383 - Time to Build New Skills, with John Powers, CEO of Extensible Energy (Linkedin Live Session 2020)

Welcome back, Solar Warrior.

This is a SunCast Rewind that’s also a Tactical Tuesday, a short form conversation with subject matter experts designed to give you the practical tools, tips and advice for building your solar business, or career.

We will continue our SunCast Rewing theme, this time, dipping into the vault of one of our LinkedIn Live sessions from last year.

I had a great conversation with John Powers of Extensible Energy about the value of capacity building in an organization during difficult times. In truth, this happened just as the pandemic started back in April of 2020. I recently looked back and asked myself, “where can I glean some insight from one of our past guests about how the world has changed or how it might change?”. The immediate answer was my conversation with John.

John and the Extensible Energy team recently raised a whopping amount of $3.4 million dollars in their venture funding round. They clearly did something right during this pandemic so congratulations to John and his team for this amazing milestone.

An energy economist and serial entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in consulting and technology development in energy markets, John has worked in energy efficiency, demand response, and renewables for most of his career. As CEO of Extensible Energy, he leads a stellar team of cleantech experts developing software solutions for solar, storage, and load flexibility applications.

Resources

Connect with John on LinkedIn

Follow John on Twitter

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

Text Nico and start a conversation! +1 (310) 634-1780

382 - A serial entrepreneurs approach to simplifying solar, with Aviv Shalgi, CEO of Solar Simplified

Welcome back, Solar Warrior.

Thank you so much for lending us your ears and the only non-renewable resource you've got: your time.

Today's entrepreneur is Aviv Shalgi. He has several successful m&a Vc investment and joint ventures under his belt, in addition to two successful startups prior to his current venture, Solar Simplified.

Aviv has been a mentor and advisor to many entrepreneurs, startups, investors, VCs, nonprofits, and is a captain in the Israeli Defense Force or IDF, as many call it the “Eyes In The Sky. We'll talk a little bit about that, as we get into today's episode of how he is simplifying solar and challenging the status quo.

As an innovator, Aviv has always been focused on positive disruption in industries where there are opportunities to solve fundamental problems. This is what drew him to Solar Simplified, where he strives to make affordable renewable energy accessible to everyone, while providing consumers with guaranteed savings and making the process simple and transparent for consumers, solar developers and regulators.

Resources

Connect with Aviv on LinkedIn

Check out the amazing work of Solar Simplified on LinkedIn, Twitter, and their website

Suggested read

Simplicity as a competitive advantage

How this Israeli Entrepreneur is Simplifying the Solar Business

Simplifying the Solar Energy Business with Aviv Shalgi Founder and Owner of Solar Simplified LLC

Cheddar Climate: Making Climate Solutions Accessible and Affordable for the Masses

381 - Tactical Rewind - The top 3 Tactical Tuesdays of 2020 from SunCast!

This is Tactical Tuesday,

We wanted to add a different touch to this Tactical Tuesday, so we thought “why not create a rewind with the Top 3 Tactical Tuesdays of 2020?”.

Many new listeners haven’t gotten back and listened to the backlog of episodes we have available, so I went ahead and hand-picked 3 episodes that you should definitely listen to.

The first episode will disseminate practical advice on fundraising for solar start-ups by the hand of Josh Beck of BCI Technology Investments. Why do startups fail to raise capital? Josh and the BCI Technologies team know a thing or three about raising money and about investing in companies.

The second episode includes an in-depth look at the ins and outs of building a project that incorporates a massive battery component to the equation. Energy Storage is all the rage in California, and all over the renewable energy landscape in the world. There’s at least one missing element to the conversation: understanding how and why folks are able to monetize and deploy these battery systems: resource adequacy. That’s why I brought my friend Will Mitchell, Director of Origination for the Western U.S. of Strata Solar, to walk us through these questions.

The third segment is worth giving a listen especially if you are about to get a new job or if you yourself are hiring others onto your team. We brought PXiSE’s Hannah Greene and her 30/60/90 framework plan for successfully onboarding new team members.

Whether you stick around for all three episodes or just one or two, I hope you'll appreciate the time we took to curate and bring back these archived episodes so that you can continue to grow and learn.

380 - The Largest Floating Solar Project in Texas, with Craig LoValvo and Mark Rangel of Speir Commercial & Industrial

Welcome back, Solar Warrior.

