Best Minigrid Podcasts (2025)

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AI, Solar Minigrids, and the Quest to Power Civilization’s Edge 48:04

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2d ago48:04

48:04

Husk Power Systems operates the largest fleet of community-level clean-energy minigrids in the world—over 400 sites across India and Nigeria. Each system combines solar, battery storage, and biomass generation into a modular platform called PRISM, engineered to deploy and power an entire village within 24 hours. Behind the technology is an AI-drive…

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Cold Chains powered by Minigrids 38:46

11d ago38:46

38:46

Send us a text Bas Hetterscheid from Wageningen University and Nico discuss Cold Chains in Africa and the role minigrids can play in their development. The growing urban middle class in many African countries is demanding more fresh products, which may not be available close to the cities. Cold chains are required to make sure the products arrive a…

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Africa Minigrids Program: Global Women in Clean Energy Episode 1 36:35

1M ago36:35

36:35

Valentina Guido, Senior Associate at RMI, joins as guest host on this episode of The Energy Talk podcast recorded in Kampala, Uganda during the Energy Access Investment Forum (EAIF) in 2025. We discuss the Global Women in Clean Energy Fellowship program that recently launched its first cohort in Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Zambia. This episode also incl…

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Electricity and Power: Energieunabhängigkeit in Zeiten geopolitischer Umwälzungen 33:36

1d ago33:36

33:36

Send us a text Sigmar Gabriel — ehemaliger Vizekanzler der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, ehemaliger Bundesaußenminister sowie früherer Bundesminister für Wirtschaft und Energie und Bundesminister für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit — spricht mit Nico Peterschmidt darüber, wie Europa auf Afrikas Entwicklung und Energiewende blickt und welche…

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Electricity and Power: The Geopolitics of Energy Independence (English interpretation) 43:41

1d ago43:41

43:41

Send us a text Sigmar Gabriel — former Vice Chancellor of Germany, former Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, and former Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, as well as former Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety — joins us to discuss how Europe sees Africa’s development, its energy transition,…

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The CEESOLAR Story 37:37

6d ago37:37

37:37

Send us a text What if electricity didn’t stop at lighting a room but kick-started a local economy? We head to Nigeria to unpack CEESOLAR’s journey from a bold 2017 idea to a working blueprint for mini-grids that power livelihoods—milling grain, cooling goods, charging e-tricycles, and teaching digital skills in a rural computer lab. The result is …

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Mining Solar Panels to Build New Ones 51:11

9d ago51:11

51:11

SolarCycle is building the next supply chain that makes the clean energy transition possible. Co-founder Jesse Simons spent two decades at the Sierra Club leading national campaigns to accelerate renewable energy before seeing the constraint built into solar’s own success. There aren’t enough raw materials to keep scaling, and communities are start…

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The Billion-Dollar Bank Underwriting the Clean Energy Transition 43:53

16d ago43:53

43:53

Ken LaRoe has done what no one else in U.S. history has: founded three banks. His first two were financial successes. His third—Climate First Bank—is his answer to unfinished business. Built to align money with mission, it’s now America’s fastest-growing new bank, surpassing $1.4 billion in assets while financing the clean energy economy. In this e…

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Millions of Urban Trees Are Discarded—Cambium Builds Them a New Supply Chain 50:23

23d ago50:23

50:23

Cambium is building the operating system for reuse—a digital supply chain connecting the fragmented network of companies needed to turn fallen trees into finished goods. Every year, tens of millions of urban trees come down. The scale is staggering, and most end up chipped, burned, or buried. Cambium links tree-removal crews, haulers, mills, and en…

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Mini-grid company valuation in equity transactions 42:31

24d ago42:31

42:31

Send us a text Unlock the hidden complexities of mini-grid company valuation with the brilliant minds of Brian Lukera Wambani from Camco and Michael Feldner from the GET.invest Finance Catalyst. This episode promises to equip you with the nuanced understanding required to navigate the valuation challenges faced by mini-grid enterprises, which opera…

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From Google to the Grid: She's Orchestrating the Clean Energy Future 51:59

