412: What is Market-based Rate Authority (MRA)? Jesson Bradshaw of Energy Ogre

In Today's Tactical Tuesday we spend 15 minutes diving into the reality of deregulated markets with Jesson Bradshaw of Energy Ogre. Most of us in the US do not have choice when it comes to who powers our homes. But in Texas, and a handful of other deregulated states, energy is as competitive as telecom services. Much like the airline industry and natural gas, deregulation can bring lower prices to the consumer. But there's still no Priceline for powering your home. At least not yet. The information can be hard for the consumer to understand and therefore, hard for them to make well informed choices. Energy Ogre aims to educate the consumer so they can, in fact, choose an energy plan that it is in their best interest.

Jesson talks about how "light handed" regulation in states like Texas helps lower the barrier of entry to new ideas, projects and companies. Not only does that mean a chance to offer a revolutionary service or product to the community, but when it's done right, it can also yield big job markets. Cloud based data is also leveling the playing field and smart meters bring fair and accurate billing to the customer. This episode is a crash course in working in deregulated markets. Listen now, because if you don't live in one yet, you might soon!

This content is a PREVIEW of a longer interview with Jesson, which will be released later in November. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast and our newsletter so you can hear the whole conversation. You won't want to miss it.

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry and would like to just talk about it with me - hit me up -> grab 20min on my calendar.

Resources:

Follow Energy Ogre on LinkedIn and check out their website.

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email

411: Auston Taber, CEO of Solar Support

Auston Taber launched Solar Support after years behind the scenes at companies like REC, SMA, Huawei and GInlong, where he learned how to repair systems and mitigate damages from failing hardware. From aging inverters to hurricanes, there's always something threatening productivity of a solar array and Auston's mission is to keep those unproductive hours to a minimum.

We talk about how he pivoted from employee to CEO of his own company while retaining his previous employer as a client...all the while pushing for transparency of information across the industry. Keep an open mind, and listen as we talk about the pieces of Auston's past that led to his unconventional way of seeing the world.

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry and would like to just talk about it with me -
hit me up -> grab 20min on my calendar.

Resources:

Connect with Auston on LinkedIn

Follow Solar Support on LinkedIn, Twitter and check out their website.

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email

Notes/Books/Places/Links mentioned:

Principles - Ray Dalio

Giuseppes, Pismo Beach Restaurant

Sam and Dave Dig a Hole - Mac Barnett

Up the Organization - Townsend, Bennis

410: The Final Debate: How do we create the 100% Clean Grid of the future?

Over the last year, I have had the privilege of hosting a quarterly online debate series with my dear friend and fellow #SolarWarrior, longtime industry veteran journalist and marketing pro, Tor "Solar Fred" Valenza. When he brought me the idea to produce a Debate-style podcast episode in the Fall of 2020, I was both intrigued and nervous. What would the debate center around? Will people join the discussion? Would any of our media partners help support and distribute it?

I'm grateful that all of those worries were put to bed. Solar Power Events (the company behind Solar Power International) agreed to host the first debate as part of the 2020 live content for the Virtual SPI. And Hundreds of #SolarWarriors turned out to watch it live and in replay on YouTube, and left us dozens of comments on Linkedin and Twitter encouraging the series to continue.

So, in 2021 we partnered again with Solar Power Events to produce 3 more debates in what originally billed as part of the "Road to New Orleans" leading to our much-anticipated live debate from the Conference Center Atrium on Day 1 of the in-person show.

Sadly, the in-person event was once again cancelled due to extenuating circumstances, but the show must go on! Solar Power Events allowed the Debate to feature again as part of the Live Broadcast of SPI Virtual in late September, and this conversation is the podcast episode that we are publishing today on the SunCast Podcast. Hope you enjoy this re-broadcast as much as we enjoyed putting it all together.

These discussions are so important as we grow and scale the solar industry. While we may all agree that we’re going to need some combination of distributed and large scale renewable energy, precisely how much of each and how will it be integrated into the grid is still a hotly contested topic. And that’s our debate for this Final Great Debate of the year.

We aim to address the following in the debate:

To get to 100% clean power our 100-plus-year-old grid will need to be reinvented for renewable energy resources as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible, but how are we going to do it?

• Will it be a mainly centralized grid or more of a distributed grid, or will it be a combination of both?

• With the FERC 2222 order that allows distributed resources to participate in wholesale markets, will millions pf power plants be cost effective and more secure?

• How will transmission be addressed?

• What about jobs and training for all these renewable energy workers?

To tackle these tough questions, we invited four super-knowledgeable industry veterans, pairing two advocating for a more centralized grid and two advocating for a more distributed grid.

For Central Generation:

Emilie Wangerman leads Lightsource BP’s business development organization in the Americas with responsibility for customer origination, mergers, and acquisitions, wholesale power marketing, and corporate strategy. Emilie’s team has closed over 3GW of utility-scale solar contracts across fifteen states and acquired over 13GW of early to mid-stage assets across twenty-two states.

