The Squeaky Clean Energy Podcast

On episode 59, we're joined by two co-hosts - Ivan Urlaub of NCSEA, and Ajulo Othow of EnerWealth Solutions, for a live recording down at the Southeast Renewable Energy Summit in Charlotte, NC. Matt, Ivan, and Ajulo talk at length about the importance of considering low- and moderate-income communities when mapping out the clean energy future for North Carolina. Specifically, we talk through the s...

In episode 58 we talk with Catherine Morehouse (@cmorehouse10) of Politico about the Southeast Energy Exchange Market (SEEM). Now that the FERC vote on SEEM resulted in a deadlock, what happens with the proposal next? Listen in for a conversation about what the future holds for SEEM and what it would mean for North Carolina and the southeast. Additional resources from today's episode: Biden Admini...

On episode 57, we talk to Reporter Elizabeth Ouzts of Energy News Network and Julie Robinson of Robinson Consulting Group about HB951. There's been a lot of news regarding the bill lately, including the newly released compromise between the Governor and legislative leaders. Tune in to find out where we stand on this comprehensive piece of legislation and what's in store for our state after the Gov...

On this episode, we talk to Brianna Esteves of Ceres to learn more about why companies like Google, New Belgium, Sierra Nevada, Mars, Nestle, and Unilever are all opposed to HB951. Brianna talks us through the letter penned by the business community outlining their concerns over a lack of access to affordable and accessible clean energy programs in this bill. Tune in to learn more about HB951 and...

Clean electricity standard - you may have heard about it recently as part of Congress' infrastructure push, but what does it actually mean and what's the likelihood of it passing? On this episode, we're talking to Rebecca Leber, Senior Reporter at Vox for a deep dive on a clean electricity standard, how it would play out for utilities, and the benefits it'd provide to consumers all across the coun...

On this episode, we're diving in deep to the topic of carbon reduction. Specifically, we talk with Nick Jimenez, Staff Attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center about their recent petition with the NC Environmental Management Commission on the topic of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Will North Carolina be the next state to join this initiative and set a cap on carbon emissions? Tu...

This episode completes our North Carolina focused energy storage supply chain mini-series. In this conversation with Jason Abiecunas, Vice President of Development at FlexGen, we cover the rapidly growing market for battery storage technology and its impact across the Southeast, but more importantly North Carolina. Abiecunas shares an overview of FlexGen’s history within the state, their diverse c...

As a follow up to our conversation with David Roberts, we're diving in deep on the topic of zinc storage. On this episode, we sit down with our new friends Andrew Green and Morgan Frederick of the International Zinc Association to talk about zinc's advantages in medium and long duration storage applications. We also talk to Tom Fenimore of Duke Energy about the utility's use of zinc as a storage t...

We've got a bonus episode coming at ya! Back on Earth Day, NCSEA participated in and recorded a live podcast episode out at Amberly Master Community's Earth Day Event in Cary. Residents in the 3200+ home community were invited out to visit with a host of vendors and organizations focused on sustainability and clean energy. In the mix included NCSEA, Plug-In NC, Yes! Solar Solutions, and NC Solar N...

On episode 51 we sit down with David Roberts of Volts (@DrVolts on Twitter) to talk about the wide array of storage technologies starting to hit the market giving lithium-ion a run for its money. We talk flow, zinc, sodium-ion, and liquid metal batteries on this future looking episode. Tune in to hear about the advantages of each of these technologies and the role they may play on the grid here in...

To celebrate the 50th episode of the Squeaky Clean Energy Podcast, we’re sitting down with Governor Roy Cooper to discuss his ongoing support for clean energy throughout the years, starting with his time at the North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA). We dig deep into Executive Order 80 and the progress we’ve made, while re-emphasizing the need for a strong legislative commitment to reach our state...

We’re kicking off a mini-series focused on North Carolina’s role in the storage industry, starting from supply-chain, then highlighting research and innovation, and finishing off with markets and policy. On this episode, we’re highlighting the supply chain of storage and batteries here in North Carolina. We sit down and talk with Brian Risinger of Piedmont Lithium to highlight western North Caroli...

