Podcast appearances and mentions of dan shugar

Dan Shugar has been trying to move solar panels around since the 1980s. What started with a few experiments as a young engineer has turned into one of the biggest solar tracker companies in the world. In 2012 he founded Nextracker with a single product. Since then, Nextracker has revolutionized tracking technology through an array of innovative products. This week, host Lara Pierpoint talks with Nextracker CEO and founder Dan Shugar about product innovation and customer relationships, and how Nextracker made it through the pandemic. Credits: Hosted by Lara Pierpoint. Produced by Erin Hardick. Edited by Anne Bailey and Stephen Lacey. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is executive editor. The Green Blueprint is a co-production of Latitude Media and Trellis Climate. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you get podcasts.

Silicon Ranch partner Nextracker has pioneered several innovations in solar tracker technology, including independent row, weather aware tracking algorithms, and have been leading the charge on domestic supply chain improvements. CEO Dan Shugar joins us for a discussion on how their innovations have reduced both costs and environmental impacts while also creating local jobs and community support for solar projects. These efforts enable Nextracker to partner with leaders like Silicon Ranch to deploy gigawatts of high-performing, sustainable solar projects.

This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less. Produced by Renewable Energy World and Tigercomm, This Week in Cleantech will air every Friday in the Factor This! podcast feed wherever you get your podcasts.This week's episode features Amanda Chu, US energy reporter for the Financial Times, who reported on President Biden's challenge of making investments in clean energy and infrastructure resonate with voters.This Week in Cleantech — Feb. 23, 2024This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is Dan Shugar, CEO of the Nextracker, which was recently featured on CNBC's "Mad Money" for its successful IPO and stock performance. 1. JPMorgan, State Street quit climate group, BlackRock steps back — Reuters2. 'We got your money, see ya': Customers frustrated by Encor Solar closure — WRAL 3. How the housing industry is working to stop energy efficient homes — The Washington Post4. A traditional automaker just turned a profit on EVs — CNN5. Biden's clean energy conundrums — Financial TimesWatch the full episode on YouTubeHelp make This Week in Cleantech the best it can be. Send feedback and story recommendations to rew@clarionevents.com. And don't forget to leave a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.Register for the GridTECH Connect Forum - Southeast event taking place in Orlando on Feb. 26 using promo code "PODCAST" to receive 10%. Take advantage of this unique opportunity for developers, utilities, and regulators to collaborate on the critical issue of interconnection. All GridTECH Connect attendees also receive complimentary access to DISTRIBUTECH International.

In our final episode of 2023, we sit down with Dan Shugar, founder and CEO of Nextracker, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXT), a leading provider of intelligent, integrated solar tracker and software solutions used in utility-scale and distributed generation solar projects globally. With over 30 years of experience in the field, Dan has been a driving force in advancing climate tech solutions in the U.S. and around the world.In the conversation with Gil, Dan reflects on Nextracker's incredible success over the past ten years, including its successful IPO earlier this year; they talked at length about the company's steadfast customer-focused mindset and how that has driven so many industry-first solar tracker innovations in their mission to transition the world to affordable, renewable power. Dan also talked about Nextracker's remarkable initiatives with U.S. manufacturing expansions over the past three years and the importance of public policy engagement for our industry. He also touched on a few non-U.S. markets that are key to his optimism for the future of solar power. We even found time at the end to have fun talking about great guitar music and his new musical products venture, AmpMojo.Links:More on Dan Dan Shugar BioShug Speaks BlogPress Release: Nextracker CEO Dan Shugar Named S&P Global's ‘Chief Trailblazer of the Year' at the 25th Annual Platts Global Energy Awards (December 12, 2023)Dan Shugar on LinkedInVideo: Dinner with Dan - Intro - 'Solar Myths Debunked"Website: AmpMojo - Dan's new musical products companyVideo: Introducing AmpMojoNextracker, Inc. WebsiteNextracker American Manufacturing MicrositeNextracker on LinkedInNextracker on XPress Release: Nextracker Opens New U.S. Factory with Dedicated Capacity in Las Vegas with Unimacts (September 11, 2023)Video: NX Horizon Hail Pro - The Gold Standard for Hail Risk MitigationEpisode recorded December 8, 2023.Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, and Hilary at climatepositive@hasi.com or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod.

