Podcasts about Solar Power International

On this episode's one year anniversary, we are sharing for the first time our recording from the LIVE episode with Julia Hamm on her last days as the founder of Solar Power International (now RE+) and President and CEO of SEPA. This episode was recorded at RE+ in September 2022.Quotes:“We all want to accelerate this transition as fast as possible but we cannot do it in a way that sacrifices reliability or affordability or resiliency and most certainly not equity.” – Julia Hamm“All players – no matter where they sit in the value chain – are going to have to partner in ways that they've never partnered before… there needs to be a lot more intentionality about understanding where other players are coming from and then partnering with them in order to achieve common objectives.” – Julia Hamm “Utilities are going to have to partner in an unprecedented way going forward.” – Julia Hamm“Rest is revolutionary. Rest is innovative.” – Amy SimpkinsIf you enjoyed the conversation, please share the episode with other innovators. Leave us a positive review and subscribe to Power Flow on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Check out our awesome merch! And hey, we're new, so you can even apply to be a sponsor or a guest.You can follow Power Flow Podcast on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. Thank you for listening. See you at the whiteboard!

At the time of recording, Indigenized Indigenous Energy Initiative was named Indigenous Indigenized Energy Initiative.Indigenous Energy Initiative:Indigenous Energy Initiative (IEI) is a native-led non-profit and Earth Island Institute-sponsored project that is developing solar infrastructure within tribal communities. Native communities disproportionately lack access and pay higher costs for utilities, especially electricity, which significantly impacts access and opportunities for remote work, education, and more. In 2014, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that 14% of native households lack access to electricity, which is ten times the national average. IEI is working to increase indigenous energy ownership and access to help address the social, economic, and environmental injustices that burden native communities. IEI's focus is on building energy independence as a way to support indigenous communities and eradicate energy poverty. IEI is currently working within the Northern Cheyenne Reservation community in Montana to guide the reservation's $4.1 million solar initiative. IEI's first project was Muddy Hill Microgrid which was a small solar system to support a multi-use community center, fire station, and water filtration system on the reservation. The project was built by tribal members who received solar training through IEI. In 2021, IEI worked on a residential project for elders in the Standing Rock Reservation. Another project IEI is currently working on is the White River Community solar project which is developing residential solar for specific tribal elders and commercial solar for several schools. The Department of Energy is providing $3.2 million of funding for the project and the reservation, and IEI must match twenty percent of this funding. Chéri Smith:Chéri Smith is the founder and CEO of the IEI. Smith is the descendent of the Mi'kmaq tribe of Maine/Canadian maritime and her mission is to use her expertise in climate change and economics to educate, build solar capacity and bring independence to indigenous communities. Smith has two decades of experience in energy and environmental sustainability in multiple sectors from the public, private, NGOs, higher education, consulting, and tribal communities. Before IEI, Smith worked as a coordinator at Tesla-SolarCity, Director of Education and Outreach at the American Council on Renewable Energy, she served as an advisory board member for Masters in Renewable Energy program at Pennsylvania State University, worked as an advisor at the Yale School of Business and the Environment, and worked on Core Education Advisory Committee for SEIA's Solar Power International. Additionally, Smith founded and was the Executive Director of the nonprofit Solar Campus Initiative and there worked as Climate Leader trained by Al Gore. Smith also was awarded the Cordes Fellowship for recognition for developing solar projects for native communities. Through her work at IEI, Smith works to honor her native heritage and use energy knowledge to make native communities more resilient, independent, and sustainable sovereignties. Sources:https://indigenous-energy.orghttps://cbey.yale.edu/our-community/cheri-a-smithhttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/12/native-americans-energy-inequality-electricityhttps://rmi.org/blog_2014_06_24_native_energy_rural_electrification_on_tribal_lands/#:~:text=The%20Energy%20Information%20Administration%20estimates,far%20from%20a%20utility%20grid.https://www.powermag.com/did-you-know-there-are-60000-u-s-citizens-who-lack-access-to-electricity/https://www.scalemicrogridsolutions.com/blog/americas-energy-transition-must-include-tribal-lands

Want to build a power plant in the U.S.? Here are three things to know.  First, connecting a wind farm, utility-scale battery, or other big source of power to the grid means getting in line. A typical project's wait time has increased from around two years in 2005 to four years in 2020, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.  Second, the interconnection queue is a crowded place. In 2020 there were 1.44 terawatts of projects in the queue. That's more than the U.S.'s current fleet of generation. Third, dropouts are the norm. Only 25% of projects make it to completion. Projects withdraw from the queue for lots of reasons, but wait times are a big factor. During long waits, negotiations can fall apart and rights can expire, reports Emma Penrod of Utility Dive. Why the bottleneck and long queues? Lack of transmission is the single biggest factor. We need way more of it to bring power from rural areas with rich wind and solar potential to power-hungry population centers. But NIMBYism and a complex permitting process have slowed the construction of new transmission to a glacial pace. So while congress debates permitting reform, what technologies could help us get more energy on the wires? In this episode, guest host Lara Pierpoint talks to Liza Reed, electricity transmission Research manager for climate policy at the Niskanen Center, a think tank in Washington D.C. She's also a grid fellow at Prime Movers Lab. Lara and Liza explore ways to expand transmission capacity: Replacing steel-reinforced lines with composite-core lines to carry more energy, known in the industry as “reconductoring” High-voltage direct current lines capable of sending lots of power long distances (a common solution in China but rare in the U.S.)  Running transmission lines underground, known as “undergrounding” Building lines along existing rights of way, such as highways High temperature superconductors, which involve cooling wires down to carry more power Line monitoring technology that analyzes local weather, wind and other factors to detect which lines are cooler than expected, allowing grid operators to send extra power through them Improving grid studies that determine what kinds of upgrades are needed for interconnection  Federal permitting reform, which might allow more new transmission to be built Resources: Utility Dive: Why the energy transition broke the U.S. interconnection system Volts Podcast: Transmission month: everything in one place Canary Media: Manchin's permitting-reform bill splits Dems, pro-renewables groups Canary Media: New software can find more room for clean energy on transmission grids Canary Media: FERC has a new plan to connect clean energy to the grid more quickly Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media. Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you're a startup, investor, enterprise, or innovation ecosystem that's creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more. Solar Power International and Energy Storage International are returning in-person this year as part of RE+. Come join everyone in Anaheim for the largest, B2B clean energy event in North America. Catalyst listeners can receive 15% off a full conference, non-member pass using promo code CANARY15. Register here.

Don't miss our live episode of Climavores in New York City on October 20! Sign up here for a night of live audio and networking with top voices in climate journalism.  Depending on which headlines you read, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will either hurt U.S. electric vehicle sales by replacing existing tax credits with complicated new ones or build out a North American battery supply chain and rev up EV sales. So which is it? In this episode, Shayle talks to Sam Jaffe, vice president of battery solutions at E-Source, about the key provisions of the IRA's EV and battery tax credits. Sam explains how the IRA will spur a North American EV battery supply chain in the long run but will also create winners and losers along the way.  There's a $30 billion pot of money for various tax credits and limited time to make use of them. Who will get to it first? There are already some early movers. Sam explains the key provisions: The EV components tax credit reduces the cost of EVs whose batteries contain materials assembled in the U.S. or its free-trade partner countries. This includes electrodes, electrolyte components and cells.  The strategic minerals tax credit reduces the cost of EVs whose batteries contain minerals mined and processed in the U.S. or its free-trade partner countries. These minerals include lithium, cobalt, and rare earth metals, among others. The 45X advanced manufacturing production credit reduces the cost of making batteries in the U.S. Certain credits ratchet up the percentage of materials required to qualify over several years. So once an EV model qualifies, it will have to maintain eligibility by getting a larger and larger share of its components and minerals from approved countries. They also cover which part of the battery industry will benefit more– the EV battery side or the stationary storage side. And Sam explains why he's paying attention to the Treasury Department's forthcoming guidance on the tax credits. Resources: The New York Times: For Electric Vehicle Makers, Winners and Losers in Climate Bill Canary Media: Private-sector reactions to the Inflation Reduction Act Canary Media: 6 clean energy companies that are ramping up US manufacturing   Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media. Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you're a startup, investor, enterprise, or innovation ecosystem that's creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more. Solar Power International and Energy Storage International are returning in-person this year as part of RE+. Come join everyone in Anaheim for the largest, B2B clean energy event in North America. Catalyst listeners can receive 15% off a full conference, non-member pass using promo code CANARY15. Register here.

Don't miss our live episode of Climavores in New York City on October 20! Sign up here for a night of live audio and networking with top voices in climate journalism.  Winter is coming. The energy crisis that is afflicting Europe and other parts of the world is worsening as Russia weaponizes natural gas. This energy crisis has effects across climate tech, and so today we're bringing you an episode of Columbia Energy Exchange, a podcast from Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy. On Catalyst, we don't usually dig so deep into geopolitics and policy, but this crisis has big implications for markets, investment and technology.  After Russian President Vladimir Putin turned off supply of Russian gas through the Nord Stream pipeline earlier this month, prices across Europe soared – causing severe pain for manufacturers and consumers, and pushing the region closer to recession. European countries are weighing emergency measures, like price caps and rationing. In addition to the immediate energy crisis, key questions remain about what all of this means for the clean energy transition. The supply of critical materials for clean energy technologies – such as copper, lithium, and cobalt – will also present challenges. A recent report by S&P Global predicted that demand for copper will double by 2035 as a consequence of the energy transition, and it is unclear if the existing supply chains can sustain such an increase.  How can governments and companies address the energy crisis without sacrificing progress on climate? And how might current and future supply shortages change the geopolitical landscape? This week, Columbia Energy Exchange host Jason Bordoff talks with Dr. Dan Yergin, an internationally known authority on energy, geopolitics, and economics. He sits on the boards of numerous institutions – including Columbia's Center of Global Energy Policy. Dr. Yergin is the Pulitzer Prize winning author of “The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power.” And his most recent book, “The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations,” illustrates the greatest issues of geopolitics and energy today.  He is the Vice Chairman of S&P Global, and was the project Chairman for the report, “The Future of Copper: Will the looming supply gap short-circuit the energy transition?” Jason spoke with Dr. Yergin about the ongoing energy crisis, the supply of critical materials, and the future of energy superpowers. Resources: Simon & Schuster: The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power Penguin Random House: The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations   Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media. Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you're a startup, investor, enterprise, or innovation ecosystem that's creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more. Solar Power International and Energy Storage International are returning in-person this year as part of RE+. Come join everyone in Anaheim for the largest, B2B clean energy event in North America. Catalyst listeners can receive 15% off a full conference, non-member pass using promo code CANARY15. Register here.

Don't miss our live episode of Climavores in New York City on October 20! Sign up here for a night of live audio and networking with top voices in climate journalism.  We designed our power plants, refineries, and other energy infrastructure to depend on water. But not just any kind of water—water that's available at the right quantity, quality, place and time. When water falls outside of this Goldilocks zone, energy systems can unravel, sometimes in unexpected ways. Low water levels strain hydroelectric and thermal power production and restrict coal shipments by river. Extreme cold freezes water in natural gas infrastructure, causing blackouts. Examples abound. The irony is that the energy system fuels climate change, which in turn fuels water problems for the energy system.  So how do we address these vulnerabilities as we decarbonize? And how can we build a resilient water-energy system in an increasingly chaotic climate? In this episode, Shayle talks to Dr. Michael Webber, author of Thirst for Power: Energy, Water and Human Survival. Michael is a professor of energy resources at the University of Texas-Austin and chief technology officer at Energy Impact Partners, where Shayle is a partner.  They cover topics like: The surprising places we use water in energy, like extracting minerals and natural gas, growing crops for biofuels and sequestering carbon The ways energy improves the quantity and quality of water, allowing us to move water longer distances, reach deeper wells and desalinate water How to avoid exacerbating water problems as we decarbonize Whether cheap, abundant electricity from nuclear fusion will power wide-spread desalination Why the data on water systems is so scarce compared to energy systems How prescient the new Mad Max water-war movies are Resources: Yale University Press: Thirst for Power: Energy, Water and Human Survival The New York Times: Europe's Scorching Summer Puts Unexpected Strain on Energy Supply The New York Times: China's Record Drought Is Drying Rivers and Feeding Its Coal Habit   Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media. Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you're a startup, investor, enterprise, or innovation ecosystem that's creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more. Solar Power International and Energy Storage International are returning in-person this year as part of RE+. Come join everyone in Anaheim for the largest, B2B clean energy event in North America. Catalyst listeners can receive 15% off a full conference, non-member pass using promo code CANARY15. Register here.

Drill down far enough anywhere in the world and you reach temperatures hot enough to generate firm, reliable zero-emission electricity. That's the hope for new geothermal technologies that could scale the industry beyond well-known geothermal hot spots like Iceland. But first the industry needs to overcome major challenges in financing and technology. It has also to deal with the public opinion around the oil and gas industry, which may be an essential partner in scaling geothermal because of its overlapping expertise in drilling and underground exploration. In this episode, guest host Lara Pierpoint talks with Jamie Beard, executive director of Project Innerspace, a non-profit focused on expanding the use of geothermal energy globally.  Current geothermal technology relies on naturally occurring underground hot spots, common in places like Iceland and the western U.S.. But an approach called enhanced geothermal systems or “hot, dry rock,” would make geothermal available around the world, potentially adding hundreds of gigawatts to current geothermal capacity. Lara and Jamie discuss major questions facing the geothermal industry, like: How and where to drill for consistent hot temperatures?  How long before a well is depleted of heat-carrying capacity?  What sort of surveying and information do funders need to deal with exploration risks?  How can the industry take advantage of the co-benefits of geothermal drilling, such as lithium extraction, carbon sequestration and waste heat? What working fluids, like water or critical CO2, are appropriate for a given project? How viable are geothermal-source heat pumps and how do they compare to air-source heat pumps? What are the potential environmental impacts of geothermal? What role should the oil and gas industry play in scaling this zero-emission technology? Resources: Canary Media: Advanced geothermal heats up with $138M round for startup Fervo Energy Department of Energy: DOE Launches New Energy Earthshot to Slash the Cost of Geothermal Power Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media. Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you're a startup, investor, enterprise, or innovation ecosystem that's creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more. Solar Power International and Energy Storage International are returning in-person this year as part of RE+. Come join everyone in Anaheim for the largest, B2B clean energy event in North America. Catalyst listeners can receive 15% off a full conference, non-member pass using promo code CANARY15. Register here.

Soil is a massive carbon sink that's stored away emissions for centuries. But years of destructive farming practices have released much of this carbon. Could incentivizing farmers help restore—and expand—soil's carbon-carrying capacity?  In theory, yes. But the market for soil carbon credits—literally paying farmers to improve their practices—needs serious reform.   In this episode, Shayle talks with Freya Chay, program manager for carbon removal at CarbonPlan. The fundamental problem is that the existing carbon credits don't do what they say they will do: permanently lock away additional carbon. Freya and Shayle survey the big challenges of the market and explore potential fixes, covering questions like: How do we measure—using models, samplings and satellites—the amount of carbon in a plot of soil? What tools do we have to make sure the carbon will stay in the ground, such as buffer pools and ton-year accounting? The additionality question: Without the credit, would the carbon have been captured anyway? Or would it have remained locked away anyway? What role could third-party grading systems play in differentiating high-quality credits from low-quality ones? Resources: CarbonPlan: A buyer's guide to soil carbon offsets CarbonPlan: Unpacking ton-year accounting Canary Media: Carbon storage gets dirty: The movement to sequester CO2 in soils Sylvera: Carbon Credit Ratings: Frameworks & Processes White Paper   Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media. Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you're a startup, investor, enterprise, or innovation ecosystem that's creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more. Solar Power International and Energy Storage International are returning in-person this year as part of RE+. Come join everyone in Anaheim for the largest, B2B clean energy event in North America. Catalyst listeners can receive 15% off a full conference, non-member pass using promo code CANARY15. Register here.

In aviation, there's a crowd of low-carbon technologies vying for a slice of the market. On one hand, the long-haul portion of the market will likely rely on sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) which still emit greenhouse gasses but could be offset to net-zero. On the other hand, there's a big share of air traffic that could go completely zero-emissions with the help of batteries and hydrogen.  So how soon could you book a ticket on a zero-emissions flight? And what routes are possible? In this episode, Shayle talks with Jayant Mukhopadhaya, a researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). Jayant recently authored two reports on electric aircraft and hydrogen aircraft. Shayle and Jayant dig in on some tough questions:  Can electric aircraft take incremental steps into the market given the limitations of current battery energy densities? Or do they need a technology breakthrough? How do hydrogen fuel cell, compressed hydrogen combustion, and liquid hydrogen combustion compare? How do airports need to prepare for hydrogen fueling? Hint: Terminal-sized upgrades. Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media. Resources: Canary Media: Can battery-powered airplanes decarbonize air travel?  Canary Media: How do we clean up air travel? Fuel from fast-food grease is just the start Bloomberg (video): Hydrogen May Be the Jet Fuel of the Future Catalyst: A bumpy ride toward decarbonizing aviation Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you're a startup, investor, enterprise, or innovation ecosystem that's creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more. Solar Power International and Energy Storage International are returning in-person this year as part of RE+. Come join everyone in Anaheim for the largest, B2B clean energy event in North America. Catalyst listeners can receive 15% off a full conference, non-member pass using promo code CANARY15. Register here.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are moving quickly toward mass adoption. So how do we make sure that charging infrastructure keeps up? The people who own, operate and install chargers have some big questions to answer:  Can public chargers run a profit, and how do business models need to change to accelerate deployment? Why is it so hard to repair broken stations? Does it matter where we install new ones? When will chargers be as ubiquitous and easy to use as gas stations? In this episode, Shayle digs into these questions with colleague Cassie Bowe, partner at the venture capital firm Energy Impact Partners, where she focuses on mobility. Cassie outlines the trajectory of charger deployment over the years, comparing charger accessibility in the U.S, China and Europe.  Shayle and Cassie cover smart charging (also known as V1G) and V2G, as well as the commodification of charging hardware. Plus, how soon we might see wireless charging and why Shayle doesn't have an EV yet.  Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you're a startup, investor, enterprise, or innovation ecosystem that's creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more. Solar Power International and Energy Storage International are returning in-person this year as part of RE+. Come join everyone in Anaheim for the largest, B2B clean energy event in North America. Catalyst listeners can receive 15% off a full conference, non-member pass using promo code CANARY15. Register here.

The $369 billion climate and tax bill from Sen. Joe Manchin III and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer caught everyone by surprise. Democrats had abandoned their climate legislation last month after Manchin, a must-have vote for Democrats, signaled his opposition to it. But late last week Manchin and Schumer announced they had revived the deal under a new name – The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. If passed, it would be the most ambitious climate action in U.S. history. And now with support from another key swing vote, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the bill is an important step closer to passage. So what would the bill do? In this episode, Shayle talks to Princeton professor Jesse Jenkins. Jesse leads the REPEAT Project, which analyzed the effects of the bill in a report released today. Overall, the bill would make clean energy cheaper and build up the capacity of climatetech industries in the U.S. and its allies across multiple sectors of the economy, including power, transportation, heavy industry and buildings.  Shayle and Jesse walk through the key provisions in the proposed legislation and their predicted impacts, including: Hundreds of new gigawatts of solar and wind capacity, plus new technology-neutral tax credits to support other technologies such as advanced nuclear Building up a North American supply chain for electric vehicles (EVs) Reducing the costs of EVs, sustainable aviation fuels, energy storage, hydrogen and more Increased energy security for medium- and low-income households, such as installing heat pumps and insulation Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you're a startup, investor, enterprise, or innovation ecosystem that's creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more. Solar Power International and Energy Storage International are returning in-person this year as part of RE+. Come join everyone in Anaheim for the largest, B2B clean energy event in North America. Catalyst listeners can receive 15% off a full conference, non-member pass using promo code CANARY15. Register here.

