Everybody in the Pool

The grid is getting smarter, cleaner, and infinitely more complicated all at once. Enter Gridmatic, a company using artificial intelligence to do what old-school grid modeling can’t: predict when the wind will blow, when prices will spike, and exactly when to charge or discharge a battery.This week on Everybody in the Pool, Molly is joined by David Miller, Chief Commercial Officer at Gridmatic, to nerd out about why managing a grid full of renewables is so much harder than managing one full of coal and gas, and what it actually takes to make renewable energy reliable at scale.We talk about:Why forecasting renewable output is so much harder than forecasting demandHow Gridmatic uses AI to predict real-time price spikes a full day ahead and position batteries accordinglyWhy Texas's grid interconnection queue has ballooned to 230 gigawatts when the state only uses 90 on its hottest dayWhat "Controllable Load Resources" are, and why they might be the key to unlocking faster grid interconnection for data centersThe crucial missing link between the vision of virtual power plants and actual grid reliability, and how software finally closes that loopLinks:Gridmatic: https://www.gridmatic.com/All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/2EsDhwQC2zSubscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/

Let's be honest: the climate conversation is having a bit of a PR crisis. The word ‘climate’ itself has become politically charged, federal funding is under threat, and media coverage has gone quiet. But the technologies are still working, the solutions are still scaling, and the people building them haven't gone anywhere. So how do you keep telling that story?This week on Everybody in the Pool, Molly sits down with Josh Garrett, CEO and co-founder of Redwood Climate Communications, a specialty PR and strategic communications firm that works exclusively with climate tech companies and climate-focused nonprofits. Josh has been communicating about climate for 14 years, and right now, his expertise has never been more needed.We talk about:How to craft compelling stories about climate tech and policyWhy silence is not a strategy — and how to keep talking about climate even when the political winds have shiftedSimple word swaps that works across the aisle, like saying "pollution" instead of "greenhouse gases"How the fossil fuel industry built a century-long messaging machine — including the origin story of "now we're cooking with gas"Why climate advocates over-explain when they should be keeping it simple and repeatableThe power of leading with co-benefits: affordability, public health, energy freedomHow to be a “Climate YIMBY,” and why showing up to your local zoning meeting might be the highest-impact thing you can do right nowBalancing fear and hope: why disasters are our current reality, yet progress is inevitableLinks:Redwood Climate Communications: https://www.redwoodclimatecomms.com/Yale Center for Climate Change Communication: https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/Potential Energy Coalition: https://potentialenergycoalition.org/Emily Atkin’s Heated Newsletter: https://heated.world/Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/merchants-of-doubt-9781608193943/Greenlight America: https://www.greenlightamerica.org/All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/

What if solar panels on your roof, a home battery in your garage, and the EV in your driveway could together make you money — while simultaneously solving the grid capacity crisis?This week on Everybody in the Pool, Molly sits down with Marco Krapels, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer of Enphase Energy, to discuss what surging data center energy demand means for the future of residential clean energy — and why Enphase thinks the answer is turning millions of American homes into a distributed, AI-optimized virtual power plant.We talk about:Why the AI energy crisis might be the thing that finally scales residential solar and batteriesHow Enphase's software turns rooftop solar, home batteries, and EV chargers into smart, dispatchable grid assetsThe virtual power plant model, and why utilities are finally on boardHow Green Mountain Power in Vermont and Octopus Energy in the UK have already proven this works at scaleWhy adding solar and a 10 kWh battery to less than 10 million homes could solve the U.S. capacity crunchThe bi-directional EV charger that's coming later this year and why it's a 7x multiplier on home battery capacityWhat a future where homeowners get paid by hyperscalers and utilities — instead of paying for their electricity — could actually look likeWhy clean, distributed energy is the fastest path to winning the AI raceLinks:Enphase: https://enphase.com/All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/

99% of registered fleets belong to small and mid-size businesses — but the EV industry wasn't built for them. High upfront costs, years-long waits for grid access, and charging solutions designed for large operators have left the backbone of the American economy behind.This week on Everybody in the Pool, we meet a founder who’s changing that. Galina Russell, co-founder of Mitra EV, built a turnkey solution that bundles electric trucks and vans with charging infrastructure, so plumbers, electricians, and delivery companies can electrify their fleets without the logistical headache.We talk about:Why small commercial fleets are the most overlooked (and impactful) EV opportunityThe barriers to EV adoption for small and mid-size business ownersMitra’s "laptop and charger" model: leasing vehicles and installing charging together, from day oneHow Mitra works within existing grid capacity instead of waiting years for new powerBattery storage, peak shaving, and the vision for 50 megawatts of distributed backup powerWhy cost savings — not climate ideology — is the killer pitch to small business ownersLinks:Mitra EV: https://www.mitra-ev.com/Galina’s book recommendation, The Grid by Gretchen Bakke: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/grid-9781632865687/All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/

