Episode 697

697: Chris Nelder is Mobilizing an Army for Clean Energy

Published on: 2nd May, 2024

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!

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to his contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/.

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Mentioned in this episode:

CPS July 2024 V2

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About the Podcast

SunCast
Your resource for developing a clean energy or climate tech career
Nico Johnson takes you into conversations with those at the forefront of Renewable Energy.

SunCast gives an inside look into what is happening in renewable energy. From conversations with the biggest Solar Panel manufacturers in the world to the small startups creating the future of renewable energy, such as carbon capture and battery technology breakthroughs.

SunCast is dedicated to providing the knowledge, research, tools and expert guidance you need to understand, grow and be ahead of the curve in the fastest-growing markets in the world.

Featuring over 600 conversations, Nico has interviewed people from Tesla, SolarCity, Trina Solar, Meyer Burger, Conergy, SunEdison, Energy Vault and even the US Government... to name a few. Covering topics such as Solar Power, Wind Energy, Batteries, Electric Vehicles, Carbon Capture, Finance, Hydrogen, and more.

You can watch SunCast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SunCastMedia

...or view the full archive of SunCast episodes here: https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes