Can solar lighting really be cheaper than kerosene?
Imagine if your day ended when the sun went down… Work stopped. Stores closed. Your home was dark. If you have any light it all, it was a dim, flickering flame from a kerosene lamp or candle – barely enough to read. This was how the entire world population lived in the mid-1800s. But in […]
Solar Home Systems in Africa Power Lights, Radios, Phones and Dignity
On my recent trip to Africa, Jacqueline Novogratz, the CEO of the anti-poverty organization, Acumen, shared something she’d heard from a woman in Pakistan… Off-grid solar home systems (SHS) consist of small boxes attached to a mini solar panel and a handful of lights at the end of long, thin wires. These boxes light up […]
The Freeing Energy Blog Is Live!
Welcome to the official launch of my blog, FreeingEnergy.com! This blog, my recent TED talk, my 2018 book, and several organizations yet to be born, are all part of the Freeing Energy Project. Together, these efforts focus on a single question: how do we accelerate the shift to clean energy? I believe this is not […]
“Solar subsidies are so unfair”
For people in the nuclear and coal industry, solar and wind probably feel like some kind of invasive species. Every effort to slow down renewables just means they pop up somewhere else. The most common complaint by traditional energy providers was echoed by my cab driver on way to the Solar conference in Vegas. He […]
Three Days at Solar’s Largest Trade Show
As I stepped into the airport taxi, the driver asked me what brought me to town. I told him, “Solar Power International, the largest solar conference in North America. They say 20,000 people will be there.” It turns out the driver, whose name was Steve, happened to be an expert on solar. And, based on his […]
A journey through Africa
A few years ago, on a vacation in Africa, we took a break from safaris and drove a few hours into the deep bush to meet a small village of Samburu people. One of the mothers invited us into her hut to show us how she prepared food for her family. I’ll never forget that […]
The section 201 trade case, Donald Trump and the $25 billion solar cliffhanger
The solar industry has been on a tear the last few years. In 2016, solar represented 39% of all newly installed power generation in the US, more than coal, natural gas or nuclear. Solar is creating jobs, too. From 93,000 jobs in 2004, solar has grown to over 260,000 jobs in 2016. Much of this […]
Taking My House Off-Grid, Part 1
If you drive North up Highway 85, the last exit in Georgia will lead you to the town of Hartwell. This town of 4,500 people was founded in 1854 and consists of a few downtown blocks and miles of surrounding farmland. Among those farms and not too far from Lake Hartwell, you’ll find my family’s […]
What is the secret behind China’s low cost solar panels?
Chinese companies lead the world in low-priced solar. The flood of inexpensive Chinese panels has accelerated the installation of solar projects across the world but the low prices have also driven several U.S. and European solar manufacturers out of business. The incredible success of Chinese solar has raised big questions across the spectrum of business, […]
Six Surprises About Chinese Business
In the world of clean energy, all paths lead to China. It is the largest buyer and the largest supplier of renewable energy on the planet. Chinese companies produce two-thirds of the world’s solar panels as well as two-thirds of all wind turbines (as of 2016). As a buyer, China installed 34 Gigawatts of solar in […]
Why Write a Book?
It started with a late-night call My friend Mike texted me and said he needed to talk to me ASAP. Mike is an entrepreneur. He is also a photographer for the National Geographic magazine. More often than not, he is in some distant part of the world taking pictures and researching stories. Late night texts […]
Why Clean Energy?
A friend recently asked, “You are a successful marketing tech CEO – why in the world are you getting into clean energy?” My answer was simple. Never before in history has a multi-trillion dollar market been urgently searching for a product that already exists. The planet desperately needs cleaner energy but progress is far […]