We're bringing you something different today. It's an episode of one of our favorite podcasts, called Watt It Takes hosted by Emily Kirsch of Powerhouse Ventures.  We talk a lot on Catalyst about how to finance and build climatetech. What we don't always get into are the personal stories of people who are trying to do that work. That's exactly what Watt It Takes does. The show tells the stories of founders who are building a zero-carbon world — their upbringings, their risks, their failures, and their breakthroughs. This episode is about Neha Palmer, CEO of TeraWatt Infrastructure, which builds large-scale electric vehicle charging hubs for medium and heavy transport. Tens of millions of delivery vans and semi trucks move around the clock to keep supply chains humming. These medium- and heavy-duty vehicles make up more than 25 percent of transportation emissions in the US — even though they only make up 10 percent of all vehicles on the road. We need to electrify medium and heavy-duty vehicles to meet our climate goals. But, how do we build and operate the charging infrastructure to power them? That charging network is exactly what TeraWatt Infrastructure is building. TeraWatt develops, owns, and manages charging infrastructure for these large vehicles. The company integrates hardware, software, and grid services along with on-site chargers. TerraWatt has a growing portfolio of land in strategic locations across the country that enables it to build and operate that charging infrastructure. TeraWatt brings together a team of experts from data centers, transportation logistics, and electric cars. The more complex the high-powered charging needs, the better suited TeraWatt is for the task. Watt It Takes host Emily Kirsch sat down with Neha to learn what it takes to electrify a sector with such massive energy demand. They talked about founding TeraWatt after Neha left Google, where she was a key figure in that company's ambitious renewable energy strategy. And they discuss the unique demands of heavy-duty transportation. Powerhouse is an innovation firm that works with leading global corporations to help them find, partner with, invest in, and acquire the most innovative startups in clean energy, mobility, and climate. Powerhouse Ventures backs seed-stage startups building innovative software to rapidly decarbonize our global energy and mobility systems. You can learn more at powerhouse.fund, and you can subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.powerhouse.fund/subscribe. If you like the show, subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you're a startup, investor, enterprise, or innovation ecosystem that's creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more. Solar Power International and Energy Storage International are returning in-person this year as part of RE+. Come join everyone in Anaheim for the largest, B2B clean energy event in North America. Catalyst listeners can receive 15% off a full conference, non-member pass using promo code CANARY15. Register here.

If there were a holy grail of electric vehicle batteries, it would be low-weight, long-range, and fast-charging. It would last a million miles and cost less than anything produced today. So in the booming EV battery market, what kind of battery will check all those boxes? Who will invent it? And do we really need all those features in one battery in the first place? In this episode, Shayle talks to Sam Jaffe, vice president of battery solutions at E-Source. They trace the history of the two major competing lithium-ion chemistries: Lithium Iron (or ferrous) Phosphate (LFP) and Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC). Sam and Shayle also discuss the factors that shaped this competition, like China, Tesla, and access to capital. They discuss new partnerships between battery manufacturers and automakers, including LG and GM, Samsung SDI and Stellantis, ACC and Mercedes And they cover questions like: Who decides which chemistries to develop — automakers or battery part manufacturers?  Will a small number of chemistries dominate or will there be a rapid diversification of battery chemistries to meet different needs? Is fast charging a nice-to-have or need-to-have? Will the rising costs of battery materials, especially lithium, slow the adoption of EVs?  Plus, Sam explains why he is no longer bearish on vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging. Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you're a startup, investor, enterprise, or innovation ecosystem that's creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more. Solar Power International and Energy Storage International are returning in-person this year as part of RE+. Come join everyone in Anaheim for the largest, B2B clean energy event in North America. Catalyst listeners can receive 15% off a full conference, non-member pass using promo code CANARY15. Register here.

In climatetech, the ‘valley of death' describes the lack of capital for newer solutions, especially those that mainstream investors view as unproven. The climate tech world is full of technologies that would be fantastic tools for fighting the climate crisis, if only they could cross this valley of death and scale. Scott Jacobs co-founded Generate Capital in 2014 to help address this problem. In this episode Shayle talks to Scott about how to successfully finance first-of-a-kind climatetech. They cover technologies like electric bus leasing, anaerobic digesters, microgrids and EV fleet charging infrastructure. And they dig in on: Winning over investors who don't have the time to understand complex technologies or business models The kinds of support, beyond capital, that first-of-a-kind technologies need from investors  Navigating the rising cost of capital and supply chain problems When exactly technologies have proven themselves in the eyes of investors Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you're a startup, investor, enterprise, or innovation ecosystem that's creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more. Solar Power International and Energy Storage International are returning in-person this year as part of RE+. Come join everyone in Anaheim for the largest, B2B clean energy event in North America. Catalyst listeners can receive 15% off a full conference, non-member pass using promo code CANARY15. Register here.

On the Carbon Copy podcast this week: It's been over three months since Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent shockwaves into global oil markets, causing supply constraints and skyrocketing prices. The conflict has complicated the flow of energy at a time when supply chains were already jumbled up because of Covid. But it's not just oil. The war is leaving its mark on all kinds of commodities, including the global supplies of minerals and metals. Geopolitical shifts are causing big spikes in the prices of lithium and nickel, two key components of the lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars. However, this supply mess could actually be boosting a positive trend in the battery space: recycling.  Batteries are a pillar of the zero-carbon economy, but are they truly sustainable? And will technical advancements and evolving geopolitical alliances alter the battery-based economy for the better? Our guest is Julian Spector, a senior reporter with Canary Media. Check out his latest report on five exciting startups tackling battery recycling from different angles. And check out all of Canary's Recycling Renewables special coverage. The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media. Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you're a startup, investor, enterprise, or innovation ecosystem that's creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more. Solar Power International and Energy Storage International are returning in-person this year as part of RE+. Come join everyone in Anaheim for the largest, B2B clean energy event in North America. Catalyst listeners can receive 15% off a full conference, non-member pass using promo code CANARY15. Register here.

It's shark week! Or ‘spark' week? Today we're bringing you an episode of How to Save a Planet, in which Shayle steps into the shoes of a Shark Tank-style judge. This episode is all about (drum-roll please): Storage! ...Exciting, right? Ok, we'll prove it to you. Each day, more and more of our electricity comes from intermittent renewables like wind and solar. To balance out our electric grid in the future, we'll need new ways of storing extra energy, so we can still turn on our lights when the wind isn't blowing and the sun isn't shining. This week, with help from Dr. Leah Stokes and Shayle Kann, we explore the wild world of energy storage, from a hidden underground lair to a piping hot thermos full of poison. And did we mention it's a gameshow? Guests Dr. Leah Stokes, Professor of Climate and Energy Policy at University of California, Santa Barbara Shayle Kann, Climate Tech Investor at Energy Impact Partners Len Greene, Director of Government Affairs and Communications, FirstLight Power Curtis VanWalleghem, CEO of Hydrostor Dr. Cristina Prieto, Professor of Engineering at the University of Seville Calls to Action Learn more about energy storage Pumped Hydro Compressed Air Molten Salts And for a really wild one: check out Energy Vault Learn more about our electric grid, with our episodes How We Got our Grid and How We Get a Better One and Party Like It's 2035 We still want to see your climate Venn diagrams! For inspiration, check out ClimateVenn.info. Post your diagram to Instagram and tag us at @how2saveaplanet. We'll be reposting examples listeners share with us. Check out our Calls to Action archive for all of the actions we've recommended on the show. Send us your ideas or feedback with our Listener Mail Form. Sign up for our newsletter here. And follow us on Twitter and Instagram. This episode of How to Save a Planet was produced by Daniel Ackerman. The rest of our reporting and producing team includes Kendra Pierre-Louis, Rachel Waldholz and Anna Ladd. Our supervising producer is Matthew Shilts. Our editor is Caitlin Kenney. Our intern is Janae Morris. Sound design and mixing by Peter Leonard with original music from Emma Munger. Our fact checker for this episode was James Gaines. Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you're a startup, investor, enterprise, or innovation ecosystem that's creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more.  Solar Power International and Energy Storage International are returning in-person this year as part of RE+. Come join everyone in Anaheim for the largest, B2B clean energy event in North America. Catalyst listeners can receive 15% off a full conference, non-member pass using promo code CANARY15. Register here.

Solar Power International was officially cancelled last Friday.

Solar Power International was officially cancelled last Friday.

Today, I'm turning the show over to Mr. Bill Gallagher, President at Solar-Fit and host of the Solar-Fit Renewable Energy Show, and Daniel Glaser, Sales Engineer at Panasonic.   The conversation took place in the Podcast Lounge live at SPI 2019, and it focused on the technology that Panasonic introduced back then called EverVolt. We also discussed the increasing interest in solar energy and storage in Solar Power International over the last decade, and how other trends within the energy sector have diminished.  Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here You can connect w/host, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email  Thanks a ton to our podcast sponsors for continuing to help make this content FREE to You! Please check them out and let me know what you think!

Today, I'm turning the show over to Mr. Bill Gallagher, President at Solar-Fit and host of the Solar-Fit Renewable Energy Show, and Daniel Glaser, Sales Engineer at Panasonic.   The conversation took place in the Podcast Lounge live at SPI 2019, and it focused on the technology that Panasonic introduced back then called EverVolt. We also discussed the increasing interest in solar energy and storage in Solar Power International over the last decade, and how other trends within the energy sector have diminished.  Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here You can connect w/host, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email  Thanks a ton to our podcast sponsors for continuing to help make this content FREE to You! Please check them out and let me know what you think!

