Echo Communications on CleanCapital’s Experts Only Podcast

Experts Only Podcast #142: Energy Affordability and the Future of Clean Energy with Ella Nilsen

Hosted by Jon Powers
October 14, 2026

Host Jon Powers talks with Ella Nilsen, a former climate reporter at Vox and CNN, about how rising energy costs are reshaping the clean energy conversation.

Nilsen said climate still has a place in the affordability debate. “There is definitely, I think, still a way to talk about climate as an affordability issue, but I think that you need to understand the different regions of the country that are being affected by it.”

[…]

She saw rising PJM prices firsthand before moving from D.C. to Massachusetts. “I remember opening my very last Pepco bill and my bill was double. This is for electricity.” In New England, she said, “We are the last stop on the nation’s vast network of natural gas pipelines.” Her apartment heats with oil, and “because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, I just checked the latest prices and it’s close to six dollars a gallon. And that is gonna be I think at least double what I paid last year.”

[…]

Nilsen pointed to Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s new energy plan and its emphasis on distributed energy. “How do you link thousands of houses that have batteries and solar panels to reduce their load on the grid and free up more capacity for larger users?”

As the industry prepares for fights over energy costs in state capitals, she said the audience goes beyond lawmakers. “It is not just about convincing the policymakers. I think it is about getting through to everyday Americans on how can you sort of take control of your energy destiny? How can you get more power over reducing your bill?”

“I have always thought it’s just so important to do that on the ground communication, in state capitals and in places where you might not think you need to be,” Nilsen said. “You have to be everywhere.”

Listen to the entire episode here.