Three million homes are damaged by natural disasters in the US every year — and with a billion-dollar storm hitting roughly every ten days, that number is only growing. But the system for repairing affected homes is stuck in the past, with mountains of paperwork, fragmented funding, and rampant fraud leaving vulnerable homeowners stranded.This week on Everybody in the Pool, Molly sits down with Susan Hunt Stevens, the founder and CEO of Tessi, a platform working to fix what she calls the “broken post-disaster home repair system.” Tessi brings homeowners, vetted contractors, insurers, government programs, and other funders onto a single platform that uses AI-driven damage assessments to quickly evaluate a home in the wake of a disaster.We talk about:How Tessi uses AI and aerial imagery to generate damage assessments within 24 hoursHow the surge in natural disasters has made homeowners increasingly vulnerable to contractor fraudWhy only 4% of homeowners affected by flooding and hurricanes are actually covered by insuranceHow homeowners can use disaster repair as an opportunity to implement climate-adaptive upgradesTessi’s role in a complicated ecosystem where any repair might be funded by a patchwork of insurance, personal savings, home equity loans, government aid, and even GoFundMeHow Tessi is partnering with volunteer disaster relief organizations to serve socially vulnerable homeowners who fall outside the paid systemTessi’s goal of serving 1 million homes within 5 yearsLinks:Tessi: https://tessi.ai/All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/

The impacts of climate change are hitting the world everywhere, all at once — making climate adaptation more urgent than ever before.This week on Everybody in the Pool, we’re flipping the script on climate adaption; no longer viewing it as a funding gap, but as an investment opportunity that could bring lots of types of finance to the table for returns and impact. Niall Murphy, co-founder and managing partner of Morphosis, sits down with Molly to discuss how the world can scale solutions for an already-changing climate, and why the private sector needs to get involved in the new “adaptation economy.”We talk about:What living beyond 1.5 degrees means for adaptationHow 90% of adaptation funding is currently public money, and why that can’t scale to meet the demandThe case for viewing climate impacts as emerging markets and investment opportunitiesWhy insurers’ panic is actually the tipping point we’ve been waiting forReal examples of commercially viable adaptation solutions, from solar-filtering polymers to micro-scale desalinationThe policy gaps that are holding back deploymentHow Morphosis aggregates capital to deploy solutions where they're needed mostLinks:Morphosis: https://www.morphosis.solutions/All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/

This week on Everybody in the Pool, another sexy gadget that doubles as a grid asset! We take a field trip to the Berkeley headquarters of Copper, which is reimagining the humble stove as a powerful tool for decarbonization. Their flagship product, Charlie, is a 30-inch induction range with a built-in battery that allows for plug-and-play installation, precise cooking, and the potential to support grid stability.We talk about: How a battery in a stove can reduce the need for electrical infrastructure upgradesThe magic of induction cooking - safety, precision, and efficiencyIncentive programs making electrification more accessibleThe potential for appliances to become grid interactive assetsCopper’s vision for scaling electrification across housingBonus: their in-house chef loves it, too.Links:Copper: https://www.copper.com/ All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/ Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/ Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/

Heat pumps are having a moment. Last year, the U.S. passed China to become the world's number one market for heat pumps—and they're not slowing down. But while heat pumps are efficient and effective on paper, they haven't always been objects of desire. Until now.This week, Molly talks to Paul Lambert, CEO and co-founder of Quilt, about building a heat pump company that's equal parts climate solution and consumer product. Paul explains how his team is reimagining the mini-split heat pump—not just as an HVAC system, but as a piece of technology you're proud to have on your wall.We dive into:How heat pumps work: Why an AC is basically "a half-broken heat pump" that only runs in one directionThe two types of heat pumps: Ducted systems vs. ductless mini-splits, and why room-by-room control is a game-changerDesign as climate strategy: How Quilt spent half their initial capital on a domain name and invested heavily in industrial design to create pull, not just policy pushThe installer advantage: Why partnering with contractors (instead of doing it all in-house) unlocked national scaleSmart grid integration: How Quilt's internet-connected system enables demand response without sacrificing comfort—curtailing load in empty rooms while keeping occupied spaces perfectThe data center opportunity: How replacing electric resistance heating with heat pumps near data centers can free up 75% of the energy load—without building new generation capacityWhy incentives help but aren't required: 60% of America is primarily cooling-driven, and heat pumps are just better air conditionersPricing reality: Quilt is competitive with high-end Japanese mini-splits, not luxury-priced like early Nest thermostats or TeslasThe personal mission: How Paul's Alberta roots in the fossil fuel industry and his commitment to his kids' future drove him to climate techKey insight: Space heating and cooling represent half of all home energy use and 70% of fossil fuel consumption in homes—making HVAC the single biggest lever for decarbonizing buildings.Links:Quilt: https://quilt.comFind a Quilt installer: https://quilt.com (click "Find an Installer")All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/