252 - Do you have The Innovator’s Spirit? Chuck Swoboda, former CEO of Cree Inc.

Chuck Swoboda is no stranger to the pressure and privilege of leadership. As the CEO and Chairman of Cree Inc, the category-changing LED Lighting brand many are familiar with, he led the company from $6Million to over $1.6Billion in revenue over 65 quarters of growth and industry-leading innovation. 

Chuck recently presented the keynote address for our inaugural SunCast Clean Energy Summit, so what you’re about to hear is the audio version of that live-streamed interview.

As you’ll hear in the interview, Chuck has a brand new book that just hit the shelves all about finding The Innovator’s Mindset, and I invited Chuck to share a bit about his journey and the parallels the Clean Energy economy might have with how the lighting industry grew in the late 90’s and 2000’s. It’s a fascinating conversation, and I hope you’ll share it with others. Let me know what lessons or insights stick with you from it, ok?

You can find more Tactical Tuesdays like this one over at www.mysuncast.com.

And don’t forget to check out the SunCast Clean Energy Summit replays and tomorrow’s Latam Summit live sessions! www.suncastsummit.com 

Remember you can always find me on Twitter, LinkedIn or email and you can get the resources and learn more about how to find Tim or his recommendations on the SunCast Blog.

Thanks to our podcast sponsors for continuing to help make this content free to You!

IF you have stuck Commercial Solar projects, you really should consider how they can help:

Extensible Energy

Learn more by clicking on their respective company links.

Resources

Connect with Chuck on LinkedIn

Follow Chuck on Twitter and Instagram

Check out the website of Cape Point Advisors, Cree, Inc., and Marquette University

When your body calls time-out

Transcripts for SunCast are available through Thisten

Check out Chuck’s new book, The Innovator’s Spirit: Discover the Mindset to Pursue the Impossible

251 - Can Batteries win in pay-for-performance? Marek Kubik, Fluence

Today’s guest, Marek Kubik, is the Market Director at Fluence in the U.K. and Ireland, and he oversees a group working on origination, development, and commercial negotiation of energy storage. He is such an inspirational personality, hence being voted as Forbes 30 Under 30, and he is on a mission to bring storage and renewables penetration to the world.

We had a chance to discuss not only how Fluence is leading the energy storage revolution, but also how they are deploying so many “firsts” around the world, such as the First Large Battery in Ireland, which is 60x faster than the competition.

Thanks a ton to our podcast sponsors, Extensible Energy for continuing to help make this content FREE to You! Please check them out and let me know what you think!

Resources

Connect with Marek on LinkedIn

Follow Marek on Twitter

Check out Marek’s website

Check out Fluence’s website

Transcripts for SunCast are available through Thisten

Marek’s TED talk: Batteries Not Included

Marek Kubik got an engineering degree from university 8 years ago and was about to start working for a prestigious company. His perfect plan was set in motio...

Books mentioned

Utopia for Realists - Rutger Bregman

Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman

250 - How to make price irrelevant? The Relationship Economy with John DiJulius III

Hi there, Solar Warrior.

Welcome to episode 250 of SunCast! Many of you have stuck with me since episode 1, I’m so honored to call you part of the Tribe and a faithful SunCast listener. We have been continuously evolving, and on that vein, you will recognize that today’s guest was last week’s Keynote speaker of our SunCast Clean Energy Summit.

John DiJulius is a best-selling author and authority on world-class customer-experience. Organizations across America use his philosophies and systems for creating world-class service. He has worked with companies such as The Ritz-Carlton, Lexus, Starbucks, Nordstrom, and many more, to help them continue to raise the bar and set the standard in service that consistently exceeds customer expectations.
John spoke about the main foundations of his book, the Relationship Economy, and the opportunity for companies’ time to take their customer experience to a completely different level in these challenging times.

Thanks a ton to our podcast sponsors, Extensible Energy for continuing to help make this content FREE to You! Please check them out and let me know what you think!

Resources

Score 15% off your purchases at www.thedijuliusgroup.com with our "insider" code SUNCAST15

Connect with John on LinkedIn

Follow John on Twitter

Check out the DiJulius Group’s website

Transcripts for SunCast are available through Thisten

249 - How to sell without selling, Scott Ringlein of The Energy Alliance Group of N.A.