You can listen to Emilie's SunCast podcast here:

312 - How To Productize Renewable Energy Assets, With Emilie Wangerman, VP Business Dev. At Lightsource BP

313 - How Clean Energy Jobs Can Lead The Recovery, With Abby Hopper, Emilie Wangerman, Erika Symmonds, And Audrey Lee

Barbara Lockwood is senior vice president of public policy for Arizona Public Service (APS), Arizona’s largest electric company serving 1.3 million homes and businesses across the state. Lockwood oversees the company’s federal and state regulatory affairs, federal, state and local public affairs, community affairs, corporate giving and sustainability functions.

And for Distributed Generation:

Barry Cinnamon is CEO of Cinnamon Energy Systems (CES), a Silicon Valley solar and energy storage contractor. He is a licensed California C-46 Solar and C-10 Electrical Contractor, NABCEP Emeritus solar installer, host of the weekly Energy Show, and former CALSSA President and SEIA Board Member. He's also the founder of one of the first Publicly Traded solar companies, Akeena Solar, and architected the merger of Akeena's IP into Westinghouse Solar.

You can listen to Barry on SunCast here:

209 - Podcaster Roundtable: Jon Powers, Barry Cinnamon And Nico Discuss Using Podcasts As A Marketing Channel [SPI 2019]

213 - Barry Cinnamon, CEO Of Cinnamon Energy Systems: 20 Years Of Riding The Solar Coaster [SPI 2019]

Meredith McClintock is the Director of Business Development at Aurora Solar, provider of the solar industry’s leading solar design and sales software. Solar professionals have designed over 6 million projects in Aurora, and Aurora-designed systems are installed on six continents. McClintock is a former solar entrepreneur herself and is now responsible for building partnerships at Aurora to reduce the cost of deploying solar.

The 5 Questions we addressed in the Debate are:

Question 1:

Let's discuss the Current U.S. grid design; it's based upon Centuries-old technology & frameworks for delivering power to consumers.

Is the current grid capable of integrating 100% Renewable Energy? What’s working & what’s not about the current grid?

Question 2:

Let's talk about the current grid challenges.

What about the future?

Give us your vision of a 21st century, future-proofed grid with 100% renewable energy.

Question 3:

Let’s talk about urgency. I’m sure you’ve all seen the U.N.’s International Panel on Climate Change report of 2021. It’s dire.

What policies and resources are needed to make your ideal grid a reality ASAP?

Question 4:

Let’s talk about jobs and businesses.

How could we maximize jobs & economic benefits in this energy transition?

What’s the balance between DG & utility scale jobs?

And How do we take care of communities?

Question 5:

For our final question, we’re going to turn the tables.

For Emilie & Barbara, how can a more centralized renewable grid incorporate decentralized resources?

And to Barry and Meredith, let’s say the new distributed energy grid is chosen as the way forward. How will utilities be supporting that vision?

We had such a good time putting together this and the other 3 debates in the series, and really learned a Ton...and many of you did as well judging by the comments & feedback we received.

Tor & Nico look forward to bringing this debate series back for 2022, and would Love your participation. What do YOU believe are the topics to be debated in 2022? Who do you think are worthy panelists to carry the flag for one of the sides of the debate?

You can nominate them by joining the discussion with us on Twitter or Linkedin, tagging @Nicomeo or @SolarFred (Twitter) with the hashtag #GreatSolarDebate.

And don't forget to VOTE for who You think won this final debate by heading to Tor's Twitter feed before Oct 30th and entering the Twitter poll. Feel free to leave a comment as well!

Thanks for contributing to the Great Debate, and we look forward to bringing you another series next year.

(If you'd like to partner with us as a Sponsor of the series, reach out to Nico, Nico@mysuncast.com, with "Great Debate Sponsor Inquiry" in the title and we'll get you the information you need to get it into your budget.)

--

Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links, and more than 400 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.

Or, start a conversation with Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email

Resources:

Watch this Great Debate on Youtube

Connect with our guests on LinkedIn:

Emilie Wangerman of Lightsource bp

Barbara Lockwood of Arizona Public Service - APS

Barry Cinnamon of Cinnamon Energy Systems

Meredith McClintock of Aurora Solar

Follow Tor Valenza on LinkedIn and Twitter.

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email

409: Reid Wuntke, President of Energy Toolbase

Starting, failing, transparency, humility, organization, leadership, family, burnout...these are just some of the themes that emerged in today's riveting discussion with Reid Wuntke.

Reid is a highly intentional and focused leader. You may recognize him as President of one of the world's leading solar software platforms, Energy Toolbase, but he came into the Renewables field with the same thoughtful intention that led him to the Royal Canadian Airforce, McKinsey, various high-growth startups, and ultimately Pason (ETB's parent company). He wanted to see good people and good ideas succeed.

Most of us in the solar industry include ETB as a critical component in the proposal process. Yet, Reid and Energy Toolbase aim to bring the bigger picture in focus for their customers with modeling tools (of course), monitoring and data analytics that help realize the role of each install as part of a high-functioning clean energy portfolio. It's what Reid and the team refer to as being both the "promise maker" and "promise keeper" to the industry and our renewable energy consumers.

Catch the conversation right here, on Suncast.

Resources:

Connect with Reid on LinkedIn

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

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email

408: 2021 Top Solar Changemaker: Kate Gold, Solar Landscape

Solar Power World named today's guest, Kate Gold, it's 2021 Top Solar Changemaker. Kate is the director of community engagement at Solar Landscape, and today I get the details from Kate on how she transitioned into the Solar industry and in just a few short years garnered this coveted award by one of the most respected industry journals! She has a fascinating and compelling story. Tune-in to hear more!

From the Article feature on SPW's website:

"Talking about diversity and inclusion in the solar industry is a good start, but the 2021 Top Solar Changemaker is actively bringing underserved communities into the green economy.

Kate Gold’s mission as director of community engagement at Solar Landscape is to train and develop the future renewable energy workforce in New Jersey. She has helped the company partner with nonprofits including the Jewish Renaissance Foundation, the Hispanic Family Center of Southern Jersey and Interfaith Neighbors to offer in-person solar job training for local residents."

To read more, access the full article here.

Resources:

Connect with Kate on LinkedIn

Follow Solar Landscape on LinkedIn and check out their website.

Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links, and more than 400 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.

Or, start a conversation with Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email

407: CleanTech Podcaster's Roundtable Q3-'21

Welcome back, Solar Warrior. This is a SunCast Rewind that’s also a Tactical Tuesday, typically 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.

Today is a special collaboration with Mike Casey from Tigercomm as host of our Quarterly Podcasters Roundtable. Originally recorded live as a video interview (watch it on youtube!), this idea was inspired by Tigercomm's quarterly Cleantech Editor's Roundtable series, which has grown in popularity during the pandemic. As it progressed, we kept hearing from people who wanted to hear from cleantech podcasters. While the full-time editors have a breadth of view, our podcaster panelists have depth of view because their shows delve into companies, leaders and trends.

Today, we feature seven cleantech podcasters:

Marie Burgquist, Watts Up Podcast 

Nico Johnson, SunCast 

Tim Montague, Clean Power Hour

Bill Nussey, Freeing Energy 

Josh Porter, SolarCoaster

Jon Powers, Experts Only

Julia Pyper, Political Climate

Resources:

Connect with Marie on LinkedIn and check out Watts Up Podcast.

Connect with Tim on LinkedIn and check out Clean Power Hour.

Connect with Bill on LinkedIn and check out Freeing Energy .

Connect with Josh on LinkedIn and check out SolarCoaster .

Connect with Jon on LinkedIn and check out Experts Only .

Connect with Julia on LinkedIn and check out Political Climate .

Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links, and more than 380 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.

Or, start a conversation with Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email.

406: Solar lending insights from Dividend Finance CEO, Eric White

When Eric White met a group of Louisiana oil guys at an OPEC Summit while studying abroad in Vienna, he scarcely could have imagined that his career would soon center around two of the most powerful sectors in the world: Finance & Energy. And when he began to see the renewable energy sector scaling, his traditional finance & energy training suggested that the solar sector in particular was facing capital barriers inhibiting acceleration of a distributed energy future.

Since 2014, Eric White has built Dividend Finance into one of the most recognized solar lending platforms in the industry, and he's borrowed both tactics and talent from one of the original fintech platforms, Capitol One! Tune-in to hear how Eric and his team have become one of the most trusted and utilized finance platforms in the smart home segment, and where he sees the industry going from here.

Resources:

Connect with Eric White on LinkedIn

Follow Dividend Finance Inc. on LinkedIn, Twitter and check out their website.


You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email.

Solar waste or Second life?? Refurbish & Recycle with Janette Freeman of Fabtek

As we've discussed here before, the solar industry has a problem that many are only just becoming aware of...end of life.

What do we do with all these solar panels when they are "used up"? What about when they break?

Most solar panels have a life span of 20-30 years, and many of the early projects are starting to reach their end of useful life. In fact, by 2050, The International Renewable Energy Agency projects that up to 78 million metric tons of solar panels will have reached the end of their life, and that the world will be generating about 6 million metric tons of new solar waste annually! (*thanks to today's guest, Janette for these facts!)

Proper disposal of these solar products is something that is often used in opposition to financial support of this and other clean energy products. If we as an industry make claims to be the greener solution, we must be prepared to ensure proper end of life disposal and handling of these products!

What does that look like? Well, according to today's guest, Janette Freeman of Fabtek, it includes building systems for recycling, or

refurbishing; it's not just dumping them into a landfill, but helping to create a circular economy in solar.

Not sure what "Circular economy" means?

Wondering what are the key reasons that lead to addressing this end-of-life discussion?

What are the common concerns folks have, and what prevents us from taking action today?

How much does this actually cost?

I dig into all these questions and more today with Janette, and she graciously provides detailed insights all the way down to how much to budget in your disposal and refurbishing budget! I've never had anyone go into such detail, and I love how she ties it back to economic principles like Circular Economy for us.