How do you measure the impact of someone like Dan Shugar?He's been a mainstay in the solar industry since the early days. Before the solar coaster defined the twists and turns of the evolving industry.He led PowerLight to a $335 million dollar acquisition. Helped grow SunPower into the behemoth it is today. And was the CEO of solar module manufacturer Solaria, before co-founding Nextracker, one of the world's leading tracker manufacturers.Dan Shugar is solar. Undeniably the face, and voice, driving the industry to heights unthinkable when he started out nearly 30 years ago.In Episode 41 of the Factor This! podcast, Dan Shugar returns fresh off Nextracker's $638 million IPO that is, so far, this year's biggest. Not just for a clean tech company— for any company.What's left for the industry leader affectionately known by so many as Shug?That's all next on Factor This!After a year of producing Factor This, we want to hear from you. Let us know what you've liked and how we can improve. Do you want more frequent episodes? Different topics? Click the link in the episode description to fill out our first audience survey. And help make Factor This the best it can be. The GridTECH Connect Forum is coming to Newport, Rhode Island October 23rd through the 25th. Click the link in the description to save the date for this unique event that's bringing together developers, utilities, and regulators to take on the critical issue of interconnection in the Northeast.We'll be sharing more details on the agenda and speakers soon. Check out Grid TECH Connect dot com to learn more.

In Episode 7 of the Factor This! podcast, Nextracker founder and CEO Dan Shugar explains his company's decision to invest heavily in U.S. manufacturing amid supply chain constraints and trade disputes facing the solar industry. Plus, he gives a sneak peek at Nextracker's next manufacturing announcement.Enjoying Factor This!?  Leave a rating and review. Programming note: Factor This! will publish every Monday beginning Aug. 1. Show notes: 'Big Horn' green steel solar farm in ColoradoSubscribe to the Renewable Energy World newsletterEmail me! john.engel(a)clarionevents.com and let me know what you think of Factor This!

First this week, Staff Writer Jennifer Couzin-Frankel joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss a new series on how COVID-19 may alter the scientific enterprise and they look back at how pandemics have catalyzed change throughout history.  Next, Dan Shugar, associate professor of geoscience and director of the environmental science program at the University of Calgary, talks with producer Joel Goldberg about a deadly rock and ice avalanche in northern India this year and why closely monitoring steep mountain slopes is so important for averting future catastrophes. This week's episode was produced with help from Podigy. Listen to previous podcasts. About the Science Podcast Download a transcript (PDF). [Image: Irfan Rashid, Department of Geoinformatics, University of Kashmir; Music: Jeffrey Cook] Authors: Sarah Crespi; Joel Goldberg; Jennifer Couzin-Frankel See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

First this week, Staff Writer Jennifer Couzin-Frankel joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss a new series on how COVID-19 may alter the scientific enterprise and they look back at how pandemics have catalyzed change throughout history. Next, Dan Shugar, associate professor of geoscience and director of the environmental science program at the University of Calgary, talks with producer Joel Goldberg about a deadly rock and ice avalanche in northern India this year and why closely monitoring steep mountain slopes is so important for averting future catastrophes. This week's episode was produced with help from Podigy. Listen to previous podcasts. About the Science Podcast Download a transcript (PDF).

First this week, Staff Writer Jennifer Couzin-Frankel joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss a new series on how COVID-19 may alter the scientific enterprise and they look back at how pandemics have catalyzed change throughout history.  Next, Dan Shugar, associate professor of geoscience and director of the environmental science program at the University of Calgary, talks with producer Joel Goldberg about a deadly rock and ice avalanche in northern India this year and why closely monitoring steep mountain slopes is so important for averting future catastrophes. This week's episode was produced with help from Podigy. Listen to previous podcasts. About the Science Podcast Download a transcript (PDF). [Image: Irfan Rashid, Department of Geoinformatics, University of Kashmir; Music: Jeffrey Cook] Authors: Sarah Crespi; Joel Goldberg; Jennifer Couzin-Frankel See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode: Emily's conversation with Dan Shugar, the founder and CEO of Nextracker. Dan lives, breaths and bleeds solar. Some call him the "King Midas" of solar, because he's turned so many ventures into gold. He's been responsible for some of the biggest and most consequential solar projects and companies ever built.This conversation was recorded in 2017 in front of a live audience at Powerhouse's headquarters in Oakland, CA. Powerhouse partners with leading corporations and investors to help them lead the next century of clean technology innovation. Our fund, Powerhouse Ventures, invests in founding teams building innovative software to rapidly transform our global energy and mobility systems. You can learn more about Powerhouse at https://www.powerhouse.fund/