1M ago51:59

51:59

AI, electrification, decarbonization—they all hinge on how effectively the grid is orchestrated. Yet thousands of clean energy projects are stuck in U.S. interconnection queues. The backlog is twice the size of all the energy we use today. It’s not a cost problem. It’s the grid—the largest machine on earth—built last century for stability and missi…

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Boosting managerial capacities - The AMAP 2.0 opportunity 25:59

1M ago25:59

25:59

Send us a text In this episode, Benjamin Curnier from AfDB’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) breaks down AMAP 2.0—what it is, who it’s designed for, and how it works. If you’re a minigrid company looking to tap into technical assistance funding, this conversation offers the perfect starting point. 👉 Access the AMAP 2.0 guidelines and appl…

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Disco, Sunshine, and the Future of Curbside EV Charging - It's Electric 44:24

1M ago44:24

44:24

Curbside charging sounds obvious—plug in outside your apartment, wake up to a full battery. Yet more than 40 million potential urban EV owners are still waiting for someone to figure it out. it’s electric, co-founded by Tiya Gordon, is designing EV charging for cities—making curbside charging possible by inventing what didn’t exist: hardware powere…

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Alloy Built Brooklyn’s First All-Electric Skyscraper — Wall Street Wants More 49:08

1M ago49:08

49:08

By fusing architect and developer, Alloy Development is proving that the riskiest choice in real estate isn’t electrification or Passive House — it’s clinging to the past. CEO Jared Della Valle joins Supercool to share the company’s journey to developing The Alloy Block in downtown Brooklyn—aiming to create the most sustainable block in the city. I…

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Fashion’s Next Wave Isn’t Fast—It’s Faherty 40:34

2M ago40:34

40:34

Mike Faherty grew up surfing the Jersey Shore, surrounded by coastal style but chasing something that felt more enduring. Even as a kid, he obsessed over fabrics—the way silk ties carried weight, how colors layered, how clothes gained character through texture. By seventeen, he had already mapped the outlines of the brand he wanted to build. In 201…

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State of the Sector: Nico at INENSUS’ 20th Anniversary 15:48

2M ago15:48

15:48

Send us a text Join us for a special episode featuring Nico’s State of the Sector address, delivered in Nairobi during INENSUS’ 20th anniversary celebration in September 2025. In this keynote, Nico reflects on two decades of impact, explores today’s challenges and opportunities, and shares a forward-looking vision for the future of the sector. Link…

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The Billion-Mile Diesel Problem and the Business Model Fixing It 39:59

2M ago39:59

39:59

Forum Mobility is electrifying how America moves freight. Every year, more than 30,000 diesel 18-wheelers haul containers in and out of California’s ports, logging over a billion miles, generating enormous carbon emissions and polluting nearby communities. Electric semis are powerful, quiet, and clean. But at $500,000 apiece with uncertain charging…

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The Clean Energy Transition Is Cooking: Copper's Battery-Enabled Appliances Unlock Home Electrification 47:37

2M ago47:37

47:37

Most U.S. homes aren’t wired for electrified living, even though the clean energy future depends on it. Upgrading panels and wiring can cost thousands before a single new appliance is even installed. Plus, consumers aren’t demanding electrification. They want lifestyle upgrades—faster, more precise cooking, backup power in a pinch, and appliances t…

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Interface is Going Carbon-Negative (No Offsets Necessary) 43:45

2M ago43:45

43:45

Interface is a public company proving that carbon-negative is possible at scale. The billion-dollar flooring brand has more than 400 carbon-negative products on the market today and a plan to take its entire business carbon-negative by 2040. Liz Minne, Head of Global Sustainability Strategy, shares how Interface is operationalizing that ambition th…

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CAMCO’s $250M REPP 2 Fund: Building the African grid of the future 41:52

2M ago41:52

41:52

In this episode of The Energy Talk, we delve into the inner workings of the REPP 2 fund, a groundbreaking initiative managed by Camco, aimed at transforming the renewable energy landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa. We welcome Ben Hugues (Fund manager of REPP 2) and Ieva Indriunaite (former head of REPP 2’s technical assistance facility), to share insig…

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Amazon: Faster Delivery, Lower Emissions 42:44