What can we do now that we have this information?

Janette suggests, companies can start considering end-of-life in their financial plans. Governments can pass legislation giving incentives to recycle, landfill restrictions, or supportive legislation to encourage recycling. Researchers can continue pushing to optimize recycling and creating more efficient panels for the future. And people who are considering switching to solar can even look into using refurbished panels instead of new ones for their project!

We all have a responsibility not only to reduce our total consumption, but to make wise choices personally and professionally about the products we use, and how we dispose of those that we no longer have use for. As they say, one man's junk is quite literally a recycler (or refurbisher)'s treasure!

Resources:

Connect with Jannette on LinkedIn

Follow Fabtek Enterprise on LinkedIn and check out their website.

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email

404: How Sunlight Financial became a leading solar lender, with Matt Potere, CEO Sunlight Financial

Have you wondered how some residential solar companies flourish while others languish? Is there a common thread to their success? If there's at least one thing I have known to be true, it's that you can't scale a modern solar company without good financing for your customers. And, while it's getting easier, there have been a Lot of companies to come-and-go over my 15+ yrs in the solar industry.

That said, Residential Solar finance is a hot hot market, and few companies have stormed the proverbial castle and taken a leadership position so decisively as Sunlight Financial. On the surface, it looks like a rather traditional "this banker left his banking job for another banking job" kind of story. But as you'll hear in today's interview with Sunlight's CEO, Matt Potere, it's anything but "traditional". Son of a gas station owner, Matt says "I grew up in the Hamptons like many did, but now quite in the same way they did". In truth, while the hedge fund manager's families were headed to vacation, it was Matt and his family who filled their cars on their way. Those years of entrepreneurial insight gleaned helping with the family business helped create the leader Matt has become. And in today's interview, you'll learn a lot more about a man who has overcome tremendous odds to lead one of the most successful solar finance institutions to come along in a decade.

Matt serves as Sunlight’s CEO and is a member of the Board of Directors. Over the past 25 years, Matt has held leadership roles in credit, business development and strategy from Fortune 50 companies to venture capital backed start-ups. Since joining Sunlight from Bank of America (where he was a Senior Vice President responsible for the Bank’s $90 billion home equity portfolio), he's formed a team that has helped 150K families go solar, finances ~$200Million/mo in loans, and recently became a publicly traded company!

There's a lot to dig into today, so sit back and enjoy

When it's done, I'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review (if you haven't already) in the podcast player you're listening through now, or find me on Linkedin and let me know what you thought of this episode! (http://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus)

You can find the resources and links mentioned in today's episode here:

Connect with Matt on LinkedIn

Follow Sunlight Financial on LinkedIn and Twitter, and check out their website.

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email

403: Friends Don’t Let Friends Use 8760s, with Dr. Jennifer Newman of REsurety

Despite their widespread use in the renewable energy industry, using an 8760 to project financial performance can lead to significant errors in revenue models. In particular, revenue models that pair an 8760 with historical prices miss the impact of hourly renewable energy generation on hourly power prices. Because wind and solar plants are relatively inexpensive sources of generation, there tends to be a negative correlation between generation and power price in markets with high renewable penetration.

 A recent white paper from REsurety, with contributions from Hannon Armstrong, a leading investor in climate solutions, offers an in-depth analysis into how using an “8760” energy model can lead to significant errors in revenue modeling — topping 30% in some high renewable penetration markets.

An “8760” (also known as a “typical meteorological year,” or “TMY”) is the average generation expected for a given wind or solar project for each of the 8,760 hours in a non-leap year. As implied by its “typical meteorological year” moniker, an 8760 contains average generation values reflecting typical seasonal and diurnal weather patterns. The problem with using an 8760 is that “typical” weather isn’t actually all that common, and high prices almost always coincide with extreme weather.

In today's episode, Nico discusses the findings with the whitepaper's author, Dr. Jennifer Newman, VP of Atmospheric Science at REsurety.

Check the links below to read the whitepaper for yourself, and to sign up for a webinar being offered Sept 28th by Ms Newman digging further into this topic.

Resources:

Connect with Jennifer Newman on LinkedIn

Follow REsurety, Inc. on LinkedIn and Twitter, and check out their website.

Catch her water cooler talk today, September 28th, 2021 at ACP's Resource and Project Energy Assessment Summit, from 1:15 to 2:15 pm ET, in which she'll drill down into "shape" and 8760s with all their shortcomings. Registration for that is here.

Articles and White paper mentioned:

WHITE PAPER: Friends Don’t Let Friends Use 8760s

Research Shows We Can Do a Better Job of Estimating Wind and Solar Revenue

Text Nico and start a conversation! +1 (310) 634-1780
You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email

402: From Astronautics to MicroGrids with Amy Simpkins of muGrid Analytics

Today's guest is Amy Simpkins, CEO of muGrid Analytics. We talk about her life as a clean energy consultant, her history in astronautics and her new podcast, Power Flow. Growing up in a culture of theater, music and performance, Amy has deep love for words and a connection to story. But she spent years taming the right brain and training the left as an engineer, studying aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, interning with NASA and working for the Space Systems Division of Lockhead Martin. Amy still has a pending application to be an astronaut.