Net-zero commitments went mainstream in 2020. There are now 22 regions, 452 cities, and over 1,100 companies with revenues over $11 trillion that have pledged to bring emissions to net zero by middle of the century. In 2021 we're going to spend a lot of time working backward from that. We'll be trying to understand the pathways to get to net zero and what it means for today — for the technology and business of decarbonization.That brings us to this week's guest: Jesse Jenkins, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton. He's a well-known expert energy-systems modeler.Last month Jesse and a team of colleagues at Princeton came out with a massive study called Net-Zero America that examines five pathways for the U.S. to decarbonize the entire economy.Even without reading the report, you can probably guess some of the headlines: More renewables. More transmission. Electrify transportation. Carbon capture and carbon removal. But there are some other conclusions that are less obvious.As more and more renewables come online, how will biomass, fossil fuels and hydrogen will fit into the multiple pathways to transition? We also examine the chicken-and-the-egg problem of CO2 transportation and CO2 conversion. And we ask: How much are these massive transition scenarios going to cost, and who's paying?The Interchange is brought to you by the Yale Program in Financing and Deploying Clean Energy. Through this online program, Yale University is training working professionals in clean energy policy, finance, and technology, accelerating the deployment of clean energy worldwide, and mitigating climate change. To connect with Yale expertise, grow your professional network, and deepen your impact, apply before March 14, 2021.We're also brought to you by Nextracker. Nextracker is building connected power plants of the future by integrating new solar technologies, storage and advanced control software. At the end of the show, we'll feature part 3 of our series on the future of solar technologies with Nextracker CEO and industry veteran Dan Shugar.

It's been a great year for "climate" oriented public companies. Virtually every clean energy or climate company has dramatically outperformed market indices and most now have record-high equity value. So what's going on here? And what might it mean for the next generation of climate technology companies?In this final episode of the year, Host Shayle Kann talks with Sameer Reddy, a partner at Energy Impact Partners.Sameer sits on the board of companies like Arcadia Power, Opus One, and Enchanted Rock. And he, like us, has been marveling over this public market madness and thinking about what it might mean. Shayle and Sameer discuss the state of the market, the factors driving stock prices upward, historical challenges in the sector, and what could go wrong.We're brought to you by Nextracker. Nextracker is building connected power plants of the future by integrating new solar technologies, storage and advanced control software. At the end of the show, we'll tell you about some really important tech trends in solar with Nextracker CEO and industry veteran Dan Shugar.Support for The Interchange comes from Trina Solar, a global leader in PV modules and smart energy solutions. With decades of industry recognition and awards, Trina Solar is committed to delivering reliable and fully bankable solar technology to the world. Download the free TrinaPro Solution Guide Book on how to optimize utility-scale solar projects.The Interchange is brought to you by S&C Electric Company. Today, non-wires alternatives such as microgrids can provide more sustainable, resilient and economical ways to deliver reliable power. S&C helps utilities and commercial customers find the best solutions to meet their energy needs. Learn more.

Dan Shugar is the CEO of Nextracker, a FLEX company. Dan, or Shug as his friends call him, has been in the solar industry for nearly 30 years and in some way always thought about trackers. In this interview we talk about his background and how he has built several companies in solar with success and why Nextracker is a market share leader in most markets around the world. This is an interview you don't want to miss. Some links to things we talked about in the podcast. His testimony to Congress https://www.nextracker.com/2020/09/testimony-of-dan-shugar-founder-and-ceo-nextracker-house-committee-on-natural-resources-subcommittee-on-energy-and-mineral-resources/ A video about his band https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMkjEmAtMOc Solar Battle of The Bands at the Warfield https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aFYeRau0ME

