logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2024
26m 36s

Leading the charge in commercial solar ...

HASI
About this episode

In this week's episode, Gil Jenkins sits down with Steve Raeder, the founder and CEO of Summit Ridge Energy. As a leading player in the community solar market, Summit Ridge Energy (SRE) has made significant strides since its inception in 2017, deploying over $1.6 billion into clean energy assets. With a robust development pipeline of more than 2 GW, SRE will have more than 400 MW of solar PV online by the end of 2024, powering 50,000 homes and businesses. During the conversation, Steve opens up about his journey from SunEdison to founding Summit SRE. He breaks down the incredible value proposition for community solar, which offers guaranteed savings to both residential and small commercial customers while underscoring its pivotal role in the broader energy transition. Steve also discusses SRE’s growth strategy. Giving his outlook on the future of the community solar market, he details how the company is positioning itself to capitalize on this sector's continued growth. Additionally, Steve talks about the company’s solar panel supply partnership with Qcells, which was announced last year and is the largest domestic community solar purchase ever. He also shares insights into their innovative sustainability apprenticeship program in Chicago. Note: Summit Ridge Energy is a client of HASI. 

Links: 

Episode recorded January 24, 2024

Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, and Hilary at climatepositive@hasi.com or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod. 

Up next
Jul 2
From sky to soil: turning satellite data into carbon-rich farmland | Aadith Moorthy, CEO of Boomitra
In this episode of Climate Positive, host Hilary Langer speaks with Aadith Moorthy, founder and CEO of Boomitra, a global soil carbon marketplace that pays farmers for adopting regenerative agriculture. Boomitra’s AI-powered platform uses satellite data to measure and verify carb ... Show More
42m 18s
Jun 4
Cultivating a climate of truth | Mike Berners-Lee
In this episode of Climate Positive, host Gil Jenkins sits down with Mike Berners-Lee—author, professor, and leading expert on sustainability—to explore the central message of his latest book, "A Climate of Truth." In a world spiraling deeper into climate, ecological, and social ... Show More
43m 15s
Apr 17
Bringing resource efficient decarbonization to legacy buildings | Marshall Cox, CEO of Kelvin
In this episode, host Gil Jenkins speaks with Marshall Cox, co-founder and CEO of Kelvin, a national leader in intelligent HVAC solutions for legacy buildings in major cities. Marshall shares the origin story of Kelvin (formerly Radiator Labs) and discusses the company’s flagship ... Show More
25m 48s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2014
What Was He Smoking? How a Solar Pioneer’s Big Dreams Came True
Today, solar’s dominance feels inevitable. But in 1979, when Neville Williams started promoting the industry at the Department of Energy, it felt like a far-off dream. That didn’t stop the early pioneers from thinking big and pushing the government to invest in the early technolo ... Show More
42m 47s
Dec 2014
Tesla's Battery Storage Strategy Beyond Electric Cars
As Tesla builds out its Giga factory in Nevada, the company expects that roughly one-quarter of batteries will be used for stationary storage applications beyond automobiles. Tesla is just beginning to expand beyond EVs and move deeper into grid-scale storage, behind-the-meter st ... Show More
47m 41s
May 2023
The Four Horsemen of the Energy Transition: Where’s The Money Going?
Solar, wind, hydrogen and nuclear – we need more investment in these renewables, but where can the money come from? In 2022, worldwide investment in renewables hit almost half a trillion dollars. Investment in solar – the largest sector - jumped 36% to 308 billion. Investment in ... Show More
55m 28s
Jan 2021
Why Local Solar + Storage Is a Pillar of the Net-Zero Grid
This week, we finally left behind a destructive regime that thwarted environmental policy at every turn. We exchanged it for a government putting climate experts and clean-energy doers in its highest ranks in a way that no prior administration has done before.What comes next?Firs ... Show More
59m 54s
Aug 2017
Did Steve Bannon Hint at a Solar Trade War?
White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon (unwittingly) gave an interview this week, saying America is locked in "an economic war with China." Bannon mentioned arcane sections of the 1974 Trade Act to penalize China for alleged steel and aluminum dumping. Could solar be on the li ... Show More
44m 37s
Nov 2017
Watt It Takes: Dan Shugar, the King Midas of Solar
Dan Shugar lives, breathes and bleeds solar. "If you cut my wrist, pure silicon comes out," he exclaimed in an interview with Powerhouse CEO Emily Kirsch, as part of the Watt It Takes interview series. This week, Shugar steps behind the microphone to talk about turning his passio ... Show More
58m 49s
Aug 2021
What Emerging Climate Tech Sectors Are Ready for Growth?
After 30 years of R&D and commercial proof, hundreds of billions in institutional dollars are pouring into now-conventional tech like wind, solar and batteries. But there’s a whole class of technologies that are ready to scale. And investors who are increasingly ready to back the ... Show More
54m 4s
May 2016
The Solar Coaster: Troubles at Yingli Solar and the Flatlining Global PV Market
This year, GTM Research is forecasting that 66 gigawatts of PV capacity will be installed around the world -- a 21 percent increase over last year. But next year, capacity will only expand by 4 percent. In fact, without some of the top markets like India, America and China, the g ... Show More
52m 44s
Mar 2014
Anatomy of a Solar Power Boom: Can the Industry Keep it Going?
As expected, 2013 was yet another record year for solar in the U.S. With 5.1 gigawatts of PV and CSP coming online, the solar industry was the second largest provider of electricity capacity behind natural gas. But how long will it continue? With a tax credit expiration looming, ... Show More
43m 9s
Jul 2023
What’s the next big trend in clean energy?
For decades, we have wildly underestimated the growth of renewables. Now that cost curves and deployments have exceeded all expectations, what’s next for the clean energy industry?This week, we feature a conversation between journalist David Roberts and futurist Ramez Naam about ... Show More
53m 58s