From Innovation to Implementation: David Nemtzow on Clean Energy Policy, Technology, and the Federal Playbook

In this episode of We Are the Government, host Dipka Hesse speaks with David Nemtzow, a longtime clean energy technology and energy efficiency expert whose leadership at the U.S. Department of Energy has left an indelible footprint in the American clean energy sector.David left the DOE in April 2025 after a decade in the federal government. During his tenure as a career civil servant, he managed the Virtual Power Plant program in the Department’s Loan Program Office and ran the Department’s Building Technologies Office, which aimed to make U.S. buildings more energy efficient.David discusses how energy efficiency and clean energy policy move from ideas to execution inside the government. He shares his experience as a civil servant and the delicate dance that is working with political appointees from the Obama, Biden and Trump administrations.David discusses his experience leading the Alliance to Save Energy in a much more cordial Washington of the 1990s, and he brings a twist of color to the conversation sharing his experience as a political appointee in Australia. Spoiler alert: America and Australia’s federal system work very differently.#WeAreTheGovernment #EnergyPolicy #CleanEnergy #EnergyEfficiency #PolicyImplementation #PublicService #GovernmentInnovationThis podcast is produced as a time capsule for America's 250th anniversary, preserving the stories and contributions of those who have helped build our Republic.Host: Dipka Hesse X: @DBHesseLinkedIn: ⁠linkedin.com/dipkabhambhani⁠YouTube: @theenergyodyssey Thank you to our great team who helped make this inaugural episode possible. A special thanks to David Padrusch and Mathew John for their support, without which this wouldn’t be possible.Executive Producer: Richard Taliaferro ([email protected])Graphic Artist: David Zerba ([email protected])Editor: Axel Soderland ([email protected] )