Renewable Power Perspectives Q&A with Laura Zapata, Co-Founder of Clearloop

By Constance ThompsonSeptember 24, 2021

The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is pleased to share the next installment in our “Accelerating Renewables” blog site series.
Each installation features industry leaders and topics related to speeding up a fair and simply shift to an eco-friendly energy economy. In acknowledgment of National Hispanic Heritage Month, our September features highlight how 3 Hispanic-owned Accelerate member companies are prospering in the sustainable energy sector.
Today, we are featuring Clearloop, an Accelerate member business founded by three Tennesseans who want to make sure that the innovation and advantages of renewable energy reach all communities around our country equally, starting with the neighborhoods that have a history of getting left behind. Click HERE to read more about Clearloops impact.
The following is a Q&A with Clearloop Co-Founder Laura Zapata and Constance Thompson, ACOREs Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programs
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What inspired you to begin your business?
Clearloop started as a concept that changed into a company. In the early days– even prior to we had actually decided on the name– we were evaluating out the theory that more companies require to invest in tidying up the electrical power grid so those dollars can be spent increasing the economies in Middle America where access to clean energy is restricted. For me, as one of three founders, this business was influenced by the desire to bring clearness to a large problem with an easy service. We wanted companies to take environment action in the same neighborhood that invited my family as immigrants, and kept me going when things felt dark and the path was unclear
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How can prospective partners work with you?
Were proving that you do not need to be a Fortune 500 business with the ability to sign a power purchase arrangement to help build brand brand-new solar jobs. Even big business that have led the way in eco-friendly energy procurement are now confronted with the reality that the biggest piece of their carbon footprint is in Scope 3, their worth chain, where they may have little control over reduction methods or where reductions may not be instant. That is where Clearloop comes in– were a new tool for organizations big and small to take tangible environment action today and help us decarbonize the grid in the locations that need it the a lot of. We require more imaginative methods to help deal with the environment crisis in such a way that invests in the places where that dollar develops more economic chance and social mobility for the communities where were constructing. Were firm followers that the ecological, health, and economic benefits of clean energy financial investments need to reach all corners of our nation and were looking for partners who are ready to do something about it
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To find out more about Clearloop, visit https://clearloop.us/.
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Tell us about Clearloop?
Clearloop is a cleantech start-up that partners with business of all sizes to assist them cut (or recover) their carbon footprint, tidy up the grid, and expand access to clean energy by constructing new solar jobs in American communities otherwise getting left. Were pioneering putting a carbon value on the building and construction of new solar capability thats determined in watts, not watt-hours, with a new financing structure that allows a broader variety of companies to take part, while likewise being deliberate about the communities where were investing to accomplish an equitable tidy energy future. We recently began on our first utility-connected solar task in Jackson, Tennessee. As we grow, Clearloop will be concentrating on Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta as we take on both dirty grids and economically distressed communities with our solar projects
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What challenges do you face? Why?
One of the biggest difficulties for us, as a reasonably new entrant in the clean energy and carbon markets, is making trustworthiness with market leaders who may be utilized to doing things a specific way. Clearloop is challenging some of the conventional ways in which new solar advancements have actually been funded, and bringing attention to new geographies and equity, to reinsert carbon emissions decreases into the corporate procurement conversation.

Clearloop started as a concept that morphed into a business. In the early days– even before we had chosen on the name– we were testing out the theory that more business need to invest in cleaning up the electrical energy grid so those dollars can be invested enhancing the economies in Middle America where access to tidy energy is restricted. Clearloop is a cleantech start-up that partners with companies of all sizes to assist them cut (or recover) their carbon footprint, clean up the grid, and broaden access to clean energy by developing new solar projects in American neighborhoods otherwise getting left behind. Were showing that you do not need to be a Fortune 500 company with the capability to sign a power purchase contract to assist develop brand new solar tasks. Even big business that have led the way in eco-friendly energy procurement are now faced with the reality that the most significant portion of their carbon footprint is in Scope 3, their value chain, where they might have little control over reduction methods or where reductions might not be immediate.