3M ago42:44

42:44

At Amazon, speed isn’t a carbon cost—it’s a carbon advantage. The company now runs 30,000 electric delivery vehicles, delivered 1.5 billion packages on battery power last year, and has built over 600 renewable energy projects in more than 20 countries—20 gigawatts of clean energy capacity, making it the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewa…

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Freedom From Ordinary: Brompton Folding Bikes Take on America 41:12

3M ago41:12

41:12

For fifty years, Brompton has been the most iconic name in urban cycling. Engineered and made in London, beloved by city riders, and still unrivaled in how fast it folds and how good it feels to ride. But in the U.S., where biking is still mostly recreational and folding bikes barely register, the brand faces a different challenge: how to scale a j…

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Clean Energy Is As American As Football in the Fall—If You Tell It Right 42:36

3M ago42:36

42:36

To scale climate solutions, you have to know how to talk about them. The companies driving climate adoption don’t just offer better solutions—they tell better stories. Stories that reframe clean energy as the smarter, cheaper, everyday choice. Stories that win customers, sway skeptics, and shift markets. Keith Zakheim has spent two decades working …

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Bridge Financing Minigrid Construction 57:54

3M ago57:54

57:54

Send us a text Results-Based Financing (RBF) is now the go-to model for mini-grid subsidy disbursement—but there’s a catch: the money only comes after the connections are in place. That means developers have to front the $400–800 per connection cost for construction and equipment, creating a serious funding gap. In this episode, we chat with Fernan…

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Hemp Grows Up: A Long-Awaited Crop Now Insulates U.S. Homes 47:59

3M ago47:59

47:59

Industrial hemp always had believers. What it lacked was a supply chain. Hempitecture is changing that—starting with the first commercial-scale factory in the U.S. making high-performance home insulation from hemp. Headquartered in Idaho, the company has shipped to 5,000+ customers across 48 states. It’s now the largest buyer of industrial hemp fib…

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Electrify Everything: Span’s Big Bet on the Dumbest Box in the House 51:39

4M ago51:39

51:39

Consumers want the upgrades. The climate does too. But the electrical panel in the garage stands in the way. EVs, heat pumps, induction stoves—electrification is becoming more attractive. The products are faster, cleaner, cheaper to run. But nearly 48 million U.S. homes still rely on outdated 100-amp service. That means expensive utility upgrades, …

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Clean Energy Is Dead. Long Live Clean Energy. 45:39

4M ago45:39

45:39

America invented the clean energy future. Now it may be dismantling it, just as the rest of the world hits the accelerator. The U.S. was first. The first silicon solar cell in New Jersey. The first wind turbine in Cleveland. The first microinverter in a California garage. But now it’s China scaling the clean energy transition—building factories, lo…

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Profits at Recycling's Edge: TerraCycle Finds ROI in Trash No One Wants 49:22

4M ago49:22

49:22

TerraCycle takes on waste the rest of the world ignores—cigarette butts, diapers, pharmaceutical blister packs. But what makes the model work isn’t what they recycle. It’s how they get companies to pay for it. Even with one of the boldest missions in climate tech—eliminate the idea of waste—TerraCycle doesn’t lead with sustainability. It leads with…

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Accelerating Capital Deployment in Distributed Renewable Energy: Odyssey’s Product Market Fit 30:50

4M ago30:50

30:50

In this episode, we sit down with Emily McAteer, CEO and Co-founder of Odyssey Energy Solutions, one of the most influential startups in the climate tech space for emerging markets. Odyssey is transforming how Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) projects are financed, procured, and managed—especially in emerging markets across countries in Africa, a…

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Built for the EV Generation: Formula E Energizes 500 Million Global Race Fans 49:30

4M ago49:30

49:30

When Roger Griffiths first heard about Formula E in 2014, he was intrigued but skeptical. A veteran of IndyCar, Le Mans, and Formula 1—and a self-described petrol head—he wasn’t convinced electric racing could deliver credible performance. Then he saw who was signing on. Michael Andretti. Alain Prost. Emerson Fittipaldi. Frank Williams. Plus early …

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Cleaning the Grid: Wärtsilä Tackles the Toughest Battery Storage Projects on Earth 41:33