But in the meantime, she has stepped away from building systems for space shuttles and has turned her focus to Resilient Microgrids.  After all, what is a spacecraft, but a microgrid in the sky?  Together with her husband, electrical engineer Dr. Travis Simpkins (see episode 56), they have formed a consulting company dedicated to helping establish grid-tied microsystems that can withstand grid failure.  Governments, schools, grocery stores, hospitals, everyone needs to move into sustainable energy consumption that can handle the wild ride of climate change.  Mu Grid helps clients tackle unpredictability (see the definition of stochastic*) with data and better modeling.  

But, you know me, I like to ask personal questions. You'll  hear what it's to manage a highly technical consulting firm with her husband while also traveling the world and homeschooling three small children.   In a pandemic.  How their family is growing and adjusting.  And why she launched Power Flow, a podcast dedicated to elevating diverse voices in the new energy economy.  Pass the microphone.  

*Stochastic - randomly determined; having a random probability distribution or pattern that may be analyzed statistically but may not be predicted precisely.

Resources:

Connect with Amy Simpkins on LinkedIn

Follow muGrid Analytics on LinkedIn and Twitter, and check out their website.

Text Nico and start a conversation! +1 (310) 634-1780
You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email

401: How a Solar drone program can help you scale, with Scanifly CEO, Jason Steinberg

Welcome, #SolarWarrior, 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.

Ten years ago, if you called on a solar company to give you a rooftop solar system proposal, one of your installer’s first steps was to come to your house, climb up on your roof, and take a bunch of measurements and pictures to evaluate the project. This process is now starting to change, however, with the rise of new technology...Drones.

From the opening games of the Olympics to search & rescue, Drones are finally inspiring and aiding humanity in ways we only dreamed of when I began in the solar industry.

According to Ryan Tong, director of marketing at DJI,“Roof inspection [for solar project evaluations] hasn’t changed significantly over the past decade. Introducing safe and accurate drone-based 3-D models to replace survey wheels and measuring tapes is a step forward for the industry.”

Drones in solar have a number of advantages that make them appealing to both homeowners and installers, including saving time and money for everyone involved.

Today, we’ll take a look at how drones are used in solar projects and chat w/one of the leading companies helping solar installers adopt this technology to scale their operations.

Joining me for the discussion is Jason Steinberg, CEO of Scanifly, the only drone-based solar software focused on the survey & design

This Thursday Sept 23rd, Don't miss out on your opportunity to win a FREE Drone, and level up your understanding even further about how Drones can benefit your business. Look over my shoulder as I have Jason give me a walkthrough of the Scanifly software, and ask him all the hard questions I couldn't get to in today's Tactical Tuesday!

Register here: www.scanifly.com/suncast

Resources:

Connect with Jason Steinberg on LinkedIn

Follow Scanifly on LinkedIn and Twitter, and check out their website.

Mentioned Blogposts:

How to Get Your FAA Part 107 Drone License in 7 Days or Less

How to Build a Solar Drone Program

ROI Calculator: We analyzed the return on investment (ROI) for solar contractors across the US

Why Top Contractors Pay More for These Skills

5 Reasons it’s Difficult to Hire Solar Site Surveyors (and 4 things to do about it)

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

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email

400: Celebrating 400!!! w/ Mike Silvestrini, CEO - Energea

Today, Nico shares his 400th conversation with clean energy experts on Suncast. Each episode investigates a small piece of the big puzzle by asking CEO's, founders, entrepreneurs and thought-leaders to share their story and answer questions like "how did you get here?" and "where are you going?" One by one, these intimate conversations help unite a tribe of energy professionals from all sectors, walks of life and stages in their careers, recognizing that we have so far to go and many, many more people to integrate into the #CleanEnergyRevolution.

Episode 400 brings back past guest and close friend of the podcast, Mike Silvestrini of Energea (Episode 085). Since his last appearance, Mike & Co. have created a clean energy investment platform empowering anyone to own renewable energy projects with above-average returns, for as little as $100. Let's face it; We need over $1 Trillion a year moving toward climate action to the damage climate change is already having. Mike and his co-founder, Chris Sattler, are moving money to make a difference, first building renewable power projects in Brazil and now the US and Africa, continuing to track global trends looking for the best places to invest in growing markets. Hear how it works, is it really as simple as an app?... and what markets is Energea eyeing next?

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

Resources:

Connect with Mike Silvestrini on LinkedIn

Follow Energea on LinkedIn and Twitter, and check out their website.

Send Nico a Text to congratulate him on the milestone! +1 (310) 634-1780

Connect with him on Twitter, LinkedIn or Email.

Disclosure: Spero Ventures (the parent company of SunCast Media) is an investor in Energea, and Nico is a Board Member.