Hey, welcome back. Solar warriors.

Thank you for listening. You could be doing anything with your time right now, so I'm grateful that you've chosen to join us for another episode of SunCast.

Here at SunCast, we’ve had such an amazing week so far. Yesterday, we had our first ever SunCast Clean Energy Summit, which is a free event to focus on capacity and community building for our #SolarWarriors and the broader cleantech industry.

Yesterday’s schedule featured great minds in the industry such as Andrew birch, aka “Birchy”, Adam Browning, Julia Hamm, John DiJulius, who is an internationally renowned speaker and entrepreneur, and other amazing people. So many good things happened and will continue to happen for the next couple of weeks, so I encourage you to go check it out.

SunCast Clean Energy Summit: www.suncastsummit.com

I'm honored that you're joining me and pouring into this fantastic world of clean energy. Today's entrepreneur, Scott Ringlein, is the Founder and Principal of the Energy Alliance Group of North America (EAG). Scott is also a Technical Advisor to the U.S. Department of Energy and conducts technical reviews of applications for technology innovation & commercialization. We go really deep into how Scott thinks about servicing his customers. Besides that, we will discuss some of the lessons learned on his journey of the power of networking, having a mentor, accepting what you can not change and accepting that you can't do everything.

“It's okay to change your business plan. And if you want to have a perfect plan, chances are you're gonna show up too late” - Scott Ringlein.

Scott and I had a phenomenal conversation, and I think that you'll agree in that there's a lot in here for those of you who are looking for mentorship, particularly around sales and customer service skills. Be ready, because I encourage you to listen with your pen in hand. I took a lot of notes, and I hope that you will too, Solar Warrior.

Thanks a ton to our podcast sponsors, Extensible Energy for continuing to help make this content FREE to You! Please check them out and let me know what you think!

Resources

Connect with Scott on LinkedIn

Follow the Energy Alliance Group of North America on Twitter, and check out their website.

The Ivy Lee Method: The Daily Routine Experts Recommend for Peak Productivity

Transcripts for SunCast are available through Thisten

Books mentioned

The Grid - Gretchen Bakke

248 - Earth Day + SunCast Clean Energy Summit

The first Earth Day was in 1970. A lot has changed since. The past is clear. What will the future look like? It depends on the choices we make today. #StayHo...

Welcome back, Solar Warrior!

We are getting geared up for a fantastic 50th Anniversary of Earth Day.

So today’s Tactical Tuesday is all about Earth Day: its history and what we are working on together. It goes without saying that tomorrow we will kick off our first SunCast Clean Energy Summit to celebrate #EarthDayTogether! The first session will be at 8:00 am. You can learn more about the schedule as well as register in the link below.

Register now: www.suncastsummit.com

Thanks a ton to our podcast sponsors, Extensible Energy for continuing to help make this content FREE to You! Please check them out and let me know what you think!

For a look at the History and footage of the original Earth Day, Apr 22, 1970

The 50th Anniversary of Earth Day - official website

The Earth Optimism Summit - being run by the Smithsonian

#EarthDayAtHome, with NASA

NASA’s 50th Anniversary Toolkit for Educators

Transcripts for SunCast are available through Thisten

247 - This SEO guru can get You on 1st page of Google, too!

Happy Thursday, 

I hope you enjoyed Tuesday’s episode with Stijn Vos and learned something about how he turned ESDEC Solar Group into the largest residential racking manufacturer in the U.S.

As the pandemic creates a hectic environment not only for people but for business as well, we are doing our best to deliver relevant content to equip you with the tools you need to grow this year, despite the new challenges that we all face.

That’s why today’s Entrepreneur is helping us go deep on SEO (Search Engine Optimization), because when attention is limited, where you show up on search results REALLY matters!

Matt Bertram is the Co-Host of a decade-long podcast specifically focused on the Unknown Secrets of Internet Marketing (BestSEOPodcast.com), with over 3.6 million downloads to their credit. He is also an Amazon best-selling author and the CEO at eWebResults (EWR), a digital marketing agency. Matt does a masterful job of unpacking what SEO really is. And he also dispels myths around the different verticals that affect the performance of your website (the things that are in your control vs what you can't control). 

