Convo: Andrew McAllister on the Clean Energy Transition in California

EcoMotion
EcoMotion
Convo: Andrew McAllister on the Clean Energy Transition in California
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In this episode of Flanigan’s Eco-Logic, Ted speaks with Andrew McAllister, third- term Commissioner at the California Energy Commission.

Andrew has over 30 years of experience in the domestic and international energy arenas, primarily related to policy, utility planning, energy efficiency, and distributed renewable energy. He has worked across the world to deploy clean, cost-effective energy solutions with counterparts ranging from tiny remote communities to the largest of utilities. He administered two of California’s signature renewable energy programs, developed and operated energy efficiency programs for utilities, and conducted a broad range of policy-related research for California and the federal government.

He is a board member and immediate past board chair of the National Association of State Energy Officials, and a board member of the Alliance to Save Energy. His deep grounding in technology, policy, and the marketplace provides him with uncommon insight on the accelerating changes taking place in California’s energy sector.

He and Ted discuss his background, growing up in Nashville, TN, attending Dartmouth College where he started understanding how important energy was when studying engineering. He later served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Costa Rica, and obtained a master of science and a Ph.D. from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley.

Prior to joining the Energy Commission, he was managing director at the California Center for Sustainable Energy. He worked with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association International, Ltd. in Central and South America, Southeast Asia, and Africa on renewable generation, load management, utility planning, and remote power projects. He was also a project manager at an energy-consulting firm and an energy efficiency analyst at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

In his current role at the Energy Commission, he leads the policy area of energy efficiency, including the Building Energy Efficiency Standards, appliance efficiency, and load management and flexibility. More broadly, he is focused on enabling modern, data-rich analytical tools to support strong clean energy policy development and program implementation.

Andrew concludes by sharing his experience walking the walk and talking the talk, putting California’s energy code into practice with the construction of his energy efficient and sustainable home in Davis. Watch the process from start to completion, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUbH4Vpt8ZE.