OFFICIAL FILM SYNOPSIS:
Solar is a bountiful, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective source of energy, but fossil fuel monopolies, with the help of their government allies and groups funded by the Koch brothers, are stifling the growth of renewables to protect their own wealth and control. Jonathan Scott, the famed HGTV “Property Brothers” personality, is on a mission to dismantle this system. JONATHAN SCOTT’S POWER TRIP is an exploration into the production of energy, something taken for granted but crucial to everyday living, and takes us across the USA to learn the obstacles and opportunities for achieving energy freedom.
Jonathan’s path from celebrity contractor to energy choice activist began in 2015 when he decided to install solar panels on his own home in Las Vegas, Nevada, one of the sunniest areas in the world. As he was in the process of the installation, Nevada’s Public Utility Commission, in an effort to suppress the competition, slashed reimbursements for selling excess electricity back to the grid, effectively killing the fast-growing industry in Nevada. Jonathan soon discovers that Nevada is not alone, as he investigates stories of solar suppression in California, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida and beyond.
When an attempt to approach the fight on a federal level fails, Jonathan is encouraged to find specific examples of how solar is helping to improve the lives of ordinary Americans on a daily basis. In a true energy democracy, Americans would be free to choose where their energy comes from. JONATHAN SCOTT’S POWER TRIP aims to start a conversation about the authorities who have been wielding their control over utilities for too long and the steps we can take to transfer power into the hands of the people.
JONATHAN SCOTT’S POWER TRIP
Directed and Produced by: Jonathan Scott
Written by: Jonathan Scott and Edward Osei-Gyimah
Country of Origin: USA
Language: English
Genre: Documentary
Distributor: MPI Media Group
Run Time: 83 minutes