loading . . . https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-262-alltransitionsarelocal-mini.mp3
Free mini-episode Length: 19:36
__
__
0:00
-19:36
1.0x
0.5x 1.0x 1.25x 1.5x 2.0x
____ __
Share URL
Copy
https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-262-alltransitionsarelocal-mini.mp3
Full episode Length: 1:11:16
__
__
* Join for full episodes
* Buy this episode: $7
Successful energy transition projects are not one-size-fits-all. They are attuned to the local needs of their communities, and allow community priorities to shape resilience, affordability, and equity outcomes.
In today's conversation, Nadia Ahmad, Professor of Law at Barry University in Florida, shares findings from a three-year study of clean energy transitions in Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania. Based on more than 100 stakeholder interviews, the research exposes a troubling paradox. Florida suffers from frequent hurricanes, tropical storms, and flash floods, but a utility structure dominated by investor-owned companies actively prevents the community microgrids that would build resilience.
Ahmad explains how legal, policy, and regulatory frameworks at county, municipal, state, and federal levels can support community-driven clean energy transitions. She shares important insights on designing approaches to accelerate the energy transition where you live, including the seven legal elements her team identified for successful projects and the pitfalls to avoid. For instance, Florida's challenges contrast with Germany's success, where nearly half of renewable energy capacity became citizen-owned by the 2010s.
**Guest:**
**Nadia B. Ahmad** is a Professor of Law at Barry University School of Law. Professor Ahmadâs research explores the intersections of energy siting, the environment, and sustainable development and draws on international investment law and corporate social responsibility. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justiceâs Environmental Justice Committee, and the ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resourcesâ Superfund and Natural Resource Damages Litigation Committee. She is an official expert for multilateral development organization, International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR) Taskforce on Bamboo for Renewable Energy (TFB4RE), which promotes environmentally sustainable development using bamboo and rattan. Professor Ahmad is a member of the state bars of Florida and Colorado.
On Twitter: @nadiabahmad
On Bluesky: @nadiabahmad.bsky.social
On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadiabahmad/
On the Web: Nadiaâs faculty page at Barry University School of Law
**Recording date:** October 14, 2025
**Air date:** November 5, 2025
**Geek rating:4**
### Share this:
____ __ https://xenetwork.org/ets/episodes/episode-262-all-transitions-are-local/
