What if the difference between winning support and losing your audience isn’t better data, but knowing how to tell the story?
In this episode, the tables are turned once again. SunCast host Nico Johnson is the guest this time, joining as a featured communications expert alongside some of the industry’s most respected voices in policy and strategic communications.
Recorded live at the CHESSA Energize Summit, moderator Robin Dutta, Executive Director of CHESSA, brings together Molly Knoll of Align Energy Advisors, Jamie Nolan of Energy Empire, and Nico to tackle a deceptively simple question:
How do you make the case for solar and storage to people who don’t speak energy?
Molly starts with the facts behind how solar & storage can help directly address rising electricity costs. Then the conversation moves beyond the docket and into the work of influence.
How much information does your audience actually need? Who is the right messenger? When does data help, and when does a story work better? How do you earn enough relevance that someone actually wants to hear more?
The panel gets practical about story banks, trusted messengers, repetition, regulatory audiences, community conversations, and why saying less can often create more influence.
The opportunity is not to make energy less sophisticated.
It’s to become better at communicating it.
If you lead, sell, advocate, raise capital, influence policy, or simply need people to understand why your work matters, this conversation will make you better at making the case.
Expect to Learn:
🔹 Why strong evidence still needs a story people care about
🔹 How electricity cost drivers differ across states and utilities
🔹 Why your most effective messenger might be someone else
🔹 How to earn attention before explaining solar and storage
If your team has the facts but keeps struggling to get traction, start here.
Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?
Hit us up - [email protected] with your feedback & recommendations.
If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.
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Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 950 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.
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You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:
Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
(00:00) Communicating the Affordability Case for Clean Energy
(02:04) Beyond the Docket: Framing the Industry Narrative
(05:00) Analyzing the Drivers Behind the Electricity Affordability Crisis
(09:02) Dissecting Capacity Markets, Fuel Spikes, and Rate Increases
(13:16) Positioning Solar and Storage for Peak Demand and Resiliency
(15:27) Translating Technical Energy Data into Accessible Stories
(20:02) Tailoring Messages for Regulators, Legislators, and Communities
(25:46) Equipping Trusted Messengers with Master Messaging Tools
(31:06) Power Mapping Influencer Networks and Target Audience Avatars
(36:32) Policy Advocacy as Education and Preserving Regulatory Trust
(39:06) Aligning Clean Energy Proposals with Utility Statutory Mandates
(42:19) Reaching General Audiences in the Load Growth Era
(46:57) Building Company Story Banks and Expanding Media Reach
(52:50) Maintaining Narrative Consistency Across Multiple Regulatory Dockets
(55:19) Investing in Strategic Communications to Build Political Power