399: Reagan Farr & the Silicon Ranch Story: How to start and scale a major solar development business (a 2-part episode)

Reagan Farr helped start a solar development company 10 years ago in a part of the country where commercial-scale solar was virtually non-existent. That little start-up in Nashville, Tennessee, has turned into one of the largest power producers in the US - Silicon Ranch Corporation. His journey over the last decade is compelling and can serve as a learning opportunity for many others in the clean energy industry.

Formerly the State of Tennessee’s Commissioner of Revenue, Reagan Farr worked to recruit investments and jobs to Tennessee alongside Silicon Ranch’s Co-Founder, Matt Kisber, who served as Commissioner of Economic and Community Development. When they realized the economic opportunity that renewable energy could provide to their home state, they began to dream about the potential for creating a vehicle that could help bring that reality to TN and the broader Southeast region. Fast forward ten years, and Silicon Ranch stands as one of the most successful and well-established solar independent power producers in the country, counting industry giants like Facebook as clients and successfully selling a major piece of their business to Royal Dutch Shell!

As co-founder and CEO, Reagan is now responsible for all aspects of managing the company, with a specific emphasis on financial management and project execution. Under his leadership, Silicon Ranch has transacted in excess of $1.5 billion of project financing with regional and global financial institutions with a contracted pipeline of well over 3 Gigawatts of solar projects.

So, how exactly did Reagan Farr and his team take the vision from spreadsheets and powerpoints to GW of Powerplants? What were the twists and turns as they navigated product-market fit, raised hundreds of millions in funding, and ultimately built an enduring platform 10 years in the making?

Those questions and more were burning in my chest as well when I entered the SRC offices.

I got to sit down with Reagan and his team in their headquarters in downtown Nashville, and have the privilege of helping tell their story now. When I heard Matt Beasley (CCO) say, “Nico, I’ve known this person for a decade and I still heard stories I’ve never heard before!”, I knew we were getting somewhere.

You won't be disappointed, as Reagan gets into detail about how he built the business plan and went to the market to build far more than the initial 150MW target that first compelled he and Matt out of the starting blocks. You’re going to learn what it really looks like to leverage good policy as a market-maker, how they selected the markets they would operate in, and how they ultimately attracted one of the largest multinational energy companies in the world to invest in their next phase of growth.

I learned a lot of things from Reagan Farr, and my hope is that you can saddle up to the table right next to me, eavesdrop on our conversation, and come away with some earth-moving truths of your own.

When you do, would you be open to sharing them with me and the rest of the SunCast Tribe?

I know Reagan would be honored if you posted over on LinkedIn expressing how this 2-part episode landed for you. What turned out to be the thing that surprised or inspired you the most from the Silicon Ranch story?

Resources:

Connect with Reagan Farr on LinkedIn

Follow Silicon Ranch Co on LinkedIn, Twitter and check out their website.

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

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email

398: SPI is Cancelled, What to do Now? (with Danielle Danko & Jake Rozmaryn)

Solar Power International was officially cancelled last Friday. 😩 Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are suffering and in the arduous process of rebuilding that great city after Hurricane Ida.

In today's Tactical Tuesday Nico has some real advice for what to do next. He chats w/ Danielle Danko of Solar Power Events (the org that produces SPI) about how we can support the NOLA community right now, and what the next events are that you can get ready for (assuming we can still meet in person in the near future). Next, Nico has Jake Rozmaryn back to share ideas about how you can level up your biz dev & marketing efforts in light of no more SPI. There are some true gems, and even surprising ideas, and Nico shares some of his LinkedIn mojo to help you get your creative juices flowing.

How to support New Orleans hurricane recovery:

Sun Shines for NOLA.

Donate via the GoFundMe campaign that SunCast and Shoals, Nextracker, PVEL, Trina, Sungrow, LONGi, and Tigercomm have put together.

At the SETS website you can find more information links to donate to these three organizations who are active in the community today:

HEALTH CARE - St. Thomas Community Health Center

CLIMATE CHANGE & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE - Imagine Water Works

POVERTY & FOOD SECURITY - Culture Aid NOLA

What events to plan for next:

The Digital Program for SPI will continue as scheduled and includes the grand finale of the GREAT DEBATE SERIES

If you're looking to attend the next in-person event, check out:

https://events.solar/southeast/ which will be in Atlanta, GA, Oct 11-12, 2021

and

https://events.solar/northeast/ which will be in Boston, MA, Feb 23-24, 2022

How to reach your audience now that SPI is cancelled.

Here's a quick recap of Jake and Nico's best advice:

1. EMAIL AND LINKED IN. Reach out, start a conversation, comment on linked-in posts and keep sharing digitally to stay connected. (I'm waiting!

2. DIRECT MAIL, (what the hell?) Yes. Direct mail, with a personal touch, is memorable in light of the digital communication overload. Jake even shares a tip for letting your customer's know that something is coming in the mail and giving them a chance to donate your "thoughtful gift" to charity instead.

