[New Course] Renewable Energy Policy Master Class

One of my favorite memories of any conference I’ve ever attended was watching Jigar Shah on a panel at NESEA’s Building Energy Conference. A question came from the audience about why he pushes solar over building efficiency, when building efficiency is the most efficient form of conservation. This question comes up all the time, and I personally don’t like it, because it pits the two things against each other. The battle between renewables and efficiency has always seemed counterproductive to me, and apparently Jigar didn’t like it either, because he was quick to fire back with a fairly controversial reply. Here’s the write-up I did after that event.

This is on my mind today because this week we launched Scott Sklar’s “Renewable Energy Policy Master Class” in partnership with RenewableEnergyWorld.com. The success of the solar industry is due to the work of many thousands of people, but one of those people in the center of everything is Scott Sklar. He spent 9 years in the U.S. Senate, 15 years as head of SEIA, and 15 years as the steering committee chair of the Sustainable Energy Coalition. He’s has been on the front lines of energy policy for many years, and it’s exciting to be a part of this effort to train the next generation of policy titans.

The course is intended as a training ground and support system for players on the local, state, national, and international stages. It’s my goal to build a course that would make Jigar proud – one that focuses on results and teaches what works. The business of renewable energy policy is in the throes of some pretty massive changes right now, and I’m looking for Scott Sklar to help us navigate through them.