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The Gist
The Gist is the monthly newsletter of The Ad Hoc Group that covers everything at the intersection of climate tech and policy. Subscribe at the link here to have The Gist mailed to your inbox each month.
The Ad Hoc Gist: One State’s Climate Firewall
With all the focus on the presidential election, it can be easy to lose sight of how aggressively several states are advancing a climate agenda. Washington State under Governor Jay Inslee – perhaps the most climate-forward governor in the country – stands out.
In this month’s Gist, we dig into Inslee’s legacy and leadership on climate and equity with his Senior Climate Advisor (and my former Opower teammate), Anna Lising. She talks about what Washington is doing on climate and energy policy that other states should follow. I’ll also be interviewing Anna and other state leaders at NYC Climate Week.
The Ad Hoc Gist: 531 Electric Miles to Maine
Our first Gist came out four years ago this month and was about the potential slowdown in EV sales due to Covid. In 2020, U.S. drivers purchased 330,000 EVs. They purchased just as many in Q2 of this year alone. We still have a ways to go, but it’s progress.
In late July, I took a road trip with my family in our new silver Rivian RS1 from Virginia to Maine to test out the Tesla Supercharger network, newly opened to Rivian drivers. In this month’s Gist, I share the tale and what it means for the EV market.
The Ad Hoc Gist: Is Winter Coming for Climate Tech?
Without some meaningful financial exits soon, I’m worried we’re heading for a climate tech winter. The planet can’t afford that.
I wrote a three-part series for Latitude Media with my friend Michael Sachse on the current climate tech landscape and what investors and startup founders should do about it. Part one is about the impending climate tech liquidity crisis, and part two is about what the industry can learn from biotech.
The final installment, out today, is our advice for climate tech founders. We’ve distilled it for this month’s Gist below. But we encourage you to read the full series here.
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People as Moat – Ad Hoc Expands into Search
In climate tech, we talk a lot about, well, technology. But talk with most CEOs and they’ll share that the hardest part of their job is figuring out how to hire and retain the right people. In my experience, a company’s ability to hire and effectively onboard the right people is what differentiates successful businesses from those that falter. Because, as a CEO, you can have a great vision, but if you don’t have the right people, you can’t execute it.
Press
USEA Power Sector Podcast Episode 27: The Ad Hoc Group Principal Brian Kooiman
In Part 3 of a series on distribution system resources and reliability, The Ad Hoc Group Principal Brian Kooiman answered questions by journalist Herman K. Trabish about the role of demand side flexibility in the U.S. power sector resource mix and reforms are urgently needed from federal and state regulators to allow customer-owned resources to realize their potential to improve electricity delivery reliability, reduce customer bills, and achieve decarbonization goals.
Climate investors are already bracing for Trump
Donald Trump’s victory in yesterday’s New Hampshire Republican presidential primary makes clear the stark choice coming into view for voters: On one side, an incumbent president whose signature climate achievement — the Inflation Reduction Act — is doing more to accelerate the energy transition than any other U.S. policy against an opponent who continues to deny basic climate science and for whom “drill, baby, drill” is the cornerstone of his energy platform.
Clean energy investors may be hoping for the former, but are already preparing for the latter.
Supporting the Next Wave of Climate Tech Startups
A wave of extreme weather this year has left Jim Kapsis questioning whether utilities are prepared for more frequent, intense weather events in the future. There's a growing group of startups that are more than ready to provide solutions, but they've struggled to break into the space. They need help figuring out a business model that works in the unique market that is the utility industry.
Jim's response? A new company called the Ad Hoc Group, founded in 2016 with the goal of helping those newcomers succeed.
Podcast
Hear more from our leadership on My Climate Journey and Technopolis.