Energy Changemakers Podcast

Energy Changemakers
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As the energy grid faces unprecedented changes, local energy solutions are increasingly needed. Hosted by Elisa Wood, an experienced energy journalist, The Energy Changemakers Podcast brings you into the heart of these transformations. Each episode features in-depth discussions with industry leaders pioneering the move toward a decentralized grid. From technological innovations to policy changes — discover actionable insights to help your company leverage emerging opportunities. Join us at The Energy Changemakers Podcast and be part of the conversation that shapes our energy future.

  1. Distributed Wind’s Second Act?

    19H AGO

    Distributed Wind’s Second Act?

    Distributed wind has long played third wheel to solar and storage — but new market conditions may be opening the door to a comeback. In this bonus episode, Elisa Wood speaks with analyst Peter Asmus about whether distributed wind can find new life in microgrids, virtual power plants (VPPs), and rural energy systems. They explore wind’s surprising early dominance in microgrids, why it lost ground to solar, and how rural co-ops, farm policy, and complementary generation profiles could bring it back into the mix. While unlikely to compete head-to-head with solar, distributed wind may play a valuable supporting role in hybrid, distributed energy systems.

    33 min
  2. What makes a community microgrid actually work for the community?

    1D AGO

    What makes a community microgrid actually work for the community?

    According to Markus Virta, Co-Founder of Cascadia Renewables, the answer has almost nothing to do with solar panels and batteries—and everything to do with listening. In this episode, Markus—who has spent 16 years at the intersection of clean energy and Pacific Northwest policy—explains why microgrids fail when engineers lead and communities follow, and how inverting that paradigm leads to faster projects, fewer change orders, and infrastructure that communities actually use. Markus offers a template for community microgrid development and provides examples of how it has worked in real-world projects. He tells the story of the Orcas Center Microgrid (Solar Builder Magazine’s Microgrid Project of the Year): a solar-plus-storage system built for a performing arts center on Orcas Island that turned out to be the community’s real resilience hub—not the fire station, not the school, but the place where people actually gather when things go wrong. You’ll also hear about: a tribal nation moving to higher ground ahead of a looming earthquake, a rural fire district running almost entirely on diesel for 30 years, and a national museum doubling as an emergency medical equipment hub. Each project started with a community conversation, not a technical spec. Markus also breaks down Washington State’s unique policy and funding ecosystem, including its cap-and-invest program, Commerce technical assistance grants, and the emerging day-ahead market that could finally make community microgrids economically self-sustaining. And he makes the case for FERC Order 2222 as the regulatory lever that could unlock real revenue for community-owned energy assets. Subscribe to the free Energy Changemakers Newsletter and join the community at EnergyChangemakers.com

    41 min
  3. How Your Home May Save the Grid

    MAR 4

    How Your Home May Save the Grid

    In Episode 40, host Elisa Wood sits down with Ben Brown, CEO of Renew Home, to explore how millions of ordinary homes are being quietly transformed into virtual power plants (VPPs) — aggregated, AI-coordinated, and capable of delivering what a gas-fired peaker plant once did, at a fraction of the cost and with zero emissions. From Jimmy Carter's thermostat appeals to today's invisible, personalized energy shifting, Ben and Elisa talk about why the future of grid stability runs directly through your living room. What you'll learn: What a virtual power plant actually is, and why it's different from old-school demand response How Renew Home manages nearly 6 gigawatts of flexible load across 7.5 million households Why being distributed makes a VPP more valuable than a centralized power plant The policy gap holding back the next wave of VPP growth (and which markets are leading) How Ben's team achieves an 80% opt-in rate — without customers feeling a thing What role EVs, heat pumps, and home batteries will play in the grid of 2035 Ben Brown built the Nest Learning Thermostat and Google Home devices before spinning out Renew Home — now North America's largest residential VPP platform — from Google in 2023. In November 2024, Renew Home announced a partnership with NRG Energy to build a 1-gigawatt AI-powered VPP in Texas. This episode is for anyone who pays an electric bill, cares about the clean energy transition, or wants to understand how the grid is actually going to keep up with exploding demand from data centers, EVs, and electrification. Subscribe to the Energy Changemakers newsletter and join the community at energychangemakers.com.

