Educating customers is the catchphrase of many utilities these days, as it should be since many entities only recently stopped referring the people on the other side of the meter as ratepayers. But what about the larger world of clean technology that is looking to sell not only a more efficient, modern electrical grid, but everything from electric vehicles to solar panels? The answer there is also consumer education and marketing, according to David Crane, CEO of NRG Energy.

During a keynote address at Jefferies Securities Clean Tech Conference, Crane was bullish on taking the focus off of government and putting it on to the rest of us. “We have to get out of this mindset that what’s sustainable is limiting -- that it’s not good or that it costs more,” he said.

He pointed to electric vehicles and the pessimistic stance of industry observers who remember failed EVs of past decades that weren't as good as traditional cars and didn't merit their sticker price. The conversation, which was also echoed last fall at The Networked EV, is that it can’t just be about how cheap it is to fill up an EV -- it also has to be about what kind of driving experience it is (hopefully, a fun one).

Like many others, Crane sees the EV as the game-changer and his company has banked on that with eVgo, a networked, subscription-based charging system. He asked a room full of clean tech executives how many of their companies advertise during Monday Night Football, or had looked into Super Bowl advertising. As the smiles subsided, he noted that Nissan did both of those things for its Leaf, and that marketing power could be a driver far beyond the fundamentals of energy efficiency. “You have to get people to do it on their own,” he said. And by “on their own,” he seemed to imply through the powers of Madison Avenue.

Getting people around to making these decisions “on their own” is a loaded statement. For some technologies, like EVs, a lot of planning needs to happen on the utility side to make the experience relatively seamless for the customer. Also, from solar startups to biofuels, there is hardly the budget to reach mass audiences and tell the world exactly how awesome their products are.

But for larger companies, like IBM and General Electric, the sorts of marketing campaigns and awareness that efficiency is good for everyone are already well underway. Using data management to improve traffic patterns and minimize gridlock, and therefore to save tailpipe emissions, is a valuable proposition to the average Joe. It's hard to fight with the idea of a smarter planet if it saves money and reduces waste. The baby elephant stomping through cutting-edge factories and solar arrays in the GE commercial is a little more vague, but hey, who doesn’t like baby elephants?

Crane’s focus on the EV is not just because of NRG Energy's investment in charging, but also because he thinks that when the EV is economical, that’s when it will get to the masses and be a disruptive technology. With oil barrels at $100, the economic argument certainly seems stronger.

Beyond price, he points to the ‘cool’ factor of great consumer products and empowering people to make a choice. When you talk to most smart thermostat or in-home energy display, many do not have an option to lock out certain users -- like children -- because they've found it's often the kids who are the most excited about saving energy, although they're clearly not paying the bills. Green Mountain Energy, a clean energy retail electricity provider owned by NRG Energy, has seen a 33 percent growth rate in recent years across 14 states, as people have begun to understand their electricity options better and look for alternatives to fossil fuels. The power of giving consumers quality alternatives should not be underestimated.

That doesn’t mean that Chase isn’t focused on how a federal renewable portfolio standard could boost the industry. Instead of a portfolio that only has wind, solar, geothermal and biofuels, he noted Secretary Chu’s suggestion of something along the lines of an early start program. It would include technologies like nuclear and CCS, but since those wouldn’t be technologically and/or physically available for at least a decade, it gives other renewables a head start.

The market can and will ultimately drive this sector, Crane implied throughout his keynote. He did not shun the need for regulation and direction from the government, but he warned that waiting for that is missing the opportunity that is here now. “We need to keep one eye on Washington,” he said, “but both eyes need to be on the American consumer.”