Welcome to the Clean Power Shift

In a rapidly evolving energy landscape, a new online journal and research platform is stepping onto the scene with a focused vision: to shine a spotlight on the technologies and ideas shaping tomorrow’s clean energy sector. Founded by energy executive and researcher Brandon Owens, Clean Power Shift is an independent outlet devoted exclusively to innovation—an area where transformative breakthroughs often get lost amid larger industry headlines and debates.

Around the globe, nations are scrambling to reduce carbon footprints, adopt renewables, and modernize power grids. Yet, in the background, much of the nuanced research and groundbreaking experiments can go unnoticed, overshadowed by splashy headlines about regulatory moves or large-scale infrastructure projects. Owens, whose career spans roles at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and General Electric (GE), hopes Clean Power Shift can bring deserved attention to the precise building blocks of an energy transition—be they advanced batteries, cutting-edge geothermal, AI-assisted grid management, or the next big frontier no one has heard of yet.

In a new interview, Owens offers insights into the journal’s founding principles, why staying independent matters, and how artificial intelligence is emerging as a key influence on the way we develop and manage energy systems. But Owens is quick to note that Clean Power Shift doesn’t claim to have all the answers. Instead, he sees it as an evolving project—one that welcomes scrutiny and thrives on the constructive input of readers, industry stakeholders, and the broader public.

Interview Transcript

Interviewer: I’m here with Brandon Owens, the Founder of Clean Power Shift, an online energy journal and research platform. As an online journal and research platform, you’re zeroing in exclusively on energy innovation. Why focus only on innovation?

Brandon Owens:
I’ve spent the better part of my career studying how new energy technologies move from lab-scale curiosities to real-world deployments. What I learned—especially in my time at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and later at GE—is that the real breakthroughs often get lost in the noise of broader energy news. There’s plenty of coverage on infrastructure developments and policy debates, but the nuances of how innovations move from the lab to the market are often overlooked. Clean Power Shift fills that gap by providing in-depth attention to emerging technologies and their commercialization pathways.

Interviewer: You make a point of staying independent—no ads or corporate sponsorship. Why is that especially critical when it comes to covering disruptive technologies?

Brandon Owens:
Disruptive technologies often buck traditional industry trends, meaning they can be controversial—especially to companies heavily invested in older paradigms. By steering clear of external funding or sponsorships, Clean Power Shift can provide objective analysis without any pressure to downplay or overhype certain developments. That independence lets us stay true to the data, no matter which way it points.

Interviewer: Today, one of the biggest topics in tech—and increasingly in energy—is AI. Could you talk about how Clean Power Shift addresses the growing role of AI in energy innovation?

Brandon Owens:
AI and machine learning are fast becoming indispensable in the energy sector, whether it’s optimizing grid performance, predicting equipment failures, or fine-tuning energy dispatch in real time. On Clean Power Shift, I view AI as a critical layer that can supercharge existing technologies—like wind, solar, or storage—by increasing their efficiency and reliability. We’re also keeping a close eye on how AI is changing everything from behind-the-scenes asset management to the very structure of our electric grids.

Interviewer: You also place emphasis on historical context. Why weave in the past when talking about the future of energy?

Brandon Owens:
Many of today’s most successful clean energy solutions—like wind turbines or large-scale solar—had lengthy incubation periods where research, development, policy support, and market acceptance waxed and waned. By revisiting those histories, we can spot parallels and pitfalls that might apply to today’s newer frontiers, such as green hydrogen or AI-driven grid orchestration. It’s not just anecdotal; it’s a crucial form of analysis that helps us understand how technologies can transition from concept to widespread adoption.

Interviewer: So who stands to gain the most from subscribing to—or regularly reading—Clean Power Shift?

Brandon Owens:
Anyone who needs more than just a passing headline about the future of energy. That includes energy executives facing strategic investment decisions, policymakers drafting legislation that could make or break these emerging technologies, and professionals who advise on or implement these solutions in the field. It’s also useful for academics and students who want to see how the “real world” is grappling with novel concepts.

Interviewer: Given your career trajectory—NREL, GE, and your broader work in technology commercialization—how have those experiences influenced how you approach content creation for Clean Power Shift?

Brandon Owens:
Each chapter in my career taught me something about how innovation really happens. At NREL, I saw the cutting edge of research, but also the gap between lab findings and real-world uptake. At GE, I had a front-row seat to high-stakes decision-making about which technologies to invest in and how to bring them to market. That blend of technical grounding and strategic insight helps me parse announcements and developments in a more nuanced way.

Interviewer: As you launch Clean Power Shift, what’s your long-term vision for its role in the energy sector?

Brandon Owens:
I see it becoming a cornerstone for anyone who cares about forward-looking, unbiased information on energy breakthroughs. Long-term, I want the journal to be a trusted voice that helps guide critical decisions—whether that’s an investor exploring emerging battery chemistries, a grid operator evaluating AI-based asset management, or a policymaker weighing the merits of advanced geothermal solutions.

Interviewer: Finally, if you had to distill the essence of Clean Power Shift into one core mission statement, what would it be?

Brandon Owens:
We exist to shed light on the innovations that will define the next era of energy—doing so with rigor, context, and objectivity. In a space rife with hype and quick takes, we strive to give readers a comprehensive, data-driven perspective so they can make better-informed decisions.