Can community-scale solar become the Model T of clean energy?
Every single solar project, big or small, gets assembled one at a time on a roof or in a field. But what if you could pre-manufacture solar projects in a factory, instead? Could you do to solar what Henry Ford did to cars and make solar even more affordable and available to virtually everyone? What […]
Can we make solar installations 3-times cheaper in the next 3-4 years?
In mid-November, forty of the brightest minds in solar gathered just outside New York City. Their goal was simple yet audacious: find a way to dramatically reduce the cost of solar installations by re-inventing how they are designed and built. The cheaper we can make solar, the faster we accelerate the shift towards clean energy. […]
The biggest business opportunity in history
Clean energy is the biggest business opportunity in history. Let me explain. To put this in perspective, look at the first bar above (1). The creation of the US interstate highway system is often cited as the largest infrastructure project ever. Between 1954 and 1991, the US invested $468 billion to create it (that number is […]
Why are the lights still out in Puerto Rico?
Puerto Rico has become an island of generators. Almost 10 weeks after Hurricane Maria tore across the island, more than 40% of Puerto Rico still lacks access to grid electricity. Actually, this number is the power company’s (PREPA) self-reported electrical generation capacity. No one really knows the number of people still without power so it’s […]
A TED talk on accelerating the shift to clean energy
Electricity powers nearly every aspect of our modern, convenient lives. It’s so pervasive and easy that most of us take it for granted. But just behind the common electric outlet lies a system that is expensive, insecure, and, worst of all, dangerously dirty – the grid. For example, clean energy from the sun and wind […]
Off-grid insights and innovations changing the face of rural Africa
Local Energy The vision behind the Freeing Energy Project is simple: electricity is moving away from fossil-fuels toward cleaner, cheaper and more resilient sources of power. One of the most exciting catalysts for this epic change is Local Energy. Much like the farm-to-table movement, Local Energy is about creating electricity and consuming it in the […]
Four takeaways from the Microgrid 2017 conference
Microgrid 2017 is a 3-day, deep dive trade conference attended by equipment companies, operators, universities, government officials, researchers, financiers, regulators and just about anyone else thinking about the cutting edge of the power industry. Up from last year’s attendance of 150 people, this year’s event was sold out at 460 people. While the attendance is […]
How an Entire U.S. Town Became Battery-Operated
What if I told you the U.S. city blazing the local energy trail has a population of 2,800 and relies on sheep to cut the grass around its solar panels? It‘s time to turn our heads from the energy trailblazers in New York and California to the industrious and economically savvy Village of Minster, Ohio. […]
Net Impact conference 2017 – how technology is impacting Africa
Net Impact is an annual conference dedicated to helping students and professionals create careers that make a positive impact on the world. Thousands of people from across the US come together to for three days to learn and collaborate on topics ranging from social justice and clean energy to sustainable agriculture and civic engagement. When I […]
Solar irrigation transforms small African farms
Kenya is a nation of farmers. About two-thirds of the country support themselves by tilling the ground, planting seeds and harvesting crops. Despite having mild year-round weather, the dry climate only supports two annual growing seasons, the “long rains” and the “short rains.” These limited seasons mean many Kenyan farmers can barely grow enough to […]
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 […]