Energizing Tennessee
Energizing Tennessee, powered by the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council, explores the latest news and insights about the advanced energy sector. Join us to hear from advanced energy leaders and experts as they share their thoughts on transportation electrification, workforce development and this growing sector of our state’s economy. We're your #1 podcast for news about Tennessee's advanced energy sector.
Episodes
Thank you to the WastAway team for making this episode possible. Host Cortney Piper had the pleasure of interviewing Mark Brown, CEO of WastAway, a green tech company that takes something the world doesn’t want – municipal solid waste – and converts it into something the world needs.
WastAway—Waste-Away with no E—is an advanced energy leader. Its multi-patented system transforms municipal solid waste into valuable bio...
Host Cortney Piper interviews Mitchell Ishmael, Shift Thermal's co-founder and chief technology officer. In the episode, Mitch discusses the company's advanced thermal energy storage solution and the company milestones, including their participation in the Innovation Crossroads program.
The two discuss the benefits of cleantech entrepreneurship in Tennessee, the need for partnerships to push the boundaries o...
Host Cortney Piper interviews Michael McCall, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Vice President of Environment and Sustainability and Chief Sustainability Officer, about the agency’s 2023 Sustainability Report.
They discuss how TVA prioritizes sustainability and has shifted its mindset from compliance to stewardship. This shift enabled the nation’s largest public power provider to make significant progress toward reducin...
Host Cortney Piper interviews Daniel Poneman, former president and chief executive officer of Centrus Energy Corporation, United States Deputy Secretary of Energy and chief operating officer of the Department of Energy. He has worked for three United States presidents on issues ranging from nuclear nonproliferation to clean energy.
In the interview, Cortney and Daniel discuss his long career and mission to champion an...
Host Cortney Piper interviews Dr. Chris Burns, Chief Executive Officer of NOVONIX, a leading battery materials and technology company with operations in the United States and Canada.
Recently, DOE awarded NOVONIX a $100 million grant and a $103 million tax credit under the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Allocation Program, or the 48C program under the Inflation Reduction Act. This funding has enabled the company to...
Host Cortney Piper interviews Dr. Charles Sims, Director of the Center for Energy, Transportation and Environmental Policy, Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs, about the Valley Pathways Study.
The Tennessee Valley Authority and the Baker School launched the Valley Pathways Study in February 2023 to evaluate the existing environmental landscape and explore opportunities to reduce carbon emis...
In this episode, Host Cortney Piper interviews Lilly Tench, Director of the Spark Innovation Center at the University of Tennessee Research Park. The two discuss the Spark Cleantech Accelerator program and how applications are open for Cohort Three until May 15, 2024. TAEBC is a proud partner of the Spark Cleantech Accelerator. We provide operational support and mentorship through our Energy Network program, which ope...
In this episode, Host Cortney Piper interviews Monica Walker, Manager of Renewables & Energy Strategy at General Motors.
GM has a bold vision for the future. One with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion. Piper and Walker discuss GM’s renewable energy commitments, electric vehicle charging partnership with the Pilot Company and Spring Hill Manufacturing facility operations. They also cover how GM was an...
Host Cortney Piper interviews Jennifer Safavian, President and Chief Executive Officer of Autos Drive America. Autos Drive America’s mission is to grow the U.S. automotive industry by advocating for and defending open trade and investment policies that expand employment opportunities for Americans and choice for all consumers.
Cortney and Jennifer discuss the international automotive presence in Tennessee, how the IRA...
In what is likely Host Cortney Piper’s favorite interview to date, she interviews Liliana Ramirez, Global Director of Workforce Development at Ford. Ramirez is responsible for using cutting-edge strategies to build the manufacturing workforce required for BlueOval City and BlueOval SK Battery Park.
In this episode, they discuss Ramirez’s 30+ year career at Ford, her passion for her work and how the company has changed...
How can we advance mobility solutions for all Tennesseans? In this episode, Host Cortney Piper interviews Dr. Kevin Heaslip, Director of the Center for Transportation Research at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Heaslip also served as the Chief Executive Officer of TEAM TN, a partnership with the National Science Foundation and an alliance of 100 academics, industry, and technical societies led by UT Knoxville....
Host Cortney Piper interviews Gina Bonini, Vice President and General Manager of Advanced Thermal Systems at Modine. Modine is the only U.S.-based automotive thermal management provider for electric vehicles. They are headquartered in Racine, Wisconsin, but the EV component manufacturing occurs at their plant in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.
Modine has a rich history of automotive thermal management, dating back to the firs...
In the first episode of Season 2, Host Cortney Piper interviews Julian Spector, senior reporter at Canary Media, an independent, nonprofit newsroom covering the transition to clean energy and solutions to the climate crisis. The pair spoke about Spector’s recent coverage of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s decarbonization efforts and the Southeast’s journey toward becoming a major electric vehicle and battery supply c...
Today, we’re asking the question, “Why Tennessee?” Why are so many advanced energy companies moving to or expanding operations in our state?
In 2021, Ford committed to a $5.6 billion investment in West Tennessee for electric vehicle production at its BlueOval City campus. Last year, WACKER, a German-based polysilicon manufacturer and long-time TAEBC member, announced a $200 million expansion at its facility in Charles...
For this episode, Energizing Tennessee is changing its format – or rather, its host – a little bit. Steve Seifried, Tennessee Account Executive for Ameresco and President of the Board for the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council, is your guest host for today’s conversation.
In this episode, Seifried and his guests will explore how manufacturers in our state are meeting their sustainability goals with advanced ene...
The Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council has four commitments to our members. In this episode, we’re focusing on one: Foster the growth of Tennessee's advanced energy startups. TAEBC doesn’t just want advanced energy startups to launch in the state, we want them to grow, thrive and stay here.
Today, we’re speaking with Harvey Abouelata, Vice President of Commercial Solar at Solar Alliance, and Dr. Bianca Bai...
Tennessee is rooted in nuclear energy innovation. And today, Oak Ridge is a thriving epicenter for next-generation nuclear technology. So, what are we doing today? And what does next-generation nuclear energy even look like?
To dive into today’s topic, we’re first speaking with Tracy Boatner, President of the East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC), an organization dedicated to supporting the federal government’s missio...
We’ve all seen the headlines: Lithium is key to making electric vehicles, but do we have enough to supply rapid EV adoption? Today, we’re speaking with two representatives from Piedmont Lithium, a North Carolina-based company that recently announced a massive project breaking ground right here in Tennessee. The company anticipates the new development will serve as the largest lithium hydroxide processing facility cons...
We’re shining a light on the impact of solar in Tennessee. The International Energy Agency’s Renewables 2022 report predicts that in the next few years, the biggest source of electricity will be solar power. Meanwhile, the Inflation Reduction Act will usher in more high-paying solar jobs and tax credits for solar installations at homes, businesses and community solar projects. But what does this all mean for Tennessea...
To close out the first half of our first season, we’re asking the big question: What’s the deal with hydrogen? Is it the silver bullet to solve all our decarbonization needs? From the utility sector to transportation— we’ll speak with two industry experts to help answer these inquiries. First, we’ll talk with Jon Rodriguez, Energy Business Director - Engine Power Plants at Wärtsilä North America, about using hydrogen...
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