Today's entrepreneurs are Texas solar pioneers. The story we're about to unwrap today is unprecedented. If you haven’t heard about Speir Commercial & Industrial, they are one of the leading sustainable energy providers in Texas. Not only that, they are developing the largest floating solar voltaic system in Texas, and we will get all the details from their EVP of Operations, and their EVP of Commercial Business Development, Craig LoValvo and Mark Rangel.

Craig LoValvo is the EVP of operations at Speir Commercial & Industrial, a company that provides full turnkey residential and commercial solar installation to the San Antonio and Austin area, but they are so much more than that.

Founded by a group of friends who share the common goal of contributing to the progress and development of sustainable practices, they are a sustainability lifestyle brand.  With prior experience in the solar industry and education in sustainable sciences, Craig and Mark formed a company with the primary goal of improving quality of life by increasing the long-term implementation of sustainable practices.

Mark Rangel is a seasoned project developer with over 16 years of experience in business development, project design, structured financing, and project execution.

He’s a pre construction TEAM leader with capabilities of concept design, PV production modeling, complex project estimating, project process sequencing, securing local and federal incentives, developing custom project financial products, and cradle to grave project business plans.

Resources

Connect with Mark on LinkedIn

Connect with Craig on LinkedIn

Check out the amazing work of Speir Commercial & Industrial on LinkedIn, Twitter, and their website

379 - Clean Energy 101: Industry Overview with Eric Pasi

Welcome back, Solar Warrior.

This is Tactical Tuesday, an episode with practical advice to help you along in your career in the clean energy industry.

Today’s episode is part of our exclusive content, but why am I sharing it here on the public SunCast feed? Well, because I want to help you. Many people ask me about how to get into the solar industry and where are the jobs. It happens that one of my past guests and good buddies from the podcast has actually written a book on this very topic. In fact, we talked about the book in his interview back in the summer of 2020.

When I started developing curriculum for our Mission-Minded Clean Energy Career program last fall, I knew that I was going to incorporate Eric Pasi’s book: Clean Wave into the conversation to help our clients.

What you're about to hear is a conversation between Eric and me rolling out an overview of the clean energy economy where we draw inspiration not just from his book, but from both our decades-long careers in building solar companies and helping others do the same.

Today's content specifically is actually part of our exclusive coaching program, but this is an abbreviated version, intentionally. So if you'd like to hear all of the content and access the full episode, which is actually a video interview, then you have two options:

• Join our Mission-Minded cohort that's gonna kick off again in July.

• Join the waitlist for our SunCast Tribe relaunch that is also coming in July. That's our inner circle of industry all-stars where we share bonus content and have curated a private community where more than 100 people have joined the conversation. If you'd like to be on that waitlist, just text me at 310-634-1780. I'll make sure you get all the details.

In 2007, Eric Pasi joined IPS, a company with 15 years of renewable energy experience at that time. Since then, he’s helped to accelerate significant solar power development in Minnesota and the upper Midwest. Pasi has developed unique financing programs, won competitive opportunities, and jump-started the company's successful Community Solar Gardens program.

Taking on the Chief Development Officer role in 2016, Pasi has helped the company grow annual gross revenues by more than tenfold. Recent notable projects include the Green Line Solar Corridor, 13 installations for Mounds View School District, and the Eichten's Community Solar Garden.

Resources

Order your copy of Eric’s book: Clean Wave, A Guide to Success in the Green Recovery.

Connect with Eric on LinkedIn, Twitter and his website

Connect with Impact Power Solutions on LinkedIn and their website

378 - Entrepreneurial Innovation: How to lead when technology changes markets. With Jeff Weiss, Distributed Sun

Welcome back, Solar Warrior.

Today's entrepreneur has impressed me through the years with his ability to be a diplomat and translator between technical and laypeople, helping folks dial in their product-market fit with his entrepreneurial sense.

It was his keen sense of the direction of the distributed energy industry and its future that convinced me he needed to be on SunCast.

From pizza.com to rooftop solar, Jeff Weiss has pioneered innovation across multiple sectors. Today’s episode will glean into his insights, and hopefully, you will be able to add them to your toolkit.

Jeff Weiss co-founded Distributed Sun in 2009, where he is Executive Chairman. He leads capital formation activities and plays an active role in management and governance.

An early e-business and online media entrepreneur, he has advised dozens of companies through significant changes, as a board member, an investor, an investment banking advisor, and as a strategy consultant, and has raised substantial funding in the corporate, venture, and capital markets.

