New York's Energy Czar on Transforming the Electricity System

Richard Kauffman has a lot of responsibilities as New York's "energy czar." He oversees multiple agencies and utilities, advises the governor on energy issues, and works closely with regulators in their attempt to build a new electricity market based on distributed resources. "Often the entities are diffuse and everyone is in their own silo. The benefit we have [in New York] is to develop and implement an integrated energy policy," explained Kauffman on the Energy Gang. This week, we'll talk with Kauffman about the state's unique approach to energy policy. We'll also talk about how he's trying to use markets -- not top-down government programs -- to stimulate change in the electricity sector. Later in the show, we'll debate the significance of EPA's report on groundwater contamination from fracking. To wrap up the show, we'll ask how much Australia overpaid for its solar boom. This podcast is sponsored by ReneSola, a Tier 1 solar cell and module manufacturer with a decade of experience in the cleantech industry. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussions between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Media Editor Stephen Lacey.