In this episode: we try to figure out where hydrogen is headed.In the universe of clean energy, the world seems to rally around one big technology push each decade. This is when governments introduce subsidies, incumbents announce big projects, and a nascent technology gets a chance to scale from tiny to small, in the hopes of achieving liftoff. In the 1990s, it was wind. In the 2000s, solar. In the 2010s, lithium-ion batteries. And in the 2020s, it seems increasingly clear it's going to be hydrogen.But hydrogen is a different beast. For one thing, you can't just harness it like you can solar or wind -- you have to make it. For another, there is a dizzying array of potential end markets for it, ranging from power to transportation to industry. And finally, there's the pesky problem of the midstream. Assuming we start producing lots of clean hydrogen, and we find a market for it, how will we store it? How will we transport it? This week, Shayle is joined by Gniewomir Flis, who spends most of his days thinking about these questions. He's an energy & climate advisor at Agora Energiewende and has spent the last few years laser focused on the thornier issues of building a hydrogen economy.We're brought to you by Nextracker. Nextracker is building connected power plants of the future by integrating new solar technologies, storage, and advanced control software. At the end of the show, we'll tell you about some really important tech trends in solar with Nextracker CEO and industry veteran, Dan Shugar.Support for The Interchange comes from Trina Solar, a global leader in PV modules and smart energy solutions. With decades of industry recognition and awards, Trina Solar is committed to delivering reliable and fully bankable solar technology to the world. Download the free TrinaPro Solution Guide Book on how to optimize utility-scale solar projects.The Interchange is brought to you by S&C Electric Company. Today, non-wires alternatives such as microgrids can provide more sustainable, resilient and economical ways to deliver reliable power. S&C helps utilities and commercial customers find the best solutions to meet their energy needs. Learn more.

Did you know 90% of solar employees believe mentorship is critical to advancement, yet only 37% of clean energy companies offer these programs, according to the Solar Foundation?NEXTracker is one such company that offers a robust mentorship program for women, people of color & lower-income residents in order to facilitate greater diversity, equity & inclusion within the clean energy industry. Catherine speaks with Dan Shugar, CEO of NEXTracker, about this particular program, including their partnership with Women in Cleantech & Sustainability & Girls Inc. They also discuss NEXTracker's involvement in the recently launched, ambitious Renewables Forward Initiative alongside other notable cleantech leaders; Sol Systems, Generate, SEIA, Volt Energy, Cypress Creek Renewables, New Columbia Solar, Nautilus Solar, Mosaic, EDF Renewables & the Solar Foundation.Are you looking for your next role in climate tech? Join the largest growing network of cleantech professionals and be the first to know about when industry-leading cleantech companies post new job openings. From development to finance to marketing, check out our website: dylan-green.com/latest-jobs.Dylan Green | Clean Energy Recruitment AgencyUS Phone: +1 (917) 287-6826UK Phone: +44(0)7538921422Email: catherine@dylan-green.com

In this episode we speak to one of the OGs of the solar industry, Dan Shugar, CEO and founder of solar tracking company NEXTracker. With more than thirty years in the industry, Shugar has been called a pioneer of the commercial solar market. With impressive success leading companies including Powerlight and Solaria, even before NEXTracker, he’s also been called the King Midas of Solar. Here, we finally connect with the man who says he has silicon pumping through his bloodstream. Read more here: https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2018/07/ask-a-solar-vet-designing-innovative-products-building-strong-teams-with-nextrackers-dan-shugar/

Welcome to Episode 63 of SunCast! I hope you enjoyed the last week's episode with Oleg pushing the envelope on commercial finance. Today's episode is going to plumb the depths of the entrepreneurial journey with a CEO of a US-based solar module manufacturer who's had his share of failure and success, and most certainly understands how to cross the chasm. I had the incredible pleasure of sitting down with Suvi Sharma, CEO of Solaria Corporation. Suvi joined Solaria in 2003 and recruited a world-class management team, developed partnerships with industry-leading solar companies and raised close to $200 million from strategic financial investors. Tune in Today as we Discuss: Solaria's Newest Innovation: Architectural PV Glass How Suvi gave his job to Dan Shugar, then took it back after they spun Nextracker out of Solaria. For resources from today's episode, head over to www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes to today's and every other show's blog posts. (the direct URL is ...episodes/063) This episode is brought to you in partnership with Solrates.com, the fast and Free online platform for providing your commercial customers with a credible lease financing proposal. If you have projects over $100K value, and you'd like to see how Solrates can help You quickly and easily deliver a financing proposal to your customers, Head over to www.mysuncast.com/SolRates and click on the Request an Invitation button. Thanks again for setting aside THIS time in your day. Enjoy this week’s episode of SunCast, with Suvi Sharma.

