Watt It Takes: How Schwarzenegger’s Chief of Staff Built a Battery Company
The Energy Gang
Wood Mackenzie
4.6 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 30 July 2018
⏱️ 61 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week on Watt It Takes: We’ll hear from Susan Kennedy, the CEO of Advanced Microgrid Solutions, about her transition from politics to behind-the-meter energy storage.
Kennedy was an important player in California environmental politics. She influenced some of the biggest pieces of legislation that launched the state’s solar industry and cap-and-trade market. She also worked as a senior advisor to some the biggest names in both parties, including Dianne Feinstein and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
After two decades in policy and politics, Kennedy set out to build a company that could take on the unique challenges of distributed energy integration. AMS was born. It has since become one of the most important startups in the booming behind-the-meter storage market.
"You have to believe that you can do anything. You have to have courage and faith to do what you've never done before."
Watt It Takes is a collaboration between Powerhouse and Greentech Media. The series is recorded in front of a live audience at Powerhouse headquarters in Oakland, California. Buy tickets for upcoming events.
The Energy Gang is brought to you by Mission Solar Energy, a solar module manufacturer based in San Antonio, Texas. Mission Solar's high-performance solar panels have the highest testing ratings among any North American manufacturer in the market. Learn more about Mission's high-efficiency modules.
Subscribe to The Energy Gang podcast via Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher or wherever you find your audio content.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This week on what it takes, how do you go from Arnold Schwarzenegger's chief of staff to making buildings into battery-backed virtual power plants? |
| 0:08.0 | We'll hear from Susan Kennedy, the CEO of Advanced Microgrid Solutions, about her transition from politics to behind the meter storage. |
| 0:15.0 | First though, a quick word about our sponsor. |
| 0:17.0 | You want high quality American solar panels? There's only one place to turn. Mission solar. |
| 0:22.0 | Mission solar makes high efficiency solar modules in Texas. |
| 0:25.6 | With 200 megawatts of capacity right there in Texas, Mission Solar offers developers and installers |
| 0:30.3 | a central location to source their panels. |
| 0:33.0 | Mission will soon have a new high efficiency module this year. |
| 0:36.0 | To find out more about its product line, |
| 0:38.0 | visit Mission Solar.com slash products. and Green Tech Media. This week Powerhouse CEO Emily Kirsch talks with |
| 0:53.9 | Susan Kennedy, the founder and CEO of Advanced Micro Grid Solutions. So Susan was an |
| 0:59.1 | important player in California environmental politics. She influenced some of the biggest pieces of legislation |
| 1:05.2 | that launched the state solar industry and cap and trade market. |
| 1:08.4 | She also worked as a regulator, and she worked as a senior advisor to some of the biggest |
| 1:12.4 | names in both parties include |
| 1:14.5 | Diane Feinstein and Arnold Schwarzenegger. |
| 1:17.8 | So after two decades in policy and politics, Susan Kennedy thought she'd have a bigger impact making a company of her own. |
| 1:25.0 | So she focused on batteries and AMS was born. |
| 1:28.0 | This is a really cool company and if you haven't heard of them I think you'll learn a lot about where battery storage is headed and how this company was born out of the unique situation in California. |
| 1:39.0 | The conversation was recorded live at Powerhouse's headquarters. |
| 1:43.1 | My interchange co-host Shale Khan shares some more insight about AMS and then Powerhouse's |
| 1:47.2 | Emily Kirsch takes it away. So people say that you always remember where you were when you first saw or heard about the moon landing. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Wood Mackenzie, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Wood Mackenzie and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.