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Welcome to Episode 92 of Suncast!

Today on SunCast, we are spending time with a fellow Solar Warrior who's been in the trenches since the 90's and has developed a great business helping solar developers hone in on and tighten up their process.

Stephen Smith is an entrepreneur and solar developer from the SF Bay Area who had the good fortune of being able to walk to work back in the early 2000's when he was hired on to a then-unknown Berkeley-based solar company - Powerlight. Stephen has since managed Gigawatts of solar installations, and provides his customers and the market generally a path to predictable & effective project execution.

Solvida Energy Group, founded in 2009,  is a business to business consulting company whose products include a robust proprietary financial model and series of training modules designed to help companies develop and perfect their techniques and skills in Utility Scale Design Engineering and Project Optimization

Listen in to hear:

  • The 2 biggest hurdles developers encounter early in a project 

  • Risks inherent in solar development and how you can mitigate them 

  • Some strong opinions around project component selection, including what module application Stephen thinks is destined to rule the utility market 

  • Stephen's advice on how to become financially successful in solar 

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!

Resources:

Follow Stephen & Solvida on Twitter & LinkedIn

A great article by Stephen on The History and Value of Trackers for Solar Projects

About the Host of SunCast:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, a regular conversation with Solar Industry professionals who are leading in emerging solar markets. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is a 10-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.  He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala and is considered one of the market's leading experts on solar PV expansion in the region.

Nico can be reached on Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus