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About the Episode:
What if the key to solving our rising materials costs and hurdles to decarbonize hard-to-abate industries lies in a radical shift in thinking—laying solar panels directly on the ground and using the cheap electrons they produce to make hydrogen?
When I first heard of Erthos, I thought, like many of you I’m sure, “What a radical idea! Will that even work? Lay the panels directly on the ground???” Yet, the more I learned about the company, it’s leadership, and their approach to creating the cheapest cost of solar energy, I decided I needed to suspend my reservations and go see it for myself. And, to my surprise, Jim Tyler and his all-star leadership team didn’t even want to talk to me about the “earth-mounted solar” innovation, and instead, focused much of the attention and time on their next big move - Hydrogen!
Jim Tyler, CEO of Erthos, has been on a mission to reduce the cost of solar for a long time. He’s been part of some of the most iconic and important innovations in the solar industry, and was one of the early pioneers to focus on driving cost out of the installation process. With his background in semiconductors, industrial energy, and food processing, Jim saw an even bigger opportunity: using low-cost, DC-coupled solar to produce hydrogen in the most cost-effective way possible.
In this conversation, Jim explains why Erthos’ culture of breaking industry norms is now driving them into hydrogen—and how their disruptive approach could redefine the future of clean energy. Regardless what you think of Erthos, there’s no denying that Jim and his team are yet again shaking up the industry and forcing people to think different.
Expect to learn:
Why earth-mounted solar could push the cost of solar energy closer to zero.
Why industrial steam—one of the largest energy demands globally—could be the breakthrough use case for green hydrogen.
How Erthos’ created a direct DC-to-hydrogen system that eliminates inefficiencies
Why investors from Tesla, SpaceX, and First Solar are betting on this model.
Why the Navajo Nation could become a key hub for renewable energy manufacturing—and how solar could drive jobs and economic growth in the region.
I’m curious to hear your thoughts, skeptical or otherwise, once you’ve had a chance to give this a listen!
And we have some fun b-roll from or visit to Jim’s office, testing lab and skunk-works facility where they’re building their hydrogen electrolyzer prototypes. Check it out on our YouTube channel!
BOOKS MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
NOTEWORTHY QUOTEs:
“Fire water starts as fire turns into water. We condense it, we get all that energy back. The efficiency of the boiler, 98% I get 18% more energy back than the natural gas based. I take that fire water, which is perfectly clean liquid water, I put it back in the electrolyzer. Now I don’t need new feed water for the electrolyzer. I fill the system up one time, one time a perfectly closed loop.”
“Erthos is an energy technology company. We’ve developed the solution to replace fossil fuels in combustion. In combustion. Solar is a means to an end. You have to have solar because you need the cheapest kilowatt hour.”
Thanks again to this week's sponsor, helping keep the podcast FREE to you!
Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is Chint Power Systems America!
CPS America is the #1 supplier of 3-phase string inverters for Commercial & Industrial and Utility-Scale projects with more than 8 gigawatts of inverters installed on 20,000+ sites around the nation!
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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 15 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.