Power Flow
Power Flow
Amy Simpkins
The energy revolution is coming, and it's all hands on deck. Amplifying the expertise of the leaders in the new energy economy and inviting diverse voices to the table, we'll talk solar power, battery storage and battery alternatives, microgrids, renewable energy, distributed energy architectures, energy policy, energy equity, and all things energy. I'm your host, Amy Simpkins, renewable energy CEO (and Rocket Scientist) and I am passionate about creating sustainable change. I believe that access to electricity is no longer a luxury -- it's a human right. I'm driven by the desire to leave this world better than I found it. I believe in the power of collaboration -- that innovation doesn't happen in a vacuum. And innovation is the only way our planet will survive. Recent natural disaster events impacting access to power, like the Texas Power Crisis during the winter storms of 2021 or the raging California wildfires of 2018-2020, combined with concern over anticipated future events, like a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake in Oregon, have elevated conversations about resilience, independence, and sustainability to new, more urgent heights. If we are truly going to meet the challenges to the energy revolution and to achieve these ideals, we need to bring all minds to the whiteboard. That’s why Power Flow Podcast was born. I've always worked in male-dominated environments. Yet, the more I engage with women, the more I witness very different approaches to innovation, problem solving, and solution implementation. We possess a treasure trove in untapped riches of expertise from female, non-binary, and BIPOC professionals, all relentlessly working to make this new energy future a reality, yet too often unseen and unheard. What does that future look like? Solving the challenges we face in the energy industry can solve intersectional problems for Earth and its residents. A shift from fossil fuels to renewables not only increases sustainability -- an important component of slowing and reversing climate change -- it will also reduce pollution near low-income or racially diverse neighborhoods. A shift to distributed energy improves community resilience through microgrids and minigrids. Community resilience and distributed energy lead to energy equity - ensuring access to clean, reliable energy for all. I began my career in aerospace - yes, as an actual rocket scientist - believing that technical and scientific advancement through the exploration of space would be the ultimate way to change the world. After 10 years of designing, modeling, integrating, and flying spacecraft, I began looking for ways to have a more direct and powerful impact. When I co-founded renewable energy startup muGrid Analytics with my partner, it used all of my gifts and skills from my entire career to do good in the world. The thing is, I see the world as a set of linkages. I can see how everything is connected in a complex web of synergy and interdependence. The further I explored the energy economy, the more I could see its far-reaching impacts for individuals, for the people, for the planet. Join me in a deep dive exploring the solutions clean energy can offer to our earth as we bring more voices to the microphone and more minds to the whiteboard, shining a spotlight on new ideas and perspectives, tapping into the vast expertise and intersectional thinking that's already here. As we thoughtfully consider the tremendous challenges of the energy revolution, we can collaborate to achieve sustainability, equity, and resilience. It’s time to amplify new ideas that can help us innovate more efficiently, with better outcomes, harmonizing the threads of collaboration so we can build the future together. Find us at http://powerflowpodcast.com
3.12 Season 3 Wrap Up with Amy Simpkins
Join Amy Simpkins for a “state of the [renewable energy] union” in 2023-2024, her predictions for 2025, reflections on innovation theory and the importance of creative rest for the entrepreneurial (and life!) journey, and a summary of Power Flow’s stunning Season 3 guests. To consider this summer: How do we give ourselves mental and creative rest as professional adults in an extremely fast-paced industry? Quotes (all by Amy Simpkins) “Innovation is not just a cyclical process, but an it...
Jul 2, 2024
44 min
3.11 On Offshore Wind & Building Coalitions of Local Support with Nadia Adam and Elina Khutoryansky
In this episode, Nadia, Elina, and Amy discuss the new landscape of offshore wind in America and how this holistic solution is providing revitalization to American manufacturing, in addition to the importance of engagement with the local community and meeting people where they are in renewable energy outreach. Quotes “It sounds like people are not opposed to renewable energy if it’s done correctly.” – Nadia Adam “This is our generation’s oil boom.” – Nadia Adam “Artists do motion -based artw...