As a result, he has a broad understanding of how companies grow and create value, how to create and communicate business and marketing plans, in managing operations, as well as in evaluating partners and closing capital transactions.

Resources

Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn and Twitter

Check out the amazing work of Distributed Sun on LinkedIn, Twitter, and their website

Mentioned books

Disraeli - Robert Blake

377 - California NEM Crisis! Does Net Energy Metering future hang in the balance?

Welcome back, Solar Warrior!

This is Tactical Tuesday, a short form conversation with subject matter experts designed to give you the practical tools, tips, and advice to build your solar career or business.

Are the monopoly utilities attacking yours and mine individual rights to make energy from the sun, power your life and become more financially independent? If you’re in California, the answer might be yes.

Today we’ll find out in this special report from Dave Rosenfeld, the Executive Director of Solar Rights Alliance, what you need to know to be informed on the NET energy metering policies currently under siege in the state of California.

Dave has been a community organizer for over twenty years and believes people power is the best way to overcome special interests. Prior to joining Solar Rights Alliance, Dave led a successful statewide ballot measure campaign in Oregon to restore Career Technical Education for high schoolers.

Before that, he led a 40,000 member public interest organization that successfully worked to reduce health insurance premiums for consumers and combat government corruption. In addition to spending time with his wife and two children, he enjoys running, backpacking and studying science and philosophy.

Resources

Connect with Dave on LinkedIn

Check out the amazing work of Solar Rights Alliance on LinkedIn, Twitter, and their website

Want to learn more? Check out episode 265 with Catherine Morehouse and Glen Brand: “Is this the end of net energy metering as we know it?”

Suggested reading

Solar Chat: Meet Dave Rosenfeld from the Solar Rights Alliance

Text Nico and start a conversation! +1 (310) 634-1780

376 - Pioneering Vanadium Flow batteries, with Matt Harper, Co-Founder of Invinity Energy Systems

Click to Listen on Any Platform

Remember Avalon Battery? I bet you do, if you’ve been in Solar for awhile. They did a huge deal with Nextracker awhile back, and are the OGs of Vanadium Flow batteries.

Did you realize that Avalon merged with UK-based RedT, an outstanding energy storage developer in their own right, and last year formed the leading flow batttery company in the world?

Today’s guest is a pioneering cleantech entrepreneur, product developer and Chief Commercial Officer of the resulting company Invinity Energy Systems. We’re talking about Matt Harper!

Matt was instrumental in the vision and leadership that is now transforming the evolution of what we call Grid storage , and long been a believer in the value creation batteries provide to enable the energy transition that we all desire so much. Matt has been in this industry for a long time and today we get to peek behind the curtain to see how Avalon, now Invinity, came to be.

His expertise is in using advanced technologies to develop revolutionary industrial and commercial products. His passion is in helping companies adopt those products to build sustainable, profitable businesses.

Matt’s career spans pioneering work in electrical energy storage, wastewater treatment, hydrogen generation, and fuel cell vehicles. And his holistic approach to industrial technology development balances technical and operations development with commercial, organizational, and operational lifecycle characteristics.

Developed specifically for high-utilization applications that make low-carbon renewable generation reliable, Invinity's highly scalable, factory-built flow battery products can run continually with no degradation, charging and discharging for over 25 years. Energy storage systems based on Invinity's batteries are safe, reliable, and economical, and range in size from less than 250 kilowatt-hours to tens of megawatt-hours.

Lean in with me us as Nico gets the insider story directly from Matt about the winding road that has led to the successful commercialization of this technology at a time (and category) when MANY others have failed. Hope you like it.

Resources

Connect with Matt on LinkedIn and Twitter

Check out the work of Invinity Energy Systems on LinkedIn, Twitter, and their website

Vanadium Flow Batteries

Even Forbes is excited about it!

The Design of Everyday Things - Don Norman

The Great Game - Peter Hopkirk

The Shape of Design - Frank Chimero

The Right Stuff - Tom Wolfe

375 - The Great Solar Debate: What’s the best residential solar financing solution?

Welcome back, Solar Warrior.

This is Tactical Tuesday: a short form conversation with subject matter experts designed to give you practical tools, tips, and advice for building your solar business or career.

Last year, we hosted the first Great Solar Debate featuring clean-energy thought leaders sharing two contrasting perspectives on critical solar and storage topics. In its pilot episode, John Powers of Extensible Energy and Andrew Tanner of Yotta Energy tackled the economics of load flexibility software vs energy storage hardware.

