W. Scott Hoppe, founder and CEO of Sabreeze, sits down with Going Green to discuss his experience working in environmental consulting, and why he thinks the clean energy sector is going to flourish. Started in 2012, Sabreez processes systemwide electric power generation data to report the Clean Energy Factor, which is the sum of the Wind Number and Solar Boost.
Scott is an upcoming guest on the Going Green podcast. Be sure to tune into the podcast every Friday for new episodes.
Scott, thanks for joining us, tell us a little bit about you and your background:
I’m a Geologist with a background in environmental consulting and real estate management and development. I transitioned to clean tech after the election of President Obama, seeing that we were finally going to wean ourselves off of oil. I started a company that offered energy audits in the southern Central Valley, and developed whole house solutions including leased solar, energy efficient lighting, and time of use management. Over time, I realized that hourly and seasonal smart meter energy consumption data could be combined with the energy generation data that CAISO had started publishing, and the Wind Number was born.
What is a fun fact about you?
I invented the first Green Button to combine energy consumption data with energy generation data to gamify load shifting.
Why do you think climate change and sustainability is such an important topic today?
When I was young, I spent a lot of time on the California coast where it’s often windy, and when it’s not, it’s often foggy. This was during the 70’s energy crises. This shaped my world view at an early age. I studied Geology and lived in the woods 7 miles from the Sonoma Coast beaches, in the late 80’s and 90’s. We used a wood stove as a sole source of heat.
These experiences steered me towards environmental consulting and away from fossil fuels where a lot of geologists go to work. I worked in the 1990’s on a range of environmental cleanup projects in California and New England, then got involved with improving historic properties in Massachusetts, later in Virginia.
In summary, I’ve always valued sustainability and as a Geologist, I realize the potential changes that can happen to the Earth. The weak point isn’t technology, it’s giving people what they want, and my experience and interviews show that the great majority of people want to use clean energy over power from fossil fuels, they just don’t know how. Our forecast shoes them how.
What do you envision your industry looking like 10 years from now?
I think the clean energy sector is going to flourish now that we’re emerging from the early adopter stage. By 2030, a majority of us in this country will be energy aware and enjoying the use of abundant clean energy.
What can the average person do to make a difference?
Wash your clothes and dishes when the Clean Energy Factor is cranking. It won’t make a dent in global warming, but it will decrease your utility bill and impact on the environment. It will also probably provide a feeling of well-being associated with sustainable behavior.
Scott, thank you for sharing your vision for why the clean energy sector is going to flourish.
Scott is going to be an upcoming guest on the Going Green Podcast. Going Green, hosted by Dylan Welch, interviews leading experts in cleantech, sustainability, media, finance, and real estate on the Going Green podcast. Tune in and subscribe to the podcast on Apple or Spotify to listen to interviews with leading cleantech and sustainable experts. If you are interested in being featured on Going Green, click HERE.