As the cost of living climbs, can clean energy technology help ease the burden? That seems to be the case in West Texas, where revenue from a wind farm is helping fund a rural county’s senior center, Meals on Wheels, and even a Valentine’s Day dance!
But the benefits of clean energy aren’t always spread evenly, largely because of how policies shape incentives and cost distribution. In some cases, utility scale solar lowers electricity prices while rooftop solar can shift costs onto households without it. Meanwhile, new balcony solar panels are helping renters cut their bills, and Every Electric and Con Edison are giving New Yorkers plug-in batteries to keep their AC running even during heat waves. And the fact that these solutions also cut climate pollution? That’s the cherry on top.
Guests:
Bekah Stolhandske McNeel, Freelance Journalist
Christopher Knittel, Professor of Applied Economics, Sloan School, MIT; Director, MIT Climate Policy Center
Andrew Wang, Co-Founder, CEO, Every Electric
For show notes, related links, and episode transcript, visit our episode page here.
00:03:34 Bekah Stolhandske McNeel describes Ozona
00:05:32 Bekah Stolhandske McNeel on country response to wind project
00:06:54 Bekah Stolhandske McNeel on where wind project proceeds went
00:09:56 Bekah Stolhandske McNeel on the Senior Center Valentine's Day Dance
00:20:29 Christopher Knittel on the “green premium”
00:25:05 Christopher Knittel on rooftop solar and your energy bill
00:28:42 Christopher Knittel on important policy choices
00:33:36 Christopher Knittel on equitable distribution of costs
00:37:18 Andrew Wang on how the power bank program works
00:41:54 Andrew Wang on connecting the power bank program to air conditioning
00:48:50 Andrew Wang on scaling the program
On November 5 at 5:30 p.m., join Climate One and the Children & Nature Network for an evening with Richard Louv, author of the internationally bestselling Last Child in the Woods. Tickets are available at climateone.org/events
Climate One will present the 2026 Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication to Daniel Swain, Ph.D., a climate scientist at the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR).
Join us for a lecture and celebration of this fantastic climate communicator on Dec. 8, in San Francisco. Tickets are available at climateone.org/events.
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