3. MICRO TARGETING. Jake and Nico explain how use linked-in to reach your target audience, even if you're B2B.

4. VIRTUAL EVENTS. The platforms have come a long way, you don't have to skip another year, show up for virtual events or launch your own.

Got more ideas about making it through 2021 without SPI? Do you have boots on the ground, cleaning up after Ida in New Orleans or other parts of East Coast? Tell me all about it!

Resources:

Connect with Danielle Danko on LinkedIn

Follow SETS on LinkedIn and Twitter, and check out their website.

Connect with Jake Rozmaryn on LinkedIn

Follow Antenna Group on LinkedIn and Twitter, and check out their website.

Text Nico and start a conversation! +1 (310) 634-1780 You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email

397: How to disrupt a $19B market? Erthos' Daniel Flanigan (CMO) & Charles Pimentel (CCO)

What does it look to disrupt an industry? What does it take to make a career of it? And as Jim Collins suggested, WHO do you need to get on the bus?

Early in my career, I met a dynamic team in Northern California who was attempting to do just that. The folks at Zep Solar believed that residential solar racking was too complicated and could be done faster and in a more integrated (and beautiful) way. While at Trina, I had the privilege of helping them introduce that game-changing product to the market, and it was truly an HBR Case Study-worthy business I got to see take shape, sort of from the inside. One of the architects of that product (which was ultimately rolled up by Tesla!) was Daniel Flanigan, and I've tried for years to get him on the podcast. But recently, his name flashed across my newsfeed in concert with another well-established industry pioneer I'd come to admire & respect for his role in helping scale the Utility solar sector. Charles Pimentel spent the last decade growing the thin-film company Solar Frontier to a dominant position in the US market, first through module sales, then through full-scale utility project development. He had also successfully avoided my siren call to join me on the podcast and tell his story. So, what was it that finally convinced them both to come on SunCast, at the same time? Erthos.

Perhaps you, like me, noticed the Press buzz and Linkedin fervor in June when Erthos unveiled their innovative flat-mounted Utility-scale solar project platform (complete with robotic cleaning). Erthos eliminates most of the steal and concrete that a traditional racking system requires and mounts everything right on the ground. That's right, the solar panels are flat on the ground. Breaking long-held 'rules' & beliefs about how things are supposed to be done, Erthos' seeks to up-end the $19B global utility-scale tracker market (and more). And it is NOT without it's critics. But let's be honest, every "mad scientist" with a crazy idea has critics - right Elon? To pull this off, Not only must the product be perfect, the people must also be exceptional.

In today's episode, we drill down into the back story that makes Daniel and Charles just such people, and they're not alone. Listen in as we track Daniel's journey from an off-grid college dorm to a career as an electrical contractor riding California's first major wave of solar development at the turn of the Century. And while Daniel will tell you that solar "happened to him", his counterpart Charles was hard-at-work in construction in upstate NY where he very purposefully navigated an early career in the then-nascent battery storage & hydrogen industry. After completing the construction of Plug Power's manufacturing facility, he asked for a job in sales for the hydrogen fuel cell company. Nine years later, and ready for career growth, he moved up in his career and over to Flow Battery, eventually leaving to launch his own head-hunting firm into the hot new "green collar" job market.

Follow the story of these two innovators as we navigate the clean energy market growth in North America. Twice, these two have joined forces on innovative hardware technology, taking Zep Solar's rail-less racking system on a road trip building demos in parking lots. and locking down strategic relationships with manufacturers likes Canadian Solar, where Charles was managing the US Sales Division. Their paths split, Zep was absorbed into Tesla where Daniel ended up occasionally having to explain hard things to Elon Musk while Charles was diving into utility-scale projects with thin-film solar and General Electric.

Hear all the details, including proud moments, humbling moments, great mentorship advice, and how they eventually came back together again, in this episode of SunCast.

Email me if you have guest suggestions, topic ideas, or just want to connect: Nico@mysuncast.com

And don't forget to leave us a rating & Review in whatever podcast player you're using (especially if it's Apple Podcasts!) 😃

Resources:

Connect with Daniel Flanigan on LinkedIn

Connect with Charles Pimentel on LinkedIn

Follow Erthos, Inc on LinkedIn and check out their website.

Text Nico and start a conversation! +1 (310) 634-1780
You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email

396: One simple device could SAVE your Residential deal, Whit Fulton, CEO of ConnectDER

As the son of inventors and entrepreneurs, Whit Fulton always knew that one day he'd find a problem to solve. He spent a lot of time watching the world struggle to find solutions, from an undergraduate in philosophy to the International Institute for Energy in Bangkok and eventually deep diving into the data of Environmental Economics for ICF.

Today, he is the CEO of ConnecDER, the company that invented a better meter collar adapter that simplifies the way solar and EV charging is connected to a home. It's clean, and easy, eliminates those pesky (and expensive) main service panel upgrades, allows utilities to monitor net metering and EV charging and can save installers and home owners a lot of headache!

But how did Whit get here? How do you raise capital for a hardware start up? How do you manage inventors, sales people, trade shows and podcast interviews when you're actually an introvert? Of course, I ask as many questions as I can. Hear all the answers on SunCast.

