What does it take to scale the clean energy transition—both at the bleeding edge of new technology and in the nuts-and-bolts of infrastructure?

Today’s episode dives into the nuanced world of climate finance and infrastructure with Brendan Bell, Chief Operating Officer and Partner at Aligned Climate Capital. Unlike most investors who play in either venture or infrastructure, Align straddles both worlds, backing early-stage companies while also owning and operating clean energy assets.

Brendan shares his unusual path from the Sierra Club to the U.S. Senate, the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, and now into the private sector. Along the way, he offers candid insights into what makes a strong infrastructure investment, how venture-backed technologies eventually scale into bankable assets, and why understanding both sides of the capital stack is critical to accelerating the clean energy transition.

This is a masterclass on the interplay between policy, venture innovation, and hard infrastructure. If you’ve ever wondered how moonshot technologies meet the realities of capital markets and project finance, this conversation will give you the inside view.

📝 Show Notes:

Topics

• 02:43 – Dual Strategy: Venture vs Infrastructure
• 04:05 – Evaluating Infrastructure Projects
• 06:06 – Career Journey to Aligned Climate Capital
• 07:55 – Inside the Loan Programs Office
• 10:10 – Impact of Early Loans and Technology Bets
• 12:25 – Evolution of the LPO
• 15:42 – Lessons from Oil and Gas
• 22:48 – Current State of Infrastructure Investment
• 24:40 – Community Solar and Storage
• 27:55 – Global Trends and Race for Electrons
• 32:45 – Successful Investment Example
• 34:32 – Team Structure and Investment Philosophy
• 39:48 – Policy and International Markets
• 44:59 – Global Impact on Costs and Adoption

Links

• Brendan Bell | Align Climate Capital
• Connect with Somil on LinkedIn | Connect with Silas on LinkedIn
• Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn
• This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.

Support the show

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• 5+ Years (exclusively in CleanTech)
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How can we fight climate change by focusing underground?

It turns out one of the biggest untapped climate solutions isn’t in the air—or in the trees, it’s in the soil beneath our feet. Today’s guest has developed a game-changing way to measure and protect soil organic carbon, helping farmers, agribusinesses, and carbon markets work together for climate impact and economic resilience.

Our guest is Chris Tolles, Founder & CEO of Yard Stick PBC.

Some quotes to hook you:

“Soils store way, way more carbon than all the trees and plants and animals combined.”

“If you want to sell soil carbon credits, you’ve got to measure soil carbon—accurately and at scale.”

“Healthy soils aren’t just about climate—they’re about keeping Cheerios on the shelves.”

“Identify the application of your technology that helps someone make money or save money—that’s what all businesses do.”

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Show Notes: Topics

05:50 – What Yardstick does and how the tech works

08:07 – Why soil organic carbon matters for climate and food security

09:31 – Is higher soil carbon concentration always better?

09:31 – Yardstick’s two main revenue streams

14:02 – Climate product or economic solution?

17:21 – How big companies will make the change

30:12 – Is framing as a “climate solution” a dead end?

36:45 – Balancing production and soil health

42:16 – Revisiting emissions per calorie in agriculture

49:10 – Messaging Yardstick to different audiences

Links- Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas- Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn- This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.

Support the show

If you're gonna change the world, you're gonna need a world-class team. Partner with ErthTech Talent to help you do that, for less.

• 70+ Placements
• 5+ Years (exclusively in CleanTech)
• The Lowest Fees in the Market (12-15% of first-year salary)
• 90-day placement guarantee

It's really hard to say no to that.

Wait?! -- The best service is also the cheapest? Seems too good to be true, but it's the entire reason we started this company.

We believe that Climate entrepreneurs are doing important work, and there should be a firm to help them find the best talent, without it breaking the bank.

Reach out today for a free assessment of your hiring process. hello@erthtechtalent.com

Ever wonder how we are going to decarbonize heavy industry? Well, you won't have to wonder much longer. Today's guest has an incredible solution that is 1) drop in, 2) cost parity (or better), 3) has an existing supply chain, 4) overcomes any scarcity concerns, and 5) prevents users from changing anything they do.

Our guest is Peter Godart, the Co-Founder of Found Energy.

Some quotes to hook you:

- "We've developed what we call the world's first rechargeable fuel."

- "There's really no other technology that can store energy for this long and then be dispatched as easily."

- "Aluminum is just one of the best materials we have available to actually burn something."

- "If you don't have a green grid, actually exacerbates the issue. At least in the short term, makes things worse."

Check Out Our Sponsor!
ErthTech Talent: Expert, Affordable CleanTech Search Firm

Get the best CleanTech talent without paying absurdly high prices.

Affordable: Our search fee is 12-15% of first-year base salary (most charge 25-30%).
Specialized: We ONLY work with CleanTech startups.
Proven: 70+ placements since 2020 (Aypa Power, ChargeScape, QCells, & more).
Save time and money when you work with ErthTech Talent.

Plus, Silas runs it, so you already know him. — Reach out and tell him you saw this ad.


📝 Show Notes:
Topics

1:04 Core technology & how it works?

4:58 Why is a new fuel source needed for industrial decarb?

13:00 What is "rechargeable fuel"?

19:08 Path to cost parity w/ fossil fuels

20:56 You can use aluminum waste!?

26:24 Targe industries & markets

34:36 How to handle the supply chain?

40:37 Energy density comparison to traditional fuels

50:51 Next milestones for scaling the technology

1:01:50 Timeline for commercial deployment

Links
- Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas
- Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn
- This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.

Support the show

If you're gonna change the world, you're gonna need a world-class team. Partner with ErthTech Talent to help you do that, for less.

• 70+ Placements
• 5+ Years (exclusively in CleanTech)
• The Lowest Fees in the Market (12-15% of first-year salary)
• 90-day placement guarantee

It's really hard to say no to that.

Wait?! -- The best service is also the cheapest? Seems too good to be true, but it's the entire reason we started this company.

We believe that Climate entrepreneurs are doing important work, and there should be a firm to help them find the best talent, without it breaking the bank.

Reach out today for a free assessment of your hiring process. hello@erthtechtalent.com