Why I Believe in a Smarter, Safer Clean Energy Future: Solar, Storage & AI

By Tim Montague

Solar electrons are the new oil. From solar and storage to AI and microgrids, the blueprint for a resilient, decarbonized world is here.

My Journey from Environmental Activism to Clean Energy Leadership

People often ask why I’m so fired up about clean energy and the energy transition. The short answer: I’m an ecologist at heart who grew up around environmental justice activism in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

My parents, Peter and Katherine Montague, wrote about the dangers of heavy metals and fought pollution for decades. While they worked through activism, I found my path in clean-energy entrepreneurship — helping solar and cleantech companies accelerate the transition to a carbon-free world.

Through Clean Power Consulting Group and The Clean Power Hour Podcast, I help companies deploy scalable solar, storage, and microgrid solutions. Projects like the 2 MW solar array at Parkland College in Illinois prove that community resilience is within reach.

The Clean Energy Transition: Why Solar Alone Isn’t Enough

The clean energy transition is essential — but it’s only half the job. We must decarbonize both the economy and the atmosphere. Stopping emissions isn’t enough; we must restore the climate by drawing carbon back down.

Riding the Solar Coaster: The Policy Challenge

Anyone in solar knows the “solar coaster” — the boom-and-bust cycle driven by changing U.S. energy policy. In contrast, countries like Germany, Denmark, and China have stable, long-term clean energy frameworks.

Despite the political swings, solar and storage economics are now unstoppable. Costs have dropped, performance has improved, and we’ve entered mass deployment. The question isn’t if clean energy will win — but how fast we’ll allow it to.

Batteries and Storage: Humanity’s New Fire

Storage is the missing link in the clean energy puzzle. Like wood, coal, and oil, batteries store sunlight for tomorrow’s use.

We get 10,000 times more solar energy than humanity needs — our challenge is storage. Massive projects, like Abu Dhabi’s 5 GW solar farm with 19 GWh of batteries, show what’s possible.

The next decade must focus on circular, just energy systems that recycle materials and protect communities from exploitation.

Building Energy Resilience with Community Microgrids

As billion-dollar storms become common, energy resilience is everything. Microgrids — solar, storage, and smart switchgear — allow communities to “island” from the main grid during outages.

The technology is proven and scalable. What we need now is the political will to deploy it everywhere. As DOE’s Jigar Shah says: “Deploy, deploy, deploy.”

Cleantech’s Dirty Secret: The Carbon Cost of Solar Manufacturing

Solar isn’t perfectly clean. Most solar panels are still made using fossil-based power. Choosing low-carbon solar — certified by the Ultra Low Carbon Solar Alliance — can cut embodied carbon nearly in half.

Sustainable sourcing is the next frontier of climate action.

Electrons Are the New Oil: AI and the Future of Energy

As a WSI Certified AI Business Consultant, I see firsthand how AI is driving massive new energy demand. Data centers already use ~4% of U.S. electricity and could reach 25% within a decade.

Microgrids for data centers — using solar, wind, batteries, and even reused EV batteries — are reshaping how we power AI. The same AI systems consuming energy today may soon design the next generation of superconductors and climate solutions.

What You Can Do: Local Actions for a Global Energy Revolution

You can start today:

• Go solar or join a community solar program.

• Drive an EV — it’s cleaner and cheaper long-term.

• Vote for renewable energy policy.

• Learn about climate restoration beyond net-zero, like mineral weathering and ocean-iron fertilization.

Thinking in Centuries: The Long View

Our challenge isn’t technological — it’s psychological. We must start thinking in centuries, not election cycles.

The technology exists. The money exists. What we need now is the courage to evolve — fast enough to deserve the intelligence we’ve been given.

The Earth will be fine. The question is: will we?

Tim Montague is President of Clean Power Consulting Group and host of The Clean Power Hour podcast, with over 1.3M views advancing the energy transitions Follow Tim on LinkedIn or subscribe to The Clean Power Hour for insights on clean energy, microgrids, and AI.