This time, the SunCast family alongside Solar Power Events and Unthink Solar will bring that same energy and attention to this new series, with the final live debate set on a stage in New Orleans at the largest energy event in North America, SPI, ESI & Smart Energy Week.

For our first Great Solar Debate of 2021, representatives from the residential solar financing industries will discuss the value of their respective financing solutions for consumers and installers.

In the Property Assessed Clean Energy or “PACE corner is Grayson Frazier, Director of Sales, Southern California for PACE Funding Group. 

Representing Power Purchase Agreements or “PPAs” is Meghan Nutting, Executive Vice President of Policy and Communications at Sunnova Energy. 

And in the third and final corner, Doug Pierce, Director of Field Sales at Sungage Financial, will be representing solar loans.

This episode is a replay of the first debate where we covered the following points:

• The value of each financing product for consumers

• The value of each financing for installers

• What’s the best value for all income levels?

• What about the solar homebuyer? Which financing is best for them, and therefore for the seller?

• Which financing is best for expanding residential solar throughout the U.S.

374 - Is Free Training profitable? How Ryan Mayfield uses education to build his Engineering business

Welcome back, Solar Warrior.

Today's entrepreneur has been in the renewables industry since 1999. My friend Ryan Mayfield started Mayfield Renewables back in 2007, blending his technical expertise with his affinity for writing and education. He is the CEO of a company that now provides PV system technical engineering services to hundreds of companies across the United States and probably around the world.

Ryan discovered his passion for renewable energy early in his college career at Humboldt State while pursuing his degree in environmental resources engineering. Ryan was exposed to the exciting possibilities of solar power and his desire to learn more and be involved in the solar industry only grew as he continued his studies. 

Once he got his hands on an actual PV installation during a class with Solar Energy International, Ryan knew exactly how he wanted to spend his working days. Early in his career he worked as an installer, provided technical support for a renewable energy retailer, and moved up to Engineering Manager at a national renewable energy wholesale distributor.

While serving as CEO at Mayfield Renewables, Ryan was also the PV Systems Technical Editor for SolarPro Magazine from 2010 to 2018, where he regularly wrote feature articles and was a regular contributor to Home Power magazine.

He is also the author of PV Design and Installation for Dummies (published in 2010) and teaches nationwide PV courses on topics such as: National Electrical Code, Oregon Solar Code and PV systems, commercial PV systems, and PV + Storage. Ryan holds a Limited Renewable Energy Technician (LRT) license in Oregon and is an Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association board member.

Resources

Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn and Twitter

Check out the amazing work of Mayfield Renewables on LinkedIn, Twitter and their website

Five Surprising Uses for PVsyst

How will the 2022 California Building Standards Code impact the solar-plus-storage industry?

Lost Connections: Why You’re Depressed and How to Find Hope

373 - ESG Checklist to build your own strategy, with Mona Dajani from Pillsbury Law

ESG Board Advisory Checklist

This is Tactical Tuesday: a short form conversation with subject matter experts designed to give you practical tools, tips, and advice for building your solar business or career.

Today’s topic is Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), and to give us the ins and outs of this hot topic we have one of the top guests we’ve had on the show: Mona Dajani, Global Co-Head of Energy, Infrastructure, Mobility, Renewables & Water at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, an international law firm with a particular focus on the technology & media, energy, financial services, and real estate & construction sectors.

If you're unfamiliar with ESG, then listen to this episode coming directly from a recent checklist that Pillsbury, the firm for whom Mona heads the renewable energy practice, created as a tantalizing tidbit to craft your own ESG strategy, as institutional shareholders invest record amounts in environmental, social and governance.

ESG conscious funds and companies, boards of directors are looking for ways that companies can design and implement a business strategy that produces a sustainable future and remain relevant in a world where climate change, social injustice, pandemics, disease prevention, and wellness are the new normal.

Mona focuses her global practice on project finance, corporate finance, mergers & acquisitions, portfolio acquisitions, tax equity, construction, and/or restructuring for government and private clients involving energy and infrastructure projects.

She has substantial experience with respect to syndicated loan and debt capital markets transactions, specialized structured financings, Rule 144A bond financings, syndicated commercial bank debt, commercial paper programs, export credit agencies, and other government-guaranteed financing and risk insurance programs; and arranging capital for new and established energy and infrastructure companies.