Welcome to Episode 63 of SunCast! I hope you enjoyed the last week's episode with Oleg pushing the envelope on commercial finance. Today's episode is going to plumb the depths of the entrepreneurial journey with a CEO of a US-based solar module manufacturer who's had his share of failure and success, and most certainly understands how to cross the chasm. I had the incredible pleasure of sitting down with Suvi Sharma, CEO of Solaria Corporation. Suvi joined Solaria in 2003 and recruited a world-class management team, developed partnerships with industry-leading solar companies and raised close to $200 million from strategic financial investors. Tune in Today as we Discuss: Solaria's Newest Innovation: Architectural PV Glass How Suvi gave his job to Dan Shugar, then took it back after they spun Nextracker out of Solaria. For resources from today's episode, head over to www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes to today's and every other show's blog posts. (the direct URL is ...episodes/063) This episode is brought to you in partnership with Solrates.com, the fast and Free online platform for providing your commercial customers with a credible lease financing proposal. If you have projects over $100K value, and you'd like to see how Solrates can help You quickly and easily deliver a financing proposal to your customers, Head over to www.mysuncast.com/SolRates and click on the Request an Invitation button. Thanks again for setting aside THIS time in your day. Enjoy this week’s episode of SunCast, with Suvi Sharma.

Welcome to Episode 57 of SunCast, and episode #5 in the Solar Pioneers series.   Today is the much-anticipated Part 2 of Episode 39 with Dan Shugar!   As founder and CEO, Dan Shugar helped build NEXTracker into one of the fastest growing cleantech companies in the U.S. Dan was responsible for spinning NEXTracker out of Solaria Corp. where he also served as CEO, and then merging with FLEX almost 2 years ago. Nextracker has become the largest tracker company in the world by volume shipped, and I wanted to know more about what has driven that success. If you don't know Dan's backstory, and it's a GREAT one, please be sure to listen to Episode 39!   Tune in today as we discuss: The similar evolution of the Auto and Solar industries. The Best Advice Dan has been given by his Mentors. Advice to budding Entrepreneurs. The book Dan has given away the most. What's in Dan's crystal ball? This episode is brought to you in partnership with Solrates.com, the fast and Free online platform for providing your commercial customers with a credible lease financing proposal. If you have projects over $100K value, and you'd like to see how Solrates can help You quickly and easily deliver a financing proposal to your customers, Head over to www.mysuncast.com/SolRates and click on the Request an Invitation button.   Thanks again for setting aside THIS time in your day.  Enjoy this week’s episode of SunCast, with Dan Shugar.

Welcome to Episode 57 of SunCast, and episode #5 in the Solar Pioneers series.   Today is the much-anticipated Part 2 of Episode 39 with Dan Shugar!   As founder and CEO, Dan Shugar helped build NEXTracker into one of the fastest growing cleantech companies in the U.S. Dan was responsible for spinning NEXTracker out of Solaria Corp. where he also served as CEO, and then merging with FLEX almost 2 years ago. Nextracker has become the largest tracker company in the world by volume shipped, and I wanted to know more about what has driven that success. If you don't know Dan's backstory, and it's a GREAT one, please be sure to listen to Episode 39!   Tune in today as we discuss: The similar evolution of the Auto and Solar industries. The Best Advice Dan has been given by his Mentors. Advice to budding Entrepreneurs. The book Dan has given away the most. What's in Dan's crystal ball? This episode is brought to you in partnership with Solrates.com, the fast and Free online platform for providing your commercial customers with a credible lease financing proposal. If you have projects over $100K value, and you'd like to see how Solrates can help You quickly and easily deliver a financing proposal to your customers, Head over to www.mysuncast.com/SolRates and click on the Request an Invitation button.   Thanks again for setting aside THIS time in your day.  Enjoy this week’s episode of SunCast, with Dan Shugar.