    30 min
  4. Jigar Shah’s Surprising Stand on This Utility Program

    FEB 18

    Jigar Shah’s Surprising Stand on This Utility Program

    Jigar Shah is one of clean energy's most influential — and outspoken — figures. In this episode, he takes a surprising stand on a utility battery program that has the distributed energy world divided, makes the case that the solar industry is now the battery industry, and lays out a policy blueprint for new governors that starts with one bold number: cut electricity bills 20% by 2030. In this episode: Why Shah is defending Xcel Energy's controversial utility-owned battery program in Minnesota — and why he thinks the critics are fighting the wrong battle The $50 billion math: how strategically placed batteries could meet all U.S. load growth through 2030 at a fraction of the cost of new utility infrastructure His blunt advice for half the clean energy industry: adapt your cost structure or shut your doors The "controlled experiment" between Xcel Minnesota and Xcel Colorado that could settle the utility ownership debate A three-point energy platform for governors, anchored in grid-enhancing technologies and massive battery deployment Shah's personal journey from a village in India with barely any electricity to overseeing the largest clean energy lending program in U.S. history Key quote: "This solution is 90% cheaper than upgrading all the wires in Minnesota. Now we're arguing about whether this could have been 10% cheaper than the private sector solution." People and organizations discussed: Sparkfund, Xcel Energy, Generate Capital, SunEdison, Common Charge, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Tesla, Atmos Financial, DOE Loan Programs Office Resources: DOE VPP Liftoff Report (January 2025) · DOE Grid-Enhancing Technologies Liftoff Report · IEA World Energy Outlook · commoncharge.org · energychangemakers.com

    28 min
  5. How Microgrid Finance Suffers from Stranded Abundance

    FEB 4

    How Microgrid Finance Suffers from Stranded Abundance

    Eliot Assimakopoulos, CEO of Realizse and former GE microgrid pioneer, discusses a critical barrier to clean energy deployment: "stranded abundance." Despite available capital and valuable incentives, friction in finance prevents these resources from connecting, limiting microgrid and DER project development. Eliot Assimakopoulos CEO, Realizse Former Marine Corps Captain 20 years at General Electric leading microgrid solution development Early pioneer in the microgrid space The Stranded Abundance Problem Valuable incentive programs (ITC, 179D, state incentives) exist but remain underutilized Capital exists but doesn't trust complex value streams Example: Heat pump programs can access 50% ITC but developers avoid it due to complexity and risk Historical Parallels Printing press and the democratization of knowledge Gold rush: connecting stranded gold with stranded capital through infrastructure (Wells Fargo) The Solution: Web3 and Decentralized Finance Using blockchain, smart contracts, and automation to create trusted data frameworks Integrating compliance data with insurance (similar to telematics in fleet vehicles) Removing ITC recapture risk through data-driven insurance products Creating investible assets from energy data Two Sides of Abundance Removing friction to build (permits, interconnection, supply chain) Removing friction to finance (trust, complexity, risk management) Energy abundance requires both reducing building barriers AND financing barriers Trusted data infrastructure can unlock stranded capital pools Tokenization and alternative investments are creating new opportunities The shift toward private markets and granular asset transparency enables liquidity Democratization of both energy AND finance is the ultimate goal Ezra Klein's work on abundance agenda Larry Fink's 2025 investor letter on tokenization Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) incentives 179D building energy efficiency tax incentive For more information, visit energychangemakers.com

    26 min
  6. Gigawatt-Scale Data Centers Push the Grid to Its Limits. What's the Fix?

    JAN 21

    Gigawatt-Scale Data Centers Push the Grid to Its Limits. What's the Fix?

    The explosive growth of AI training centers is creating unprecedented challenges for the electric grid. In this eye-opening conversation, Kay Aikin reveals why gigawatt-scale data centers like Stargate aren't just about needing more power—they're creating stability threats that could collapse entire grid systems. Learn why virtual power plants can't solve this problem, what new technologies are needed, and how the regulatory landscape must adapt to handle loads that can spike by several gigawatts in seconds. Key Topics IntroductionThree Types of Data CentersAI Training Centers: The Game ChangerThe Ramp Rate ProblemWhy Virtual Power Plants Can't HelpWhat Solutions Could WorkThe Battery ChallengeInterconnection RoadblocksMicrogrid AlternativesThe Regulatory ChallengeBroader Infrastructure CrisisThe Incentive ProblemSystems Thinking ApproachResources mentioned NERC Study: National Electricity Reliability Corporation report on large load impacts Energy Hub VPP White Paper: Recent publication on virtual power plant capabilities Previous Podcast: "Are We Expecting Too Much From Virtual Power Plants?" with Kay Aikin, Mark Patterson, and Lorenzo Kristov GridWise Architecture Council: Organization focused on power systems architecture Kay's Website: www.innovate8futures.com (Regenerative Futures - systems thinking resources) Kay Aikin is CEO of Dynamic Grid and a systems engineer specializing in electrical grid architecture. She serves on the GridWise Architecture Council and is known for her forward-thinking approach to grid transformation challenges. Kay focuses on distribution network challenges, DER integration, and holistic systems design. Elisa Wood is the host of the Energy Changemakers Podcast, which features conversations with industry leaders about building the decentralized grid. She can be reached at elisawood@energychangemakers.com. Have thoughts on this episode? Reach out to Elisa at elisawood@energychangemakers.com or use the thumbs up/down buttons to provide feedback. Listen to the Energy Changemakers Podcast on your favorite platform to stay informed about the latest developments in grid transformation and distributed energy.

    34 min
  7. The Many Ways Data Centers Try to Achieve Speed to Power

    JAN 7

    The Many Ways Data Centers Try to Achieve Speed to Power

    This episode explores "speed to power" - the urgent need for data centers to access electricity quickly to support AI infrastructure growth. Anna Demeo explains why the fast-moving world of hyperscalers (Google, Meta, Microsoft) is colliding with the cautious, regulated utility industry, and what innovative solutions might bridge this gap. Guest Bio: Anna Demeo Anna Demeo, PhD is an industry executive at the intersection of energy and decarbonization with 30 years of experience integrating hardware and software to develop, commercialize, and scale sustainable energy solutions. She is the Managing Partner at Clean Tech Strategy Advisors, where she advises corporations, startups, and investors navigating the clean tech landscape.

    41 min
  8. An Energy Economist on the Abundance Agenda

    12/24/2025

    An Energy Economist on the Abundance Agenda

    Right now, the term "energy abundance" seems to be everywhere. It springs from Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson's book Abundance, which argues that we have too many rules and procedures bogging down the construction of clean energy, housing, and other needed infrastructure. While the book has created debate in both the power industry and political arenas, this episode moves away from the politics of abundance to focus on the economics of abundance. Host Elisa Wood sits down with energy economist Mariko Geronimo Aydin to explore how the abundance agenda fits into an industry where markets traditionally make money via scarcity, not abundance. Mariko offers unique insights into thinking about energy abundance from an economist's perspective and shares the innovative work happening at the Earthshot Foundation through their Gridiron Dialogues. Guest Bio Mariko Geronimo Aydin is an energy economist with 20 years of experience working as a consultant to regulators, utilities, and developers across the country. She specializes in resource planning (including generation and transmission portfolios), cost-benefit analysis, market design, and incorporating resilience measures into grid planning. Currently serving as Chief Economist and Senior Fellow at the Earthshot Foundation, Mariko focuses on advancing economic frameworks that support sustainable and abundant energy systems, with recent work concentrated on California's resource planning challenges.

    37 min
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4.5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

As the energy grid faces unprecedented changes, local energy solutions are increasingly needed. Hosted by Elisa Wood, an experienced energy journalist, The Energy Changemakers Podcast brings you into the heart of these transformations. Each episode features in-depth discussions with industry leaders pioneering the move toward a decentralized grid. From technological innovations to policy changes — discover actionable insights to help your company leverage emerging opportunities. Join us at The Energy Changemakers Podcast and be part of the conversation that shapes our energy future.

Information

  • Creator
    Energy Changemakers
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    43
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Energy Changemakers
  • Show Website
    Energy Changemakers Podcast

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