The African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Georgia plans to build 18 resilience hubs--and eventually up to 482. Five are moving forward right now. Churches are being offered a menu of options, with the highest level of resilience including solar, storage, bidirectional electric vehicle (EV) charging and energy efficiency.

Since this interview was recorded, the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill" law phased out investment tax credits for solar, wind and EVs, which is expected to undermine the church's ambitious efforts. But the first five hubs are set to be completed, providing sanctuaries for church members and their larger communities.

Some Black community members may see the resilience hubs as "science fiction," so it's important to use the first hubs to educate people about their benefits, said James Gaymon, director of operations for social justice for the Sixth District AME Church in Georgia. He describes the numerous hurricane-sparked outages these communities face in Georgia--at least one a year, with a recent power loss lasting 18 days.

Background reading:

Where Black Communities Fit into the Energy Transition

Low-Income Communities are the First to Lose Power. How RMI is Helping Deploy Resilience Hubs

Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts

Visit CleanEnergyWriters.com to learn more about host Lisa Cohn

At a July 10 conference, "The Great Transformation: A Data Center and Energy Innovation Summit," three panelists and attendees answered the question: Where do renewables go from here, given that the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill," will phase out the investment tax credit for solar and wind? Separate from the conference, longtime solar industry member Mike Hall, CEO at Anza, answered the question and provided details about how to deal with President Trump's tariffs.

More on the industry members interviewed for this podcast episode:

Adib Nasle, CEO and co-founder, Xendee

Thomas Lang, CTO and director of business development, AccuSolar

Laurel Hamilton, head of growth at Mayfield Renewables

Mike Hall, CEO at Anza

Musician AY Young has produced more than 950 renewable-energy powered concerts.

The artist, who was recognized as one of 17 U.N. Youth Leaders for Sustainable Development Goals, was inspired by his parents, who were community leaders and activists. His father transformed his neighborhood--which had four drug houses--block-by-block and created a neighborhood development plan. His mother became a state representative.

Young's aim is to produce 1,000 renewable-energy powered concerts and create an album, along with other artists. Each of 17 tracks will focus on a U.N. sustainable development goal. He also donates proceeds from his concerts to pay for clean energy in the communities he visits.

His work is important to the music industry, which generally powers off-grid events with diesel and fossil-fuel generators. For example, producing the Coachella Music and Arts Festival requires about 26 MW of power for site lighting, sound systems, video walls, production offices and catering infrastructure for a site that's 1 mile wide and 1.5 miles long.

Background reading:

Visit Young at AYmusik.com

To learn about the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill's" effect on clean energy, check out Bob Keefe's posts on LinkedIn

Also, this is an interesting take on the measure from Elisa Wood: Energy Trends Inadvertently Unleashed by the Big Beautiful Bill

Lower or Higher Prices for Renewable Energy in 2025? Energy Changemakers

Flexible Interconnection Programs from Utilities on the Rise Microgrid Knowledge