I didn’t start out to be an energy reporter. Back in 2005, I was a beat reporter at The Desert Sun, covering a town called Palm Desert -- about 12 miles east of Palm Springs -- when the city launched ambitious and, at the time, innovative energy efficiency and solar programs. I quickly got hooked and ultimately became the paper’s first energy reporter, covering wind, solar and geothermal development in the California desert. I came back East to D.C. in 2014 to become communications manager at the Smart Electric Power Alliance, a nonprofit working to accelerate the U.S. energy transition through cross-industry collaboration. What I learned there, among other things, is that utilities and regulators are lousy at telling their own stories, and that the energy transition is one of the most misunderstood, underreported and compelling narratives of our time. Before the pandemic, when I was not geeking out on cleantech stories, I could often be found at D.C.’s storied 9:30 Club, listening to very loud indie bands or at the local rep houses watching indie films and documentaries. Guilty pleasures include superhero movies, the Fast & Furious franchise and, of course, John Wick.