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.

GistCoverFeb26

The Ad Hoc Gist: Two Utility CEOs Spill the Tea

After a thought-provoking dinner conversation at last month’s Power Resilience Forum with Mari McClure, the CEO of Green Mountain Power in Vermont and Rudy Garza, the CEO of CPS Energy in Texas, that we asked them to do it all again for this month’s Gist.

In our interview, they break down the overly simplified narratives that have emerged about clean energy, resilience, data centers, and affordability. And they share what it’s really like to run utilities in two very different parts of the country right now; it turns out it’s neither monolithic nor simple.

Gist Cover Jan26

The Ad Hoc Gist: Our 2026 Grid Predictions 

We’re barely into 2026, and already it’s full of surprises. This month, Julia and I, along with two of our senior advisors, share our predictions for the year in energy.

We’re also proud to share a new Alliance to Save Energy report co-authored by our own Matt Anderson on how hyperscalers like Google and Microsoft can leverage investments in distributed resources and energy efficiency to create more capacity on the grid.

Gist Cover Dec 2025

The Ad Hoc Gist: Four Things Our Team Thinks You Missed in 2025 

As 2025 wraps up, we asked our team a simple question: What’s one development that flew under the radar this year—something overlooked in the usual energy market coverage—that you believe will have a significant impact in 2026 and beyond?

The answers surprised us. From the politics of electricity bills to a quiet federal tax provision that could reshape residential heating and cooling, this month’s Gist highlights four trends worth watching as we head into the new year.

White Papers

The Ad Hoc Group, in partnership with other industry thought leaders, publishes white papers that take a deep dive into the complex issues facing the energy industry and our clients.

WhitePaperCover_1

Bridging the Load Gap: A Collaborative Path for Utilities, Hyperscalers and Customers

In this white paper, published in January 2026, the Alliance to Save Energy and the Ad Hoc Group explore whether a collaborative model – one in which a large load funds incremental, utility-directed demand-side management (DSM) investments that include both demand response (DR) and energy efficiency (EE) programs – could unlock new capacity, reduce pressure on infrastructure timelines, and support improved affordability and resilience for customers.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Blog

Follow our blog for updates from The Ad Hoc Group.

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.

A Conversation with Vida and Devin

We invited two leaders, Devin Hampton, CEO of UtilityAPI, and Vida Asiegbu, principal at Energy Impact Partners, for a candid conversation on equity and representation in the energy transition.

Press

imrs

Anti-China Fervor Casts a Dark Cloud Over Solar and U.S. Climate Goals

In Congress, there is sudden bipartisan momentum to reinstitute tariffs on Chinese components. The U.S. solar industry is alarmed.

Read More @ Washington Post

sunset glow reflected on solar panels with bangkok skyline

Silicon Valley Bank Collapse Could Slow the Transition to Clean Energy

The bank cast a wide shadow over climate tech, with half the start-ups in the sector doing business with it.

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank has created new challenges not just for the nation’s banking system, but also for the Biden administration’s climate agenda, following a harrowing weekend in which many major clean tech companies faced insolvency.

Read More @ Washington Post

3d rendering group of EV charging stations or electric vehicle recharging stations

Investors Putting Billions Into Climate Tech Don’t Plan to Stop

Bill Gates is worried about a dark period ahead for the global economy. “We’re going to go through a winter period for a number of years,” he warned a room full of go-getting green entrepreneurs last week, lamenting at a TechCrunch event that their success had come up against bad timing.

Read More @ Bloomberg

Hear more from our leadership on industry podcasts.

Technopolis

Open Circuit