Meet Laura Zapata, Clean Energy Advocate
Before becoming a CEO and cofounder, Laura Zapata’s closest experience to running a business was selling chocolates in fifth grade. As the daughter of Colombian immigrants in Memphis, Tennessee, she quickly adapted, becoming the first in her family to learn English and connect them to the community.
“There was no written blueprint,” Zapata said about arriving in the U.S. in 1999. “[The] North Star was always: How do you succeed and make the most of this opportunity?”
Zapata’s entrepreneurial spirit shone through her roles as a legislative correspondent and public affairs specialist. Encouraged by former Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen, she became the CEO of Clearloop, a clean energy firm.
After leaving office in 2011, Bredesen aimed to bring renewable energy to Tennessee through the private sector. He co-founded Silicon Ranch, a solar and battery storage company, but realized its services were costly for small businesses. This led to the idea of Clearloop, a platform allowing organizations to invest in solar farms without long-term contracts, thus reducing their carbon footprint.
In 2018, Zapata joined Bredesen’s Senate campaign as communications director. After his defeat, Bredesen revived the Clearloop proposal and invited Zapata to help establish it as a company.
Zapata embraced the opportunity to work in climate and invest back in the Southeast. “How could I give back to the community that helped raise me?” she reflected.
Many carbon-offset projects aim to prevent emissions but sometimes fail in creating new clean energy. Clearloop addresses this by building solar farms in impactful locations, focusing on areas like the American South. They use data from WattTime to track carbon reduction spending, emphasizing “emissionality.”
“Building another solar farm in California might just replace another solar farm,” said Henry Richardson from WattTime. “In Tennessee, it’s likely you’ll be pushing off coal.”
In 2021, Silicon Ranch acquired Clearloop, and Zapata’s team began developing their first solar farm in Tennessee. By 2022, they added two more projects. According to WattTime, these farms will prevent 282 million pounds of greenhouse gases.
One solar farm near Paris, Tennessee, is partly funded by Rivian, an electric automaker seeking to offset emissions. “Every project should aim to reduce fossil fuel reliance,” said Andrew Peterman, Rivian’s director of advanced energy solutions.
With a strong presence in Tennessee, Zapata plans expansion. In 2024, Clearloop completed projects in Mississippi, supported by Microsoft and Vanderbilt University, powering nearly 4,000 homes. Next year, they will begin a project in Louisiana, with future plans for Arkansas, Alabama, and New Mexico.
“We’re expanding geographically and our customer base,” Zapata said. “We aim to build projects in carbon-intensive areas for maximum impact.”
Original Story at www.sierraclub.org