Podcasts about suncast

En Latinoamérica, la oportunidad no siempre está donde se anuncia más capacidad, sino donde existe una combinación real de demanda, capital comprometido y capacidad de ejecución.Nico Johnson conversa con Juan Manuel Carbajosa, Director de Ventas para Latinoamérica de Shoals Technologies, y Mario Gomez, Presidente de TCI GECOMP. Juntos aportan dos perspectivas complementarias para entender el mercado: la de un responsable global de desarrollo de negocio que habla con decenas de operadores y la de un operador regional con décadas de experiencia construyendo proyectos en varios países.A partir de esa experiencia combinada, la conversación aborda algunas de las decisiones que hoy más importan para desarrolladores, IPPs, EPCs e inversionistas:

Good companies don't automatically get noticed. And doing good work isn't enough to ensure that customers, investors, journalists, communities, or increasingly AI systems understand why your company matters.Melissa Baldwin has spent more than 20 years exclusively in energy and climate communications. As Senior Vice President at Tigercomm and host of the Scaling Clean podcast, she's had a front-row seat to what helps companies earn attention and trust, and what causes otherwise strong companies to remain largely invisible.Melissa and Nico dig into why communications is routinely underfunded, why executive silence is itself a strategic choice, and what the best companies do differently to become useful sources of information for their markets. Melissa shares examples from Zillow and Redfin, explains why proprietary data can create authority far beyond traditional promotional content, and makes the case for giving CEOs a much larger role in telling the company story.Then they turn to a rapidly changing question: what happens when discovery moves from Google search results to AI-generated answers? Melissa explains how longer, more specific prompts are changing search behavior, why mentions and credible third-party sources increasingly matter, and how companies can begin auditing whether they even show up when an AI system is asked who matters in their category. The conversation also explores why community engagement should be treated as project risk management and why developers need to begin earning local trust long before they need an approval.Expect to learn:

Solar construction has always depended on experienced crews adapting to whatever the jobsite throws at them. But what happens when the industry needs to build more projects than its best crews can possibly cover?Cody Houser has spent much of his career on the other side of that problem. Before becoming Director of EPC and Constructability at FTC Solar, he spent eight years running his own construction company, driving piles, building trackers, managing crews as large as 250 people, and experimenting with automated pile driving years before today's wave of solar robotics.His argument for automation starts with something more fundamental than replacing labor: predictability.Robotics can give EPCs a more reliable baseline for daily production. But Cody also explains why the opportunity starts upstream, with trackers and construction workflows designed to make installation simpler and more repeatable, whether the work is performed by humans today or increasingly automated tomorrow. FTC says its Pioneer tracker is already producing 15% faster mechanical installation by human crews, an example Cody uses to show how constructability can translate directly into EPC economics.This conversation explores the shrinking pool of experienced field labor, safety, constructability, AI, and what Cody believes the increasingly autonomous solar jobsite could look like over the next decade.The bigger question isn't what robots can do. It's what happens when we design solar construction around greater consistency from the start.Are there other technologies you've scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?Hit us up - team@suncast.me with your feedback & recommendations.If you want to connect with today's guest, you'll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today's guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 950 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: https://www.ratethispodcast.com/suncastSubscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

Australia has spent years ahead of many markets on the distributed solar adoption curve. Now it is giving the rest of us an early look at what happens when millions of those systems move from installation into decades of ownership, maintenance, repair, replacement, and eventually recycling.Daniel Lazarus, co-founder and CEO of Industrias Services Group, has built his company around that second act. After years in solar construction, he saw an enormous need for maintenance but also discovered why relatively few companies have figured out how to deliver it profitably at scale.In this conversation, Daniel shares what his team is finding on aging solar assets, from missing documentation and preventable design problems to a 400-kilowatt commercial system that had fallen to essentially zero production. But the larger story is about the business being built around those problems.Daniel explains how Industrias developed a national service network, why process and data matter more than another piece of software, how EPCs and other partners use Industrias behind the scenes, and why maintenance relationships can eventually create opportunities for system replacement and new construction.For solar founders, EPCs, asset owners, and operators, Australia may offer an early preview of the service economy that follows widespread deployment, and what it actually takes to build for it.Expect to Learn:

Utilities used to plan around relatively predictable demand. That assumption is disappearing.In this opening keynote from Intersolar & Energy Storage North America Midwest, Nico Johnson sits down with 3 utility executives; Bria Shea of Xcel Energy, Andy Plenge of ComEd, and Brice Sheriff of Ameren Illinois to examine what happens when electricity demand can arrive faster than the infrastructure needed to serve it—and distributed energy resources increasingly change how power moves across the grid.The conversation explores the difficult balance between reliability, affordability, and investment; what rising electricity costs actually reflect; the practical constraints to deploying more DERs; and how utilities are rethinking planning for a system with far more uncertainty than the one they inherited.Three utilities operating in different markets arrive at a similar reality: planning the next grid will require more flexibility, better coordination, and new ways of thinking about both customers and the resources connected to the system.Are there other technologies you've scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?Hit us up - team@suncast.me with your feedback & recommendations.If you want to connect with today's guest, you'll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today's guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

Pepper Construction has survived the Great Depression, World War II, multiple recessions, and a global pandemic. As the family business approaches its 100th anniversary, its next challenge is not simply surviving another disruption. It is pursuing new opportunities without losing the culture, discipline, and sense of responsibility that carried it this far.Jake Pepper is part of the fourth generation preparing to lead Pepper into that next chapter. His path into the family business was anything but automatic. He resisted joining, studied building science, traded natural gas options, and earned an MBA before returning with a deeper understanding of both the company and the complicated dynamics of a multigenerational enterprise.Jake went on to build Pepper Energy from an initial construction-only solar project while helping the broader company expand into batteries, powered land, and hyperscale data centers. He and Nico explore how new businesses earn trust inside an established company, why each generation may get only one consequential risk, and how leaders protect the core while adapting to markets that can change almost overnight.Expect to Learn:

After building and selling multiple companies, Marc Lopata has learned that the decisions that shape a business are rarely the ones people celebrate. They're the small decisions, made consistently over time, that ultimately determine whether a company lasts.In this conversation, Marc shares the operating philosophy he's developed through decades of building companies, leading teams, and mentoring the next generation of entrepreneurs. From hiring the engineering intern who eventually bought his company to thinking about exit strategies before starting a business, resisting the lure of venture capital, and building teams that don't depend on the founder to succeed, Marc's stories come from solar—but the lessons apply to anyone responsible for leading people, managing risk, and building something meant to last.Expect to learn:⚡ What separates companies that endure from those that don't⚡ Why Marc interviewed 45 candidates before hiring the intern who eventually bought his company⚡ How to think about partners, succession, and exit planning long before you need them⚡ Why Marc considers chasing venture capital one of his biggest business mistakes⚡ How decades of building solar and storage projects shaped his approach to technology, risk, and leadershipWhether you're building your first company or leading an established team, Marc offers practical wisdom earned through experience, mistakes, and decades of disciplined execution.Are there other technologies you've scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?Hit us up - team@suncast.me with your feedback & recommendations.If you want to connect with today's guest, you'll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today's guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

We know how to build power. Every day, the clean energy industry builds more of it.But there's another kind of power that's far more difficult to generate—and arguably even more important.The kind that determines whether an industry continues to grow regardless of who's in office. The kind that shapes public opinion before a project is ever proposed. The kind that makes policymakers think twice before standing in your way.Tom Matzzie has spent his career building both.Before founding CleanChoice Energy, he spent fifteen years building political movements. Today, he's helping build something the clean energy industry has historically lacked: the institutions, relationships, and long-term political capacity that make an industry durable.In this conversation, Tom introduces a phrase I hadn't heard before but haven't stopped thinking about since: mythic power.It's a simple idea with profound implications.What if the real measure of our industry's success isn't how many gigawatts we deploy......but whether we've built enough influence that our progress no longer depends on the outcome of the next election?Whether you're a founder, developer, investor, policymaker, or simply someone who wants to see the energy transition succeed, this conversation will challenge how you think about what it really takes to build an industry that lasts.In this episode:What "mythic power" means - and why Tom believes every mature industry eventually develops it.Why the crypto industry offers an unexpected lesson for clean energy.Why political durability is built long before a crisis arrives.Why institutions may matter as much as innovation in the next chapter of the energy transition.After listening, I'd love to hear your answer to the same question I found myself asking:Can clean energy build mythic power?Are there other technologies you've scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?Hit us up - team@suncast.me with your feedback & recommendations.If you want to connect with today's guest, you'll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today's guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

Few people have had a front-row seat to the evolution of the modern solar industry quite like Jeff Spies.Over four decades, Jeff has helped shape the industry as an engineer, educator, trainer, and founder of Planet Plan Sets, working alongside installers and EPCs to solve the technical and permitting challenges behind thousands of solar and storage projects. That perspective gives him a unique vantage point on how the industry has changed—and what hasn't.In this conversation, Jeff shares lessons from a lifetime in solar, including:⚡ How the earliest days of residential solar still influence the industry today⚡ Why every solar project presents a different challenge—and why experience still matters⚡ What the rapid growth of battery storage means for installers and system designers⚡ Why permitting, engineering, and interconnection remain some of the industry's biggest hurdles⚡ How decades of industry evolution have shaped Jeff's perspective on where solar goes nextWhether you're designing systems, running an installation business, or simply trying to better understand the forces shaping the solar industry, this conversation offers the perspective of someone who has spent a lifetime helping it grow.Are there other technologies you've scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?Hit us up - team@suncast.me with your feedback & recommendations.If you want to connect with today's guest, you'll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today's guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

Plug-in solar has the potential to change far more than how or where we install solar panels. I believe it could fundamentally change who gets to participate in the energy transition.I recently sat down with Stephan Scherer, Co-Founder and CEO of CraftStrom, who's spent nearly a decade helping pioneer the plug-in solar market—first in Europe, and now here in the United States. Stephan didn't simply watch this category emerge. He helped move it from a niche idea to a product you can buy off-the-shelf in mainstream retail stores like Aldi and Lidl.In this conversation, Stephan shares what his customers taught him as the market evolved, why the U.S. is now wrestling with many of the same questions Europe faced years ago, and what policymakers, utilities, retailers, installers, and manufacturers should be paying attention to as this category begins taking shape here at home.We also explore one of the biggest surprises from CraftStrom's own customer base: the people buying these systems aren't always who the solar industry expected. That raises a much bigger question about who traditional rooftop solar has been leaving behind—and whether plug-in solar could become an entirely new on-ramp to energy independence.Whether you're writing policy, designing energy products, selling residential solar, or simply curious about where customer-owned energy is headed next, this conversation offers a rare opportunity to learn from someone who's helped build this market from the very beginning—and why he believes plug-in solar is about to change everything.Are there other technologies you've scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?Hit us up - team@suncast.me with your feedback & recommendations.If you want to connect with today's guest, you'll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today's guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

The most expensive mistakes on a solar project usually aren't made during the install. They're made long before anyone arrives on site.Greg Smith has spent nearly two decades helping installers avoid those mistakes. As one of the solar industry's most respected trainers and educators, and the author of a practical guide to energy storage, he's helped thousands of professionals understand what it takes to build reliable solar and storage systems that perform as intended long after the installation is complete.In this live conversation from the NABCEP conference, Greg and Nico Johnson explore why communication has become the industry's number one service call, how better system design prevents costly callbacks, and why setting realistic homeowner expectations is just as important as selecting the right equipment. Along the way, Greg shares the simple disciplines that separate installers who are constantly troubleshooting from those who build systems that simply work.Expect to learn:

David Holmes has spent decades at the intersection of energy and technology, giving him a front-row seat to one of the biggest shifts our industry has ever faced.As Global Industries CTO at Dell Technologies, he works with utilities, hyperscalers, developers, and data center operators who are all asking the same question: how do we power the rapid growth of AI?But David argues that's only half the story.The bigger opportunity is using AI to make our energy system itself more intelligent. From flexible compute and workload orchestration to long-duration storage, demand response, and the idea of "maximizing every electron," this conversation explores how the relationship between electricity and compute is being fundamentally rewritten.Along the way, David explains why energy has become a board-level conversation inside technology companies, why decades of conventional data center thinking are being challenged, and why the next generation of infrastructure may be defined less by building more generation than by making better use of what we already have.Expect to Learn:

Battery recycling is about to become one of the most important pieces of the clean energy transition. But before we can build a true circular economy, there's a problem hiding in plain sight.Today's recycling process often starts by shredding batteries with different chemistries into the same stream, creating inconsistent feedstock that's harder to refine, harder to value, and harder to return to the supply chain.Sheeba Dawood, CEO and co-founder of Minerva Lithium, believes the missing step comes before the shredder. Her team has developed battery chemical fingerprinting technology that identifies battery chemistry before processing, creating more consistent feedstock, improving traceability, and unlocking more value from recycled materials.Along the way, we also explore Sheeba's journey from nanoscience researcher to entrepreneur, why she was carrying business cards as a PhD student, and what motivated her to turn laboratory research into a commercial technology.Expect to learn:

Heather Reams spends her days at the intersection of clean energy and public policy, helping shape conversations with lawmakers about how the U.S. meets rapidly growing electricity demand. As President and CEO of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES), she brings an insider's perspective on the political shifts redefining how Washington talks about solar—and why those shifts matter far beyond Capitol Hill.In this conversation, Heather explains why affordability has become the dominant energy issue in Washington, why permitting reform remains one of the biggest barriers to building new infrastructure, and why solar's greatest political advantage today may be something much simpler than subsidies or ideology: it's ready to be built. Along the way, we explore how Republican engagement with solar is evolving, what changed after the debate over federal tax credits, and why the industry's long-term success still depends on educating policymakers and communities alike.Expect to Learn:

One of the most common assumptions in business is that responsibility should be earned only after years of experience.After more than two decades as a Navy F/A-18 fighter pilot and instructor, Jason Knapp came to a different conclusion: capability often follows responsibility, provided organizations are willing to invest in training, honest feedback, and continuous learning.That philosophy shaped his transition into clean energy, where he worked across battery manufacturing, supply chains, and policy advocacy, helping lawmakers better understand the technologies shaping America's energy future. Now, after years of advocating from outside government, Jason is running for Congress because he believes the people writing energy policy should understand the technologies, industries, and communities those decisions affect.This isn't a conversation about politics. It's about leadership, organizational culture, and why expertise belongs in the rooms where important decisions get made.Expect to learn:

A single battery cell can shut down an entire storage plant.It's one of the many operational realities that make battery storage fundamentally different from solar, and one of the reasons software, analytics, and automation are becoming just as important as the batteries themselves.Ty Fenton, Director of Data Analytics at FlexGen, joins Nico Johnson to explore what really happens after a battery project is commissioned. From managing thousands of individual cells to processing enormous volumes of operational data, Ty explains why operating battery storage requires a completely different mindset than operating solar. They also explore how AI data centers are creating new demands for battery storage and why operators are rethinking the role batteries will play in supporting the next generation of digital infrastructure.Expect to learn:

Last year, solar and storage accounted for more than 80% of all new power generation capacity added in the United States.So why does our industry still behave like the underdog?In this special collaboration between SunCast and Energy Empire, Nico Johnson and Jigar Shah sit down with Dan Shugar, one of the most accomplished entrepreneurs in solar, to explore a question that reaches far beyond technology, manufacturing, or policy.Perhaps our biggest challenge isn't building projects......it's learning how to lead?Dan has spent four decades helping shape the modern solar industry. In this candid conversation, he explains why solar has already won on economics, why domestic manufacturing became a strategic imperative long before it became political, and why the industry's greatest opportunity now is changing how it communicates with policymakers, communities, and the public.The conversation also explores the leadership principles that have kept Dan's core team together across multiple companies, how semiconductor thinking helped him see around corners before the rest of the market, and why culture remains one of the most durable competitive advantages in business.Jigar adds another important dimension, arguing that clean energy's biggest challenge is no longer proving the economics.It's winning the narrative.Together, they make the case that the next decade won't be defined by better technology.It will be defined by better leadership.Expect to learn:

For decades, the energy industry has treated its biggest challenge as building more power.Sean Kelly thinks that's the wrong question.As CEO and co-founder of Amperon, Sean spends his days helping utilities, traders, generators, and some of the world's largest electricity users anticipate what's coming next. And what he's learned is surprisingly simple: the grid's biggest challenge isn't producing enough electricity. It's knowing when, where, and how demand, weather, and renewable generation will collide.That shift is changing everything.In this Tactical Tuesday conversation, Sean explains why Amperon is moving beyond traditional deterministic forecasting toward probabilistic forecasting, giving customers a range of possible outcomes instead of a single answer. More importantly, he makes the case that the future of the grid won't be won by building for all 8,760 hours of the year. It will be won by managing the handful of hours that matter most.Expect to learn:

Everyone agrees we need more distributed energy. The harder question is: who pays for it?That's the question Molly Bauch has been wrestling with.As North American Connected Energy Lead at Accenture, Molly helped develop a new model that connects one of the fastest-growing sources of electricity demand with one of the country's biggest energy challenges.The idea is surprisingly simple.Data centers need community support and faster paths to power. Millions of low-income households need access to affordable solar and storage. What if those two needs could solve each other?In this conversation, Molly explains how Accenture, Grid Alternatives, and a growing coalition of partners are creating a playbook that helps data centers invest directly in distributed energy, lowering energy costs for families today while laying the foundation for tomorrow's virtual power plants.If it scales, this isn't just another financing model. It could reshape how we think about paying for grid infrastructure altogether.Expect to learn:

What determines whether a battery project performs safely over its lifetime?According to Kathleen McCaffery and Jeff Zwijack, the answer has as much to do with process, preparation, and quality assurance as it does with the battery itself.In this special live SunCast broadcast, Nico Johnson sits down with Kathleen McCaffery, retired Battalion Chief and former Global Fire Liaison for Tesla, and Jeff Zwijack, Associate Director of Energy Storage at Clean Energy Associates, to discuss what hundreds of inspections reveal about battery safety, operational readiness, and risk management across the energy storage industry.Drawing from hundreds of factory inspections and years of real-world fire response experience, Kathleen and Jeff explore the lessons the industry is learning as battery projects grow larger, more complex, and increasingly important to grid reliability.From supplier selection and factory acceptance testing to emergency response planning and long-term asset management, this conversation highlights the systems and processes that help prevent problems before they become operational, financial, or reputational risks.Expect to learn:

There are 43 years of decisions compressed into this episode.And if you work in energy, utilities, infrastructure, manufacturing, or public policy, it's worth your attention.Tom Fanning spent four decades at Southern Company, including 13 years as CEO, helping guide one of the largest and most influential power companies in the United States through extraordinary change. Along the way, he oversaw everything from international development and grid modernization to cyber security and the completion of Vogtle, the first new commercial nuclear plant built in America in more than 30 years.In this special Energy Empire x SunCast collaboration, Jigar Shah and Nico Johnson sit down with Tom to explore what it actually takes to build large-scale infrastructure in America.If you heard this conversation first on Energy Empire, we're excited to bring it to the SunCast audience as well.The conversation begins with Vogtle, but quickly expands into a broader discussion about leadership, national competitiveness, energy markets, workforce development, cyber security, and the future of the electric grid.Tom shares why he believes "vision and courage" remain the most important ingredients in building transformational projects, why organized electricity markets struggle to support long-duration infrastructure investments, and why America needs a coherent national energy strategy if it hopes to meet growing demand from AI, manufacturing, and electrification.Expect to learn:

Leadership transitions reveal what companies value most.When FTC Solar recently tapped Anthony Carroll as the new CEO, they chose someone who has spent more than two decades helping build some of clean energy's most recognizable companies. From helping scale Power Electronics from a small Spanish manufacturer into a global powerhouse, to leading Powin during a period of extraordinary growth, Anthony has experienced both the excitement and the hard lessons that come with building businesses in rapidly evolving markets.Now, after stepping away from the industry to lead automated manufacturing initiatives outside of energy, he's back with a new mandate: help guide FTC Solar through its next phase of growth.In this conversation, Anthony shares lessons from across his career, why this is the right next opportunity for him, and why he believes execution, trust, and innovation will determine which companies thrive in the years ahead.Expect to learn:

What if the most compelling case for clean energy isn't climate change, economics, or energy independence?What if it's public health?Former EPA Administrator Michael Regan has spent his career connecting pollution, environmental protection, and energy policy to the everyday health of American communities. In this special collaboration between SunCast and Energy Empire, Nico Johnson and Jigar Shah sit down with Regan to explore why he viewed the EPA as a public health agency first, and what today's clean energy leaders can learn from communities demanding a greater voice in decisions that affect their lives.From North Carolina's landmark coal ash settlement to EPA's Journey to Justice initiative, Regan shares how listening to communities reshaped the way he approached enforcement, regulation, and environmental protection. The conversation also tackles one of the industry's most pressing challenges: how to build the infrastructure America needs while maintaining public trust amid rising concerns over affordability, data centers, and rapid load growth.For developers, investors, policymakers, and industry leaders, this episode offers a timely reminder that successful energy transitions depend not only on technology and capital, but on people.Expect to learn:

Rare earths are having a moment. And if you work anywhere near clean energy, batteries, EVs, data centers, defense, or domestic manufacturing, this conversation should be on your radar.And, when it comes to rare earths (aka critical minerals), it seems everyone talks about mining.But according to Mark LaVerghetta, that's not where the real critical minerals challenge lies.Nico got a chance to sit down with Mark, co-founder of ReElement Technologies, in person finally, and learned that the true bottleneck in the clean energy transition is refining. You can dig rare earth elements out of the ground, but they still need to be separated, purified, and transformed into the high-purity materials used in batteries, EVs, defense systems, data centers, and advanced electronics.Today, much of that refining capacity remains concentrated overseas (yes, largely China), creating vulnerabilities that extend far beyond clean energy. As AI accelerates demand for advanced materials and geopolitical tensions reshape global trade, domestic refining has become a matter of economic resilience and national security.Mark explains why ReElement is pursuing an "innovation, not imitation" approach to rare earth processing, using chromatography to create a more flexible and scalable refining platform designed to respond quickly to shifting market needs.Expect to learn:

Risk looks different depending on where you're standing.In Episode 936 (Jason Kaminsky & 2026 The Solar Risk Assessment), we explored risk through the lens of data, operations, and asset performance.Today's episode looks at it through the eyes of someone who spent four decades preparing organizations for uncertainty, disruption, and worst-case scenarios.General Robert Neller served as the 37th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, leading one of the world's most respected organizations through an era of rapid technological change, evolving threats, and global instability.In this conversation, General Neller joins Nico to discuss how great leaders think about risk before it becomes a crisis, why resilience is more than a buzzword, and what the energy industry can learn from organizations that operate where failure is not an option.Along the way, the conversation explores cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, energy resilience, military innovation, entrepreneurship, and the leadership principles that matter when the stakes are high.Expect to learn:

Solar projects are increasingly being financed and operated as long-life infrastructure assets. That means the industry can no longer rely on assumptions about risk—we need evidence.In this episode, Jason Kaminsky, CEO of kWh Analytics, walks us through what the latest Solar Risk Assessment reveals, and answers a deceptively simple question: Which solar risks actually matter?Drawing on dozens of partners' fleet-scale operational and underwriting data, Jason explains how the industry is moving beyond anecdotes to identify the risks that have a measurable impact on long-term performance, resilience, and project finance.Expect to learn:

A solar moratorium nearly shut down Alabama's emerging solar market before most of the industry even saw it coming.For years, the prevailing assumption has been that clean energy growth would be concentrated in politically progressive states while places like Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi lagged behind.But that's not what Monika Gerhart is seeing (and doing!) on the ground.As Executive Director of the Gulf States Renewable Energy Industries Association (GSREIA), Monika operates at the intersection of policy, infrastructure, resilience, and market development across some of the most politically and operationally complex energy markets in America. And increasingly, she says the future of clean energy growth is being shaped locally — through trust, coalition-building, reliability concerns, and resilience planning.In this conversation, Nico and Monika unpack the fight that nearly derailed Alabama's solar market before most of the industry even noticed, how Hurricane Ida transformed the conversation around distributed energy and microgrids in Louisiana, and why resilience infrastructure is rapidly becoming a life-safety issue across the Gulf Coast.They also explore:why state-level advocacy increasingly determines whether markets survive long enough to maturehow local relationships shape energy policy more than national narrativesthe emerging role of neighborhood-scale resilience planning and community microgridswhy lawmakers are becoming more open to renewables as electricity demand acceleratesand what developers, manufacturers, investors, and operators should understand about building durable markets in politically complicated regionsThis is a conversation about far more than solar policy.It's about how energy markets are actually built — and why some of the industry's most important battles are happening far from the headlines.Are there other technologies you've scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?Hit us up - team@suncast.me with your feedback & recommendations.If you want to connect with today's guest, you'll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today's guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

Climatetech is entering a different phase.The era of easy capital, oversized narratives, and growth-at-all-costs expectations is giving way to something more demanding: disciplined execution, durable business models, strong commercialization pathways, and teams that can scale proven solutions in real markets.In this live conversation, Nico Johnson sits down with longtime investor David Kirkpatrick, Managing Director at SJF Ventures, to unpack what experienced investors are actually paying attention to now and why the companies attracting long-term conviction may not be the ones making the loudest headlines.David has spent decades investing across renewable energy, efficiency, industrial innovation, resilience, and sustainability. He has watched the industry evolve from early-stage optimism into a global market measured in gigawatts, infrastructure, and real deployment. That long view makes this conversation especially timely for founders, operators, developers, policymakers, and anyone trying to understand how the market is maturing.This episode is less about chasing the next shiny technology and more about what it takes to build companies that can survive, scale, and create lasting value.Expect to learn:

Clean energy has made tremendous progress on technology.Solar is cheaper. Batteries are scaling. Virtual power plants are becoming real grid assets. Electrification is accelerating.But many people still do not understand why these technologies matter to them personally — or whether they are actually worth the cost.So what's missing?In this conversation, Nico sits down with Jessica Fishman to explore why the next phase of the energy transition may depend less on technical innovation and more on public understanding, trust, and emotional connection.Jessica shares lessons from nearly two decades working across solar, storage, policy, and communications, including what the industry can learn from the Inflation Reduction Act, why facts alone rarely change minds, and how clean energy companies can better connect their work to the things people already care about: affordability, resilience, independence, and economic opportunity.Expect to learn:

Battery storage is becoming one of the most complicated sales conversations in residential solar.Installers are now navigating different sizing requirements, shifting homeowner expectations, changing utility rate structures, evolving battery chemistries, and a flood of new products entering the market at wildly different price points.And underneath all of it is a harder question:Who can you actually trust to still be standing behind these systems years from now?Sam Buffington, Business Development Manager at Pylontech, joins Nico Johnson for a deeply practical conversation about what installers should actually be paying attention to as batteries become a core part of the residential energy system.Sam has worked across modules, distribution, and storage, and he's even built his own off-grid home by hand. That gives him a rare perspective on how solar-plus-storage systems behave in the real world and where installers most often create long-term problems for themselves.Expect to learn:

Electricity demand is rising fast. But New York is asking a different question than most states:What kind of demand is actually worth building for?In this live conversation from IESNA 2026, Nico sits down with Doreen Harris, President of NYSERDA, to explore how one of the largest economies in the country is preparing for 20–25% electricity load growth over the next 15 years. From AI infrastructure and semiconductor manufacturing to distributed solar and storage, New York is making major investments while trying to ensure growth also creates long-term economic value.Doreen explains why durable policy signals matter, why transmission remains central to the next phase of grid buildout, and why "business as usual" already requires massive infrastructure investment.Expect to learn:

AI data centers are changing more than electricity demand. They are changing how the grid itself has to operate.Legacy data centers behaved with relatively flat, predictable load profiles. But giga-scale AI campuses introduce rapid swings in demand that can stress substations, destabilize generation assets, and expose the limits of infrastructure designed for a very different era.In today's episode, Nico Johnson sits down with Jon Parrella, CEO of Terraflow, and Anna Siefken, Director of Policy & Markets at the Long Duration Energy Storage Council (LDES), to explore what this shift means for storage, grid reliability, and the future of energy system design.Together, they unpack why batteries may need to evolve from simple energy storage assets into active infrastructure that stabilizes and buffers the grid itself.Expect to learn:

The grid is getting more crowded.EVs. Heat pumps. Batteries. Rooftop solar. Flexible demand.What used to be a system built around a few thousand centralized assets is rapidly becoming a network of millions of connected devices interacting with the grid in real time.That changes everything.In this episode, Nico sits down with Devrim Celal, Chief Flexibility Officer at Kraken, to unpack why the future grid is becoming a software coordination problem, and how Kraken is helping utilities orchestrate distributed energy at massive scale.But this conversation goes far beyond software.Devrim shares the entrepreneurial journey that led him from software engineering and consulting to ultra-distance running, real estate, reinsurance, and eventually Upside Energy, the company that evolved into Kraken through its acquisition by Octopus Energy.Expect to learn:

Australia is installing solar and batteries for about $2 a watt.In the U.S., it's closer to $5.50.So why do we still have this huge gap?Barry Cinnamon went to Australia to find out. What he discovered challenges one of the industry's favorite explanations. Even if you remove permitting delays and other “soft costs,” the U.S. still doesn't come close.Today's Tactical Tuesday breaks down the real drivers behind [residential] solar pricing, from federal manufacturing policy and tariffs to financing structures and regulatory friction. Then we take it a step further, exploring a new hypothesis Barry has been modeling: using data center demand to help fund rooftop solar and storage.Expect to learn:

Rebuilding solar manufacturing in the U.S. is not just about capital or policy. It is about making the right bets at the right time.It comes down to timing, experience, and the critical decisions.Alex Zhu has spent nearly two decades inside the global solar manufacturing system—from the early rise of Chinese production to failed U.S. factory attempts, and now to building one of the few solar cell manufacturing facilities in America through ES Foundry.In this conversation, Alex explains why he focused on solar cells instead of modules. Module assembly scaled quickly after the IRA. Cell manufacturing remained limited, even though it sits at the center of the supply chain. But that gap is precisely where Alex recognized his greatest strength.Experience.But the ensuing decisions (bets) he made carry real risk.He is betting that the U.S. cannot sustain a domestic solar industry without cell production. He is also building on proven PERC technology, even as the global market moves toward TOPCon. And he is relying on speed, execution, and hard-won experience to make that strategy work.We also get into how his past shaped these decisions, what has changed since earlier U.S. factory failures, how the IRA shifted the economics, and what it actually takes to build a factory, from permitting and infrastructure to workforce and community impact.Expect to learn:

Are data centers starting to bypass the grid?A growing share of planned projects are pairing with behind-the-meter generation, and the shift has happened quickly. At the same time, there's still real debate about how much of this will actually materialize.Michael Thomas, founder of Cleanview, tracks what moves through interconnection queues, permitting timelines, and development pipelines. His data highlights how developers are responding to rising demand, tighter timelines, and increasing grid constraints.In this conversation, Michael shares what he's seeing in the data, where demand is growing fastest, and how different generation strategies are being considered to meet it.If you're trying to understand how data center growth is shaping project decisions, this episode offers a grounded look at what's emerging.Are there other technologies you've scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?Hit us up - team@suncast.me with your feedback & recommendations.If you want to connect with today's guest, you'll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today's guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

Most people [who have been in the industry awhile] have opinions about SunEdison.This is one of the first times Ahmad Chatila and Jigar Shah have sat down together to compare notes on how it actually played out.Both were inside it.Both made the bets.Both saw things others didn't.In this conversation, the two leaders who helped build one of solar's most ambitious companies sit down to examine how it actually worked and why it did not hold.They walk through the operating logic that made SunEdison so competitive. Using semiconductor-style cost modeling to see price declines before the market. Making audacious bets on equipment inputs. Structuring deals that looked aggressive at the time but consistently won.Ahmad explains how lessons from silicon manufacturing shaped that thinking and created a real edge.But they also get clear on what ultimately determined the outcome.The strategy worked.The cost curve was real.The execution was there.What broke was the financial architecture behind it.A capital structure that depended on continuous demand.A global footprint that introduced currency and market friction.And a model that moved faster than investors were willing to follow.In this live conversation, Ahmad Chatila joins Jigar Shah and Nico Johnson for a candid look at the decisions, convictions, and missteps that helped shape one of the most consequential chapters in clean energy history.This is not a sanitized founder story. It is a rare, honest reflection on what worked, what failed, and why the hardest problem in clean energy may still be capital formation, not technology.You will hear how Ahmad anticipated solar cost declines years ahead of the market, why he determined that owning the PPA mattered more than owning construction, and how TerraForm Global became the critical fault line in SunEdison's collapse.The conversation also reaches far beyond the past, into the future of India, currency risk, and the global financing models that still need to be built if clean energy is going to scale where it is needed most.It's one of the most fascinating conversations Nico has had the opportunity to co-lead (and eaves-drop on!)Solar may be cheap, but capital still decides what gets built.If you're trying to scale projects, raise money, or understand where deals actually break, this is worth your time.Press play and decide what you would have done differently.Are there other technologies you've scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?Hit us up - team@suncast.me with your feedback & recommendations.If you want to connect with today's guest, you'll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today's guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

Dean Solon has always been a pattern matcher.Across projects, conversations, and time in the field, he's constantly picking up on what's changing — where pressure is building, where systems start to strain, and where the next opportunity is taking shape.But seeing the pattern is only half the story.Joseph Fahrney is the one who has to turn those signals into real products, real partnerships, and real projects — while protecting focus and making sure the right ideas actually get built.Live from Intersolar, Dean and Joe join Nico Johnson for a conversation about what they're both seeing right now — and how they're acting on it.From integrated system design to plant-wide control, from 10-year warranties to robotics in the field, this is a look at what happens when you trust your read on the market enough to start building ahead of it.Some might call it a crystal ball.The difference is — they're already building what others are just starting to react to.Expect to learn:

You can now plug solar panels into a wall outlet in some states.No permits. No installer or electrician even required?Just… plug it in.So who's responsible when that system starts sending power back into your home, or the grid?Plug-in solar is moving faster than the standards designed to govern it. And right now, the rules are still being written.In this conversation, Nico Johnson sits down with two experts at the center of the process. One is helping shape the National Electrical Code, the other bringing products to market. Together, we unpack what actually needs to happen for this category to scale safely.This isn't just a new product [category], it's a new edge case for the entire ecosystem, one where DIY meets infrastructure, and where the lines between safety, enforcement, and responsibility all begin to blur.Expect to learn:

What does it actually take to earn trust at the highest levels of utility-scale solar?Tyler Nelson has a perspective few in the industry can claim. As founder of Revamp Engineering, his team has been embedded in the design and execution of a massive share of utility-scale solar and storage projects across the U.S. — working alongside the developers and EPCs shaping the grid in real time.But this conversation isn't about scale for the sake of scale.It's about how that kind of trust is built.We dig into Tyler's early career at SunPower and how that experience carried forward into the founding of Revamp. He shares how the company landed its first anchor clients, what actually drives credibility in this industry, and why engineering is often the difference between a project that works on paper and one that works in the field.We also explore a different kind of founder mindset — one that isn't oriented around an exit.Tyler recently transitioned Revamp into an employee-owned company, reinforcing a long-term vision centered on culture, accountability, and durability.Along the way, Tyler offers a clear-eyed view into how the market is evolving, where complexity is increasing, and what teams consistently underestimate as projects scale.Expect to learn:

Most energy professionals believe the data will win.John Szoka did too.After a career in the military and time in the North Carolina legislature, Szoka followed the facts and became a clean energy advocate. But what he learned next is what matters.Data might change your mind.It doesn't change most people's.In this special conversation, **Jigar Shah and I co-host a discussion with Szoka on how decisions actually get made in energy—from state legislatures to local communities—and why storytelling, trust, and timing often matter more than the numbers.This is the first episode in a set of conversations we recorded live at the UNC Cleantech Summit. Additional interviews from this series will be released across both SunCast and Jigar's Energy Empire podcast—including a conversation with Tom Fanning (CEO, Southern Co) also dropping this week.To hear the full set, you'll want to follow both shows.You can find Energy Empire here: https://www.energyempire.fm/episodesKey takeaways from John:

If it takes more than one meeting to explain what you do, you have a messaging problem.In this live conversation from Intersolar North America, Nico Johnson sits down with Spenser Meeks of Apex Presentations to unpack why so many clean energy teams struggle to clearly communicate their value—and how that confusion shows up as longer sales cycles, more meetings, and missed opportunities.Spenser, a former engineer turned messaging strategist, breaks down a simple shift: say less, but make it matter. When your message is clear, it becomes easier to connect, qualify, and move deals forward.Expect to learn:

Nico had the chance to sit down in person with today's guest — and as you'd expect, that face-to-face conversation brings a level of depth, candor, and nuance you don't always get.Emilie Flanagan, Founder and CEO of Carson Power, has built her career across Southeast Asia, Europe, and the U.S. — from advising on energy markets at KPMG to working inside a European family office, and eventually leading more than 200 megawatts of community solar development in New York before launching her own platform.In this conversation, Emilie shares how her approach to development has evolved in real time — including the decision to integrate battery storage early, and what that actually changed in how her team evaluates, structures, and advances projects.We also spend time on the part of development that doesn't get talked about enough: working with communities — what builds trust, what breaks it, and why more projects stall there than most developers are willing to admit.What she got wrong early — and how it changed the way she buildsWhy she left a successful role at Borrego to start Carson PowerHow experienced developers think about capital, risk, and disciplineWhere projects actually succeed — or fail — long before construction

Every year, the industry says the same thing.“C&I solar is about to take off!”And yet, it never quite scales the way we expect.Could this year finally be the year?In this live panel from Intersolar, Nico Johnson sits down with Joe Ross (CPS America), Rob Smith (ABC Supply), Tim Montague (Clean Power Consulting), and Jim Wood (SEG Solar) to unpack what's really happening in the commercial and industrial market.The opportunity is real—but it's uneven, complex, and highly dependent on where you operate.Battery storage is starting to shift the conversation. Falling costs, rising electricity prices, and new incentives are making projects pencil in ways they didn't before. But storage alone isn't the answer.This discussion explores the full picture—from workforce challenges and customer education to capital competition and regional market dynamics.Expect to learn:

What do you do when your entire market disappears?That's not a thought experiment for Michael Bergey. It's the story of his career.Long before solar dominated rooftops, distributed wind was solving real problems across rural America — lowering energy costs for customers who didn't care about climate narratives, only outcomes. Then policy support vanished. Oil prices collapsed. And later, cheap solar took over.Most companies didn't survive.Bergey Windpower did.In this conversation, Michael walks through what it actually takes to stay in the game when incentives disappear, competitors pivot, and the market moves faster than your business model.But there's a deeper takeaway here.The customers driving distributed energy today don't all look the same — and they don't all think the same either. Wind and solar, once seen as separate paths, are now serving the same need: control, resilience, and economics that work.Expect to learn:⚡ What really happened to small wind after the 1980s policy collapse⚡ How solar's cost curve forced a complete reset of the business⚡ The engineering decisions that made small wind viable again⚡ Why farmers — not homeowners — are driving adoption todayIf you're building in clean energy right now, this may give you a new perspective on staying power and resilience.

The residential solar playbook did not just change. It got torn up.If you are still operating like yesterday's incentives, product assumptions, and sales motions will carry you forward, this episode is a reality Margins aren't disappearing overnight. They're leaking — in places most contractors don't even notice.In this live conversation from IESNA 2026, Nico Johnson sits down with Rob Smith and Eric Cieslak of ABC Supply to break down where solar contractors are quietly losing profit — and where the smartest operators are starting to take it back.From jobsite efficiency and logistics to financing-driven product decisions, this episode connects the dots between day-to-day operations and long-term business survival. ABC Supply brings a unique vantage point, seeing how contractors across the country are adapting — or failing to — as the market shifts.If you're still running your business the way you did two years ago, this conversation will challenge you to rethink what's actually driving your margins today.Expect to learn:

Long duration energy storage has spent years sitting in the “we'll need it someday” category. Not anymore. As grid strain grows, data center demand surges, and reliability becomes a boardroom issue, long duration storage is starting to move from interesting concept to urgent solution.Recorded live at Intersolar and Energy Storage North America, this panel brings together Anna Siefken of the LDES Council, Aric Saunders of Noon Energy, Tristan Bannon of CellCube, and Andrew Friedenthal of E-Zinc. With Nico Johnson leading the conversation, the group digs into what is changing in the market and why more buyers are finally paying attention to long duration storage.This episode is not just about technology. It is about what happens when the grid needs more than incumbent batteries can supply. The panel explores how vanadium flow, zinc-based systems, and other long duration approaches could support resilience, replace diesel, firm renewables, and help planners think beyond the standard four-hour battery playbook.Expect to learn:

Most conversations about agrivoltaics stay at the surface.Rebekah Pierce didn't set out to become a voice for solar. She was trying to solve a much simpler problem:How do you make a small farm financially viable… without giving it up?What followed was a shift — from seeing solar as a “necessary evil” to recognizing it as a tool that might fundamentally reshape how farms survive.In this conversation, we unpack what's actually happening on the ground:

AI isn't just increasing demand for electricity - it's changing how power behaves.In this Tactical Tuesday, Nico Johnson sits down with Jon Parella of Terraflow Energy to break down a problem few people are talking about: modern AI data centers don't draw power like traditional loads. They ramp rapidly, swing unpredictably, and introduce volatility that existing infrastructure wasn't designed to handle.That shift is putting real strain on generators, batteries, and the grid itself - accelerating wear, increasing complexity, and creating new risks for developers and investors alike.In this episode, you'll learn:

Russell Gold has spent years explaining the energy transition from the outside. First as one of The Wall Street Journal's leading energy reporters, and now from inside one of clean energy's fastest-growing new entrants, T1 Energy.At The Wall Street Journal, his award-winning work covered the fracking boom, Deepwater Horizon, and the investigation into the Camp Fire in California. He also wrote The Boom and Superpower, digging into the people, decisions, and forces shaping modern energy.Now, he's on the other side of the table.As EVP of Strategic Communications at T1 Energy, Russell is helping shape how a new U.S. solar manufacturer shows up to the market—and how that story connects to capital.In this conversation, we explore what that shift in perspective reveals. Where the industry is actually making progress. Where the bottlenecks persist. And why clean energy still struggles to tell a clear reliability story, even as deployment continues at record pace.We also dig into something most people underestimate: how much narrative influences where capital flows—and what leaders in this industry should be doing about it.Expect to learn: