Decarbonize: The Clean Energy Podcast

Natural gas—also known as fossil gas—is everywhere these days. It’s in our buildings, where we burn it to heat spaces and water and to cook our food. It’s in our neighborhoods, running through pipes that crisscross our streets. It’s in our electricity grid, where we burn it to create electricity. And it’s in the news. We’re hearing more and more about fossil gas, with published stories on the nega...

As news organizations focus more attention on environmental justice, what steps can they take to ensure they’re truly serving the communities they cover? In this virtual panel discussion, we talk to both journalists and advocates from Energy News Network , Grist , and the Midwest Building Decarbonization Coalition about what equity in climate and energy journalism should look like, and what steps...

Join Fresh Energy's Bri Kerber and Mike Schowalter for a deep dive on the grid! Mike lays out the details on what exactly the grid is, how it works, the current challenges and opportunities in grid modernization, and discusses what’s next as we look to build the grid that will serve our clean energy future for generations to come.   Want even more details on what’s up with the grid? Check out...

The 2022 session of the Minnesota Legislature begins on January 31. Join the Fresh Energy team for a conversation about our plans and expectations for the coming session. The discussion will touch on  Minnesota’s budget surplus, bonding and budget proposals already on the table, our policy goals, and more! Podcast Guests: Michael Noble, Executive Director Justin Fay, Lead Director of Public Affair...

Let’s talk EVs! Join Shift2Electric’s Jukka Kukkonen and Fresh Energy’s Jo Olson and Justin Fay for a webinar about all-things electric vehicles (EVs) including Jukka's top 10 market trends and predictions, exciting new models, and the evolving federal EV landscape. This webinar is also available on YouTube here . View a comprehensive reference list of EV models, their specs, and more: shift2...

Join Fresh Energy for a two-part episode as we discuss the state of coal in Minnesota. Part 1: Fresh Energy's Allen Gleckner and Isabel Ricker lay out the details on changes to coal plant operations, scheduled closure dates, utilities importing coal power from other states, and important ways listeners can get involved at home and with their utilities. Part 2: Fresh Energy's Anjali Bains...

From late October through early November, almost 200 countries came together in Glasgow for the global climate summit, or COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Fresh Energy’s Senior Science Policy Director J. Drake Hamilton attended the summit and shared real-time updates on the Fresh Energy blog. Sit down with J. and the Science Museum of Minnesota's Pat Hamilton to get their...

With the Global Climate Summit around the corner, countries and corporations are making major announcements for climate action. As our Senior Science Policy Director J. Drake Hamilton prepares to travel to Glasgow to attend the summit, we sat down with her for a behind-the-scenes look at what to expect at this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), the role that Minnesota plays i...

In 2020, the FBI revealed details of a $60 million corruption case that has so far led to multiple arrests, including Ohio House speaker Larry Householder, and the resignation of the state’s top utility regulator. Join Energy News Network, journalists, and advocates from Ohio as we walk through the tangled web of dark money and back-door dealmaking that helped the state’s largest utility secure mu...

At Fresh Energy, equity is a central pillar of our mission and a priority across the organization. Our Energy Access and Equity department is where the organization and the staff on today's podcast focus specifically on policies and programs that reduce the energy burden on under-resourced communities, increase opportunities for and access to clean energy jobs, and ensure our policy-based sol...

Tune in to Part 4 of Fresh Energy's "Intersection of Energy and Community" webinar series! The transition to an equitable, carbon-neutral economy will bring big changes to our communities. State and federal policies, utility programs, and the overall evolution from a world powered by oil and gas to a clean electricity-powered future, play out in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and ho...

Tune in to Part 3 of Fresh Energy's "Intersection of Energy and Community" webinar series! The transition to an equitable, carbon-neutral economy will bring big changes to our communities. State and federal policies, utility programs, and the overall evolution from a world powered by oil and gas to a clean electricity-powered future, play out in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and ho...

Tune in to Part 2 of Fresh Energy's "Intersection of Energy and Community" webinar series! The transition to an equitable, carbon-neutral economy will bring big changes to our communities. State and federal policies, utility programs, and the overall evolution from a world powered by oil and gas to a clean electricity-powered future, play out in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and ho...

