NASCAR driver and sports icon Leilani Münter joins the Squeaky Clean Energy Podcast to talk about her commitment to clean energy and how she’s used her vehicles as a platform to promote solar over the years! In this episode, we talk about her career as a high-speed professional, and as a star on the silver screen. We also dive into her own experience with EVs and solar right here in the Carolinas. Tune in to hear how this icon has helped to transform public perception around clean energy and what she’s doing next! Additional resources from today’s episode: State Energy Conference: https://www.ncenergyconference.com/ Presented by NC Sustainable Energy Association. Hosted and produced by Matt Abele (Twitter: @MattAbele) Be sure to follow us on Instagram at @squeakycleanpodcast.

The NC Governor’s Office just released their Deep Decarbonization Pathways Analysis which outlines potential strategies that the state can adopt to reach carbon neutrality across the economy by 2050. In this episode, we sit down with Zach Pierce, Senior Advisor for Climate Change Policy for Governor Roy Cooper, to discover the interplay between emissions reductions efforts in electricity, transportation, and harder-to-abate sectors. Equipped with the latest standards and scenarios, the report gives a better understanding of the progress we’ve made and recommends how NC can achieve the Governor’s goals moving forward. Deep Decarbonization Pathways Analysis: https://bit.ly/3nlcruN Presented by NC Sustainable Energy Association. Hosted and produced by Matt Abele (Twitter: @MattAbele) Be sure to follow us on Instagram at @squeakycleanpodcast.

On one of our shorter episodes of the podcast, we travel out to Pembroke, NC to learn more about a commercial PV system installed for the Lumbee Regional Development Association. Eagle Solar & Light, along with Sunwealth, put together a financial package for the non-profit, allowing them to install the solar system with no upfront costs via a monthly lease. Learn more about why solar leasing hasn’t taken off yet in North Carolina and what the loss of the Duke Energy rebate program means for disadvantaged communities. What unrealized benefits do scalable solar leasing models offer marginalized communities across state? Tune in to find out! Building Code Council Meeting: https://bit.ly/3wT2ztD South Carolina RTO Study: https://bit.ly/3T3dCKX Duke Rate Increase Proposal: https://bit.ly/3J3Dimf Presented by NC Sustainable Energy Association. Hosted and produced by Matt Abele (Twitter: @MattAbele) Be sure to follow us on Instagram at @squeakycleanpodcast.

On the latest episode of the podcast, we sit down with Ben Catt, CEO of Pine Gate Renewables to talk about the secret sauce of scaling a clean energy business. We cover the company’s success along the way, some of the unforeseen challenges, and how the clean energy market as a whole has changed over the past 10 years. The conversation also covers the intersection of policy, business model, and timing as crucial factors to growing a leading clean energy company.

Imagine a future where EVs can travel 50% further with batteries that are cheaper than they are today. What if that future was being led by research and development stemming out of North Carolina? Well that’s exactly what we’re covering on this episode of the Squeaky Clean Energy Podcast, where we feature an interview with Dr. Glen Merfeld, Chief Technology Officer with Albemarle. Tune in to hear about the exciting investments they’re making right here in North Carolina, and the innovations they have in store for the next generation of storage technologies. Additional resources from today’s episode: Albemarle Technology Park Announcement: https://prn.to/3DD56vI NCSEA’s CLE Event: https://bit.ly/3joHgfS Building Code Council Meeting: https://bit.ly/3wT2ztD Customer Clean Energy Programs Filed: https://bit.ly/3l5ZCmO Presented by NC Sustainable Energy Association. Hosted and produced by Matt Abele (Twitter: @MattAbele) Be sure to follow us on Instagram at @squeakycleanpodcast.

On episode 84, we’re highlighting what really happened during Winter Storm Elliott, which led to millions of customers without power across the southeast. Despite some who were quick to blame renewables, the outages actually were caused by natural gas and coal plants, forecasting miscalculations, and issues importing power from neighboring states. We talk with Simon Mahan of the Southern Renewable Energy Association about what really happened and what can be done in the future to prevent similar outages from occurring. Additional resources from today’s episode: NCSEA’s CLE Event: https://bit.ly/3joHgfS Winter Storm Elliott Coverage: https://bit.ly/3wgnUgo Southern Renewable Energy Association: https://www.southernrenewable.org/ Presented by NC Sustainable Energy Association. Hosted and produced by Matt Abele (Twitter: @MattAbele) Be sure to follow us on Instagram at @squeakycleanpodcast.