Mona represents renewable energy companies, developers, investors, lenders, and contractors in a wide range of renewable projects throughout the U.S. with project values ranging from $20 million to over $100 billion in value.

She closed more than 75 wind-power and over 20 solar-power project financings, including a 1,550-megawatt power purchase agreement by Southern California Edison, the largest wind-power purchase agreement in history.

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

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Criteria

Board Governance and the “E” in ESG (Jonathan Ocker)

372 - A primer on risk management for Renewable Energy, with Lee Taylor, Co-Founder & CEO of REsurety

Welcome back, Solar Warrior.

Today's entrepreneur is redefining the way that clean energy buyers and sellers think about Risk Management. Lee Taylor founded REsurety before ever finishing his MBA, and he amassed a portfolio of over 5 Gigawatts of renewable energy generation with his unique insurance product.

Despite Insurance not being always the most compelling topic in clean energy, Lee's story of the what when, where, how and why of his entrepreneurial journey is worth sticking around.

He founded the company in 2012 to commercialize research he conducted at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, and today REsurety’s products are redefining the way clean energy buyers and sellers predict value and quantify and manage risk. REsurety has supported hedging contracts covering nearly 7,000 MW of wind and solar generation capacity, for clients including Microsoft, Iron Mountain, Invenergy, Enel, Engie, Nephila Climate, and Allianz, among many others.

Resources

Connect with Lee on LinkedIn

Check out the amazing work of REsurety on LinkedIn, Twitter, and their website

An innovative offtake contract makes its solar sector debut

Download The “P99 Hedge” That Wasn’t

Download Risk Mitigation for Corporate Renewable PPAs

371 - What is the Unconscious Bias? with Tamika Jacques, Ed.D., Director of Workforce Development at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center

Welcome back, Solar Warrior.

This is Tactical Tuesday, a short-form conversation with a subject matter expert designed to give you practical tools, tips and advice for building your solar business or career.

Today’s Tactical Tuesday will be longer than usual, as we have the honor to bring Dr. Tamika Jacques to the show. She is the Director of Workforce Development for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and she's also the CEO of Fruitful Vision Enterprise.

She's been in workforce development for over 18 years and has the honor of assisting with the distribution of nearly 30 million training programs in workforce development targeted for women, minorities, college students, youth unemployed, and underemployed.

Dr. Jacques is also the author of A Brown Girls Guide to Employment and Networking. I was happy to have Dr. Jacques speak at our SunCast Career Summit back in the fall of 2020. Today’s episode is a recap of her presentation on the subject of unconscious bias, some of its concepts and definitions, how to identify it, and how to overcome it.

Resources

Connect with Tamika on LinkedIn, Twitter, and her website

Check out the amazing work of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center on LinkedIn, Twitter, and their website

370 - How Patrick Sherwin's GoSun builds solar products you actually want

Welcome back, Solar Warrior!

Thanks so much for lending me your ears and the only non-renewable resource that you've got: your time!

Today's entrepreneur has been elevating the solar industry for more than 20 years across different roles. More recently, he’s been an inventor of breakthrough solar ovens and outdoor gear that's caught my attention.

As a Social Entrepreneur, Patrick focuses on appropriate technology with measurable impact. Patrick maintains a diverse background in construction, engineering, marketing, design, and integration of renewables.

Patrick Sherwin's thirst for solutions has put him at the center of several technology breakthroughs, and today we will unveil the how and why of his entrepreneurial journey.

Resources

Connect with Patrick on LinkedIn

Check out the amazing work of GoSun on LinkedIn, Twitter, and their website

Want to grab a GoSun Sport Solar Oven? Click HERE

369 - How is the solar market evolving for developers, with Joe Tassone, Above Grid

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Welcome back, Solar Warrior!

This is Tactical Tuesday, a short-form conversation with subject matter experts designed to give you practical tools, tips and advice for building your solar business or career.

Many of you have probably listened to today's guests Joe Tassone Jr. from episodes 232 where we told his journey from the telecom industry to solar. He was also in episode 341 helping us give an overview of the clean energy industry.

If you still haven’t heard about Joe Tassone Jr., he is the Vice President of Project Development at Accencore, and Co-Founder and Vice President of Above Grid LLC. Joe has over 20 years of experience directly developing more than 5,000 wireless telecommunications projects throughout the U.S.

