Green Grid Radio

Engaging and transformative reporting on the environment, energy, and sustainability


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S2E10: Recap Roundtable with Returning Panelists

In our last episode from season two, we were joined by Stanford student leaders and former panelists Rob Best (Stanford Solar Decathlon), Tim Burke (Engineers for a Sustainable World), and Andrew Ponec (Stanford Grid Alternatives). We discussed several themes and ideas from the season, including the culture of sacrifice that can be intertwined with sustainability, “bright greens” vs “dark greens”, and the potential implications of President Obama’s new cabinet choices. Some fresh ideas from our panelists included the role that data might play in boosting the energy efficiency industry, and how rallying our nation around a concrete, tangible goal might accelerate the transition to a clean energy future.

S2E10: Recap Roundtable with Returning Panelists

Sunset over transmission lines in Dubai. Photograph by Diane Wu.

We’ll be off this week for spring break, but check back the week of April 1 for the debut of Season Three!


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S2E3: Commercial Solar: Communicating Long-Term Benefits in an Immediate World

This past Thursday we retackled solar PV on Green Grid Radio. The featured interviewee on the show was Vishvesh Jhaveri, of Silray Inc, while Stanford students Emma Sagan and Justin Briggs joined us to round out the discussion. In “Commercial Solar: Communicating Long-Term Benefits in an Immediate World,” we spoke at length about solar through the lens of how academia and industry can work together to continue lowering costs of solar technologies. Another theme of the show was on local and regional policies that facilitate the integration of clean energy.

Listen here:


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S1E7: A Solar Rooftop Revolution

Danny Kennedy, co-founder of Sungevity and longtime environmental activist, joins us in this week’s episode of Green Grid Radio. Kennedy makes the case for residential photovoltaic solar energy across the US, explaining the unique Sungevity Remote Solar Design and Solar Lease programs. Also, we spoke a bit about his 2012 book Rooftop Revolution, the King CONG lobbying industry that stands in the way of renewable energy, and to what degree the California Solar Initiative has been effective.

Student panelist Laura Vogel visits the studio to comment on the interview with Kennedy and to discuss some of here experience of implementing solar power panels. Laura is a second year master’s student in the Atmosphere & Energy program at Stanford. Since last spring, she has been working with Vituo Technologies, a Stanford startup installing photovoltaic solutions in East Africa. Over the summer she worked in Nairobi, giving workshops on PV technology, doing interviews and electrical surveys for potential customers, and helping prepare for the first 15 kW installation which was completed earlier this fall.

Listen here:


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Coming up in S1E7: A Solar Rooftop Revolution (Nov 27th, 1-2PM PST)

Our next episode of Green Grid Radio will feature co-founder of Sungevity and longtime environmental activist, Danny Kennedy. Kennedy makes the case for residential photovoltaicsolar energy across the US, explaining the unique Sungevity Remote Solar Design and Solar Lease programs. Also, we spoke a bit about his 2012 book Rooftop Revolution, the King CONG lobbying industry that stands in the way of renewable energy, and to what degree the California Solar Initiative has been effective.

This upcoming episode will also feature the debut of the first “Energy on the Farm” segment, and will premier on Tuesday November 27, 1-2PM PST at 90.1FM or at kzsulive.stanford.edu. The episode will be made available here at greengridradio.org or via our iTunes podcast shortly after the airing.


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S1E2: Integrating Wind and Variable Resources in a Renewable Power Future

Mark Z. Jacobson, Stanford Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering, stops by Green Grid Radio to discuss his plan for a renewable energy future. Jacobson emphasizes that in order to reach popular consensus in support of a clean energy world, we must push for energy education for the public. Topics of conversation also includes black carbon’s relationship to climate change, “beefing up” transmission lines, and how a wind/water/solar world could reduce global energy consumption by 32%, and emissions by 100%.

Presented by Adam Pearson, Nick McIntyre and Sophia Vo.


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Coming up in S1E2: Integrating Wind and Variable Resources in a Renewable Power Future (Oct 9th, 2012: 1-2pm PST)

Greetings,

This week on Green Grid Radio we’ll be hosting Professor Mark Z. Jacobson. Jacobson is a major force at Stanford pushing thinkers to reassess how much of the world can be powered by renewable energy (spoiler alert: all of it). Jacobson is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Director of the Atmosphere/Energy program, Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy, and a Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment. Professor Jacobson has published textbooks on air pollution and global warming, as well as atmospheric modeling. Jacobson’s work on energy resources, climate, aerosols, and atmospheric forcing has been published in numerous journals, and recently he worked with activist/actor Mark Ruffalo to publish a Huffington Post column and deliver a google talk in support of his vision for a clean world.

Jacobson’s recent Global Warming and Air Pollution textbook

Jacobson will be speaking a bit about the feasibility of his Wind Water Solar plan, and how variable resources can be effectively incorporated into our grid system. Tune in Tuesday Oct 9th at 1pm PST to listen live to our second episode! As always, keep up with us on twitter (@greengridradio) for show updates and other interesting articles and info.

Adam