Stick', 'Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines', 'The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change Denial is Threatening our Planet', and the children’s book 'The Tantrum that Saved the World'. He is also the co-founder of the award winning science website RealClimate.org. For more on Dr. Mann, visit michaelmann.net.

On this special episode of the Experts Only podcast, CleanCapital CEO Thomas Byrne hosts a conversation at the 2019 NYSERDA Green Innovation Showcase (New York City, 11/6/19). Our guest is John Santoleri, partner and board member at Clean Energy Venture Group and Innovation Advisor for the NYSERDA Investor Advisory Board. Hear John's insights on the state of cleantech investing and why NYSERDA is “the largest cleantech investor you never heard of”.

On this special episode of the Experts Only podcast, Jon Powers moderates the keynote panel at Solar Storage & Finance 2019 (New York City, 10/29/19). "Terawatts & Trillions" explores the need for trillions of dollars in investment if we are to hit our climate change mitigation goals. At the same time, the power sector is undergoing a fundamental shift as generation becomes more decentralized, storage matures and comes down in cost and more technologies hit the sector. These factors create a huge opportunity for investors but the industry needs to provide comfort that the risks are low to attract more institutional funds. The panel discussion features: - Mona E. Dajani, Global Head of Energy and Infrastructure, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP - Rael McNally, Director of Real Assets, Infrastructure, & Renewable Power, BlackRock Alternative Investments - Simms Duncan, Senior Director of Project Finance and M&A, Lightsource BP

This week, Jon sits down with Ryan Popple, president and CEO of Proterra. Proterra is the leading innovator of zero-emission, battery-electric buses. This conversation centers on Ryan’s journey into the clean energy space and the role Proterra plays in leading the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. Prior to Proterra, Ryan was a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and the senior director of finance at Tesla Motors, focusing on strategic planning, technology cost reduction and corporate finance. Ryan served in the U.S. Army, received a bachelor’s in business administration from the College of William & Mary and a master’s in business administration from Harvard University.

This week, host Jon Powers sits down with Jamie Redford, Chairman and Co-Founder of The Redford Center. A nonprofit media entity, The Redford Center engages people using film, video and new media to inspire environmental action. Jamie discusses his film “Happening: A Clean Energy Revolution” and the dawn of the clean energy era. Prior to creating “Happening: A Clean Energy Revolution,” Jamie has written, produced and directed a number of HBO films including “Toxic Hot Seat,” “Mann v. Ford” and “The Kindness of Strangers.” In addition, he has traveled the world as an American Film Showcase ambassador with his two award-winning documentaries: “Resilience: the Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope” and “Paper Tigers.”

In this very special live episode of Experts Only, Jon Powers of CleanCapital hosts a panel of guests at the Solar Power International convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. Guests include: Bill Bush | CFO, STEM Bill drives project financing efforts and corporate funding initiatives at Stem, which builds and operates the largest digitally connected energy storage network. Adam Browning | Executive Director, Vote Solar Vote Solar’s mission is to make solar a mainstream energy resource across the U.S. Adam co-founded the organization in 2002 and leads Vote Solar's team of advocates, experts and staff working to bring solar to the mainstream across the U.S. Emily Fritze | Director of Strategy & Business Development, Powerhouse Emily manages strategic partnerships, programming, and business development at Powerhouse, a network-driven venture fund that backs entrepreneurs building the future of energy and mobility. Jon and the panel discuss some of the exciting milestones the clean energy industry reached in 2019 and what's on the horizon in 2020. Appreciation to Nico Johnson of Suncast for hosting us at the North America Smart Energy Week Podcast Lounge.

This week on the pod we speak with Melanie Nakagawa, Head of Climate Initiative at Princeville Capital. Melanie previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Transformation at the U.S. State Department (2015 - 2017) where she helped countries implement clean energy commitments and led engagements in high growth markets such as India and Morocco. Additionally, she served as a strategic adviser to Secretary of State John Kerry, where she spearheaded engagements with the private sector that focused on climate investment and addressing climate change. Host Jon Powers speaks with Melanie about Princeville Climate, Princeville Capital’s fund which invests in growth-stage technology companies with a primary goal of having a positive impact on climate change in sectors such as Smart Grid, Advanced Mobility, Smart Cities, Industrial, Smart Agriculture and Resilient Health.

This week on the pod we speak with Mike Casey, president and founder of the cleantech public relations firm Tigercomm. Tigercomm has been involved in some of the most significant political and public affairs battles in the energy sector. Mike has a background in politics, having worked on the Dukakis (1988) and Clinton (1992) campaigns and later as Communications Director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). Our conversation centers on the critical -- but often overlooked -- role that communications play in America's transition to a clean energy economy.

This week on the pod, we speak with Miranda Ballentine, CEO of the Renewable Energy Buyers’ Alliance (REBA). REBA works with businesses and organizations—Google, Facebook, and GM among them—seeking to procure renewable energy across the US. Our conversation centers on how the buying power of these large energy consumers is changing energy markets and driving America’s shift to clean energy economy.

On this episode of Experts Only, host Jon Powers talks with Lisa Jacobson, President of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE)and Ethan Zindler, head of Americas at Bloomberg NEF. Bloomberg NEF produces and BCSE underwrites the Sustainable Energy in America Factbook, which provides up-to-date, accurate market intelligence about the broad range of industries that are contributing to the country’s move towards cleaner energy production and more efficient energy usage. The discussion highlights some of the insights in the 2019 Factbook and how businesses, advocacy organizations, and governments are making that research actionable as we drive toward a clean energy economy.