Copyright 2019 - The Energy Show, Barry Cinnamon The annual Solar Power International show held in October of this year celebrated its 16th year. The first show was a tiny venue that started in back in 2004 and was held in a tiny venue in San Francisco. Since that day back in 2004, the show has grown significantly as has the solar industry itself. This year, the Solar Power International show was held in Salt Lake City with a big focus on energy storage --which has been building more and more every year, with a particular focus on new battery storage products. In addition to the plethora of bigger and better solar panels, there was many new racking and mounting products that connect these systems to a roof or big utility scale field, plus all kinds of hardware such as inverters, controls and accessories. Most notably, software and hardware companies are now working to make installing and managing these systems easier, so software is becoming an important part of the whole industry. But with the current demand for energy storage, clearly the focus on new battery storage products was most interesting. So to learn about the industry's latest energy storage offerings, please listen to this week's Energy Show as we review the most notable battery storage systems spotted on the floor of this year's Solar Power International show.

                          Episode Summary In this episode of Solar Maverick, Benoy shares what he learned from the Solar Power International conference, including solar trends, other speakers he met, and what the conference will be like in 2020.  Benoy talks about other conferences, past and present, he has been involved with and Benoy and Li also touch on how politics affects renewable energy projects, how legislation is affecting the outlook for solar, and how other countries treat renewable energy.     Benoy Thanjan Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, as well as an advisor for several solar startup companies. Reneu Energy is a premier international solar energy consulting firm and developer, and the company focuses on developing commercial and industrial solar, as well as utility-scale solar plus storage projects. The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges both energy and environmental commodities. Reneu Energy has brokered $27 million in environmental commodity transactions.   Benoy received his first experience in Finance as an intern at D.E. Shaw & Co., which is a global investment firm with 37 billion dollars in investment capital. Before founding Reneu Energy, he was the SREC Trader in the Project Finance Group for SolarCity, which merged with Tesla in 2016. He originated SREC trades with buyers and co-developed their SREC monetization and hedging strategy with the senior management of SolarCity, to move into the east coast markets. Benoy also worked at Vanguard Energy Partners, Ridgewood Renewable Power, and Deloitte & Touche.   Li Wang Li Wang is a life-long journalist and communications professional. He worked as an intern for the Philadelphia Daily News, during the summer of the O.J. trial, and has since had some fascinating jobs, from being a business reporter, to an arts editor, to a film critic. He has since shifted his focus to digital marketing and creative services, and now his company, MJ Wang Media, develops brand messaging and identity through website design and content marketing.    Insights from this episode: Benefits of attending the Solar Power International conference and how it has changed over the years Benoy has been attending.   Details on the step-down of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and how that is affecting solar investments. Strategies for people who plan to attend the Solar Power International conference to allow them to have a better experience. Details on other conferences relating to solar power and renewable energy and the Reneu Energy holiday party. Strategies for people interested in investing in the hospitality industry.   Quotes from the show: “Don’t let what you can’t control affect you, only focus on what you can control.”  – Li Wang, Episode #57 “When you go to other countries, their energy policy is on a national basis, but in the US (United States) it’s different.  It’s actually a state-by-state basis.”  – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #57 “One of the reasons I got excited about solar was that it could make the United States energy independent with renewable energy resources.”  – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #57  On the outlook for solar: “Yes there’s challenges, but the industry has always been creative and unique to figure out how to be competitive.”  – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #57 “The hospitality industry is a very competitive industry.”  – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #57 Benoy’s advice on business investing: “The first thing is about trusting the partners that you’re either working with or investing with.” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #57 Podcasts Mentioned:  SMP 45:  Productivity Tips and Entrepreneurial Advice from the CEO and Founder of the Number 1 Millennial Platform Called Mogul with Benoy Thanjan and Tiffany Pham SMP 44: Community Solar 201 With Benoy Thanjan and Suzanne Waters   Resources Mentioned: The Investment Tax Credit (ITC)   Conferences Mentioned:   Reneu Energy Holiday Party The Reneu Energy Holiday Party will be on Thursday, Dec. 5th from 6pm to 9pm at Hudson Hall in Jersey City. We will also be celebrating the holidays and the 50th episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast which is one of the most popular podcasts in solar. The cost to attend the event is $10 and food will be served. Reneu Energy's CEO Benoy is also a co-owner of the event venue, Hudson Hall, a Czech biergarten and smokehouse.   Solar Power International Conference 2019 Deloitte Renewable Energy Seminar Mogul X Conference Opportunity Zone Boot Camp & Pitch Competition - Newark, New Jersey October 17 National Brownfields Conference Coming to Los Angeles, California December 11-13 Sponsor: We would like to thank our sponsor for this podcast episode Infiniti Energy Services. Infinity Energy Services is a turn key solar development company with the focus on origination of opportunities between Maine and Virginia. They use their ability to structure financing and EPC projects as a value add with their partners. To learn more about Infiniti go to their web-site www.infinitienergyservices.net or contact Tom Loredo- Director of Project Origination 732-370-2446 We interviewed Michael Kushner who is the President at Infiniti Energy Services on Episode 49 of the Solar Maverick Podcast.   Stay Connected:   Benoy Thanjan Email: info@reneuenergy.com LinkedIn: @bthanjan Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com   Li Wang MJWangMedia.com  Instagram: @liwang22   Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on itunes, Podbean and youtube.   This episode was produced and managed by  Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com) 

#200: SPI, American-Made Solar Prize Winners Episode number 200 of SunCast!  I hope you’re having a restful day as many of you here in the US are enjoying a holiday, and likely still feeling stuffed and grateful from yesterday's Thanksgiving celebration. The last 4 years have really flown by, but so have the last 100 episodes! We have done our 2nd 100 episodes in 1/3rd the time it took for the first 100, and I tell you the feedback is amazing. I love hearing from you all, and am so grateful for the tribe we’ve built. If you’re not subscribed to our email, then you already missed out on our first announcement today of our Black Friday weekend special on membership to the SunCast Tribe, so I encourage you to pause the intro and go ahead over to mysuncast.com (we’ve even linked to it in the description right there in your podcast player) and subscribe. This is the lowest it’s ever going to be to join our Tribe, so take advantage now. Ok, welcome back… To celebrate our 200th episode, you guessed it, I’m releasing more SPI Podcast Lounge content (which if I’m honest with you is pure coincidence, and you can expect more of these live SPI episodes every Friday for a while!) With every episode of SunCast, we get to meet and learn from amazing and inspiring entrepreneurs. In September, I had the distinct pleasure of hosting the creators of The American-Made Solar Prize, a prize competition from the U.S. Department of Energy that is designed to revitalize U.S. solar manufacturing. The winners of the first round of the Solar Prize were announced at Solar Power International, and those lucky winners were featured live at our Podcast Lounge in Salt Lake City. What a phenomenal surprise when I discovered that 2 previous guests of SunCast turned out to be Winners! Today you’ll learn more about the prize, hear from the winners, and find out how You, too, can participate!  One quick note that we did originally record 3 episodes, with number 3 being all about the 3rd round of the prize, which is is open to applications until December 10th. Unfortunately, that recording seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle between Salt Lake and coming home, so I’d like to encourage you to listen all the way through the outro of the show today for add’l details on Round 3, if You are interested in participating.  Today’s episode is broken into 2 parts, so when you hear the first piece ending, it’s not the end of the show, just keep listening. Remember you can always find me on Twitter, LinkedIn or email and you can get the resources and learn more about today’s guest & recommendations on the SunCast Blog. Thanks to our podcast sponsors for continuing to help make this content free to You! IF you have stuck Commercial Solar projects, you really should consider how they can help: Energetic Insurance and Extensible Energy Learn more by clicking on their respective company links.

#200: SPI, American-Made Solar Prize Winners Episode number 200 of SunCast!  I hope you’re having a restful day as many of you here in the US are enjoying a holiday, and likely still feeling stuffed and grateful from yesterday's Thanksgiving celebration. The last 4 years have really flown by, but so have the last 100 episodes! We have done our 2nd 100 episodes in 1/3rd the time it took for the first 100, and I tell you the feedback is amazing. I love hearing from you all, and am so grateful for the tribe we’ve built. If you’re not subscribed to our email, then you already missed out on our first announcement today of our Black Friday weekend special on membership to the SunCast Tribe, so I encourage you to pause the intro and go ahead over to mysuncast.com (we’ve even linked to it in the description right there in your podcast player) and subscribe. This is the lowest it’s ever going to be to join our Tribe, so take advantage now. Ok, welcome back… To celebrate our 200th episode, you guessed it, I’m releasing more SPI Podcast Lounge content (which if I’m honest with you is pure coincidence, and you can expect more of these live SPI episodes every Friday for a while!) With every episode of SunCast, we get to meet and learn from amazing and inspiring entrepreneurs. In September, I had the distinct pleasure of hosting the creators of The American-Made Solar Prize, a prize competition from the U.S. Department of Energy that is designed to revitalize U.S. solar manufacturing. The winners of the first round of the Solar Prize were announced at Solar Power International, and those lucky winners were featured live at our Podcast Lounge in Salt Lake City. What a phenomenal surprise when I discovered that 2 previous guests of SunCast turned out to be Winners! Today you’ll learn more about the prize, hear from the winners, and find out how You, too, can participate!  One quick note that we did originally record 3 episodes, with number 3 being all about the 3rd round of the prize, which is is open to applications until December 10th. Unfortunately, that recording seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle between Salt Lake and coming home, so I’d like to encourage you to listen all the way through the outro of the show today for add’l details on Round 3, if You are interested in participating.  Today’s episode is broken into 2 parts, so when you hear the first piece ending, it’s not the end of the show, just keep listening. Remember you can always find me on Twitter, LinkedIn or email and you can get the resources and learn more about today’s guest & recommendations on the SunCast Blog. Thanks to our podcast sponsors for continuing to help make this content free to You! IF you have stuck Commercial Solar projects, you really should consider how they can help: Energetic Insurance and Extensible Energy Learn more by clicking on their respective company links.