It's so difficult to briefly explain here all of the relevant aspects of SEO he and I talked about, so the best piece of advice I can give you is to listen through the whole interview, as I'm sure you'll find significant value in Matt's words.

In case you haven’t heard about it, we are hosting our first SunCast Clean Energy Summit which goes live on Earth Day - let’s celebrate #EarthDayTogether. To learn more, check out suncastsummit.com, and we look forward to seeing you on April 22nd!

If you love this episode, let us know on Twitter, LinkedIn or email! Thanks to our podcast sponsors for continuing to help make this content free to You!

IF you are developing Commercial solar projects, you really should consider how they can help:

Extensible Energy

Resources

Connect with Matt on LinkedIn

Check out the eWebResults website

Transcripts for SunCast are available through Thisten

246 - Esdec is eating the solar racking world! [SPI 2019]

It’s time to get Tactical, Solar Warrior!

Today’s guest is Stijn Vos, CEO of ESDEC Solar Group, a company that has supplied universal mounting systems for roof-mounted PV installations on flat and pitched roofs since 2004. With over 15 years of experience and over 7GW of solar panels installed, the ESDEC folks have developed themselves from a brand new company in the U.S., into the largest residential racking manufacturer.

Stijn shared his thoughts on bringing two of the most popular roofing companies, Iron Ridge and Quick Mount PV, underneath the ESDEC roof, and the back-end benefits for the ESDEC group in terms of product development. He also talked about the importance of fostering a proper feedback ecosystem amongst installers and engineers as they understand what’s happening on the roof, how stricter legislation within the U.S. impacts upon installing costs, and more!

This conversation took place in the Podcast Lounge back at SPI 2019, and was led by PV Magazine contributors, John Weaver and Christian Roselund.

Resources

Connect with Stijn on LinkedIn

Follow ESDEC Solar Group on LinkedIn and Facebook, and check out their website.

Transcripts for SunCast are available through Thisten

245 - Can software replace batteries to boost C&I solar growth? John Powers, Extensible Energy

Welcome back, Solar Warrior.

Today is going to be a fun ride if you've been paying attention to how the solar industry has been evolving, and for those of us who've been in it long enough, you will be able to see that what's happening with energy storage these days, mirrors a lot of what's happening with how solar panels have evolved in our solar industry at large. However, one of the untold stories (and one that we'll dig into today) is about the ways that you can give your customers a quantum leap in efficiency and effectiveness.

Today's guest is John Powers, CEO and Founder of Extensible Energy. He is an energy consultant, energy economist and a serial entrepreneur with more than three decades of experience in technology development for energy markets. He's worked across a slew of different aspects of this industry, and has an incredible story and a stellar team. And I can't wait to unpack it here on SunCast.

We're going to talk about all of the inputs that you want to consider as you help your customers deliver the maximum energy efficiency, and transition away from their current way of thinking about using energy.

Resources

Connect with John on LinkedIn

Follow John on Twitter

Follow Extensible Energy on LinkedIn and Twitter, and check out their website.

Transcripts for SunCast are available through Thisten

Books mentioned

Checklist Manifesto - Atul Gwandi

244 - Solar Matchmaker, Vikram Aggarwal of Energy Sage [SPI 2019]

It’s time to get Tactical, Solar Warrior!

How often had you seen “Solar” and “Marketplace” in the same sentence?

As software continues to eat the world, there is an ever-increasing bevy of sites helping educate shoppers and separating fact from fiction. One of the most common issues for homeowners is the tedious task of finding and getting quotes from solar installers. Thankfully, many of them find their way to one of the longest-standing marketplace players in the industry, EnergySage.

Today we enjoy a conversation with  Vikram Aggarwal, the CEO and Founder of EnergySage, the leading online marketplace for solar energy systems in the U.S., sometimes referred to as “the Expedia of solar".

Vikram founded EnergySage after more than fifteen years with a major global financial services leader, specializing in private equity investing and strategy consulting.

This conversation took place in the Podcast Lounge back at SPI 2019, and was led by PV Magazine contributor, Christian Roselund.

Key ideas explored:

• What is an online solar marketplace?

• How many companies provide within the online solar marketplace?

• The foundations of EnergySage

• What are the decisions solar customers make when buying?

• Solar rental vs Solar lease

Resources

Connect with Vikram on LinkedIn

Follow Vikram on Twitter

Follow EnergySage on Twitter

Check out the EnergySage website

Transcripts for SunCast are available through Thisten

243 - Will Google Ads Work For Me? w/ Pamela Wagner, Ajala Digital

Welcome, SolarWarrior!

In these crazy times of high stress with the stock market and global economies retrenching, there are two types of entrepreneurs, those who will wait and see, storing up cash, laying off staff, and hunkering down to weather the storm, and there will be those who take massive action to position and propel themselves into a new level of operational excellence and customer service when we eventually pull out of this economic tailspin. 

Which are you?

For the month of April, I’m going to be bringing you a mix of inspiring entrepreneurs from with in our Cleantech and Clean Energy sectors, as well as subject matter experts from digital marketing, ecommerce and beyond to help you contextualize and actualize your plans for the coming 12 plus weeks of uncertainty.

So to kick things off, I’ve asked my friend Pamela Wagner to join me to guide us through a discussion about the often mystical world of paid advertising, in particular, Google Ads.

Pamela worked on the Google Ads team before branching out on her own to form Ajala Digital, a creative agency based in Europe that helps companies around the world with their digital marketing strategy and implementation. Pamela has been honored as a Forbes 30 under 30, and is one of my go-to experts when it comes to digital marketing and remote work strategies. I know you’re going to get a ton out of this episode, so make sure you have somewhere to take notes!

If you love this episode, then you should check out the nearly 250 additional founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. You’ll notice there that we have some exciting Live events happening as well, for those of you who haven’t been following along on LinkedIn. We are now going live every Wednesday on LinkedIn Live, bringing SunCast guests back into the studio to cover how they’re thriving in this current business environment.

In fact, this Wednesday we’ll be hosting today’s guest, Pamela Wagner, and we’ll be touching on many of the topics we didn’t have time for here, so I hope you’ll carve out time at 11am PDT on Wed Apr 8th. You can register on our homepage, or you can follow me on LinkedIn to get notified when we’re live!

Thanks to our podcast sponsor for continuing to help make this content free to You!

IF you have stuck Commercial Solar projects, you really should consider how they can help:

Extensible Energy

Resources

Connect with Pamela on LinkedIn

Follow Ajala Digital on Twitter

Check out the Ajala Digital website

Need help with Paid Ads? Check out Pamela’s website

Secrets of a successful entrepreneur: Hult alum Pamela Wagner makes Forbes top 30 under 30

SAVE YOUR SPOT!

A Proven Low-Risk Roadmap To Rapidly Double Your Google Ads Efficiency In 90 Days Or Less

Transcripts for SunCast are available through Thisten

242 - How to advance solar for low-income communities? w/ Alexandra Wyatt, GRID Alternatives [SPI 2019]

It’s time to get Tactical, Solar Warrior.

Solar energy has often been billed as a luxury item for the rich, yet as a technology it has the power to lift people out of poverty offering energy access and security to the poorest and most isolated communities. But how do we actually achieve this shift in paradigm?

Today I am joined by Alexandra Wyatt, who is the policy and regulatory manager at GRID Alternatives, a nonprofit with a vision for a successful transition to clean, renewable energy that includes everyone. 
As we’ve highlighted in previous episodes, GRID Alternatives has done significant work for the renewable energy industry, empowering low-income communities and investing in access to solar for all.

This conversation took place in the Podcast Lounge back at SPI 2019, and was led by PV Magazine contributor, Erica Johnson.

Key ideas explored:

• The California energy crisis

• Low-income solar incentive programs (Solar-For-All Program)

• How is policy crucial for low income solar to succeed?

• The importance of tangible immediate energy-burden reductions

• Energy policy: State vs National scale *EV and storage for low-income families

• Diversity and inclusion for the industry

Resources

Connect with Alexandra on LinkedIn

Connect with Erica on LinkedIn

Follow GRID Alternative on Twitter

Check out GRID Alternative’s website

Remember that the transcript of this episode is available HERE

241 - Amanda Bybee, Founder Amicus O&M Cooperative - Part 2

Hey, Solar Warrior!

Today is Part 2 of our interview with Amanda Bybee, Founder of Amicus O&M Cooperative, a company that brings together a network of independent solar companies across the U.S. to provide operations and maintenance (O&M) services for geographically distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) portfolios.

If you missed the episode that released earlier this week, I encourage you to go back and listen to it first (click here to listen to the episode). Today, she will continue to share the struggles she’s gone through, how she has endured the growth curve of multiple companies, and the insight into ways you can now adapt her lens into your own career.

If you love this episode, let us know on Twitter, LinkedIn or email!

Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest & recommendations on the SunCast Blog. 

Thanks to our podcast sponsors for continuing to help make this content free to You!

IF you are developing Commercial solar projects, you really should consider how they can help:

CPS America and

Extensible Energy

Resources

Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn

Follow Amicus O&M Cooperative on LinkedIn

Check out the Amicus O&M Cooperative website

Amanda Co-Founded the Clean Energy Credit Union

Remember that the transcript of this episode is available HERE

Books mentioned

Companies we keep - John Abrams

The great game of business - Jack Stack

Crucial conversations - Kerry Patterson

Let my people go surfing - Yvon Chouinard

Small Giants - Bo Burlingham

Leadership and self-deception - The Arbinger Institute

240 - Amanda Bybee, Founder Amicus O&M Cooperative - Part 1

Hey, Solar Warrior!

Welcome back to the final week of our Women’s History Month series, highlighting female leadership in the renewable energy industry. However, it’s no secret that this has been a tough month for everybody. If you're taking a moment in your lockdown, wherever you are, as we prepare to fight this pandemic together, I'm really grateful and honored for the myriad ways that we've been able to interact. Know that our team at Sun cast is thinking about the different ways we can help bring the community together, support you, and encourage each one of you as you are trying to deal with your own challenges.

I'm really, grateful for my friend Tara Doyle, who introduced me to today's guest, Amanda Bybee. Before I began conversations with Amanda, I didn't know much about her life and work. And I must tell you, I was engrossed by Amanda's story.

She had such a phenomenal background and journey to get to where she is today. And we learn all about the Amicus O&M Cooperative as well as her time at Namaste Solar, and even back to the early days of Solar Austin and the early early push to get renewable energy and solar into the agenda in Texas.

I am honored to be able to provide you with this Part One of the interview, and we'll be following the Part Two on Thursday.

If you love this episode, let us know on Twitter, LinkedIn or email!

Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest & recommendations on the SunCast Blog. 

Thanks to our podcast sponsors for continuing to help make this content free to You!

IF you are developing Commercial solar projects, you really should consider how they can help:

CPS America and

Extensible Energy

Resources

Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn

Follow Amicus O&M Cooperative on LinkedIn

Check out the Amicus O&M Cooperative website

Amanda Co-Founded the Clean Energy Credit Union

Remember that the transcript of this episode is available HERE

Books mentioned

Companies we keep - John Abrams

The great game of business - Jack Stack

Crucial conversations - Kerry Patterson

Let my people go surfing - Yvon Chouinard

Small Giants - Bo Burlingham

Leadership and self-deception - The Arbinger Institute

239 - How to become a Solar Maven w/Kendra Hubbard, SEIA board Member

If you’ve ever pulled yourself up by the bootstrings, ever worked hard-as-hell just to get on a level playing field, ever kept at something b/c it was simply worth doing, then today’s episode is for you.

Today’s Energy executive is my longtime friend and true #SolarWarrior, Kendra Hubbard.

Kendra and I met in 2011 in Philly at a regional solar conference, the way I’ve met so many of you. She earned and kept my respect for her tenacity and ingenuity from the first moment we met. Today I share with you some of the ways she’s become a thought leader in the solar industry, and how she manufactured her ascension to become one of the general assembly elected members of the board of SEIA. She’s an inspiration, and I’m honored to know her.

If you love this episode, let us know on Twitter, LinkedIn or email!

Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest & recommendations on the SunCast Blog. 

Thanks to our podcast sponsors for continuing to help make this content free to You!

IF you are developing Commercial solar projects, you really should consider how they can help:

CPS America

Extensible Energy

Resources

Support Kendra’s effort to raise awareness for climate change and renewable energy!

Kendra is doing a 300-mile bike ride, so she is raising money for the Climate Ride cause on Vote Solar's team. Your generous donation is an investment in a healthier, safer future and will help Climate Ride to make this a reality.

Connect with Kendra on LinkedIn

Follow Kendra on Twitter

Follow Unirac on LinkedIn and Twitter

Check out the Unirac website

Remember that the transcript of this episode is available HERE

Books mentioned

The Solar Cat - Jim Augustyn

238 - Why take the leap into Microgrids? with Rosana Francescato [SPI 2019]

Happy Tuesday, Solar Warrior.

Today's guest is Rosana Francescato, Communications Director at Clean Coalition, a non-profit organization that drives policy innovation to remove barriers to procurement and interconnection of Distributed Energy Resources (DER), and also collaborates with utilities and municipalities to create near-term deployment opportunities that prove the technical and financial viability of local renewables and other DER.

This conversation took place in the Podcast Lounge back at SPI 2019, and was led by PV Magazine contributors, Christian Roselund and Erica Johnson. Hear Rosana separate fact from dicromato about an often confusing electricity topic: Microgrids! Much has been said about the traditional power grid, but their smaller versions offer viable solutions due to independent control capability, better known as "Island Mode". Rosana covered this and other benefits that this approach has to offer in supporting our savings grid infrastructure, from phasing out diesel generators, to mitigating risks in the face of natural disasters.

Resources

Connect with Rosana on LinkedIn

Follow Rosana on Twitter

Follow Clean Coalition on LinkedIn

Check out Clean Coalition’s website

Article: Community Microgrids in the spotlight!

Remember that the transcript of this episode is available HERE

“No silver bullet will fix the situation in California and the grid vulnerabilities that exist across the country. But an approach that includes renewables-driven Community Microgrids, in addition to the other steps outlined here, will go a long way to making our communities more resilient and avoiding a new normal that is disruptive, costly, and dangerous.” - Rosana Francescato.

237 - Mona Dajani, Deal Machine, Network-aholic, sabre-wielding bada$$

Today’s guest does not consider herself an entrepreneur, so I’ll give her some other titles. Whether she would be self-referential or not, Mona Dajani is a deal machine. She’s also the only woman ever to be head of energy and infrastructure of a major law firm, and The only lawyer on the board for ACORE. In short, she’s a trusted advisor and has been the steady hand in nearly $100B in renewables transactions. 

Mona unpacks for me the 3 key elements of a ‘good deal’ - Reliable pathway, Risk mitigation, and the reality of the macro-environment.

We also unpack where deals get stuck, what Mona does to relax, and as you’ll hear, she has an infectious laugh. I like to think that contributes greatly to the appeal of this self-proclaimed network-aholic. At times, she appears superhuman, but rest assured, I get Mona comfortable enough to reveal her secrets to success and a life well lived. I know you’ll love seeing the corners she’s peering around.

Resources

Connect with Mona on LinkedIn

Follow Mona on Twitter

Follow Pillsbury on LinkedIn, Twitter and check out their website

Mona featured on Women In Sustainability blog

Understanding Energy Storage Investment

Energy Storage: Batteries not yet included

Remember that the transcript of this episode is available HERE

Book mentioned

Never Eat Alone (Live)

By Keith Ferrazzi

One of the favorite quotes from Mona. Simplify your message, explain your position in plain language.

236 - The PV Afterlife - The challenge & opportunity of Recycling [SPI 2019]

Happy Tuesday, Solar Warrior.

PV recycling is something that our industry has been working on for at least four years, maybe longer. Many question marks gravitate around recycling solar PV modules, one of them being the final destination of these assets if not recycled properly, often associated to increase the world’s pollution levels.

Today we're joined by Evelyn Butler from Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Garvin Heath of the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Garvin himself has been very entrenched in the efforts with a lot of his other research activities. It's an area near and dear to his heart, so I'm excited to share both his and Evelyn’s insights about this topic.

Key points discussed:

• PV recycling working group and its main activities

• Should PV wastage be exported or processed locally?

