Arcadia Founder & CEO Kiran Bhatraju

Ninety percent of Americans want to see more renewable energy on the grid. But two-thirds of them can't directly access wind and solar — because they don't own their rooftop, can't afford the upfront cost, or can't get it from their monopoly utility.

That’s where our guest, Arcadia Founder & CEO Kiran Bhatraju, comes in.

“We started Arcadia to give everyone access to clean energy. It was as simple as that,” says Bhatraju. “This is a very closed, balkanized industry. And so the core idea was to build technology to make it incredibly simple for anyone that pays a power bill to access clean energy.”

Arcadia is a service that connects people across the country to solar and other renewable energy projects. Virtually anywhere in the country, customers can sign onto the platform and subscribe to community solar, or buy zero-carbon power. 

The company's mission is to make these subscriptions as simple, transparent, and equitable as possible. And to decarbonize grids as quickly as possible.

Today, Arcadia has hundreds of thousands of customers in every corner of the country. And in mid-September, the company closed a $100 million Series D funding round. It will use that capital to expand community solar options, and help people save money while buying clean energy.

Emily spoke with Kiran about his upbringing in Kentucky coal country, his early career in politics and as an author, and the anxieties and exhilaration of raising over $180 million for his entrepreneurial vision.

Watt It Takes is brought to you by Google. Google is pioneering the electricity systems of the future with its effort to source 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030 — so that everyone can have round-the-clock, carbon-free energy everywhere they operate, in every hour of the day. Learn more.

Watt It Takes is also brought to you by Nextracker. Nextracker is advancing the connected power plant of the future across five continents.

Powerhouse partners with leading corporations to help them lead the next century of clean technology innovation. Powerhouse Ventures backs founding teams building innovative software to rapidly transform our global energy and mobility systems. You can learn more about Powerhouse at powerhouse.fund.

To hear more stories of founders building our carbon-free future, hit the “subscribe” button and leave us a review.