Resources:

Connect with Whit Fulton on LinkedIn

Follow ConnectDer on LinkedIn and Twitter, and check out their website.

Book mentioned in interview, Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business

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

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email

395: Should Net Metering Still Exist? The Great Debate Part 3

Today's Tactical Tuesday is the latest installment of our GREAT SOLAR DEBATE series, featuring two industry experts - Brian Potts, Partner at Perkins Coie and Karl Rábago, Principal at Rábago Energy. Brian and Karl debate the value of Net Energy Metering (NEM) in the residential market. Is NEM still the best tool for accelerating residential solar addition? If not, what options exist moving forward?

We start at the beginning with the basic definition and history of net metering in the US from both perspectives. This piece of the debate is great for explaining the concept of NEM and a good one to share if you've been trying to explain this to anyone new to residential solar.

Some hot topics debated are:

-How does the cost of residential production compare to utility-scale production?

-Should the rebate be higher or lower than the retail value of a kilowatt?

-What policies will actually increase access to clean energy?

-What can utilities write off on their taxes if they offer net metering?

-Is it time to say goodbye to net metering?

After you listen, vote for your winner, and then see how our live audience voted last week!

You can watch the Debate as well, HERE, if you prefer.

And stay tuned for our final Great Debate, scheduled to happen Live from the New Orleans Convention Center at 9 am CT on September 21st!

If you aren't already subscribed to our newsletter, it's the best way to ensure you don't miss announcements like the Great Debate, and details of other ways to connect with Nico and the SunCast Tribe.

Subscribe now

Resources:

Connect with Brian Potts on LinkedIn

Follow Perkins Coie on LinkedIn and Twitter, and check out their website.

Connect with Karl Rábago on LinkedIn

Follow Rábago Energy LLC on LinkedIn and check out their website.

Text Nico and start a conversation! +1 (310) 634-1780
You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email

394: Aurora acquired Helioscope! Hot take w/ "The Paul's" on what it means for Customers & Industry

On August 9th Aurora Solar, the industry’s leading software platform for solar sales and design, announced the acquisition of Folsom Labs, the developer of HelioScope, the leading software solution for the commercial solar sector.

Aurora buying Folsom Labs was both somewhat expected/anticipated, AND a surprise in its velocity and positivity!

Unless you were under a rock last week, you prob noticed that these two Solar industry SAAS titans have joined forces. Aurora Solar, hot off the heels of raising a giant $250M Round of funding, announced their first acquisition from that war chest - none other than their hometown (San Fran) compatriots, Folsom Labs.

Tune-in as Nico chats with our special guests - Paul Gibbs and Paul Grana, the co-founders of Folsom Labs. We get their ‘Hot Take’ on one of the hottest acquisitions in the industry this red-hot summer of clean energy M&A!

We get into the audible FAQ's like, "what does this mean for the product, the brand, the team?", and of course, they dodge things like "what are the terms of the deal?!?" haha

Folsom Labs was one of the early patrons and supporters of SunCast, so we have a particular soft spot for this deal (and team!). Nico here, and I cannot express enough my gratitude for their commitment to helping us spread our message, but also my exuberance and joy at seeing them achieve a successful exit - and with another of our past sponsors, Aurora. I think this is one of the best feel-good stories of the year, and a very strong sign not only of the consolidation in the industry but the alignment around values and customer/market expansion that is possible as the industry grows.

It's a sign of the times. Hope you enjoy.

Folsom Labs developed HelioScope, the class-leading software platform for designing commercial solar systems. With thousands of customers in over 100 countries, HelioScope has been used to design over 1,200 GW of solar projects worldwide. And now, they'll join arguably their biggest competitor and form a very formidable SAAS business dedicated to accelerating the clean energy transition.

Resources:

Connect with Paul Gibbs on LinkedIn

Connect with Paul Grana on LinkedIn

Follow Folsom Labs on LinkedIn and Twitter, and check out their website.

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

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email

393: From PV to EV, career evolution & market opportunities with Ram Ambatipudi of EV Connect

Welcome back, Solar Warriors.

Ram Ambatipudi is one of the co-founders and early investors and also the VP of Business Development and Utility Engagement at EV Connect. Ram focuses on business development activities with electric utilities and strategic accounts to advance EV charging infrastructure and management of EV charging stations. Ram has over 20 years of experience in the energy industry, including 15 years in the renewable energy and cleantech sector. He has a B.A. in Economics from UCLA and an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA.

I have known of Ram for quite a while he was a competitor when I was doing distributed generation back in my solar sales days. And I admired a lot of things about how he and his team built their process and huge success at a little company you guys will be familiar with called Chevron. He will be sharing how that strategy comes together and how to bridge the gap between renewables and the EV infrastructure boom that we are seeing right now.

Resources:

Connect with Ram Ambatipudi on LinkedIn

Follow EV Connect on LinkedIn and Twitter, and check out their website.

Books Recommended:

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace Wells

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

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email