• What data supports the PV's end of life?

• What new data points are rising to help the industry move forward in this space?

• Challenges around policy and legislation.

Resources

Connect with Evelyn and Garvin on LinkedIn

Follow Evelyn on Twitter

Check out the SEIA and NREL website

Remember that the transcript of this episode is available HERE

235 - Britta von Oesen - CohnReznick Capital (Women's History Month)

Happy Thursday, 

I hope you enjoyed Tuesday’s episode with Erika Myers of SEPA all about the evolution of EV Charging. 

Hey did anybody see my LinkedIn Live?? We’re Live! Woohoo! If not, make sure you’re following me on LinkedIn and you’ll get notified next time I go Live!

Today’s the second in our Women’s History Month lineup of all-star clean energy leaders.

Britta von Oesen is a longtime Solar Warrior. The story about her entry into the industry is fascinating. Britta is a Managing Director with CohnReznick Capital and leads the San Francisco Office.  She has 10+ years of experience in investment banking, tax equity, corporate strategy, and development in the wind, solar, and broader environmental sector. She has directly advised on over 5GW of solar, wind and battery storage projects, and contributed to the financing or sale of $20B+ worth of projects with CohnReznick Capital.

Hear how she turned from financial crisis to financial dealmaker during The Great Recession. Britta has been responsible for 5GW and some of the biggest transactions in the last decade of the solar boom.

But that’s not the whole story - she’s a dedicated mother and a sterling example that you can lead at home and the office without compromise. As we continue our all-female lineup during this Women’s History month, I hope you’ll get a ton of value from this mighty manager, mother, and friend.

Resources

Connect with Britta on LinkedIn

Follow Britta on Twitter

Follow CohnReznick Capital on LinkedIn

The Surprising Ingenuity behind “Good Night Moon”

Surrender: A Life Lesson From Goodnight Moon

Remember that the transcript of this episode is available HERE

Books mentioned

Girl, Stop Apologizing (Audible Exclusive Edition): A Shame-Free Plan for Embracing and Achieving Your Goals

By Rachel Hollis

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

By Susan Cain

234 - How to optimize Electric Vehicle infrastructure? with Erika Myers of SEPA [SPI 2019]

Happy Tuesday, SolarWarrior!

I’m pleased to remind you that SunCast is prioritizing inclusion and diversity among our guests. As such, celebrating Women’s History Month, we are going to feature all-female SunCast’s guests for the rest of the month.

We are joined today by Erika Myers, Principal of Transportation Electrification at Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA). She has 16 years of experience in the clean energy sector and specializes in the nexus between the grid, electric vehicles, and renewable energy.

This conversation took place back in the Podcast Lounge live at SPI 2019.

Key ideas explored:

• Distribution System Infrastructure and Planning to support optimized charging and Electric Vehicles (EVs)

• Trends in EV infrastructure

• Charging amount for medium and heavy-duty trucks

• What are the challenges of long haul trucking electrification?

• How to help fleets?

Resources

Connect with Erika on LinkedIn

Follow Erika and SEPA on Twitter

Visit the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) website

Remember that the transcript of this episode is available HERE

233 - Watch 60 Minutes THIS Sunday - RMI featured!

Hey #SolarWarrior, welcome back!

This episode is not a typical Flashback Friday. In fact, it is a Flashforward Friday! And I am going to be introducing Chris Burgess from Rocky Mountain Institute and an exciting announcement. This Sunday, you can watch Rocky Mountain Institute on CBS’ 60 Minutes. Justin Locke and Chris Burgess from the Islands Energy Program will be featured with partners from Bahamas Power and Light and the Government of The Bahamas discussing the power of distributed renewable energy to build a more resilient future for the islands and set an example for the world grappling with climate change.

In case you are not on our list and you've missed it or you haven't checked your email, today at 12:30 Eastern Standard Time, I will be hosting an Ask Me Anything session with none other than Mr. Jeff Ressler, CEO of Clean Power Research. Click here to sign up!

Resources

Don’t Miss RMI on 60 Minutes This Sunday!

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn

Follow the Rocky Mountain Institute on Twitter

Remember that the transcript of this episode is available HERE