697: Chris Nelder is Mobilizing an Army for Clean Energy

Chris Nelder challenges the status quo. 

And his efforts have, for nearly a decade, centered on mobilizing an army of supporters to help us transition away from fossil fuels. As creator & host of the podcast The Energy Transition Show, Nelder aims to "influence the influencers" through carefully researched interviews with clean energy experts. I know that many many listeners of SunCast are also listeners of Chris’s show (and many have even told me you’re paid subscribers!) which has long-inspired me to watch and appreciate what Chris does. It took me YEARS to finally convince him to give me the honor & privilege of hearing his backstory and sharing it w/you all.

Chris has written about energy and investing for decades, and I consider him one of the genuine thinkers and thought leaders of our modern energy community. Like me, he’s interviewed hundreds of guests on his show and has over 200 episodes; unlike me, each episode for Chris is a deep, deep dive into the technical details geared to help academics and laypersons alike have a more sensible and well-rounded understanding of a topic, not necessarily a person. 

I have heard said of him, “Chris helps me think better about the topic and gives perspectives I might not have considered.”

I like to think of him as a sort of clean energy Yoda…gently, reverently moving the collective ‘mind’ toward the outcome he envisions for our clean energy future, one conversation at a time.

Expect to learn:

• Chris’s journey from internet publishing to solar PV system engineer to energy journalist
• Creating a common vocabulary for key concepts like “renewables” and “energy transition”
• His perspectives on underrated technologies like distributed energy resources (DERs), virtual power plants (VPPs), and geothermal energy
• How Chris selects the most impactful topics and guests 
• Why Chris built The Energy Transition Show as a subscription podcast

 Still reading? Must be pretty intriguing. Hit play!

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