Clear Cut — Work Inside the Clean Energy Transition
Clear Cut · Clean Energy Work

Find work that fits
how you think.

Where are you right now?

Clear Cut · Clean Energy Work

Find work that
fits how you
think.

What's your current role?
Pick the one that fits closest
Pick the one that sounds most like you —
Be honest
And if you're really honest — pick up to 2
The ones you haven't said out loud at work
Honest accounts

You already
do this work.
Just not here.

What this job actually feels like — the good days and the hard ones.

"
"I write the brief. Someone else decides. Then I write why it didn't work."
Energy Policy
Analyst
The work that happens before the decision — and after it goes the wrong way.
What this actually feels like
"The rule changed because of what I wrote. Most people will never know that. I do."
Your skill in this role
Your edge in this role
    What you'd do
    • Research and write policy briefs, regulatory comments, and legislative analyses
    • Translate complex energy law into clear recommendations non-lawyers can act on
    • Track regulatory proposals and flag what matters before it becomes final
    A good day
    You find the paragraph in a 400-page rule that everyone else missed. It changes the recommendation.
    A hard day
    You wrote the perfect brief. The decision went another way. You start the next one.
    Hear from someone doing this job
    Site prep
    Permits
    Grid
    "
    "Every stakeholder thinks they're the most urgent. My job is to decide who's right."
    Clean Energy
    Project Manager
    The build doesn't move without someone who can hold everything at once.
    What this actually feels like
    "I built a solar farm from permits to commissioning. It's in the ground now. That's real."
    Your skill in this role
    Your edge in this role
      What you'd do
      • Coordinate permitting, procurement, and construction timelines for solar, wind, or storage projects
      • Manage contractor relationships from development through commissioning
      • Keep budgets, schedules, and stakeholders aligned when nothing goes to plan
      A good day
      Three things were supposed to go wrong. You saw two coming and fixed the third before lunch.
      A hard day
      The permit got delayed again. The contractor needs an answer. Everyone is waiting on you.
      Hear from someone doing this job
      "
      "I quantify things that haven't happened yet and convince people to care about them now."
      ESG & Climate
      Risk Analyst
      The exposure nobody looked at. You would have looked.
      What this actually feels like
      "I told them the risk was real before anyone wanted to hear it. A year later they came back and said thank you."
      Your skill in this role
      Your edge in this role
        What you'd do
        • Model physical and transition climate risks for investment portfolios
        • Produce ESG disclosures, TCFD reports, and regulatory filings
        • Work with clients on decarbonization strategy and scenario planning
        A good day
        You flagged a risk in a portfolio the client didn't see. They acted on it. Six months later, you were right.
        A hard day
        The data is incomplete, the deadline is real, and you have to make a call with less than you'd like.
        Hear from someone doing this job
        "
        "If I'm wrong, someone finds out at peak demand."
        Grid & Energy
        Analyst
        The pattern in the noise. You were always going to find it.
        What this actually feels like
        "My forecast was right every day last week. The grid held. Nobody called me. That's how you know it worked."
        Your skill in this role
        Your edge in this role
          What you'd do
          • Forecast electricity demand and model grid scenarios for utilities, ISOs, or developers
          • Analyze market pricing and support planning decisions during the energy transition
          • Find the pattern in the data before it shows up in the headline
          A good day
          Your forecast was right. The grid held. Nobody noticed — which means everything went exactly as it should.
          A hard day
          The model flagged something unusual. You're not sure if it's real. The meeting is in an hour.
          Hear from someone doing this job
          "
          "I actually listened at that first meeting — not just to what people were supposed to say. That changed the whole project."
          Community
          Outreach Specialist
          The project gets built because someone built trust first.
          What this actually feels like
          "Two years of meetings. I was the only one who stayed the whole time. That's why they still answer my calls."
          Your skill in this role
          Your edge in this role
            What you'd do
            • Facilitate listening sessions, public meetings, and community input processes for clean energy siting and development
            • Build relationships with local leaders, environmental justice advocates, and affected residents
            • Translate project details into plain language — and community concerns into developer decisions
            A good day
            A community member who came to the first meeting angry leaves the fifth one asking how they can help. That shift took months. You stayed the whole time.
            A hard day
            You heard something important at the meeting. You put it in the report. Nobody upstream changed anything. You go back next month anyway.
            Hear from someone doing this job
            "
            "Nobody was reading the technical reports. I rewrote one as a story. People shared it ten thousand times."
            Clean Energy
            Communications
            The sector has the science. It needs people who can explain it.
            What this actually feels like
            "The engineers knew what they'd built. My job was making sure everyone else did too."
            Your skill in this role
            Your edge in this role
              What you'd do
              • Write, edit, and produce content that translates clean energy policy, technology, and workforce stories for public audiences
              • Develop communications strategy for utilities, developers, nonprofits, and advocacy organizations
              • Run campaigns, manage social media, and produce reports that make technical information land
              A good day
              You found the story inside the data. Someone read it who didn't expect to care — and now they do.
              A hard day
              The policy changed overnight. The messaging you spent three weeks building is now wrong. You start again.
              Hear from someone doing this job
              Cohort 1
              Training
              Placement
              "
              "The sector kept saying there weren't enough workers. I kept asking why the training programs weren't finishing."
              Workforce
              Development
              The transition needs people. You build the path that gets them there.
              What this actually feels like
              "My first cohort had a 40% completion rate. I redesigned the schedule. Now it's 85. That's the work."
              Your skill in this role
              Your edge in this role
                What you'd do
                • Design and manage training programs, apprenticeships, and workforce pipelines for clean energy jobs
                • Partner with employers, community colleges, unions, and workforce boards to align training with hiring needs
                • Track outcomes, identify barriers to completion, and redesign what isn't working
                A good day
                Someone who almost dropped out in week three got placed this morning. You knew in week two they were about to. That conversation made the difference.
                A hard day
                The employer changed the job requirements after the cohort started training. You spend the afternoon on the phone fixing something you didn't cause.
                Hear from someone doing this job
                "
                "I walked in, looked at the HVAC schedule, and knew they were spending $40K a year they didn't have to."
                Energy Auditor /
                Efficiency Specialist
                Every building is leaking energy. You're the one who finds it.
                What this actually feels like
                "The building owner thought it was working fine. I showed them three years of data. They signed the retrofit contract that afternoon."
                Your skill in this role
                Your edge in this role
                  What you'd do
                  • Conduct energy audits on commercial, industrial, and residential buildings to identify efficiency gaps
                  • Analyze utility data, HVAC systems, insulation, and equipment to build the case for retrofits
                  • Write audit reports and efficiency recommendations that building owners can actually act on
                  A good day
                  You found the thing nobody had looked for. The data confirmed it. You wrote it up clearly enough that the owner understood it in five minutes and said yes.
                  A hard day
                  The data was clear. The savings were real. The owner said they'd think about it. You've heard that before.
                  Hear from someone doing this job
                  "
                  "The turbine ran every day last year. Nobody called me. That's how I know I did my job."
                  Operations &
                  Maintenance Technician
                  The plant runs because someone keeps it running.
                  What this actually feels like
                  "I caught the bearing issue in the data two weeks before it would have failed. That's a $200K repair we didn't have to make."
                  Your skill in this role
                  Your edge in this role
                    What you'd do
                    • Maintain, inspect, and troubleshoot solar arrays, wind turbines, battery storage systems, or generation assets
                    • Monitor performance data and respond to alarms, faults, and scheduled maintenance needs
                    • Keep detailed maintenance logs and work with contractors and engineering teams on complex repairs
                    A good day
                    You spotted the anomaly in the performance data before it became a fault. Fixed it. The asset ran at full output. Nobody noticed anything happened.
                    A hard day
                    The fault alarm came in at 2am. You're on call. The part you need is three days out. You make it work with what you have.
                    Hear from someone doing this job
                    Racking
                    Panels
                    Wiring
                    "
                    "I can tell when something's off before I can explain why. My crew thought I was being difficult. Then the inspection found it."
                    Solar / Wind
                    Installer & Technician
                    You put it in the ground. It generates power for 25 years.
                    What this actually feels like
                    "I drove past that array on the way home from another job. I installed it three years ago. It's still running."
                    Your skill in this role
                    Your edge in this role
                      What you'd do
                      • Install, wire, and commission solar photovoltaic systems or wind turbine components on residential, commercial, or utility-scale sites
                      • Read site drawings, follow specs, and work safely at height and in variable conditions
                      • Troubleshoot and perform quality checks during and after installation to ensure the system performs as designed
                      A good day
                      The system commissioned clean on the first try. The numbers matched the design. You packed up the truck and moved to the next site.
                      A hard day
                      The site conditions weren't what the drawings showed. You adapt on the fly, keep the crew safe, and figure out what needs to go back to engineering.
                      Hear from someone doing this job
                      This is just the door.

