Rich Powell

Rich Powell is the CEO of the Clean Energy Buyers Association and the Clean Energy Buyers Institute. CEBA’s 400 member companies represent more than $15T in market cap and as of Q2 2024 have contracted for 84GW of new clean energy. He leads their vision to cultivate a global community of energy customers driving a clean energy future for all and to solve the toughest market and policy barriers to a carbon-free energy system.

He was previously CEO at ClearPath, advising policymakers on investing in breakthrough energy innovation and removing roadblocks to building and exporting U.S. clean technology. He frequently testified before Congress and was deeply engaged in the wave of bipartisan Federal clean energy legislation in recent years.

Before leading ClearPath, he worked for McKinsey & Company in its energy and sustainability practices, focusing on corporate clean energy strategy, government low-carbon growth strategy, and clean tech market entry.

Rich serves on the board of ClearPath, and is a strategic advisor to the Silverado Policy Accelerator and a fellow at the Institute. Washingtonian has named him to its list of the “Most Influential People in Energy” from 2022 to 2024. In 2023, he delivered a TED Talk on updating permitting systems to build much more clean energy, much faster. Rich served on the Advisory Committee to the Export Import Bank of the United States from 2019 to 2021.

He has a B.A. from Harvard College in Environmental Science and Public Policy and a J.D. from New York University.