This episode of Raising Your Antenna was recorded live in Salt Lake City at the Solar Power International podcast center. On this episode, we are lucky to have one of the visionaries of the distributed energy movement, Dan Nordloh. Dan is General Manager of DCentrIQ, a newly formed division of Faith Technologies. DCentrIQ is providing distributed energy technology and capabilities for a sustainable future through innovative distributed energy resource systems and Internet of Energy (IoE) control platforms. Dan shares his expertise with us about the DER revolution, both the opportunities and challenges, how it will force utilities to change their business model, and how battery technology is the next frontier in widespread DER adoption. Tune in as we discuss: -Distributed Energy Resources (DER) -Why Faith Technologies is entering the DER market -DER and macro trends, challenges to economics, scaling and wider spread adoption. -Microgrid and battery technology -Distributed energy and utilities ...and more Learn more about https://www.dcentriq.com/ Special thanks to Jim Spano and RadiantREIT for sponsoring the SPI podcast center

In this very special live episode of Experts Only, Jon Powers of CleanCapital hosts a panel of guests at the Solar Power International convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. Guests include: Bill Bush | CFO, STEM Bill drives project financing efforts and corporate funding initiatives at Stem, which builds and operates the largest digitally connected energy storage network. Adam Browning | Executive Director, Vote Solar Vote Solar’s mission is to make solar a mainstream energy resource across the U.S. Adam co-founded the organization in 2002 and leads Vote Solar's team of advocates, experts and staff working to bring solar to the mainstream across the U.S. Emily Fritze | Director of Strategy & Business Development, Powerhouse Emily manages strategic partnerships, programming, and business development at Powerhouse, a network-driven venture fund that backs entrepreneurs building the future of energy and mobility. Jon and the panel discuss some of the exciting milestones the clean energy industry reached in 2019 and what's on the horizon in 2020. Appreciation to Nico Johnson of Suncast for hosting us at the North America Smart Energy Week Podcast Lounge.

Energy Storage News editor Andy Colthorpe reports back from Solar Power International 2019 in Salt Lake City, Solar Media's editor in chief Liam Stoker discusses what's next for nuclear after EDF's latest Hinkley Point C update, and the two reflect on an important week for the climate crisis as Greta Thunberg inspires global protests, as well as the ire of a handful of detractors.

Eric Peterman and Kendall Ludwig call in LIVE from the 2019 Solar Power International conference. First up, is an interview with Evelyn Fisher, Head of Growth at Span. Span is a new technology to digitize your electric service panel for better synergy with your storage and energy system. Then, Marie and Ryan speak with Eric and Kendall to chat about what they are seeing and learning at the conference. From the show: TEXT ‘DefendtheITC’ at 52886 to submit appeal letters to your representatives. Span.io, www.span.io CWLP Community Solar Project, www.cwlp.com/ConservationHome/ConservationInformation/MySolar.aspx Please subscribe, tell a friend, and leave us a 5-star review. To learn more about GRNE Solar visit, GRNESolar.com or you can find us across social media @GRNESolar or on Instagram @WattsUpPodcast

Solar panels look much like they always have, but their consistent appearance belies big improvements in efficiency and affordability. Editor-in-chief Janelle Penny discusses the next frontier of solar power with Brian Lynch, director of solar and energy storage systems sales for LG Electronics USA, on the eve of Solar Power International 2019. *Podcast was created in partnership with LG Electronics USA. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/buildings-podcast/support

#175: Live SPI Podcast Lounge I'm thrilled to announce that we’ll be hosting the first-ever Podcast Lounge live from Solar Power International! Check out today’s episode for details and learn how YOU can be featured and involved! Calling all podcasters, apply today! Learn more about how you can be a featured guest or podcast host at the first-ever SPI Podcast Lounge, presented by SunCast Media by visiting: mysuncast.com/podcast-lounge Learn more about Aurora here: mysuncast.com/aurora - Join the Tribe? Check out Episode 86, in which I explain how YOU can become a SunCast Tribe member and support the growth and stability of SunCast moving forward! www.mysuncast.com/member to join today! If you like what you see and hear, please SHARE it with this pre-filled tweet!

#175: Live SPI Podcast Lounge I'm thrilled to announce that we’ll be hosting the first-ever Podcast Lounge live from Solar Power International! Check out today’s episode for details and learn how YOU can be featured and involved! Calling all podcasters, apply today! Learn more about how you can be a featured guest or podcast host at the first-ever SPI Podcast Lounge, presented by SunCast Media by visiting: mysuncast.com/podcast-lounge Learn more about Aurora here: mysuncast.com/aurora - Join the Tribe? Check out Episode 86, in which I explain how YOU can become a SunCast Tribe member and support the growth and stability of SunCast moving forward! www.mysuncast.com/member to join today! If you like what you see and hear, please SHARE it with this pre-filled tweet!

Emmitt Muckles is an Author, Podcaster, and speaker/ corporate trainer. Emmitt’s mission is to share the knowledge of conscious unlimited living, the law of attraction and the 7 universal laws of living. His current project is the Billionaire Lifestyle Podcast interviewing conscious creators helping audiences self-mind coach and feel connected to this life.  Emmitt is successful vocationally, with the creation of The Billionaire Lifestyle LLC, and The Billionaire Lifestyle Podcast/blog Emmitt was seeking what he calls an intended purposeful life, as part of the pact derived from his departed mother Juanita Terry-Muckles teachings and guidance. It was this driving endeavor that fueled the creative process that led to  “The Journey of One”.” To Emmitt it is all about servitude, giving what I was given.” Emmitt has been a session leader at Podcastmovement 2018, and created a course to help new podcasters get over their fear of tech and podcasting.  Other: Solar energy applications trainer for companies such as Solar City/Tesla, Solar Power International. Avid roller skater, and yoga fitness freak.

#165: Smart Electric Power Alliance Julia Hamm has been leading SEPA for more than 15 yrs, and helped the Utility Photovoltaic Group in its transition to being the Smart Electric Power Alliance. Along the way, she helped birth Solar Power International and has supported dozens of Utilities in their transition to clean energy. Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here - Join the Tribe? Check out Episode 86, in which I explain how YOU can become a SunCast Tribe member and support the growth and stability of SunCast moving forward! www.mysuncast.com/member to join today! If you like what you see and hear, please SHARE it with this pre-filled tweet!

#165: Smart Electric Power Alliance Julia Hamm has been leading SEPA for more than 15 yrs, and helped the Utility Photovoltaic Group in its transition to being the Smart Electric Power Alliance. Along the way, she helped birth Solar Power International and has supported dozens of Utilities in their transition to clean energy. Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here - Join the Tribe? Check out Episode 86, in which I explain how YOU can become a SunCast Tribe member and support the growth and stability of SunCast moving forward! www.mysuncast.com/member to join today! If you like what you see and hear, please SHARE it with this pre-filled tweet!

About our Hosts:   Benoy Thanjan   Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy and he is also an advisor for several solar startup companies.  Reneu Energy is a premier international solar energy consulting firm and developer and the company focuses on developing commercial and industrial solar and utility scale solar plus storage projects.  The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges energy and environmental commodities. Reneu Energy has brokered $27 million in environmental commodities transactions.   Benoy received his first experience in Finance as an intern at D.E. Shaw & Co., which is a global investment firm with 37 billion dollars in investment capital. Before founding Reneu Energy, he was the SREC Trader in the Project Finance Group for SolarCity which merged with Tesla in 2016. He originated SREC trades with buyers and co-developed their SREC monetization and hedging strategy with the senior management of SolarCity to move into the east coast markets.  Benoy also worked at Vanguard Energy Partners, Ridgewood Renewable Power, and Deloitte & Touche.   Li Wang   A life-long journalist and communications professional, Li Wang was hooked on the news as an intern at the Philadelphia Daily News during the summer of the O.J. trial. He has been a business reporter, arts editor and film critic. He has shifted his focus to digital marketing and creative services. His company, MJ Wang Media, develops brand messaging and identity through website design and content marketing.   Episode Summary:   Benoy Thanjan and co-host Li Wang are big football fans. Benoy’s team is the New York Giants and Li’s team is the Philadelphia Eagles. In this episode, Benoy and Li and talk about solar power in sports facilities. Benoy’s company is Reneu Energy and they recently opened offices in Los Angeles and San Diego, both in California. Benoy says that California is the number one state for solar energy, and that the governor of California signed legislation to have 100% renewable energy by 2045.  Li and Benoy talk at length about the future of solar energy and especially its use in sports stadiums.   Insights from this Episode:   ✺ Why Reneu Energy expanded their market to California ✺ The reasons football stadiums in the Northeastern United States use solar panels ✺ Exploring possibilities and advantages for sports facilities to implement solar energy ✺ Information about the panel that Benoy moderated at Solar Power International called “Market Forces: C&I's Role in Transforming Utility-Scale Procurement” in September in Anaheim, California and cutting edge companies who will be on the panel ✺ Tips to navigate tariffs imposed on the solar industry ✺ How Solar Energy in Europe is leading the way for change in the world.  Germany has had two days this year where it was powered by 100% renewables. ✺ How “Greenies” as a carbon energy offset are used as solar energy Quotes from the Show:   ✺ “California is the most progressive state in the fifty states, and actually is the number one state for solar, and they recently passed legislation to increase that.” - Benoy Thanjan, Episode #2 ✺“The East Coast doesn’t seem like it’d be the most solar-friendly region of the country, yet, we have our three NFC teams leading in solar.” - Li Wang, Episode #2 ✺ “Greenies are a renewable energy carbon offset that’s basically based on stringent consumer Environmental standards in North America, and it’s certified from a green-powered, renewable energy facility, basically.” - Benoy Thanjan, Episode #2 ✺ “One Greenie equals one MegaWatt hour of energy.” - Benoy Thanjan, Episode #2   Stay connected:   Benoy Thanjan LinkedIn.com/in/bthanjan Facebook: Reneu Energy www.reneuenergy.com info@reneuenergy.com   Li Wang: MJWangMedia.com Instagram: @liwang22

Missed Solar Power International and Energy Storage International in Anaheim this year? Experts Only hosted our podcast in front of a live audience to discuss the Economics of Microgrids with Miranda Ballentine (Constant Power), Sachu Constantine (Vote Solar), David Rubin (PG&E) and Mike Wu (Converge Strategies). Today’s episode is a bit longer than our typical podcast as we discuss the evolving microgrid business models from third-party projects to utility-initiated projects. In between, a hybrid, “unbundled” model based on public-private partnerships is emerging which could offer more flexibility and opportunities for collaboration. This episode examines the state of microgrids, using the discrete business models that are supporting build-out and specific use cases to highlight how microgrids best contribute to the electric grid’s steady evolution toward aggregating and integrating distributed energy resources (DERs), flexible loads, and increased resilience and security. Experts Only is made possible by CleanCapital. Learn more: http://www.cleancapital.com Follow on Twitter: @CleanCapital_ Details about SPI: https://www.solarpowerinternational.com/

Welcome to Episode 115 of SunCast, Solar Warrior! On Monday I had the awesome opportunity to meet Dan Whitten, VP of Communications for SEIA, and he invited me to record the opening remarks by SEIA's President Abby Hopper as she kicked off the 2018 Solar Power International and Energy Storage Int'l conference and North America Smart Energy Week.   I was honored and grateful for the gracious offer, and so today I'm sharing part of that opening session with you here.  If you're a member of the SunCast Tribe, you can hear the rest of the 40 minutes I recorded with the panelists in the session via your Patreon feed.  For resources from today's episode and more information on how you can support Suncast, head over to www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes to the blog. (the direct URL is ...episodes/115) Join the Tribe? Check out Episode 86, in which I explain how YOU can become an Energy Tribe member and support the growth and stability of SunCast moving forward! www.mysuncast.com/member to join today! If you like what you see and hear, please SHARE it with this pre-filled tweet! Thanks again for setting aside THIS time in your day. Enjoy this episode of SunCast.

The Solar Coaster presents the EcoShip project as a discussion topic at Solar Power International during North American Smart Energy Week 2018. Join us, along with Remy Millot, Project Coordinator for EcoShip, Boris Von Bormann, CEO of Renu Ventures and Michael Intrieri, CEO of SunDrum Solar, for an examination of the EcoShip, and where and why it's technologies need to be created and applied.

Welcome to Episode 115 of SunCast, Solar Warrior! On Monday I had the awesome opportunity to meet Dan Whitten, VP of Communications for SEIA, and he invited me to record the opening remarks by SEIA's President Abby Hopper as she kicked off the 2018 Solar Power International and Energy Storage Int'l conference and North America Smart Energy Week.   I was honored and grateful for the gracious offer, and so today I'm sharing part of that opening session with you here.  If you're a member of the SunCast Tribe, you can hear the rest of the 40 minutes I recorded with the panelists in the session via your Patreon feed.  For resources from today's episode and more information on how you can support Suncast, head over to www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes to the blog. (the direct URL is ...episodes/115) Join the Tribe? Check out Episode 86, in which I explain how YOU can become an Energy Tribe member and support the growth and stability of SunCast moving forward! www.mysuncast.com/member to join today! If you like what you see and hear, please SHARE it with this pre-filled tweet! Thanks again for setting aside THIS time in your day. Enjoy this episode of SunCast.

Welcome to Episode 114 of SunCast, Solar Warrior! On this episode, Christian Roselund from PV Magazine and I discuss the reality of 100% renewables on the grid, and he gives an overview of the PV Magazine roundtables happening this week at Solar Power International 2018. For resources from today's episode and more information on how you can support Suncast, head over to www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes to the blog. (the direct URL is ...episodes/114) Join the Tribe? Check out Episode 86, in which I explain how YOU can become an Energy Tribe member and support the growth and stability of SunCast moving forward! www.mysuncast.com/member to join today! If you like what you see and hear, please SHARE it with this pre-filled tweet! Thanks again for setting aside THIS time in your day. Enjoy this episode of SunCast.

Welcome to Episode 114 of SunCast, Solar Warrior! On this episode, Christian Roselund from PV Magazine and I discuss the reality of 100% renewables on the grid, and he gives an overview of the PV Magazine roundtables happening this week at Solar Power International 2018. For resources from today's episode and more information on how you can support Suncast, head over to www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes to the blog. (the direct URL is ...episodes/114) Join the Tribe? Check out Episode 86, in which I explain how YOU can become an Energy Tribe member and support the growth and stability of SunCast moving forward! www.mysuncast.com/member to join today! If you like what you see and hear, please SHARE it with this pre-filled tweet! Thanks again for setting aside THIS time in your day. Enjoy this episode of SunCast.

Happy Birthday Experts Only! Thanks to all our listeners so far, it’s been a big year for our podcast, we’ve released 30 episodes with leading experts ranging from investors, industry visionaries, and innovators across the cleantech space and financial markets focusing on the intersection of energy, innovation and finance. We’ve invited back our first Experts Only guest, Abby Ross Hopper, President and CEO of Solar Energy Industries Association. It’s been quite the year for the solar industry and we’ve invited Abby back to discuss the state of solar, how the industry has responded to a challenging political climate from the international trade case to international climate agreement withdrawals and federal regulations intended to favor fossil fuels. It’s been a busy year. As many of our listeners will be headed to Solar Power International in Anaheim, we hope today’s conversation will help give you a sense of where the industry is and where it’s headed before you head out to this year’s show. For those headed to Anaheim, we’ll be doing a live recording of Experts Only focused on Business Opportunity of Microgrids on Wednesday from 2:30-4, you can find more details below. I hope you enjoy today’s conversation as we discuss that the state of solar is strong. Experts Only is made possible by CleanCapital. Learn more: http://www.cleancapital.com Follow on Twitter: @CleanCapital_ Details about Experts Only Live at SPI on Wed, Sept 26 from 2:30-4pm: https://www.eventscribe.com/2018/SPI/fsPopup.asp?Mode=presInfo&PresentationID=403418 Details about SPI: https://www.solarpowerinternational.com/ Details about SEIA: https://seia.org ICYMI Abby’s first interview 1 year ago: https://cleancapital.com/2017/09/understanding-the-solar-trade-case-my-conversation-with-seia-ceo-abigail-ross-hopper/

Back from Solar Power International in Vegas, Jeff and Sue chat with guest speaker Nick Korth, product marketing manager of Renewable Energies for HellermannTyton, to discuss best practices of wire management for rooftop PV arrays. Nick is also host of the “Beyond the Planet” webinar series, which addresses topics such as how weather impacts PV systems. This week’s topics include: Edge clips vs straps (cable ties) Trunk vs PV cable mgmnt Managing large cable bundles Conduit and roof transition boxes Rail based VS Rail free Metal vs plastic Plastic cable tie life Ratings Hours exposure Codes and Standards language and requirements are modest and lacking in guidance NEC 110.12 neat and workmanship like manner, NEC 300.4 protecting conductors, and NEC 334.3 bend radius UL standards UL 2703 for racking systems, UL 1565 for wire clips, UL 62275 for wire ties Clip Retention of wires, and clip Retention on frame Looping ties through frames Birds, squirrels, and critter management

We made it. We finished summer without nuclear war or an international catastrophe -- and now we can calm our nerves with pumpkin spice everything. This week, as we close out summer and prepare for a busy fall news cycle, we're checking in on the stories that we think will define the remainder of 2017. Katherine gives us a rundown on the top priorities for Congress. Jigar talks about the shakeout coming for the auto sector. And Stephen looks at the potential impact of solar tariffs. This podcast is sponsored by Mission Solar Energy, a solar module manufacturer based in San Antonio, Texas. Visit Mission Solar at the upcoming Solar Power International conference at Booth 3975. You can find out more about Mission’s American-made, high-power modules at missionsolar.com.

What makes Elon Musk tick? What will the grid look like in 2030? This week, we (re)answer both of those questions. We're featuring a couple of our favorite podcast segments for your summer listening enjoyment. First up, a 2015 Energy Gang interview with Ashlee Vance, a Bloomberg reporter and author of the book, Elon Musk: Tesla, Space X and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. Vance gives us an intimate look at why Elon operates in such a unique way. It's been two years since the book was released, but it's still just as relevant. In our second interview, we dig into The Interchange vaults and serve up a conversation about what the grid may look like in 2030. It's like a literary review of geeky grid fan fiction, written by Shayle Kann. Sign up for our live Energy Gang in New York City on September 19: This podcast is sponsored by Mission Solar Energy, a solar module manufacturer based in San Antonio, Texas. Visit Mission Solar at the upcoming Solar Power International conference at Booth 3975. You can find out more about Mission's American-made, high-power modules at missionsolar.com. Recommended reading: Elon Musk: Tesla, Space X and the Quest for a Fantastic Future -- https://www.amazon.com/Ashlee-Vance/e/B003YLHAJG How the Grid Was Won: Three Scenarios for the Distributed Grid in 2030 -- https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/how-the-grid-was-won

What makes Elon Musk tick? What will the grid look like in 2030? This week, we (re)answer both of those questions. We're featuring a couple of our favorite podcast segments for your summer listening enjoyment. First up, a 2015 Energy Gang interview with Ashlee Vance, a Bloomberg reporter and author of the book, Elon Musk: Tesla, Space X and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. Vance gives us an intimate look at why Elon operates in such a unique way. It's been two years since the book was released, but it's still just as relevant. In our second interview, we dig into The Interchange vaults and serve up a conversation about what the grid may look like in 2030. It’s like a literary review of geeky grid fan fiction, written by Shayle Kann. Sign up for our live Energy Gang in New York City on September 19: This podcast is sponsored by Mission Solar Energy, a solar module manufacturer based in San Antonio, Texas. Visit Mission Solar at the upcoming Solar Power International conference at Booth 3975. You can find out more about Mission’s American-made, high-power modules at missionsolar.com. Recommended reading: Elon Musk: Tesla, Space X and the Quest for a Fantastic Future -- https://www.amazon.com/Ashlee-Vance/e/B003YLHAJG

White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon (unwittingly) gave an interview this week, saying America is locked in "an economic war with China." Bannon mentioned arcane sections of the 1974 Trade Act to penalize China for alleged steel and aluminum dumping. Could solar be on the list, too? Bannon's comments suggest he's also paying attention to Section 201 of the trade act -- which is the foundation of Suniva and SolarWorld’s case for slapping severe penalties on imported solar cells and modules from Asia and the rest of the world. Those companies, plus dozens of other heavy hitters in solar, were in Washington this week to argue their case in front of the International Trade Commission. In this week's show, we’ll have the latest on solar trade politics. Then, we'll dig into a fascinating new study on second-order climate beliefs. It’s not just about what you believe -- it’s about what you believe others believe. Finally, we’ll revisit the rise of non-wires alternatives. More utilities are opting for distributed resources in place of traditional wires upgrades on the grid. We’ll discuss a new project in Arizona and then look across the landscape of other projects. This podcast is sponsored by Mission Solar Energy, a solar module manufacturer based in San Antonio, Texas. Visit Mission Solar at the upcoming Solar Power International conference at Booth 3975. You can find out more about Mission’s American-made, high-power modules at missionsolar.com. Recommended reading: The Messy Politics Surrounding the Solar Trade Case: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/the-messy-politics-surrounding-the-solar-trade-case The Importance of Second-Order Opinions for Climate Politics: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/74f6/8960cca93ebe036baea022bfaf2e4c4e9e70.pdf APS Buys Energy Storage From AES for Less Than Half the Cost of a Transmission Upgrade: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/aes-buys-energy-storage-for-less-than-half-the-cost-of-a-wires-upgrade

What happens when lawmakers and industry craft a large, complicated bill and then rush it through the legislature without reading it? We saw the consequences in South Carolina. That's where two utilities in the state walked away from a nuclear plant they were building – leaving ratepayers to foot the bill and putting thousands of people out of work. It's the result of a piece of legislation quietly passed a decade ago. In this week's episode of The Energy Gang, we'll look at the political factors that led to South Carolina's nuclear debacle. Then, we'll review two newly published features about Louisiana – one on the state's disastrous environmental record, and the other on the slow recovery after last year’s record-breaking floods. We'll start the show off with a quick peek at the latest Tesla news, including the Model 3 unveiling and a major bond issuance. This podcast is sponsored by Mission Solar Energy, a solar module manufacturer based in San Antonio, Texas. Visit Mission Solar at the upcoming Solar Power International conference at Booth 3975. You can find out more about Mission’s American-made, high-power modules at missionsolar.com. Recommended reading: How SC Lawmakers Passed a 2007 Law That Failed Power Customers: http://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article165641762.html The Louisiana Environmental Apocalypse Road Trip: https://longreads.com/2017/07/13/the-louisiana-environmental-apocalypse-road-trip/amp/ Disaster and Neglect in Louisiana: http://reports.climatecentral.org/great-flood-louisiana/one-year-later/

Al Gore is back in the climate spotlight with the release of "An Inconvenient Sequel." This week, we’ll revisit his role as the unofficial spokesman for climate action. There’s still an active debate over how effective Gore has been in that role throughout the last decade. Then, Energy Secretary Rick Perry didn’t give away any nuclear secrets in his 22-minute call with Russian phone pranksters. But that may be the least of our worries. We’ll talk about a blockbuster new piece from Michael Lewis in Vanity Fair about the disordered transition in the Department of Energy. Finally, Britain makes some bold battery moves. We’ll glance at two new plans to boost distributed battery storage and ban gas-powered cars. This podcast is sponsored by Mission Solar Energy, a solar module manufacturer based in San Antonio, Texas. Visit Mission Solar at the upcoming Solar Power International conference at Booth 3975. You can find out more about Mission’s American-made, high-power modules at missionsolar.com. Atlantic piece on Al Gore: https://newrepublic.com/article/143966/troubling-return-al-gore-profile-inconvenient-sequel Michael Lewis' piece on the DOE: http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/07/department-of-energy-risks-michael-lewis

After numerous attempts, a desperate plea from the governor, and some pot sweeteners to industry, legislators in California finally passed an extension of cap-and-trade to 2030. It’s a big deal. California is the world’s seventh-largest economy. With Governor Brown vowing to fill in the climate diplomacy vacuum left by Donald Trump, it would have been a huge setback to let cap-and-trade languish. We'll look at the significance. Then, can geothermal heating and cooling follow the path of solar? Dandelion, a new startup spun off from Google X, thinks so. We'll end with a look at the wave of executive departures from SolarCity's team in the aftermath of the Tesla acquisition. This podcast is sponsored by Mission Solar Energy, a solar module manufacturer based in San Antonio, Texas. Visit Mission Solar at the upcoming Solar Power International conference at Booth 3975. You can find out more about Mission’s American-made, high-power modules at missionsolar.com.

With America now a climate pariah on the global stage, cities around the country are stepping up their commitments to action. But are they just cheerleading, rather than actually leading? This week, guest Sam Brooks tells the hard truth about why cities are not living up to their bold pronouncements -- not yet, anyway. Brooks is the former director of the District of Columbia's sustainability division. He recently penned a piece for GTM on why cities are not leading on climate in the way they claim. We'll talk to him about the data behind his argument and his experience working in city government. Then, we'll discuss a couple big business moves. NRG is selling off its renewable energy assets as part of a major restructuring plan. We’ll tell you why. And AES creates a joint venture with Siemens to scale up utility-scale storage. We’ll take a look at the global storage arms race. This podcast is sponsored by Mission Solar Energy, a solar module manufacturer based in San Antonio, Texas. Visit Mission Solar at the upcoming Solar Power International conference at Booth 3975. You can find out more about Mission’s American-made, high-power modules at missionsolar.com. Read Sam Brooks' piece: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/hard-truths-about-city-failures-with-clean-energy

SolarEdge's HD-Wave technology has been turning heads since it was released at Solar Power International 2015. This year it won an Intersolar Award, and we also selected to feature it as a top product technology of 2016. Here to tell us more about this innovative technology are SolarEdge's Mike Rogerson, marketing director north America, and Cameron Stewart, technical training manager North America.

Jeff Calabro, senior vice president of business development at Arraycon, offers insight on how ArrayCon was recognized as 2016's Top Solar Construction firm in Solar Power World and the type of equipment used to do such high-quality work, in this Solar Speaks Live video, filmed on the tradeshow floor at Solar Power International 2016.

Unirac CEO Peter Lorenz discusses why he got into the renewable-energy business and provides advice for contractors on how to use the best equipment, even if it costs a little more, in this Solar Speaks Live video, filmed on the tradeshow floor at Solar Power International 2016.

Mark Begert has been with Austin-based solar contractor Meridian Solar for almost 10 years. During that time he helped the company move from a residential and commercial solar installer, to an EPC company focusing on the commercial, public and utility-scale markets. During a Solar Speaks Live interview at Solar Power International 2016, Meridian's executive vice president shares his best business practices and why non-profit work is also important to his company.

Kimbis takes on talk that the SEIA board of directors focuses too heavily on utility-scale solar, in this Solar Speaks Live video, filmed on the tradeshow floor at Solar Power International 2016. He also offers insight on the selection of a new SEIA president and how he views the U.S. presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) President and CEO Larry Sherwood explains its solar consumer protection initiative, how the solar industry can root out bad apples and the similarities between distributed solar and small wind, in this Solar Speaks Live video, filmed on the tradeshow floor at Solar Power International 2016.

Solar advocate and business owner Barry Cinnamon discusses why he and others believe the board of director at the Solar Energy Industries Association, or SEIA, leans too heavily toward utility-scale solar, in this Solar Speaks Live video, filmed on the tradeshow floor at Solar Power International 2016.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2bCOCXu. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. ------------------------- Solar Site Design, winner of the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2015 Sunshot Catalyst Award, will unveil its Solar Commercial Marketplace for its industrial solar power site planning software at Solar Power International in Las Vegas on September 12 through 15th, 2016. The trade show is the largest solar industry event of the year. Jason Loyet, President and Founder of Solar Site Design or SSD, says, “We are excited to introduce this enhancement to our platform that will revolutionize the cost of solar energy across the United States.” Jason adds, “Our mission is to drive down the cost of solar and keep all coal in the ground. We are excited to be a part of the solution for driving down the cost of solar across the world.” Solar energy isn’t just good for the environment. It is good business. Jason Says, “Solar energy is expected to grow to a $155 billion dollar global market by 2018. The solar industry is on track to install 100 GW worldwide by 2015. That is doubling the capacity in two-and-a-half years.” Because virtually the entire cost of solar power is in the form of up front capital costs, the only way to bring down the long term cost of energy is to reduce the total capital cost of the installation. While solar panels are falling in price, the proportion of total cost represented by panels is also falling, meaning that reducing costs further will have to come from other aspects of the business. Erik Melang, Senior Managing Director for Clean Energy Advisors [one of our sponsors], explains, “One of the biggest impediments to solar adoption is the soft cost of the installation. Large developers are paying over $.50 watt to find projects. Distributive generation requires distributive origination at the local level. SSD provides the platform to make that happen. SSD’s collaborative model is an impact capital model that is disrupting how the sales process is generally carried out. SSD is bringing down the cost of solar installations and making it easier for developers to find the projects that best fit their project profile.” ------------------------- Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2bCOCXu. Need a corporate social responsibility speaker? Learn more about Devin Thorpe at http://devinthorpe.com.

In this Solar Speaks custom podcast, Milton Nogueira, senior business development manager at RoofTech, a PV mounting solutions provider, discusses the company's rail-less PV mounting system, which you can see for yourself at the upcoming Solar Power International exhibition in Las Vegas in September. Milton discusses how the product works, details its flexible flashing and talks about the future of Roof Tech in this Solar Speaks podcast.

Host Nico Johnson takes some time today in this first Question and Answer episode to respond to some questions received from the audience the past few weeks.   There are a lot of requests for whether the show will ever be in Spanish.  The short answer is "maybe" and "it depends".  Nico unpacks it a bit further. In our inaugural episode, there was quite a bit of data and market trend info shared between Nico and Adam James, and many really enjoyed this style approach for the show.  We'll definitely be bringing more of this back, but Adam is moving on from his role at GTM, so the recordings have necessarily been put on the back burner as he makes this transition. Conferences are an important way to gain exposure to the players in any specific region, and Latin America is no different.  Nico's been to, and spoken at most of the regional conferences, and takes some time here to highlight what he sees working. A common hurdle for someone entering into a new market is determining where and with whom they should partner. Nico shares some guidance on how you might go about making that decision. Finally, LACSA has been mentioned a few times on the 'cast, so Nico takes a moment to explain the reasoning behind it here. And, this Q&A tees up the Bonus Episode that you can listen to only on the SunCast website, which is our Live recording of the event we hosted in Anaheim during this year's Solar Power International (2015).

Host Nico Johnson takes some time today in this first Question and Answer episode to respond to some questions received from the audience the past few weeks.   There are a lot of requests for whether the show will ever be in Spanish.  The short answer is "maybe" and "it depends".  Nico unpacks it a bit further. In our inaugural episode, there was quite a bit of data and market trend info shared between Nico and Adam James, and many really enjoyed this style approach for the show.  We'll definitely be bringing more of this back, but Adam is moving on from his role at GTM, so the recordings have necessarily been put on the back burner as he makes this transition. Conferences are an important way to gain exposure to the players in any specific region, and Latin America is no different.  Nico's been to, and spoken at most of the regional conferences, and takes some time here to highlight what he sees working. A common hurdle for someone entering into a new market is determining where and with whom they should partner. Nico shares some guidance on how you might go about making that decision. Finally, LACSA has been mentioned a few times on the 'cast, so Nico takes a moment to explain the reasoning behind it here. And, this Q&A tees up the Bonus Episode that you can listen to only on the SunCast website, which is our Live recording of the event we hosted in Anaheim during this year's Solar Power International (2015).

Troy Miller, director of grid solutions for S&C Electric Company, discusses the impact of solar on the electric grid in this Solar Speaks Live video, powered by Unirac, from the 2015 Solar Power International tradeshow.

Bill Brooks, principal of Brooks Engineering, discusses solar worker training, array design and the ITC in this Solar Speaks Live video, powered by Unirac, from the 2015 Solar Power International tradeshow.

Gwendalyn Bender, product manager for assessment services for Vaisala, discusses the range of services and products offered by the company in this Solar Speaks Live video, powered by Unirac, from the 2015 Solar Power International tradeshow. Bender also touches on the concept of accuracy in weather forecasts and how it impacts projects.

Dr. Lidija Sekaric, deputy director of the SunShot Initiative, discuss the programs latest funding programs and progress in this Solar Speaks Live video, powered by Unirac, from the 2015 Solar Power International tradeshow.

Julia Hamm, president and CEO of SEPA, met with Solar Power World for a Solar Speaks Live interview at Solar Power International 2015. She explained how SEPA and SEIA operate differently, but both want to see the success of the solar industry.

Andrew de Pass, CEO of Conergy, a global solar developer and EPC, discusses solar development and the ITC in this Solar Speaks Live video, powered by Unirac, from the 2015 Solar Power International tradeshow.

Rhone Resch, president and CEO of SEIA, talks about his life growing up and how he became interested in solar and policy in this Solar Speaks Live video, powered by Unirac, from the 2015 Solar Power International tradeshow.

Shalini Kantayya, director of the solar documentary Catching the Sun, discusses the film and the communication challenges present in the solar industry in this Solar Speaks Live video, powered by Unirac, from the 2015 Solar Power International tradeshow.

During a Solar Power World Solar Speaks Live interview at Solar Power International 2015, we spoke with David Field, who addressed challenges homeowners encounter when buying solar and how his company is innovating to make it easier. Field also commented on the White House's Clean Power Plan and trends he sees going into 2016.

During a Solar Power World Solar Speaks Live interview at Solar Power International 2015, we spoke with Jesse Grossman, CEO of Soltage. He discussed why the industry needs a standardized way to estimate solar power production.

Billy Parish, founder and CEO of Mosaic, met with Solar Power World for a Solar Speaks Live interview at Solar Power International 2015.

Host Nico Johnson meets with Greenwood Energy CEO, Camilo Patrignani, live from Solar Power International 2015.  Join in as Nico and Camilo discuss the hard parts of developing one of the largest private solar PPAs in Latin America.  We also cover the decisions behind Greenwood’s JV with Illios in Mexico, and the art of letting go when your partner is courted by deeper pockets.  Camilo gives a little insight as well into Greenwood’s master plan to pivot away from the Utility markets and move towards what he sees as the burgeoning and more cash-cycle-friendly rooftop distributed generation (DG) markets. Camilo helps us delve into the specific variables that can affect the success of a solar project in latin america, and how to avoid common pitfalls.  I really hope you get massive value from this next episode of SunCast!

Host Nico Johnson meets with Greenwood Energy CEO, Camilo Patrignani, live from Solar Power International 2015.  Join in as Nico and Camilo discuss the hard parts of developing one of the largest private solar PPAs in Latin America.  We also cover the decisions behind Greenwood’s JV with Illios in Mexico, and the art of letting go when your partner is courted by deeper pockets.  Camilo gives a little insight as well into Greenwood’s master plan to pivot away from the Utility markets and move towards what he sees as the burgeoning and more cash-cycle-friendly rooftop distributed generation (DG) markets. Camilo helps us delve into the specific variables that can affect the success of a solar project in latin america, and how to avoid common pitfalls.  I really hope you get massive value from this next episode of SunCast!

In the mid 1970s, Exxon invested millions of dollars into sophisticated climate research and determined that greenhouse gas emissions would warm the planet to dangerous levels if left unchecked. But then something changed. In the mid 1980s and into the 90s, Exxon curtailed much of that research and started sowing doubt about the reality of the problem. By one tally, Exxon has spent $30 million supporting front groups and climate denying politicians in order to prevent action on reducing carbon emissions. Why such a dramatic reversal? In this episode, we talk with Neela Banerjee, a reporter with Inside Climate News, about a lengthy investigative series she's co-writing on Exxon's conflicted climate past. (Make sure to read part one, part two and part three of the Inside Climate News series.) Later in the show, we'll look at the good and bad pieces of California's latest climate and clean energy bill. And we'll end with a discussion of trends from Solar Power International. This podcast is sponsored by ReneSola, a Tier 1 solar cell and module manufacturer with a decade of experience in the cleantech industry. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussions between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Media Editor Stephen Lacey.

Four years ago, former MIT lab mates Leila Madrone and Saul Griffith started working together to help bring solar to the next level. “Across the solar industry, it was clear the tracker was the unsolved problem,” Madrone says in this Solar Speaks podcast. “Everyone wants tracker performance, but no one wants tracker complexity.” Sunfolding, a new type of solar tracker that has just emerged from stealth, is the outcome of their research and development. The tracker eliminates motors, gearboxes, torque tubes, bearings and wires. “We created a system that has the ease of installation and versatility of fixed tilt,” Madrone says. The tracker uses distributed actuation with a pneumatic drive system that lets solar developers install trackers in small, uniform sections, like fixed-tilt mounting. The drive is made of durable polymers developed by DuPont and already used in harsh automotive applications. Learn more about Sunfolding in this Solar Speaks podcast. Sunfolding is also exhibiting at Solar Power International 2015 at booth No. 7624.

Solar Power International offers events specifically for women each year. Perhaps one of the longest running is a panel discussion and reception put on by the Professional Women in Solar Group. We spoke with founder Isabelle Christensen to find out more about the event at SPI and the group in general.

Five years ago, a new wave of startups promised a manufacturing renaissance driven by American solar. Today, after the collapse of dozens of those companies, many are skeptical that the U.S. can ever lead in solar production. But can America rise once again? Our guest this week, Siva Power CEO Brad Mattson, believes it can. Mattson is out with a new book, “The Solar Phoenix: How America Can Rise From the Ashes of Solyndra to World Leadership in Solar 2.0.” We’ll talk with him about the VC bubble, the struggles of solar manufacturers and Siva’s plans to expand in the U.S. Later in the show, we’ll discuss a few things we picked up at the Solar Power International conference. And we’ll finish up with a look at the abysmal political climate for renewables in Australia. You can check out our live podcast on November 18 in San Francisco at ACEEE’s Intelligent Efficiency conference: http://bit.ly/1wvgv5x And don’t forget to fill out our short listener survey: http://svy.mk/1rCT4HH This podcast is brought to you by SMA, the world's leading solar inverter manufacturer. With more than 850 service experts, 90 service hubs, 30-plus gigawatts installed globally and thousands of commercial and utility projects completed worldwide, SMA is the partner of choice for your PV projects. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussion between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Media Editor Stephen Lacey.

Listen to Jeff Spies, Senior Director of Policy of Quick Mount PV and Mark C. Gies, Vice President, Reliability and Compliance with PanelClaw discuss the pending regulations in great depth with SPW in preparation for the ongoing discussions at Solar Power International.

We speak with Craig Lawrence, VP of Marketing for SolarBridge Technologies, in preparation for Solar Power International 2012.

Michael J. Novogradac, CPA, discusses a recent White House conference focused on rental housing policy, the inaugural round of Capital Magnet Fund awards, a position opening at the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, the National Park Services' proposed changes to historic certification procedures, Section 1603 safe harbor compliance testing, a report from the Solar Energy Industries Association showing significant growth in the solar industry and a speech that Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar gave at the Solar Power International 2010 Conference and Exhibition.

Michael J. Novogradac, CPA, discusses a recent White House conference focused on rental housing policy, the inaugural round of Capital Magnet Fund awards, a position opening at the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, the National Park Services' proposed changes to historic certification procedures, Section 1603 safe harbor compliance testing, a report from the Solar Energy Industries Association showing significant growth in the solar industry and a speech that Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar gave at the Solar Power International 2010 Conference and Exhibition.