Interchange Recharged

There are tradeoffs to everything in energy. So why not put those tradeoffs to a test?We recently crowdsourced some "would you rather" scenarios from our listeners. On this week's Interchange podcast, we'll choose our favorites and debate the scenarios.Here are the scenarios:Would you rather have $10 billion in renewable deployment funding, startup funding, or R&D? (Bryan Birsic, CEO of Wunder Capital)Would you rather see oil suddenly go to $20/bbl or $200/bbl? (Eric Hittinger, professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology)Would you rather have perfect load forecasting capabilities or perfect wind + solar forecasting algorithms? (Elizabeth Buechler, PhD student at Stanford)Would you rather have a national HVDC overlay grid or ready-to-go next generation nuclear plants with excellent ramping capability? (Michael Noble, CEO of Fresh Energy)Would you rather have an Electric @Ford F-150 or $15,000 EV? (Matt-Stephens Rich, electric vehicle specialist at Electrification coalition)Would you rather have shared autonomous fleet or more mass transit coverage in cities? (Brinda Thomas, engineering and public policy at Stitch Fix)Support for this podcast comes from Wunder Capital. Wunder Capital is the leading commercial solar financing company in the United States. Click here to find out how Wunder Capital can help you finance your next commercial solar project.We're also supported by Shoals Technologies Group, the gold standard for solar and storage balance-of-systems solutions. Learn more about how Shoals can make your project operate at the highest level.Subscribe to The Interchange podcast via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you find your audio content. Or integrate our RSS feed into the app of your choice.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When you grow plants with electrons rather than the sun, what happens to the grid?This week, we’re talking about the energy profile of indoor plant factories.Indoor farming is having a moment. Venture capitalists are investing hundreds of millions of dollars into vertical farming startups growing in urban, industrial facilities. Cities are easing restrictions to encourage more plant factories. And even Elon Musk’s cousin founded a vertical farm.We’re tackling this booming business: what’s driving it, what’s the potential, and what are the energy consequences?We’re joined by Logan Ashcraft, an indoor agriculture expert who previously served as the manager of energy & power at Plenty. She’s currently doing research on the broader impact of these operations on the energy system.Support for this podcast comes from Wunder Capital. Wunder Capital is the leading commercial solar financing company in the United States. Click here to find out how Wunder Capital can help you finance your next commercial solar project.We're also supported by Shoals Technologies Group, the gold standard for solar and storage balance-of-systems solutions. Learn more about how Shoals can make your project operate at the highest level.Subscribe to The Interchange podcast via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you find your audio content. Or integrate our RSS feed into the app of your choice.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, we’re taking bets on the future of energy. Shayle wrote a piece celebrating his colleague’s expected daughter, nicknamed Bug. Bug will be born at the beginning of 2019. She’ll enter high school in 2033 and turn 30 in 2049. What will her future look like?In this episode, we outline 8 different scenarios that Bug may face in her lifetime — and decide whether or not to take Shayle’s bets.The bets:Bet #1: Bug will control machines with her voice more than with her keyboard.Bet #2: Bug will never personally drive a car.Bet #3: By the time Bug buys her first home, especially if she’s in an urban environment, her surroundings will transformed. Bet #4: By the time Bug shops for her own groceries, >20% of her produce will be grown indoorsBet #5: In Bug’s first home of her own, more than half of her electricity load will dynamically respond to grid or price signalsBet #6: By the time Bug reaches 30 (in the year 2050), electricity’s market share of final energy consumption will more than double.Bet #7: More than 50% of Bug’s electricity, as represented by the national breakdown, will come from renewables by the time she’s a sophomore in high school.Bet #8 : Bug will live over 200 years, and for most of her life, electricity will be her only food.Would you take these bets? Hit us up on Twitter!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How are residential customers shopping for solar?This week, Stephen shares his solar experience. He’ll explain how and why he made his decision — and what it tells us about the way people look for solar offerings today.Brian Sadler, the VP of project development at Revolusun, describes the residential solar sales cycle.Vikram Aggarwal, the CEO of EnergySage, talks about how installers can better serve the solar window shopper.Josh Garrett, an account director at Antenna Group, shares his bad experience with community solar.Kiran Bhatraju, the CEO of Arcadia Power, explains the residential “energy concierge” concept for community solar, wind RECs, smart home devices and other services.Recommended reading:Vikram Aggarwal's column at GTM: It’s Time for the Solar Industry to Embrace Window ShoppersJosh Garrett's colum at GTM: My Experience With Community Solar: Excessively Complicated and FrustratingGTM: Shopping for Community Solar? Contract Terms Are Getting FriendlierSupport for this podcast comes from Wunder Capital. Wunder Capital is the leading commercial solar financing company in the United States. Click here to find out how Wunder Capital can help you finance your next commercial solar project.We're also supported by Shoals Technologies Group, the gold standard for solar and storage balance-of-systems solutions. Learn more about how Shoals can make your project operate at the highest level.Subscribe to The Interchange podcast via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you find your audio content. Or integrate our RSS feed into the app of your choice.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, a conversation with Joe Aamidor, an expert on smart buildings. Over the last two years, large multinational energy firms have dumped billions of dollars into commercial energy management — acquiring companies in smart lighting, demand response, battery storage, energy billing, microgrids, smart controls and software.But there’s no one-size fits all approach to the built environment. Creating a scalable business that serves the diverse needs of building owners is tough. Joe explains.Read Joe Aamidor’s three-part series for GTM Squared on building energy management. Subscribe to The Interchange podcast via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you find your audio content. Or integrate our RSS feed into the app of your choice.