Have you ever wondered why we haven’t covered every parking lot and warehouse with solar panels? Warehouse roofs and parking lots are usually unshaded and flat. They’re perfect for solar, yet we rarely use them to generate energy. Why?
In today’s episode of This Week In Solar, we interviewed Lisa Shulock. Lisa is the Director of Commercial Programs at the Philadelphia Energy Authority, and has worked alongside Exact Solar to get several high-impact projects across the finish line.
Lisa explains the barriers that are stopping us from covering America’s commercial real estate with solar panels and explains how we can improve local policy across the country.
It turns out that a lot of it comes down to education. Many commercial building owners have never learned about the benefits of putting solar energy systems on their property. Lisa works to close that gap.
For the past seven years, Lisa has worked to prove that solar energy is a powerful tool for positive economic impact and poverty reduction, not just a technology for “tree-hugging hippies.” In the commercial solar sector, she helps commercial building owners, businesses, and non-profits navigate confusing solar proposals.
Throughout the episode, Shulock lays out her strategy for overcoming these hurdles, emphasizing how solutions like community solar could transform empty warehouse roofs into local clean power plants without costing taxpayers a dime.
She also opens up about her time working with the Indigenized Energy Initiative, where she helped develop a comprehensive solar program that created local jobs and provided reliable power to vulnerable community members on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana.
If you’re interested in the power of solar energy as a tool for community impact, this episode is for you!
Quotes From the Episode
“For commercial property owners, procuring solar is something most companies have no experience with… It doesn’t usually reach the top of an executive’s priority list to figure out how to do it because they don’t know where to turn for guidance.”
– Lisa Shulock
“80 years from now, I don’t think we’re going to be using fossil fuels any longer… the technologies we’re using now to convert the sun’s energy to our lives are going to be ubiquitous and they’re going to be incredibly inexpensive.”
– Lisa Shulock
Thanks for Tuning In!
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If you or someone you know would be a great fit for the show, message Aaron Nichols on LinkedIn to book a time to record.
See you next time!