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Michael Orshan has one absolute about decisions. "You have to make one because you need to keep the ideas moving. Standing still is the worst thing," he explained.
That conviction has served him well through a career that rode the wave of digital telecom and internet development before morphing into solar and clean energy roles.
Michael has helped implement more than 10 gigawatts of solar worldwide during the past 15 years. As VP of US Sales for Valencia, Spain-based solar tracker vendor PVH and a board member of Breeze, a startup using existing oil and gas pipelines for electricity generation with compressed air pipeline systems (CAPS), he has broad industry knowledge.
In today's podcast, you'll hear his perspective on how manufacturers and utility-scale developers have evolved to address market needs, their current challenges, and their options for moving forward to overcome three critical issues in clean tech.
"We need to solve intermittency. What happens when the sun is down and the wind doesn't blow? We need to solve transmission. How do you move all energy from remote sites to the people and manufacturing plants that need to use it? And — one that never gets talked about enough — how do you retire these assets? It's a huge financial issue," he said.
Michael graduated from Ohio State University in 1980 with a bachelor's degree in computer science and accounting. He used his expertise to consult, extract data and grow applications built on the nascent internet for companies, including NCR, AT&T, Verizon and VCTI.
In 2003, he was named director of the Office of Science and Technology at the New Mexico Economic Development Department, where he pioneered some early solar laws and projects. He left in 2006 to focus on solar trackers — support structures that allow solar panels to follow the sun's path and absorb more solar radiation for increased efficiency.
He is now an executive with PVH, a provider of trackers, structures and control solutions for utility-scale PV solar plants globally and the world's third-largest solar tracker supplier, and a board member of Breeze.
At Breeze, he's steering the company to lead in long-duration energy storage. Breeze is one of the companies represented on McKinsey Long Duration Energy Storage Council.
Breeze aims to repurpose idle oil and gas pipelines to generate green energy, which is more cost-effective than tearing them down and rebuilding them.
Bill got involved with the company after meeting the head of technology for Sandia National Laboratories. "He said, 'I know you're in solar, and I'm part of a group of scientists. It's not a formal organization, but it includes the smartest people in the world. We've looked at the wind and solar, and while we need them, we don't think they'll move fast enough to save the world," he said. "What we think is going to work is compressed air."
Breeze transports green energy from remote locations and generates electricity closer to the point of consumption, reducing the need for a massive national transmission build-out. Instead, developers can build new power plants to support the pipelines that store, transport and generate electricity and increase their output by 25 percent using direct current (DC) compressors and avoiding the conversion to alternating current (AC).
It's an intriguing concept that you'll want to learn more about as a way to decarbonize the grid. Join us for today's show.
NOTEWORTHY QUOTEs:
“The biggest use of power, electricity is cooling. And when we release, we’re releasing minus 100, maybe more or less, “C”, our air is pretty cold. So we can just, take that air and blow it on chillers, and create ice, instant ice. And then you could cool data centers, offices.”
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SUNGROW focuses on integrated energy storage system solutions, including PCS, lithium-ion batteries and energy management system. Pleae visit https://www.mysuncast.com/sungrow
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 16-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.