Ep. 148: Alicia Barton, CEO of FirstLight Power

This week's guest is Alicia Barton, CEO of FirstLight Power. FirstLight Power is a renewables and storage company that integrates and delivers clean power to New England homes and businesses. It operates the Northfield Mountain energy storage facility and other hydroelectric, solar, and energy assets in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Dedicating her career to fighting climate change, Alicia is a cleantech industry veteran. She earned a JD from Boston College Law School and a BS in Natural Resources from The Ohio State University. Alicia has experience in both private and public sector leadership roles. She co-chaired the Energy & Cleantech Practice at the law firm Foley Hoag LLP, served as Chief of Operations for SunEdison's global utility business, and worked in environmental public policy for the state of Massachusetts. Alicia later went on to serve as the President & CEO of NYSERDA (New York State Energy and Research Development Authority) and the CEO of MassCEC (Massachusetts Clean Energy Center). In 2020, Alicia assumed her role as CEO of FirstLight Power, where she is working to create a clean energy future. I was excited about this discussion because Alicia has been on my wishlist for quite some time. Alicia walks me through how cleantech has evolved over her career, her role at FirstLight Power, and how hydrogen fits into the renewable landscape. We also dive into climate policy on the federal and state levels, barriers to adopting a clean and reliable grid, and the future of renewables. Alicia is an excellent guest, especially for those interested in how policy and innovation can work together to bring about a clean energy transition. Enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Episode recorded February 26th, 2021