Clean Energy Spotlight: Eric Planey

This week’s #cleanenergyspotlight goes to Eric Planey, the CEO of SolaBlock and co-host of the Pirates of Clean Tech podcast.  

SolaBlock, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Easthampton, Massachusetts, manufactures high-powered solar bricks and tiles that have the potential to power homes, schools, hospitals, etc.Thanks to tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act, "SolaBlock is setting up [their] first factory in Pittsfield, Massachusetts," said Planey.   

Planey began his clean energy journey in 2015 when “he was a part of NYU's first certificate program in clean energy finance," he told the Faces of Clean Energy Program. He went on to work at the nexus of finance and clean technology for 25 years. 

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Planey launched the Pirates of Clean Tech podcast in 2020. Ranked “number 8 on Top 15 Clean Tech podcasts in the world,” Planey “interviews…leaders in the green revolution, and…[reviews] the latest headlines in cleantech, ESG, and sustainability.”

A year after launching the podcast, he assumed the role of CEO at SolaBlock.

Hailing from Youngstown, Ohio, “the 4th largest steel-making city in the world,” Planey believes that the rust belt states can make a big comeback with clean energy. 

That is why he underscores the importance of continued investment in sustainability: “We need to be looking forward, not backward. We need to restore manufacturing jobs, and the clean energy supply chain is THE way to do that. Congress should realize: Energy policy is economic policy.”

Congratulations, Eric, and thank you for your invaluable contributions to drive our transition to clean energy forward.