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, we present an original podcast, brought to you by Wunder Capital.Katie and Becca do a lot of solar deals. They're closing tens of millions in commercial solar projects every month.Karen is an SREC trader and longtime real estate pro. She recently approached Katie and Becca with a complicated merchant solar project. The three of them worked hard to refinance the project -- and when it was all over, formed a deep relationship.Katie Lynch is lead director of finance at Wunder Capital. Becca Gallery is the manager of business development at Wunder. And Karen Lichtin is the president of Cleanlight Power + Energy.Despite their ability to do high volumes of deals, they often get the same reaction from men: "You are not what I expected."Solar is more diverse than other energy sectors. But there are few women working on the business side of projects.In this episode, talk with Katie, Becca and Karen about how they do deals, how gender dynamics play out in the solar industry, and why more diverse teams are good for business. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Self-flying electric airplanes are closer than you think. But how close?Andrew Beebe, managing director at Obvious Ventures, has been watching the space intently. His firm recently invested in Lilium, a startup making a vertical takeoff and landing jet. "In the near future, this industry could vastly change how and where we all live, work and play. There are indeed threats and challenges to this vision, but the wheels are already in motion, and the future is much closer than most people think," wrote Beebe and Joe Blair in a recent column. A combination of improvements in batteries, software and sensors are forming the "corners of a very clear roadmap," says Beebe, speaking on The Interchange.When electric aviation finally becomes commercialized — both battery-hybrid conventional planes and vertical-takeoff-and-landing jets — what will be the consequences for our communities and transportation systems?In this week's episode, we talk with Beebe about the flight path for electric aviation.Support for this podcast comes from Wunder Capital. Wunder Capital is the leading commercial solar financing company in the United States. Click here to find out how Wunder Capital can help you finance your next commercial solar project.We're also supported by Shoals Technologies Group, the gold standard for solar and storage balance-of-systems solutions. Learn more about how Shoals can make your project operate at the highest level.Subscribe to The Interchange podcast via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you find your audio content. Or integrate our RSS feed into the app of your choice.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Everyone is paying close attention to Judge Brett Kavanaugh.On Thursday, Trump's Supreme Court nominee will face questions from Congress about alleged sexual assaults. In most cases, Supreme Court confirmation hearings aren't made-for-television affairs. But a new poll out from PBS and NPR shows that 58 percent of Americans will be paying attention to this week’s confirmation hearings.Since so many people are fixated on Judge Kavanaugh, it’s a good opportunity to discuss his extensive record on energy and the environment.This week on The Interchange podcast, we're joined by Michael Wara, director of the climate and energy program at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. Michael is familiar with some cases that Kavanaugh has heard as a circuit judge — and he’s going to help understand Kavanaugh’s judicial philosophy.Wara calls him an "extreme textualist" who rarely gives deference to agencies. "He tends to discover that words in legislation can only mean one thing — and that 'thing' happens to mean that the agency can't regulate. Putting him on the court in combination with Gorsuch would likely mean a significant curtailment of agency authority to make judgments."Support for this podcast comes from Wunder Capital. Wunder Capital is the leading commercial solar financing company in the United States. Click here to find out how Wunder Capital can help you finance your next commercial solar project.We're also supported by Shoals Technologies Group, the gold standard for solar and storage balance-of-systems solutions. Learn more about how Shoals can make your project operate at the highest level.Subscribe to The Interchange podcast via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you find your audio content. Or integrate our RSS feed into the app of your choice.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, we take stock of the market for solar and storage. How much solar and storage are getting built — and at what cost?We’re joined by MJ Shiao, director of Americas research for Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables, for a look at the factors currently driving PV development and battery deployments.We'll answer:How have tariffs impacted pricing?How did the sudden slowdown in China influence the U.S. market?How is the tax credit stepdown pushing development?What goes into record-low solar-plus-storage bids?Support for The Interchange comes from Wunder Capital. According to GTM Research , Wunder Capital is the leading commercial solar financing company in the United States. Click here to find out how Wunder Capital can help you finance your next commercial solar project.The Interchange is also brought to you by Shoals Technologies Group, the gold standard for solar and storage balance-of-systems solutions. Learn more about how Shoals can make your project operate at the highest level.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This spring, electric bikes and electric scooters started showing up on the streets of a handful of major U.S. cities in droves. Where did they come from? They were put there by a new breed of Silicon Valley companies focused on creating a new "last mile" ride sharing service.The startups have spread so quickly, Uber and Lyft are now trying to get in on the action.This week, we talk with Emily Warren, the senior director of public policy at Lime. Lime one of the leading "micromobility" companies hitting the streets. We'll talk with Emily about what this new form of mobility borrows (and hopes to avoid) from the last six years of ride sharing."That first wave of on-demand transportation has now prepared the public and the market to accept a much broader variety of transportation modes. They've now opened the door for a whole bunch of additional kinds of options that are coming on the scene. Frankly, I don't think any of us expected that scooters were going to be the thing," says Warren.Recommended reading: Vox: Electric Scooters' Sudden Invasion of American Cities, ExplainedWashington Post: The Electric Scooters Swarming Our City Won’t Solve Our Commuting CalamitySupport for The Interchange comes from Wunder Capital. According to ​GTM Research​, Wunder Capital is the leading commercial solar financing company in the United States. Click here to find out how Wunder Capital can help you finance your next commercial solar project.The Interchange is also brought to you by Shoals Technologies Group, the gold standard for solar and storage balance-of-systems solutions. Learn more about how Shoals can make your project operate at the highest level.Subscribe to The Interchange podcast via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you find your audio content. Or integrate our RSS feed into the app of your choice.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.