Dan Shugar lives, breathes and bleeds solar. "If you cut my wrist, pure silicon comes out," he exclaimed in an interview with Powerhouse CEO Emily Kirsch, as part of the Watt It Takes interview series. This week, Shugar steps behind the microphone to talk about turning his passion for PV into deals and acquisitions worth over $1 billion.Shugar has a storied career. Some call him the "King Midas" of solar, because he's turned so many ventures into gold. He's the former president of Powerlight, the pioneering developer acquired by SunPower in 2006. He's now CEO of the tracker company NEXTracker, which was sold to Flextronics for $330 million last year. In this edition of Watt It Takes, Shugar describes the moment he realized solar's potential while working for PG&E; how Powerlight was founded and funded; the risks he took when getting into solar; his passion for the environment; and why everyone is underestimating the growth of PV.This conversation was recorded live in Oakland, California at Powerhouse. In the next episode, GTM Co-Founder Scott Clavenna takes the stage.This podcast is sponsored by Schneider Electric. Want to protect yourself from escalating energy costs? Invest in a microgrid. Find out more: www.schneider-electric.us/microgridListen to earlier episodes of Watt It Takes:SunPower Founder Dick Swanson's Guide to Launching a Cleantech StartupLessons From the Fall of SungevityLike our shows? Make sure to give The Interchange and The Energy Gang a rating and review on Apple podcasts. And make sure to subscribe to both shows on Apple podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, or anywhere you get your podcasts.

Dan Shugar lives, breathes and bleeds solar. "If you cut my wrist, pure silicon comes out," he exclaimed in an interview with Powerhouse CEO Emily Kirsch, as part of the Watt It Takes interview series. This week, Shugar steps behind the microphone to talk about turning his passion for PV into deals and acquisitions worth over $1 billion.Shugar has a storied career. Some call him the "King Midas" of solar, because he's turned so many ventures into gold. He's the former president of Powerlight, the pioneering developer acquired by SunPower in 2006. He's now CEO of the tracker company NEXTracker, which was sold to Flextronics for $330 million last year. In this edition of Watt It Takes, Shugar describes the moment he realized solar's potential while working for PG&E; how Powerlight was founded and funded; the risks he took when getting into solar; his passion for the environment; and why everyone is underestimating the growth of PV.This conversation was recorded live in Oakland, California at Powerhouse. In the next episode, GTM Co-Founder Scott Clavenna takes the stage.This podcast is brought to you by Mission Solar. Find out more about Mission's high-quality, American-made solar modules. Listen to earlier episodes of Watt It Takes:SunPower Founder Dick Swanson’s Guide to Launching a Cleantech StartupLessons From the Fall of SungevityLike our shows? Make sure to give The Interchange and The Energy Gang a rating and review on Apple podcasts. And make sure to subscribe to both shows on Apple podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, or anywhere you get your podcasts.

Welcome to Episode 39 of SunCast. We're going to continue our trip down memory lane this week, in what might be more like a Back-to-the-Future style episode for SunCast. Today I'm launching what I call the Solar Pioneers series, and I'm honored, and super excited, to have the first in this series be with none other than Mr. Solar, Shugar Magic, Mr. Dan Shugar, CEO of NEXTracker, and one of the most successful folks I know in the business. This conversation diverges from my typical interview format but is nonetheless packed with information on how one of our industry's leaders thinks about starting and scaling a business. Along the way, we touch on Dan's roots as an engineer and researcher and how that has influenced his career path and leadership style The 3 keys to growth of any startup The practical side of institutionalizing a corporate culture that is both aggressive and forgiving, empowering yet accountable, fun and fast-paced with industry-leading low turnover Dan's thoughts on squeezing even more power out of PV power plants, including machine learning and so much more. So while we didn't get into Hot or Not, or book recommendations, or his Bold prediction, you'll want to listen all the way through especially if you have any interest at all in peering inside the mind and thought process of a guy who's built some of our industry's most iconic brands and largest power plants. You can get the full show notes and links to books and other resources if you head over to the blog at mysuncast.com.   If you like what you hear, please SHARE it! If YOU have someone or something you think should be on Suncast, you can shoot me an email, a LinkedIn message, or even just pop over to the website and leave me a quick Voicemail, right from your smartphone! That website is www.mysuncast.com and email is nico@mysuncast.com. I also am grateful for those who choose to collaborate with SunCast, and this episode is brought to you in partnership with Solrates.com, the fast and Free online platform for providing your commercial customers with a credible lease financing proposal. If you have projects over $100K value, and you'd like to see how Solrates can help You quickly and easily deliver a financing proposal to your customers, please reach out to me directly for an invitation code to join the platform. Did I mention it's free?