He has executed/originated more than 300 MW+ of PV/Storage projects in the Northeast. Prior to his current role, Joe was the co-founder of HPC Wireless Services, an Inc. 500 Project Development firm that performed turn-key projects for several Fortune 50 Companies, including Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint. He has hired and mentored more than 500 people in his career and shared his project-management expertise at conferences and board rooms across the country.

Joe is an experienced industry executive with access to the frontline conversations about what's happening in the world of project development. We brought Joe back to discuss what is happening in the world of solar project development in the United States, get his sense of how that front line is evolving, and learn about how his business ABOVEgrid is evolving so you can learn from his expertise.

Resources

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn

The Boy and the Dam. Crisis averted? - By Joseph Tassone

How To Make Price Irrelevant? The Relationship Economy With John DiJulius III

368 - GAF, Solar Tiles, Tax Equity and more - Martin DeBono Redux!

Welcome back, Solar Warrior!

Today’s guest is Martin DeBono, and he is by no means a stranger to distributed energy and high growth working in the startup industry. However, he didn't cut his teeth in solar energy. In fact, he has had a bit of an unorthodox entry into alternative energy. We talked about this especially in his first episode about a year ago where he mentioned being a decorated officer on a nuclear submarine in the US Navy.

He has led sales and marketing for companies you'd recognize such as Cisco, Siebel, Insightful, and Pure Networks. He even headed SunPower's residential North American business and global commercial business before taking on the role he currently has as President of GAF Energy. We're going to get into how the new GAF Energy product rollout is going and what it means for the residential market looking forward.

If you love this episode, then you should check out our more than 350 additional founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. And sign up to receive a notification when the next episodes have dropped!

Resources

Connect with Martin on LinkedIn

Check out the GAF Energy website

Previous SunCast Podcast episodes mentioned

224 - How GAF Energy's Martin DeBono Brought Tech Sales To Solar

367 - Can Words Impact the Climate? How communication can drive real change with Scott Nguyen, Susannah Bradley, Brooke Betts, and Carter Lavin

Welcome back, Solar Warrior!

On April 21st, the team of 17TeraWatts hosted a panel with a group of communication experts to answer the question, “How do we effectively communicate the severity of climate change and the solutions in a way that compels people to also take action?”.

During the conversation moderated by a previous SunCast guest, Scott Nguyen from 17TeraWatts, we spoke to Susannah Bradley, Director of Emerging Audiences at SunCommon, Brooke Betts, VP US Climate Campaign at Rare, and Carter Lavin, the Director at California Solar & Storage Association. Together, we explored the growing nuances in climate change messaging, the innovative programs with real-world successes, and new approaches YOU can try in your business or community.

Here are the main takeaways from each panelist:

Nico Johnson - "The guests on our show are emblematic of the kind of messaging we need recognize we don’t have time to shame others into coming alongside us, and they create products and messaging that actually demonstrates that we are not waiting for some future idea or technology to arrive. But that is already here today."

Susannah Bradley - "Your righteousness doesn’t have a place in the conversation..it really is about meeting people where they're at, finding out what little nugget you can possibly connect in their interest in their heart and their mind with the work you are doing."

Brooke Betts - "If you were just authentically talking about things with people in a way that doesn’t freak them out or scare them off, it’s really powerful...People don’t look to experts. They look to their neighbors or friends. They look to people that they actually know and trust."

Carter Lavin - “During COVID, we ran the biggest global experiment. What happens if people stopped traveling, stay home, cut their carbon footprint. Emissions went down, but they didn't go down nearly enough as they need to. This is an important reminder that yes there's stuff that we as individuals can do, but political and collective action is the way that we really unlock this."

If you love this episode, then you should check out our more than 360 additional founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. And sign up to receive a notification when the next episodes have dropped!

Resources

Connect with Scott on LinkedIn

Connect with Susannah on LinkedIn

Connect with Brooke on LinkedIn

Connect with Carter on LinkedIn

Previous SunCast Episodes mentioned in this episode

357 - Design Principles To Drive Customer Engagement With Scott Nguyen, CEO Of 17 TeraWatts

366 - Solar Industry Insights from 4 Decades' Experience with Rusty Schmit of Sage Energy Consulting

Welcome back, Solar Warrior.

Today’s guest is Russell Schmit, a successful executive with extensive experience in energy‑related manufacturing, service, and consulting companies ranging from start‑ups to Fortune 100 corporations. At Sage Energy Consulting, he leads the growth initiatives for the company, works on selected projects that leverage his specialized experience, and guides internal operations to achieve high levels of client satisfaction.

