Financing the Energy Transition with Richard Kauffman

In this episode of Energy Matters with Claire and Dan, Claire is joined by Richard Kauffman, CEO of the Coalition for Green Capital and a longtime leader at the intersection of finance, government, and clean energy deployment. Richard's career spans Wall Street, the U.S. Department of Energy, NYSERDA, and now the creation of a $5 billion National Green Bank. Together, Claire and Richard unpack what has — and hasn't — changed in clean energy over the last two decades, from the politicization of the DOE loan program after Solyndra to the rise of corporate buyers, private credit, and infrastructure investors. They explore why the biggest challenge in clean energy today isn't technology, but financing the "messy middle" — projects that are too small for large infrastructure funds and too complex for traditional lenders. The conversation also digs into community solar, offshore wind, utility business models, and why reducing soft costs may matter more than subsidizing hardware. Finally, Richard shares why he remains cautiously hopeful: how growing electricity demand, affordability pressures, and global deployment trends could force long-overdue changes in how energy is financed and delivered.