5M ago41:33

41:33

Grid battery storage has gone from niche to necessary. Fast. Projects that were once 300 megawatt-hours are now hitting 9 gigawatt-hours. And companies like Wärtsilä are leading the charge, taking on the hardest, highest-stakes deployments around the world. In this episode, Dave Hebert, VP of Global Sales & Business Strategy for Wärtsilä's Energy S…

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The ROI on Climate Capital: A Mayor’s Blueprint for Citywide Renewal 58:34

5M ago58:34

58:34

Jaime Pumarejo helped lead Barranquilla, Colombia, through a stunning transition. When he first joined the city’s government in his twenties, Barranquilla was under bankruptcy protection, poverty was high, and public trust was fractured. Today, it serves as a global model for how climate action can drive economic growth, attract investment, and del…

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Solar, Semiconductors, and the American Dream: Enphase Is a $5.5B Climate Tech Powerhouse 45:01

5M ago45:01

45:01

The energy grid we know today was built for a different era—centralized generation, one-way power flow, no rooftop solar, no EVs, no AI-driven demand. If Thomas Edison were alive, he’d recognize it instantly. And that’s the problem. Raghu Belur bet the system would have to change. In 2006, he co-founded Enphase Energy and started from the distribut…

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Racing the Clock: Wasteless Turns Expiring Food into Profit for Grocers Worldwide 47:22

5M ago47:22

47:22

If food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter, right behind the United States and China, accounting for 8-10% of global carbon emissions. It’s a staggering problem: 30% of all food produced globally goes to waste. And for supermarkets already operating on razor-thin margins, that waste translates into billions of dollars lost …

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Cities Have The Climate Ambition—Now Mayors Are Rewriting Global Finance to Match 43:55

5M ago43:55

43:55

Before becoming the youngest elected mayor in Quito’s history, Mauricio Rodas had already founded a political party, launched a think tank in Mexico City, and run for president. In 1944, when the global financial system was designed, just 29% of the world lived in cities. Today, that number has nearly doubled to 56%. Cities now account for more tha…

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Trove Turns Recommerce into a Profit Driver for Patagonia, Levi’s and On 45:34

6M ago45:34

45:34

Circularity isn’t just about keeping t-shirts and jeans out of landfills. Done right, it’s a growth engine for brands. That’s exactly what Trove is building: the recommerce technology that drives margins, attracts new customers, and streamlines operations. As the resale platform behind Patagonia, Levi’s, Brooks, Arc'teryx, Carhartt, and Canada Goos…

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The Mayor Who Cut Carbon, Cut Bills, and Cut a Billion-Pound Deal 46:24

6M ago46:24

46:24

As mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees helped launch a billion-pound public-private partnership to decarbonize his city, one of the most ambitious deals of its kind anywhere in the world. This wasn’t just about climate targets. It was about results: cutting emissions, cutting energy bills, creating jobs, and improving housing — all while building a long-…

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Rare Earths, Recycled: Cyclic Materials Cuts Into China's 90% Head Start 44:18

6M ago44:18

44:18

Rare earth magnets power the modern world and the clean energy transition. They’re inside every electric vehicle motor, wind turbine, MRI machine, and computer hard drive in a data center. But the world throws most of them away. Less than 1% are ever recycled. And today, China controls nearly 90% of the global supply. That’s the crisis Cyclic Mater…

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3x the Grid: Siemens Energy and the Race to Rewire the Future 34:35

6M ago34:35

34:35

It took over a century to build today’s power grid. Now we need to triple its capacity by 2050. Why? Because demand is surging, and a net-zero future depends on a bigger, smarter, and cleaner grid. Electrification is transforming how we power transportation, buildings, industry, and data. Renewables are decentralized and intermittent. And the curre…

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Simple, Unstoppable: Rondo Energy is Solving Industrial Heat with Bricks 45:38

7M ago45:38

45:38

Rondo Energy is building a renewable energy battery using bricks and toaster wire. But it’s not for your home—it’s for the factories that run the world. Industrial heat drives 10% of global carbon emissions. It’s essential for making steel, cement, chemicals, food, paper, and fuel. And it’s one of the hardest challenges in climate—expensive to elec…

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Containers vs. pre-fab vs. constructed power houses 1:01:50

