Season 1, #9: Beyond the Panels: Trust, Community & the Future of Energy

What actually convinces someone to adopt clean energy? It’s not always cost. It’s not always technology. More often, it’s trust. 

In this episode of Stay Current, we sit down with Brian Keane, President of SmartPower, and Benoy Thanjan, Founder & CEO of Reneu Energy and host of the Solar Maverick Podcast, to talk about the deeply human side of the energy transition. 

From community solar projects in Manhattan public housing to nationwide peer-to-peer solar adoption campaigns, this discussion explores why people are far more likely to embrace clean energy when they see neighbors, friends, and local communities leading the way first. 

Brian shares decades of insight into behavioral marketing and the psychology behind renewable energy adoption, including why early solar campaigns often missed the mark and how trust-based, community-driven engagement became one of the industry’s most effective tools. Benoy offers a developer-and-entrepreneur perspective, discussing the realities of deploying solar projects in urban environments, creating workforce opportunities through community partnerships, and making renewable energy more accessible to low- and moderate-income households. 

The conversation also dives into misinformation, generational shifts in sustainability, energy independence, virtual power plants, and the growing role utilities will play as rising energy demand, AI infrastructure, and grid modernization reshape the future of power. 

At its core, this episode is about more than solar panels. It’s about how people make decisions, how communities drive change, and why the future of clean energy may depend as much on relationships and storytelling as on technology itself.