                      Hear what it's
                      actually like inside.

                      Clear Cut is a storytelling podcast about work set inside the clean energy transition.

                      Clear Cut
                      Made for all minds
                      clearcutpodcast.com
                      Web design by Adrienne Hines
                      You're already here.

                      What are you
                      good at?
                      What's hard?

                      Pick your role, then what's true about how you work.

                      Take your time. Choose what feels most true, not most impressive. The friction section is optional.

                      Your current role —
                      Pick the closest match
                      What you're good at — pick up to 2
                      True about you, not just what's on your resume
                      What's hard — pick up to 2, optional
                      Skip this if you want. But the honest answer makes your result more useful
                      You're already in clean energy
                      "

                      What you're good at
                      What's hard
                      Hear from someone in this exact position
                      Clear Cut
                      Made for all minds
                      clearcutpodcast.com
                      Web design by Adrienne Hines

                      Are you building
                      the workforce
                      pipeline?

                      Workforce board, employer, ERG, university program, or disability employment network — tell us a little about where you're coming from.

                      Type of organization
                      What you're working on
                      Your email
                      Send a note

                      Or email directly: [email protected]

                      Clear Cut
                      Made for all minds
                      clearcutpodcast.com
                      Web design by Adrienne Hines
                      Clear Cut · Podcast

                      First episode
                      dropping soon.

                      Clean energy is being built by people who think differently — and it needs more of them. Clear Cut is a podcast about what it actually feels like to work inside the transition, told by the people doing it. Every episode is a real account of a real role: what the work demands, what a good day looks like, and how different kinds of minds find their place in it.

                      The sector needs people. The question isn't whether there's a place for you — it's which one fits.

                      You're on the list. We'll let you know.

                      No spam. One email when the first episode is live.

                      About Clear Cut

                      A podcast about
                      working in
                      clean energy.

                      Anonymous. Participant-led. One role at a time.

                      7M
                      clean energy workers projected to be needed by 2030
                      53%
                      of Gen Z self-identify as neurodivergent
                      1%
                      of clean energy apprentices say they have a disability. Half left the question blank.
                      The problem isn't a talent shortage.
                      It's a design problem.

                      Clear Cut looks at clean energy work through a neurodivergent lens.

                      Created by
                      Adrienne Hines, MDP
                      Communications & research professional · Washington, DC · Climate Fresk facilitator
                      Clear Cut
                      Made for all minds
                      clearcutpodcast.com