Solar Archives - Freeing Energy

Podcast 070: Andy Klump – What do stuck boats, melted rocks, and geopolitics have to do with US efforts to transition away from fossil fuels?

November 10, 2021

In this episode host Bill Nussey talks with Andy Klump, founder and CEO of Shanghai-based Clean Energy Associates, the leading global solar and storage supply chain management and engineering services firm. Klump walks us through how and why the economics of solar are shifting in the short term and the role an energy crisis in China as well as backlogs in global shipping are having on US solar and battery projects.

Rooftop solar can actually be cheaper than utility-scale solar farms

September 8, 2021

One of the most overused and misunderstood arguments among clean energy supporters is the notion that large scale utility solar is cheaper to build than smaller, rooftop systems. The truth is that they compete in entirely different markets.

Small-scale solar installations create 10-times more jobs per megawatt than utility-scale solar

September 8, 2021

When it comes to job creation, small scale solar installations, like rooftop, commercial, and community, create far more jobs per megawatt than building large utility-scale solar farms.

The best local energy advocacy organizations in 2021

June 29, 2021

Which solar and local energy advocacy groups are making the biggest difference? Check out our list.

Podcast 061: Garrett Nilsen – The Department of Energy may be the best way to fund energy tech startups that no one knows about

June 22, 2021

Bill Nussey interviews Garrett Nilsen, Deputy Director of the Solar Industry Technologies Office in the US Department of Energy about the amazing scope and scale of DOE work across the energy landscape.

Podcast 060: Jemma Green – Will peer-to-peer electricity trading unlock local energy and transform the grid?

June 8, 2021

Bill Nussey interviews Dr. Jemma Green, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Australian-based Power Ledger which is pioneering the technology and policy behind peer-to-peer electricity trading.

Podcast 059: Steph Speirs – Not everyone can afford solar. Here’s what one visionary company is doing to change that.

May 25, 2021

Host Bill Nussey catches up with Steph Spears, CEO of community solar leader, Solstice, to learn how her team is working to bring clean energy to people who otherwise couldn’t afford it.

Podcast 058: Samir Ibrahim – The story behind an affordable solar-powered irrigation system that is changing the lives of smallholder farmers in Africa

May 11, 2021

Host Bill Nussey interviews Samir Ibrahim, the visionary co-founder and CEO of Kenya-based SunCulture.

Podcast 054: Abigail Ross Hopper – What are the top policy priorities shaping the future of the solar industry?

March 16, 2021

What should the new administration focus on? How do we balance domestic manufacturing with low cost imports? Abby shares her insights on this and much more.

American farm in Iowa should host solar panels

Making ethanol from corn is the least efficient use of farmland

March 12, 2021

Corn is the #1 crop grown on US farms. Most of it is used to make gasoline-additive ethanol. Solar is the much smarter option.

Podcast 053: Bernadette Del Chiaro — Could a change in California’s net metering policy cripple residential solar?

March 2, 2021

California is considering whether to change its pioneering net metering program. The future of local energy is at stake. Bernadette explains the issues behind this make-or-break policy in 2021.

Are solar panels really full of toxic materials like cadmium and lead?

February 16, 2021

The truth is that solar panels are made almost entirely with abundant, earth-friendly materials like glass, aluminum, copper, and silicon. However, as the market for

Podcast 052: Yann Brandt and Mike Casey – Is creating a surge in solar jobs easier than we think?

February 16, 2021

There has never been a more important time to create jobs. Brandt and Casey explain how solar may be the best way to create millions of jobs

Podcast 051: Michael Chanin – Emory University is going solar and doing it in a surprising way

February 2, 2021

Host Bill Nussey takes a walking tour of an amazing solar project being built on the Emory University campus by Cherry Street Energy and its CEO Michael Chanin.

Podcast 050: Andrew Birch – Can cutting red tape lower the cost of residential solar?

January 19, 2021

Andrew “Birchy” Birch, the CEO of Open Solar, highlights the crazy high prices of US residential solar. He explains how reducing “soft costs” is the easiest way to slash these prices.

Podcast 049: Nussey and Easterby – 2020 clean energy favorites and a peek into 2021

January 5, 2021

Hosts Bill Nussey and Sam Easterby share their favorite stories about clean, local energy in 2020 and preview what’s coming in 2021.

Podcast 048: Martin DeBono – Why add solar panels if your roof can capture solar energy all by itself?

December 22, 2020

GAF Energy is part of the world’s largest roofing company. Listen as their President, Martin DeBono, explains how panels and racks are bring replaced by solar photovoltaics that are integrated into the roof itself (BIPV).

Podcast 047: Dr. Becca Jones-Albertus – the government’s surprising role in supercharging solar technology innovation

December 8, 2020

Dr. Becca Jones-Albertus, the Director of Dept of Energy’s Solar Energy Technology office shares the surprising ways the government is spurring innovation, funding startups, and helping US solar companies achieve commercial success.

Podcast 046: Ryan Goodman: Are microgrids the future of reliable, clean energy?

November 24, 2020

Ryan Goodman, the CEO of leading microgrid company, Scale Microgrid Solutions, explains why microgrids are a clean reliable source of energy in the face of growing electric outages.

Podcast 045: Vikram Aggarwal – Why are millions of people putting solar on their roofs?

November 10, 2020

Vikram Aggarwal is the CEO of the internet’s #1 source for going solar — EnergySage. He shares his story and insights about why America is going solar!

Category: Solar