Experts Only

In this episode of Experts Only , host Jon Powers sits down with Laura Lightbody of The Pew Charitable Trusts to discuss how distributed energy resources can help shape a cleaner, more reliable, and more affordable power system. Laura shares her unexpected path into climate and energy advocacy — from growing up in Michigan’s auto culture to working on fuel efficiency campaigns and now leading work...

How do we keep electricity affordable while meeting rising demand? In this episode of Experts Only, Jon Powers sits down with Allison Clements, former Commissioner at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, for a timely conversation on the growing electricity affordability challenge. They discuss what is driving higher power costs, how aging grid infrastructure and extreme weather are straining...

Abigail Ross Hopper joins Experts Only for her final interview as CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association. In this conversation with Jon Powers, she reflects on nearly a decade leading SEIA through extraordinary growth, political turbulence, and the transformation of solar from a fast-rising technology into a central force in America’s energy future. Jon and Abby discuss the industry’s evol...

In this episode of Experts Only, host Jon Powers sits down with Sara Kane, Executive Vice President, Power & Renewables Practice Leader at CAC Group, part of The Baldwin Group. While insurance may not be the first thing people associate with climate solutions, it plays a critical role in enabling the growth of renewable energy. Sara shares how the insurance industry evaluates risk for solar, w...

On the podcast Experts Only, host Jon Powers interviews Jennifer Granholm, former Michigan Governor and U.S. Secretary of Energy, about her journey from civil rights law to political leadership focused on job creation and clean energy innovation. She discusses her efforts to transition Michigan’s automotive sector toward clean energy and her later work in the federal government to strengthen U.S....

We are back with a new episode of Experts Only, a podcast exploring innovative climate change solutions through conversations with industry leaders, hosted by Jon Powers, co-founder of CleanCapital and former chief sustainability officer under President Obama. We’re excited to relaunch the podcast with a compelling discussion with Thomas Byrne, co-founder and CEO of CleanCapital. They'll reflect o...

Welcome back to the show, Roger Ballentine, President, Green Strategies, Inc. Our show has been on a  bit of a hiatus but we are coming back with a vengeance, driven by the conversation you're about to listen to. We are following what's happening in Washington constantly, as the tax bill and the Trump Administration are trying to drive change to our industry. But there's a secondary fight that we'...

In our first episode of 2025, Experts Only host Jon Powers speaks with Lynn Abramson, President of the Clean Energy Business Network (CEBN), about effective advocacy strategies for engaging the 119th Congress and Trump Administration. CEBN is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that serves as a bridge to federal energy policies and programs for more than 8,200 small business and community leader...

The maturation of clean energy policy, technology, and finance has paved the way for a sustainable future. Now, in the face of escalating weather events that are placing our energy infrastructure at risk, we all have an important role to play in advancing decarbonization efforts. By leveraging investments and policy frameworks, there's an opportunity to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emission...

Host Jon Powers sits down with Jenn Miller, CEO of Renewable IPP, an Alaska-based renewable energy developer that we partner with at CleanCapital. Under Jenn's leadership, RIPP is creating the next frontier of opportunities in Alaska. They discuss the challenges Jenn and her team are facing in Alaska, the opportunities that solar presents, and how to grow and scale a company like RIPP in the curre...

Welcome back Abby Hopper, President & CEO at Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), to the show! Abby and our host Jon Powers reflect now that we're two years into the Inflation Reduction Act. They discuss what it was like to see it pass, the opportunities and challenges of the past two years, and how it's going. We're looking forward to joining SEIA at RE+ in Anaheim, CA this September!...

Our guest host, ScottySolar, is back by popular demand! This week, he welcomes COSSA's Mike Kruger, President & CEO, and Ellen Kutzer, General Counsel, to the show. This year, Colorado passed several bills and a suite of policy changes that will expedite the deployment of distributed energy resources and help the state meet its ambitious decarbonization targets. You'll hear from the dynamic du...

Welcome back to Experts Only Podcast! There’s been a lot of excitement about unleashing a community solar market in California, and the potential to make it one of the most equitable community solar programs in the country. However, a March 4th proposed decision by the California Public Utilities Commission has put a community-solar plan backed by lawmakers, pro-solar groups, environmental-justice...

Welcome back to Experts Only for our annual interview about the 2024 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook! Our host Jon Powers welcomes Lisa Jacobson, President of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE), back to the show for her 7th appearance! He also welcomed Tara Narayanan, Lead Analyst, US Regional Trends at BloombergNEF, for her inaugural interview! They discuss the Factbook, wh...

Happy Women's History Month! Welcome to the show Lynn Abramson, President of the Clean Energy Business Network. Lynn and her organization annually release a report on the state of clean energy, which dives into the numbers of how we are impacting states at the local level for jobs, investment, and deployment. Tune in to hear Lynn and Jon's conversation around advocacy, the industry's impact, and c...

Thank you for being on the show, Kelly Worden, VP, ESG and Investing for Health at IWBI! Kelly and our host Jon Powers dive into the world of ESG and healthy buildings, a space in which Kelly is an expert. Tune into have a better understanding of the connection between public health and our buildings, as well as the emergence of ESG, and how we measure those things -- both at the portfolio level f...

Welcome back, Rob Diamond, Partner, Capitol Counsel! Rob and our host Jon Powers worked together in the Obama Administration. Rob is focused on building an infrastructure practice to help people understand the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, the IRA, and how to access those dollars and get them moving into your community. Rob and Jon discuss where we are today in terms of the implementation of the...

2023 brought successes and surprises for the clean energy industry. From major impacts on the economy by adding over 20,000 jobs since last year to navigating the challenges deals face due to rising interest rates, the capital and debt markets – renewable energy has been battling to keep the ground gained. Despite these challenges, the clean energy transition continues to progress and our industry...

We are back with new Experts Only episodes after taking a break after RE+. In this episode, our host Jon Powers interviews Greg Ridderbusch, CEO of Connexus Energy. He just announced his retirement after leading one of the most interesting utilities in Minnesota, helping to drive the energy transition. Utilities play a significant role in: - moving forward, driving, and scaling renewable energy -...

Welcome back to the show, Jigar Shah, Director, DOE Loan Programs Office. You've heard from Jigar, a commercial financing expert, before in Experts Only Podcast #104. Now, hear from him LIVE at RE+ with Experts Only host Jon Powers. "This recording took place at the PowerUp Live Podcast Stage at RE+ Las Vegas in 2023. PowerUp Live is where attendees can top-up on all things energy, featuring inter...

In 2023, the world experienced extreme weather events from rising ocean temperatures to detrimental wildfire smoke to the hottest consecutive days the Earth has ever seen. However, renewable energy is at a historical moment in time where policy, technology, and finance have aligned in a way to make a generational impact against the climate crisis. Thanks to the implementation of the Inflation Redu...

Welcome Barney Schauble, Chairman of Nephila Climate, to Experts Only! During this episode, Barney and host Jon Powers discuss the exciting future for the clean energy industry. Barney and Jon dive into insurance -- not just insurance on our assets, but also how we're insuring the broader risk of climate. Barney is also Chair of the Board of Ceres (a non-profit devoted to sustainable capitalism)....

Welcome back Roger Ballentine, energy and sustainability strategist, to the show. Roger first appeared on Experts Only five years ago. Listeners got to know Roger as he discussed his experience in the clean energy space, helping to form the conversation around climate the last few decades. 106 podcast episodes have passed since then, and we're grateful to have him back on the show! During this epi...

Welcome Zoe Berkery, CleanCapital's very first employee, to the show! Zoe and host Jon Powers go way back to their days working at The White House together when she was an intern. Zoe is now an emerging leader in the clean energy space. They discuss her career, the growth of CleanCapital, and how she navigates the challenges of managing hundreds of megawatts of distributed generation for the compa...

Host Jon Powers welcomes his longtime industry colleague Paul Curran, CEO of BQ Energy, to the show. BQ Energy is brownfield and landfill developer. They've developed hundreds of megawatts of wind and solar. CleanCapital acquired BQ Energy in June 2022 to scale up what they were already doing. Hear more about the unique work of turning brownfields to brightfields. Paul explains that you have to kn...