7M ago1:01:50

1:01:50

Send us a text What's the best way to house a mini-grid system in remote areas? Should developers opt for the plug-and-play convenience of containerized solutions, the flexible modularity of prefabricated structures, or the permanence of traditional powerhouses? This question lies at the heart of scaling sustainable energy access to millions withou…

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Apple-ifying Energy: Renew Home Makes Virtual Power Plants Painless & Profitable 46:31

7M ago46:31

46:31

Fifteen years ago, smart thermostats promised to save you money and learn your habits. Today, they—and other grid-connected devices and appliances—are forming the backbone of the most sustainable power plant on the grid. Jeff Gleeson, Chief Product Officer of Renew Home, joins Josh to unpack how his team is transforming everyday home tech into a di…

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Mergers and acquisitions as a path to financial sustainability of mini-grids 1:03:13

7M ago1:03:13

1:03:13

Send us a text Minigrids need scale to become profitable — and mergers & acquisitions (M&A) can be a powerful way to get there fast. But what does it really take to acquire or merge with another mini-grid company? How do you structure a deal that works? In this episode, host Kellie Murungi (INENSUS) sits down with Matthew Orosz (OnePower) and Prosp…

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Reuse, Rock ‘n’ Roll & the Circular Economy 33:01

7M ago33:01

33:01

Mike Martin helped launch the first climate change concert tour with Dave Matthews. He’s worked with Billie Eilish to flip venues vegan and wrote the green touring playbook years ago that artists still follow today. But after decades trying to make recycling and compostables work at live events, Mike hit a wall. Zero-waste wasn’t working. Then he r…

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Old Giant, New Vision: Johnson Controls Puts Carbon Reduction on Autopilot 33:09

7M ago33:09

33:09

Johnson Controls helped invent modern air conditioning. Now, it’s reengineering how buildings cut carbon — using AI and automation to make infrastructure smarter, cleaner, and more efficient. Reuben Petty, Principal Digital Sales Engineer, works with business leaders, facility teams, and city officials to connect legacy systems to the digital tools…

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The E-Bike Boom: How Upway Is Winning the Million-Bike Market 40:55

8M ago40:55

40:55

E-bikes are booming—nearly as many were sold in the U.S. last year as electric cars. But while EVs get the attention, e-bikes are quietly reshaping how people move, cutting emissions, making urban life easier, and recreation more fun. The catch? Buying an e-bike is easy. Reselling one isn’t. That’s where Upway comes in. They’re building the Carvana…

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Power Moves: Turning Clean Energy into a Simple, Irresistible Lifestyle 46:00

8M ago46:00

46:00

How do you make solar adoption irresistible? By not selling solar. This week on Supercool, we’re joined by Mary Powell, CEO of Sunrun, and Jessica Bergman, a marketing strategist who’s spent her career figuring out why clean energy adoption stalls—and how to fix it. Under Mary’s leadership, Sunrun stopped being just a solar company and became somet…

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Direct Air Capture In Africa: Octavia Carbon’s Journey to a $5M Seed Round 42:22

8M ago42:22

42:22

Register for the Included VC Africa Reimagined: VC & Beyond Summit Join Diana Maranga, Head of Commercialization at Octavia Carbon, as she shares her unique journey from growing up inspired by environmental hero Professor Wangari Mathai to leading a pioneering direct air capture and storage company in Kenya. In this episode, Diana discusses Octavia…

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Telling the Future: Climate, Capital, and the Power of Story 40:41

8M ago40:41

40:41

Supercool regularly speaks with innovators working at the intersection of business, technology, and climate—AI giving buildings brains, pneumatic tubes hauling away trash, and electric school buses optimizing routes. With so much climate momentum underway, how do we properly assess this moment? Molly Wood has been tracking it from multiple angles. …

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There’s a New Clean Energy Grid in Town—And It’s Your House 49:58

8M ago49:58

49:58

Since 2018, GoodLeap has financed home solar, batteries, and efficiency upgrades at an unprecedented scale—serving over 1 million customers and originating more than $30 billion in financing for sustainable solutions. Founder Hayes Barnard saw the bottleneck wasn’t price—it was friction. Homeowners needed fast, hassle-free financing. Contractors ne…