We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: www.ratethispodcast.com/suncast
A year ago, the industry was mildly shocked to learn that Jigar Shah, Industry Icon, Entrepreneur, Investor & Visionary would be joining the US Department of Energy to head the infamous Loan Program office(LPO). The LPO is notably responsible for the Title XVII program that invested in companies like Tesla, Ford, Nissana and a large number of solar energy companies/projects. A year on, I wanted to check-in with Jigar to learn how his first year went, where he’s seeing the trends for 2022 & beyond, and how the solar industry would fare in the portfolio for the remainder of his tenure.
We touch on 3 key ares (and a few other 1st-heard-on-SunCast moments):
A Portfolio Summary Report
Is there still a place for Solar at LPO?
Jigar’s Journey to Federal Service & what the job opportunities look like
Timestamps
(3:32) What is the loan program office and how it works
(6:04) Jigar's first year in office at DOE
(13:18) How solar financing works
(24:38) What is the minimum loan threshold
(27:05) What makes a strong application
(29:29) Why Jigar took the role of Director, Loan Programs Office at U.S. DOE
(34:10) Working with the government objections
(38:36) Wrap up
RESOURCES:
Find Jigar on LinkedIn.
Connect with DOE Loan Programs Office on LinkedIn, Twitter and on their blog
Interested in working with the US DOE, go here
Federal Spending website tracking the Title 17 spending
NOTEWORTHY QUOTES:
“The broader point here is that American innovation really is around miniaturizing things. It used to be that bigger was better. And today, small is beautiful. Whether it’s your iPhone, which is more powerful than all the computers that it took to put a man on the moon or whether it’s wastewater treatment plants today, where a $15 or $20 million unit can actually be more cost effective and efficient than a $500 million unit.”
“We’re done talking about infrastructure weeks, we’re talking about an infrastructure decade.”
Thanks again to this week's sponsors, helping keep the podcast FREE to you!
SUNGROW focuses on integrated energy storage system solutions, including PCS, lithium-ion batteries and energy management system. Pleae visit https://www.mysuncast.com/sungrow
To integrate Yotta's next generation distributed energy storage technology into your project, please visit https://mysuncast.com/yotta.
Intersect Power is at the intersection of transformative energy technology and the changing needs of our society. Intersect is a clean infrastructure company bringing efficient, innovative, and scalable low-carbon solutions to its customers in energy and commodity markets.
ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:
Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. 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 an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.
You can connect with Nico Johnson on Twitter, LinkedIn or email.
If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.