Jul 2, 2024
46 min
3.10 On Obliterating Entrepreneurial Underprivilege with Holistic Innovation Support with Deepa Lounsbury
In this episode, Deepa and Amy discuss ways to support underrepresented entrepreneurs in climate tech and “making the umbrella bigger for who gets to be a climate entrepreneur,” along with the reality and challenges in the entrepreneurial space. Quotes “Underrepresented people are underrepresented often because they are undersupported.” – Deepa Lounsbury “Bringing that productization piece is almost as important - or just as important - as the technical solution in and of itself.” – Amy Simpk...
Jun 4, 2024
42 min
3.09 On Breaking Knowledge Silos with Continuing Education with Esther Morales
In this episode, Esther and Amy discuss innovation, continuous learning, and the courage to bring your ideas out into reality. Quotes “Energy education is a fundamental building block of participation.” – Esther Morales “Part of what energy education and access to energy education does is it creates a synergy between people’s values and how they can actually show up in the world with work.” – Esther Morales “There’s a difference between knowing some things and then knowing how tha...
Apr 30, 2024
42 min
3.08 On the Viability of Commercial Energy Storage and the Art of System Architecture with Diane Dandeneau
In this episode, Amy and Diane discuss the past and present landscape of opportunities in solar, along with the viability of commercial energy storage and the art of architecture in renewable energy projects. “It is hard to do this, but the hard work needs to get done.” – Diane Dandeneau Diane Dandeneau is a serial entrepreneur and lifelong artist. She has had a passion for renewable energy since living in a passive solar home while going to art school in NM. Her purpose in life is now focu...
Apr 9, 2024
42 min
3.07 On Holistic Sustainability and Solar Packaging with Vanessa Benkert
In this episode, Vanessa Benkert shares her passion for working in the renewable energy field, the power of storytelling and innovation, and an overlooked, yet important piece of the solar puzzle: transporting solar panels with reusable packaging. Learn more: https://www.pvpallet.com/ With ~20 years of experience, Vanessa has a proven track record of developing and executing marketing initiatives for a range of companies, from small startups to large international organizations. Her skillse...
Mar 19, 2024
41 min
3.06 On Streamlining Technology Deployment in the Field with Sierra Fan
In this episode, Sierra Fan describes co-founding illu to better support technicians in the renewable energy field. She says, “It really came from personal experience… we tried to look for the software. We thought someone must have built something that makes this easier. We kept looking for it. We couldn’t find it… and that’s how we got started with this.” She and Amy also discuss international renewable energy projects vs those in the US from her experience as a developer of solar and storag...
Jan 30, 2024
39 min
3.05 On Unlocking the Barriers to Accessible Solar Solutions with Erika Ginsberg-Klemmt
In this episode, Erika Ginsberg-Klemmt shares her family’s journey to creating Gismo Power, her joy in driving EVs and traveling the seven seas, as well as her drive to make solar solutions more accessible to everyone. Quotes “It’s fun to run on sun.” – Erika Ginsberg-Klemmt “Ease of interconnection, especially for small systems, would really explode growth.” – Amy Simpkins “There are things that have to be addressed at a regulatory level that can help more than just this technology.” –...
Dec 12, 2023
37 min
3.04 On the Push for Long Duration Energy Storage with Julia Souder
In this episode, Julia Souder shares her passion for Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) and shares her ideas on how global organizations can work together to make it more widespread as an extremely resilient energy solution. Quotes “We are a huge part of the solution in the green energy transition.” – Julia Souder “Despite what they tell you, it’s not a solved science.” [battery energy storage] – Amy Simpkins “LDES really does de-risk the transition. It just needs more doors opened to pl...
Oct 31, 2023
35 min
3.03 On Delivering Financial Returns for Energy Storage and Microgrids with Amy Simpkins featuring Laura Novak
In this episode, Laura and Amy discuss the energy storage and microgrid landscape, with a peek behind the curtain as Amy Simpkins finally answers her own questions as CEO of muGrid Analytics and microgrid architect. Fresh from the RE+ 2023 conference, Amy and Laura explore the gap between the marketing around battery systems as solved science versus how much more research is truly necessary. Amy explains why 15 years of industry experience led to muGrid’s transition from strictly energy consu...
Oct 10, 2023
57 min
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