919: Why Smart Developers Are Betting on Batteries | Emilie Flanagan

About this episode

Emilie Flanagan discusses her journey in solar development and the importance of integrating battery storage and community trust.

Nico had the chance to sit down in person with today’s guest — and as you’d expect, that face-to-face conversation brings a level of depth, candor, and nuance you don’t always get. Emilie Flanagan, Founder and CEO of Carson Power, has built her career across Southeast Asia, Europe, and the U.S. — from advising on energy markets at KPMG to working inside a European family office, and eventually leading more than 200 megawatts of community solar development in New York before launching her own platform. In this conversation, Emilie shares how her approach to development has evolved in real time — including the decision to integrate battery storage early, and what that actually changed in how her team evaluates, structures, and advances projects. We also spend time on the part of development that doesn’t get talked about enough: working with communities — what builds trust, what breaks it, and why more projects stall there than most developers are willing to admit. What she got wrong early — and how it changed the way she builds Why she left a successful role at Borrego to start Carson Power How experienced developers think about capital, risk, and discipline Where projects actually…

People in this episode

Host: Nico Johnson

Guest: Emilie Flanagan

Topics covered

• batteries
• solar development
• energy markets
• community engagement

Keywords

• Carson Power
• community solar
• energy development
• trust building

Mentioned in this episode

Products: OpenSolar OS 3.0, Carson Power

Places: Southeast Asia, Europe, U.S., New York

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