Welcome to Episode 39 of SunCast. We're going to continue our trip down memory lane this week, in what might be more like a Back-to-the-Future style episode for SunCast. Today I'm launching what I call the Solar Pioneers series, and I'm honored, and super excited, to have the first in this series be with none other than Mr. Solar, Shugar Magic, Mr. Dan Shugar, CEO of NEXTracker, and one of the most successful folks I know in the business. This conversation diverges from my typical interview format but is nonetheless packed with information on how one of our industry's leaders thinks about starting and scaling a business. Along the way, we touch on Dan's roots as an engineer and researcher and how that has influenced his career path and leadership style The 3 keys to growth of any startup The practical side of institutionalizing a corporate culture that is both aggressive and forgiving, empowering yet accountable, fun and fast-paced with industry-leading low turnover Dan's thoughts on squeezing even more power out of PV power plants, including machine learning and so much more. So while we didn't get into Hot or Not, or book recommendations, or his Bold prediction, you'll want to listen all the way through especially if you have any interest at all in peering inside the mind and thought process of a guy who's built some of our industry's most iconic brands and largest power plants. You can get the full show notes and links to books and other resources if you head over to the blog at mysuncast.com.   If you like what you hear, please SHARE it! If YOU have someone or something you think should be on Suncast, you can shoot me an email, a LinkedIn message, or even just pop over to the website and leave me a quick Voicemail, right from your smartphone! That website is www.mysuncast.com and email is nico@mysuncast.com. I also am grateful for those who choose to collaborate with SunCast, and this episode is brought to you in partnership with Solrates.com, the fast and Free online platform for providing your commercial customers with a credible lease financing proposal. If you have projects over $100K value, and you'd like to see how Solrates can help You quickly and easily deliver a financing proposal to your customers, please reach out to me directly for an invitation code to join the platform. Did I mention it's free?

In this Solar Speaks podcast, NEXTracker CEO Dan Shugar discusses what he’s looking forward to seeing and doing at Intersolar North America, happening July 12 to 14 in San Francisco. Shugar also comments on the following subjects: • NX Fusion, NEXTracker’s latest product for mid-sized projects • What’s driving an industry trend toward 1,500-V equipment • How NEXTracker will use its new Center for Solar Excellence, a power plant and field-learning center • What’s pushing developers toward using trackers in the U.S. and globally • NEXTracker’s advanced monitoring technology for trackers in the field • Why NEXTracker is a “differentiated” company Click play to listen and learn.

Sun Up Dan Shugar, CEO, Solaria Tom Dinwoodie, CTO, SunPower In the wake of the collapse of solar panel maker Solyndra, the solar industry has received front-page treatment for the first time. Unfortunately, most of the coverage has been negative and ill-informed. In danger of being lost, industry veterans Dan Shugar and Tom Dinwoodie tell this Climate One audience is the good news – that solar is one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States. Dan Shugar, CEO, Solaria, offers a sense of the scale of the growth. “Solar is, for the last 10 years, the fastest-growing energy technology,” he says, recording 69% annually compounded growth, 10 years in a row. “Last year, our industry manufactured, shipped, and installed for homes, businesses, and power plants 17 gigawatts of power. That’s the daytime equivalent of what 17 nuclear power plants put out,” he says. Tom Dinwoodie, CTO, SunPower, adds that even assuming a slower annual growth rate, say 15%, solar could supply 100% of the United States’ electricity requirement by 2040. “In the last three years, if you just look at North America, there’s been three times more wind and solar installations, in megawatts installed, than coal,” says Dan Shugar. Dinwoodie and Shugar also address two recent events that have buffeted the industry – German firm SolarWorld’s WTO complaint alleging that Chinese state support has facilitated the flooding of the market with low-cost panels, and the bankruptcy of Solyndra. Yes, the SolarWorld dumping complaint has divided the industry, says Dinwoodie. But “you’ll see demand in the world pick up as a result of these low costs, and there will be more a supply-demand balance in the future.” Overlooked in media coverage of the issue, Dan Shugar adds, is that China maintains a 17% import duty on foreign panels. “We think having a conversation and trying to level the playing field would be the right way to go about equalizing that,” he says. On Solyndra, Dinwoodie says the firm “is basically a victim of the success of the solar industry.” Remember, adds Dan Shugar, that Solyndra’s loan guarantee, even at $535 million, represented just 2% of the Department of Energy loan guarantee portfolio. The real issue, he argues, is that “in a capital-starved economy, which is what we are now, it’s very difficult to get loans for proven manufacturing entities.” This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club of California on November 17, 2011