Tune in to Part 1 of Fresh Energy's "Intersection of Energy and Community" webinar series! The transition to an equitable, carbon-neutral economy will bring big changes to our communities. State and federal policies, utility programs, and the overall evolution from a world powered by oil and gas to a clean electricity-powered future, play out in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and ho...

Against the odds, it has been an incredibly impactful year for energy at the Minnesota Legislature. Sit down with Fresh Energy's Michael Noble, Justin Fay, and Anna Johnson to discuss significant new investments in solar energy, new policy support for a just and equitable transition to clean energy, innovative new decarbonization strategies for gas utilities, and more. Guests: Michael Noble ,...

Electric vehicles (EVs) are cleaner and more affordable than gasoline-powered cars—and they’re fun too. On April 29, 2021, Fresh Energy and Shift2 Electric hosted a free educational workshop that’s unaffiliated with any automakers. We had an honest conversation with Minnesotans across the state who own and drive EVs about their experiences. Listen in for a conversation with Shift2Electric's J...

Appalachia and Wyoming are dramatically different places, but they also offer each other cautionary tales, success stories, and reasons for resilience and hope. Last year, the Energy News Network and WyoFile captured this complex story in a six-part investigative series, Reckoning in Coal County, now available as an ebook or paperback . Fresh Energy, Energy News Network, and WyoFile hosted this vi...

The 2021 session of the Minnesota Legislature is in its final month. Join the Fresh Energy team for a conversation about meaningful action for clean energy and climate that legislators can take yet this session. Learn what's still on the table and who they would draft for Fresh Energy's imaginary baseball team.  Guests: Michael Noble, Executive Director of Fresh Energy Justin Fay, Lead D...

On April 9, 2021, Fresh Energy's J. Drake Hamilton and Ben Passer were joined by U.S. Senator Tina Smith, meteorologist and climate leader Paul Douglas, and Science Museum of Minnesota President Alison Brown for a discussion about why acting now on climate is critical and how climate action can present economic opportunity for Minnesota. With a new President and a new Congress, we have reason...

Fresh Energy, along with Clean Grid Alliance, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, has filed expert comments with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on Xcel Energy's Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). Join Fresh Energy's Allen Gleckner , Lead Director of Clean Electricity, and Ben Passer , Lead Director of Energy Access and Equity for a conv...

What does rejoining the Paris Agreement really mean for the U.S., the Midwest, and for Minnesota? What can we do to take this moment and make a real impact with big carbon reduction policies? Minnesota’s energy and climate policies, including passing Governor Walz’s commitment to 100% carbon-free electricity into law, have a crucial role to play. In this podcast, we dig into the details with J. Dr...

The 2021 session of the Minnesota Legislature begins on January 5. Join Fresh Energy's Executive Director Michael Noble,  Director of Public Affairs Justin Fay, and Policy and Public Affairs Associate  Anna Johnson for a conversation about our plans and expectations for the coming session. The conversation will touch on what election results could mean for clean energy, special session outcom...

Tune in to Fresh Energy's conversation with Eric Pasi, principal at IPS Solar and author of new book, CleanWave: A Guide to Success in the Green Recovery . Rapidly advancing technology, high demand, and sheer affordability are pushing clean energy into the mainstream. With coal plants closing, pipelines under scrutiny, and prices for wind and solar dropping, fossil fuels in the United States...

In celebration of Give to the Max Day, we're sharing the conversation that Michael Noble, Fresh Energy's Executive Director, had with Dr. Leah Stokes,  internationally-recognized clean energy thought leader at Fresh Energy's Virtual Benefit Breakfast in October.  Dr. Stokes brought her trademark energy to our virtual stage and put into clear focus Minnesota’s role in the national cl...

Electric vehicles (EVs) are cleaner and more affordable than gasoline-powered cars—and they’re fun too! But many Minnesotans wonder how they really work here in the North Star State. Can they handle our extreme winters? Are they a pain to charge? Are there hidden costs to the technology? There’s so much information, where do you even begin? Tune in to a recording of Fresh Energy, Shift2Electric, a...