Episode 83 of the Squeaky Clean Energy Podcast is the episode you’ve been waiting for. The Carbon Plan order from the NC Utilities Commission is finally here and we’re diving into all the details. How does it compare to what advocates asked for? Does it set us on a path to 2030 emissions reduction compliance? Does this mean more fossil generation in North Carolina? All your questions and more answered by Tyler Norris of Cypress Creek Renewables, Taylor Jones of NCSEA, and Ben Smith of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton. Additional resources from today’s episode: NC Utilities Commission Carbon Plan Order: https://bit.ly/3GiiMwE SELC/NCSEA Press Release on Carbon Plan Order: https://bit.ly/3i9OyUA Carbon Plan Analysis from CPSA: https://bit.ly/3QFOcSk NCSEA’s Carbon Plan Webinar: https://bit.ly/3XyQZiN Presented by NC Sustainable Energy Association. Hosted and produced by Matt Abele (Twitter: @MattAbele) Be sure to follow us on Instagram at @squeakycleanpodcast.

The first episode of 2023 features a conversation with Shakaya Cooper, Program Associate at Generation180. We delve into findings from the organization’s recent report ‘North Carolina Drives Electric 2022’ to highlight consumer readiness for EVs across the state. In fact, over half of North Carolinians are likely to consider an EV for their next vehicle, getting us one step closer to Governor Cooper’s goal of 1.25 million EVs on the road by 2030. Tune in to learn more about the report, effective mechanisms to incentivize EV adoption, and the many benefits that transportation electrification offers our state moving forward. Generation180’s North Carolina Drives Electric Report: https://bit.ly/3QfjRdl NC Utilities Commission Carbon Plan Order: https://bit.ly/3GiiMwE SELC/NCSEA Press Release on Carbon Plan Order: https://bit.ly/3i9OyUA Duke Energy’s Rolling Blackouts: https://bit.ly/3ZaRW23 NCSEA’s CLE Event: https://bit.ly/3joHgfS Presented by NC Sustainable Energy Association. Hosted and produced by Matt Abele (Twitter: @MattAbele) Be sure to follow us on Instagram at @squeakycleanpodcast.

On the final episode of the year, we are joined by Sagarika Subramanian, Senior Research Analyst at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). She shares results from the most recent report card on North Carolina’s energy efficiency efforts and discusses the common threads of top performing states. Our conversation covers the latest in energy efficiency trends and the roles that policy, building codes, utility market structure, and equity play for national leaders in the space. Tune in to learn how North Carolina stacks up and discover ways that we can improve moving forward. Additional resources from today’s episode: NC Utilities Commission Carbon Plan Docket: https://bit.ly/3WiwPci NCSEA’s CLE Event: https://bit.ly/3joHgfS Past Clean Energy Champions Episodes: https://bit.ly/3WxY1ng, https://bit.ly/3VpHFwc Clean Energy Champions Event Winners: https://bit.ly/3FPIZCH ACEEE State Energy Efficiency Scorecard: https://bit.ly/3WjlSrd North Carolina’s Scorecard: https://bit.ly/3G8jjCD Presented by NC Sustainable Energy Association. Hosted and produced by Matt Abele (Twitter: @MattAbele) Be sure to follow us on Instagram at @squeakycleanpodcast.

On the 80th episode of the podcast, we bring on Wall Street Journal Reporter Katherine Blunt to unearth the issues that arise when a utility neglects grid maintenance and community resilience in pursuit of profits. On this episode we cover how a series of regulatory and corporate missteps led to the deadliest wildlife in California’s history. We then contextualize this situation for the grid and energy system in North Carolina and the southeast, and talk more about our own challenges with increasingly severe flooding and hurricanes. Additional resources from today’s episode: 2022 North Carolina Clean Jobs Report: https://bit.ly/3h9D3M7 Governor Cooper’s EO 271: https://bit.ly/3U0R3WV NC MHD MOU: https://bit.ly/3t0rh9i WFAE Story on EO271 and NC’s Advanced Clean Trucks Rule: https://bit.ly/3sW3lE8 Presented by NC Sustainable Energy Association. Hosted and produced by Matt Abele (Twitter: @MattAbele) Be sure to follow us on Instagram at @squeakycleanpodcast.