On this episode of the Squeaky Clean Energy Podcast – we’re LIVE! Say what?! Yes, we recorded this episode live from the 2021 (Virtual) State Energy Conference. This is a first for the pod, but definitely not the last. This episode kicks off a series of live recordings from the road that we’ll be sharing in the coming weeks. For this live recording, we’re recapping some of the highlights from this...

Join us for the latest episode of the Squeaky Clean Energy Podcast where we discuss the importance of the military in North Carolina to achieving our clean energy goals. We’re joined by Scott Dorney, Executive Director of the North Carolina Military Business Center along with Diane Cherry, Energy and Environmental Strategic Industry Professional at the NCMBC to talk about the intersection between...

On this episode, we’re continuing our conversations on the stakeholder processes directed by the NC Clean Energy Plan. This time around though we’re focused on the North Carolina Energy Regulatory or B1 process. We sat down with Josh Brooks, formerly of RMI and now with Brooksform LLC to talk about the stakeholder processes that took place over the past year and the final report of recommendations...

On this episode, we’re chatting with Kate Konschnik, Climate & Energy Director at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions about the A1 recommendation from North Carolina’s Clean Energy Plan – decarbonizing the electric sector. Kate dives in and tells us more about the process and stakeholders in the room, along with some highlights from the final report titled ‘Power Sector Carbo...

On this episode, we’re talking about a topic that has been top of mind for a lot of people since the senseless killing of George Floyd last summer – systemic racism. We’ll address this topic and how it relates to clean energy. We have a chance to talk with Yuri Horwitz, CEO of Sol Systems, along with Sarah Slusser, CEO of Cypress Creek about the Renewables Forward Initiative and their efforts to a...

We’re jumping right back in and diving in deep on the topic of offshore wind. Make sure you check out part 1 of this episode, before giving this a listen. In part 2, we continue our conversation with Abby Watson of Siemens Gamesa to talk about offshore wind manufacturing and the importance of a robust supply chain to the growth of the industry in the United States. We wrap up by talking to John Ha...

On episode 42 we’re exploring the depths of offshore wind and covering all the angles. On this episode, we talk with Eric Thumma of Avangrid Renewables, who provides an update on the current status of offshore wind development in the state and a quick recap of the already developed wind farm in Eastern North Carolina. We also sit down with Abby Watson of Siemens Gamesa to talk about offshore wind...

On this episode of the Squeaky Clean Energy Podcast, we’re joined by D’Artagnan Beets, Workforce Development Project Lead at the Center 4 Energy Education, to talk about jobs, education, and training within the clean energy industry in North Carolina. We dive in to urgent workforce needs in the state to support the continued development and growth of utility-scale solar, while outlining the need t...

Join us on the final episode of 2020, as we look back and recap the speakers who joined us in our ten-part, six month long Making Energy Work webinar series. On today’s episode we’re taking a clean energy train ride through topics from net metering to creative financing for LMI communities and wrapping up with a special keynote guest. Throughout this virtual 2020 journey we were joined by the like...

On this episode of the Squeaky Clean Energy Podcast we’re joined by our friends Susan Monroe, Director of Economic Development with the Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy, and Laurie Barnhart, Executive Director of Conservatives for Clean Energy – North Carolina, to talk about some of the outstanding businesses and legislators supporting clean energy here in our state. We recap the award win...

On this episode of the Squeaky Clean Energy Podcast we’re joined by NCSEA lobbyists Julie Robinson and Betsy McCorkle to break down the results of the 2020 elections in North Carolina and how those results might impact clean energy. Tune in to hear about the future of the Clean Energy Plan under a second term Cooper Administration, along with additional opportunities for clean energy legislation a...

On episode 37, we’re sitting down with Katie Lebrato of NC GreenPower to learn more about their Solar+ Schools program. Collectively, the program has already installed PV systems at 42 schools across the state, leading to nearly 150 million pounds of greenhouse gases mitigated by these and other carbon offset projects. Even further, over 31,000 students have already had a chance to learn more abou...

In episode 36, we’re going back to college to learn about clean energy (well kind of). We’re actually talking with Lee Ball, Chief Sustainability Officer at Appalachian State University and Casey Collins, Energy Manager at Duke University to learn how these institutions have positioned themselves as regional and nationwide leaders in clean energy. On this episode, we hear about how goals that were...