Beginning with his early-career work leading solar photovoltaic technology programs at the global semiconductor firms Motorola and Texas Instruments, and followed by entrepreneurial roles at manufacturing firms in the United States and Europe, Rusty has proven his skills building high-growth businesses based on energy technologies. He has led international technical and business teams to develop new, innovative products and has developed strong client relationships around the world.

Rusty has also provided technology evaluation, business development, and M&A services to global utility companies, private equity firms, and other clients in the energy field. His depth and breadth of skills and experience will help propel Sage forward into the new energy era.

If you love this episode, then you should check out our more than 360 additional founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. And sign up to receive a notification when the next episodes have dropped!

Resources

Connect with Rusty on LinkedIn

Check out the amazing work of Sage Energy Consulting on LinkedIn, Youtube and their website

Suggested Read

Getting to Zero: San Mateo County's Approach to ZNE

Episodes mentioned in this conversation

The story of the Founder Of Canadian Solar (CSIQ), Shawn Qu

Suggested Books

Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--And How It Can Renew America

Deep Survival: True Stories of Miraculous Endurance and Sudden Death

365 - Common Intellectual Property mistakes you can avoid, with Russ Krajec, Patent Attorney with BlueIron IP

Welcome back, Solar Warrior!

Welcome to another Tactical Tuesday, a short-form conversation with subject-matter experts designed to give you practical tools, tips, and advice for building your solar business or career.

Today we’re digging into the idea of intellectual property, patents, and other ways to protect your business and assets, and the guest in charge of explaining this process is Russ Krajec. How patents protect you (or not), and what should you do about it? Stay tuned to find out!

Russ Krajec is an author, inventor, angel investor, podcast host, and patent attorney. After a 13 year career as an engineer, Russ switched to patent law to “reverse engineer” the patent system to create good patents. 20 years later, he has seen the deep, dark underbelly of the patent system.

Russ has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, as well as a JD from Denver University. Russ has been on Intellectual Asset Magazine’s Top 300 Patent Strategists for several years running and is a Certified Patent Valuation Analyst.

Russ’s books “Investing In Patents” and the soon-to-be-released “Startup IP Strategy” describe the systematic process for due diligence on inventions, as well as a comprehensive framework for a startup’s IP strategy. The podcast “Patent Myths” tackles many complex IP issues, simplifying them into meaningful strategies for today’s entrepreneurs.

If you love this episode, then you should check out our more than 360 additional founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. And sign up to receive a notification when the next episodes have dropped!

Resources

Connect with Russ on LinkedIn

Check out the amazing work of BlueIron on LinkedIn, Twitter, and their website

Suggested Reading

Provisional Patent Applications Hurt Startups

Why Your Patent Attorney Does Not Want Your Patent To Be Granted

Inhouse vs Outside Patent Counsel

Suggested Books

Investing in Patents

364 - Lessons in Solar Entrepreneurship, Robb Jetty, COO at DSD Renewables - Part 2

Welcome back, Solar Warriors!

If you're tuning in for the first time, you're tuning in to a second-part episode of my conversation with a friend and industry colleague and leader mentor, Robb Jetty.

I encourage you to check out part one of this inspiring conversation with Robb to capture more of the backstory, his origin of how he made his way into solar, and the role he has now with DSD Renewables. Today, we're gonna dig into the second half of the conversation more about what inspires him, how he made the eventual pivots, how DSD is differentiating itself in the marketplace and why Robb has decided to take this commanding role.

If you are at all curious about the career of a true Maverick, a true apprentice who has found his way to a master in operations of the solar construction industry, you've come to the right place.

Robert has a deep understanding of the entire industry and project life-cycle from market entry to development, interconnection, entitlement, permitting, and financing on through to procurement, construction, and O&M. Proven success with multi-megawatt solar rooftop and ground-mount development projects, market entry strategy, PPA, EPC, procurement, as well as real estate contract negotiations, project management, staffing, personnel management, product research, as well as sales and marketing of services and technologies for electrical power generation.

If you love this episode, then you should check out our more than 360 additional founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. And sign up to receive a notification when the next episodes have dropped!

Resources

Connect with Robb on LinkedIn

Check out the amazing work of Distributed Solar Development on LinkedIn, Twitter, and their website

Mentioned books

Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect