Episode 434: A comprehensive SaaS suite for utility-scale solar? Andrea Barber, CEO RatedPower

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You probably assume that the Utility-scale solar market, having deployed hundreds of GW globally, has surely by now figured out the necessary software suite to manage projects.  It’s hard to imagine how everybody would just keep building novel tools in silos like it’s still 1998 and Salesforce still doesn’t exist!

Well today’s guest, Andrea Barber, founded RatedPower to solve the same challenges she noticed many of her colleagues were struggling with, including her former employer and their customers.

In today’s episode, we get into the details of how and why this powerful female leader found herself answering the call to step out on her own and start a company focused on solar project design & management software. Fresh off a ~$6M Series A, Andrea and team are bringing their SaaS suite of utility-scale solar project development tools to the US market, and Nico gets down to the details with Andrea on the acute problems they aim to solve, along with the usual how, when, where & why of choosing her founder team, scaling an MVP and capitalizing a new venture. 

Impressively, RatedPower has been profitable since year one, so the fundraising was to fuel expansion. If you’ve been considering how to take your nascent idea and turn it into a viable venture, then you’re going to love this candid discussion with Andrea.

BOOKS MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

RESOURCES:

Find Andrea on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Follow RatedPower on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and check out their website.

NOTEWORTHY QUOTES:

“Since I was quite young, I used to see opportunities everywhere. One day I remember my Mom told me to write down these ideas and that is what I did for years.”
— Andrea Barber

Thanks again to this week's sponsor, helping keep the podcast FREE to you!


Determine your solar project's eligibility for DroneBase’s North American Solar Scan (NASS) program!

ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

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

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.

Episode 433: Drones or manned aircraft for site data? Maybe both? Mark Culpepper, GM Solar, Drone Base

We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: www.ratethispodcast.com/suncast

Mark Culpepper, who heads up global solar for Drone Base, is on a mission to simplify the process and amplify the importance of solar site data gathering with aerial methods. As the name might imply, Drone Base has built an entire business around aerial thermographic inspection. They’re on a role, hot off a $20M round of investment and acquisition of India-based Airprobe to add a sophisticated A.I. engine to their platform of global data analysis. And Mark is the guy who’s bringing them into the Solar industry at-scale. 

While at SunEdison, Mark created the solar industry's first global monitoring operations centers designed to track power, energy and revenue on solar power plants around the world. Now, he's designing programs for both drones and manned aircraft to capture thermal imaging of solar energy systems and turn that into actionable data. He sees a big need ahead -- solar at utility-scale, which means that monitoring and identifying systems defaults quickly is even more important. For a system that is thousands of acres with millions of panels, monitoring and fixing defaults has significant generation and revenue implications. 

Nico asked Mark a long-pondered question, especially since we’ve had several other aerial imaging companies on the show - which is best, especially for Utility-scale, the manned-aircraft or drone-based approach to information gathering? The answer might surprise you!  Along the way, Mark reflects on his conversations with asset managers and points out their greatest fears moving into 2022, a year when we expect unprecedented growth in solar globally. 

In today’s Tactical Tuesday, We’ll show you how to save money by keeping your operators focused on their highest & best use tasks. And, Mark outlines an approach that he’s honed over the last 6 years that provides a flexible, cost-effective, and accurate view of the performance of your solar assets. 

Mark offered to provide a free scan of their existing North America database to see if your solar site is already on their flight path! Go to www.mysuncast.com/dronebase to check for yourself…

And, IF you’re headed to Long Beach for Intersolar North America, you can use that same link to schedule an appointment with Mark and check out their wares for yourself!

RESOURCES:

Find Mark on LinkedIn.

Follow Dronebase on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and check out their website.

Thanks again to this week's sponsor, helping keep the podcast FREE to you!


Determine your solar project's eligibility for DroneBase’s North American Solar Scan (NASS) program!

ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

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

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.

Episode 432: Goal-setting, Regenerative Capitalism & Food Forests, with Jim Gale

We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: www.ratethispodcast.com/suncast

The power of a mentor can change the course of your life, forever. Some people are blessed from a young age to have a mentor who gives them guidance and direction. That could come from a parent, a family friend, or someone in your school. For today’s guest, it was from his high school coach, and it changed the very course of his life and many others he encountered.

If you have yet to set out your goals for 2022, then you’re absolutely in the right place.

If you have, then maybe this anecdote will help support your courage to achieve them!

As we wrap 2021, most of you overachievers have likely already mapped out your 2022. But for some of you, goal-setting (actually really writing it down) has not been a regular practice.

Well, today’s guest credits his practice of goal-setting since age 19, I mean really committing it to writing, to becoming a 4-time All-American athlete, hitting over $1.3 Billion in sales, retiring “early” by age 32, and ultimately finding his current passion: Regenerative Capitalism.

Jim Gale, CEO of Food Forest Abundance, is a remarkable and inspiring human, and this interview is a great way to wrap this current year.  I believe it can help vault us into the New Year by breaking down Jim’s story and success markers so that you and I can enter into the next year ready to set a  new bar for personal growth, self-expression, achievement (if that’s what’s important to you) and excellence. 

And, if you’re curious at all about what the heck Regenerative Capitalism is, well, Jim explains it all in the interview. But the short version of “what the heck is he doing?” is building resilient and self-sustaining food systems that are easily duplicatable using his team’s proven “blueprint” along with clean renewable energy, to provide true off-grid sustainability for anyone, anywhere! Jim has dedicated his life to helping us learn to become self-sufficient with what he has coined “food forests”. A food forest is a diverse, perennial garden that mimics a forest ecosystem and patterns found in nature. Through layers of design, life extends in all directions producing food, medicine, sanctuary, and habitat. But food forests, in the context of Jim’s latest venture, Food Forest Abundance, also provide a sustainable source of revenue and a viable business opportunity for thousands around the world seeking a way to provide for their community while also providing income for their own family.

If that sounds interesting and you’d like to start your own food forest, you can get started by going to www.mysuncast.com/foodforest. Jim and his team are there to help you get everything set up, and get you on your way to personal freedom and abundance as you head into 2022.

BOOKS MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

RESOURCES:

Find Jim on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Follow Food Forest Abundance on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest and check out their website.

NOTEWORTHY QUOTES:

“When people ‘succeed’ they tend to party, when they ‘fail’ they tend to ponder.”
— Tony Robbins
“There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an Idea whose time has come.”
— Victor Hugo

TERMS DEFINED:

What is a food forest?

Designed forest that mimics natural systems that produces food

Thanks again to this week's sponsor, helping keep the podcast FREE to you!

 

Energy Toolbase’s cohesive suite of project modeling, storage control, and asset monitoring software products enables developers to confidently deploy solar and energy storage projects.

ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

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

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.

Episode 431: Legacy, Equity, & Solar for All, w/Geoff Greenfield of Third Sun Solar

We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: www.ratethispodcast.com/suncast

Merry Christmas!

As a special bonus for these longer days, I decided to NOT break out this 100 minute episode into 2x50min episodes bc I believe you don’t need to be tricked into listening when the content is good enough - just know that it’s long and you might need to pause and come back - or like listener Alex recently did you can just binge for 10 hours while you paint the house! (thanks for telling me your story, Alex! Stoked you’re loving SunCast.)

I believe today’s guest’s journey is my journey, and maybe it’s yours. I identified so much with him and had so much curiosity about how he built his company, that I ended up interviewing him for 2 solid hours! 

Geoff Greenfield was not necessarily cut out for entrepreneurship. But, right after Peace Corps while living in Portland and working as a carpenter he would go to Powell’s bookstore and read Home Power Magazine. The freedom and self-expression as well as technological advancement found in those pages sparked in him a desire not just to embrace the technology that was beginning to come of age, but also conceptualize how it could be used to help others in his community to leverage renewable energy to solve real world problems. In short, Geoff Greenfield believes in using the power of business as a force for good.

“People are nibbling around the edges - social justice & economic justice, exploitation and the capitalist system is structurally limiting our ability to survive as a species.”
— Geoff Greenfield

Now, If you think this is white-guy speak for “I really want to feel good about what I do for a living” well then you’re in for a treat because you and I both want to hear how Geoff rationalizes his privilege (hint: he’s very aware of and in touch w/it) and contextualizes the equity & diversity he says his company, Third Sun Solar, stands for. Third Sun Solar, a woman-owned and led company as well as a B-Corp, is an award-winning solar installation firm serving commercial, institutional, government and residential clients throughout the Midwest that Geoff founded in 2000 from his attic.  It’s a company that has served the rural Ohio Appalachian (mainly coal-miner) communities surrounding his family for 2 decades helping wean them off fossil fuels. 

Geoff’s an ADD kid, and a visionary - likes to start stuff and can barely finish it. Sound familiar?

When I asked him how his wife got involved, he said, “She looked at the receipts box and realized that I wasn’t really running the business optimally.” 

I ask him how he found/surrounded himself w/integrators?

How do you build a team when you’re a visionary? 

“I’m the balloon, she’s the string,” he said of his wife, who now runs the business. I need someone like that in my business…you?

He’s also no stranger to the DE&I discussion; in fact, Geoff’s on a self-described mission to get more white straight males to recognize their privilege!

Speaking of which, Geoff hosts the new weekly podcast  Solar For All, focused on the intersection of clean energy and social justice and inclusion issues, is an owner and former board member of the Amicus Solar Cooperative, got his NABCEP Certification in 2003, and has been on the Board of NABCEP since 2012.  He also served in the Peace Corps in Africa and is yet one more reason that I have an affinity for this Solar Warriors story. Oh yeah, he also hitchhiked across the sahara. Yeah, interesting dude.

So I hope you’ll click “Play” or “queue” or whatever your app does to make this the next thing in your earballs.

BOOKS MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

Podcast: Solar For All

RESOURCES:

Find Geoff on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Follow Third Sun Solar on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and check out their website.

Thanks again to this week's sponsor, helping keep the podcast FREE to you!

 

Energy Toolbase’s cohesive suite of project modeling, storage control, and asset monitoring software products enables developers to confidently deploy solar and energy storage projects.

ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

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

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.

Episode 430: Green Hydrogen (Mini-series) Ep 5 - Decarbonizing the Steel Industry with Joachim Von Sheele Global Director of Commercialization at Linde

 

In the final episode of Season One of our Green Hydrogen series, we’re looking at how Hydrogen might be useful to aid hard-to-abate industries such as Steel in achieving a zero-carbon future. 

Let’s get serious about carbon intensity for a minute: the steel industry produces approx 2.6 GIGATONS* of carbon emissions  annually, that’s over 7% of total  global emissions and it’s a product that is not optional in today’s world. If you’re having a hard time wrapping your head around that number, here’s some insight. The prefix “giga” means 109, or one billion (1,000,000,000). Hence terms like “gigawatt” or “gigahertz.” Thus, a gigaton is equivalent to a billion metric tons. So, 2.6 Gigatons = roughly 38 Billion Pounds (plus a little), therefore about 5.5 times the entire Human population in CO2 is being released into the atmosphere each year just by Steel alone. Let that sink in.
Credit to Washinton Post  for this excellent article on the scale of Gigatons in Ice, CO2, etc from 2015 

For this final episode of the season, Joachim von Scheele, Global Director of Commercialization for leading gas retailer, Linde, has set his sights on decarbonizing Steel and other large industry emitters through energy efficiency and, yes, Green Hydrogen.  As a longtime Global leader for Linde, Joachim has spent his 20+ year career living and working in India, China, and Europe where these hard-to-abate industries are critical parts of the economy and the world's construction process.  Today, he provides a crash-course in steel manufacturing and Hydrogen production, along with a vision for how green hydrogen could possibly be the answer to decarbonizing this energy intensive sector.  And we’re not just day-dreaming, here, Joachim gets calls daily from the industry leaders who are looking to transition to “green steel”. 

The demand has arrived, but who will meet it? 

Listen Now, on SunCast.  

This is the last episode of our Green Hydrogen Mini-Series.  You can hear all five episodes and learn more about our experts at www.mysuncast.com/hydrogen 

Episode 1 - Nexus of Deep Decarbonization & “The Inevitability of Hydrogen” with Sheldon Kimber, CEO Intersect Power

Episode 2 - The Green Hydrogen Opportunity with DNVs Global Energy Storage leader and Hydrogen Industry Veteran, Jason Goodhand

Episode 3 - The Role of the Large Energy Companies, partnership opportunities, existing infrastructure, and more from a top 10 Oil & Gas analyst, RBC’s Biraj Borkhataria

Episode 4 - Role of New Technologies - with Raffi Garbedin, Co-founder of Electric Hydrogen (formerly CTO of First Solar) 

Episode 5 - Decarbonizing Hard-to-abate Sectors Like Steel with Joachim Von Sheele, Global Director of Commercialization at the world’s largest industrial gas company, Linde, who is also building the world’s largest Electrolyzer.

ABOUT JOACHIM VON SHEELE:

​​Joachim von Schéele is The Linde Group’s Global Global Director of Commercialization, and has worked at LInde for 25 yrs. 

He received his MSc in Process Metallurgy and PhD in Metals Production Engineering from Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden in 1987 and 1992, respectively. 

With a mix of research and industry background, Joachim von Schéele joined the industrial gases industry in 1996. Since then, focus has been on extending the practical use of new technologies, particularly related to oxyfuel combustion and energy savings, in different technical and commercial management roles at AGA, BOC and Linde, such as Business Unit Manager, Business Concepts Manager, and Global Marketing Manager. 

He has been doing business in more than 40 countries around the world, frequently directly involved on-site in numerous installations and commissioning projects. He has been heading Linde’s successful approach with flameless oxyfuel installations in the steel and metals industries, and is a world-leading authority on use of oxyfuel in the steel industry. 

Joachim von Schéele holds seven patents and has published more than 150 papers on steel and base metals production, energy and emission conservation, and material recycling. He has served as a member of more than 30 boards of companies, associations, and research and education organizations, and as session chairman at many conferences. Joachim von Schéele is a long term member of VDEh and AIST, and is included in Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in Asia, and Who’s Who of Professionals.

RESOURCES:

Find Joachim on LinkedIn.

Follow Linde on LinkedIn and their website.

CHECK OUT THE ENTIRE GREEN HYDROGEN SERIES:

ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

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

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.

Episode 429: Green Hydrogen (Mini-series) Ep 4 - The Role of New Technologies with Raffi Garbedian, Co-founder of Electric Hydrogen (formerly CTO of First Solar)

 

If you’ve been around the solar industry for long, you might recognize the name, Raffi Garabedian. If you don’t, however, it’s probably because you haven’t studied the rise of one of the largest solar manufacturing brands in the world, First Solar, or perhaps you didn’t sell against First Solar for years like Nico did in his past life! Raffi was the Chief Technology Officer at First Solar for the better part of the last decade, and recently retired to pursue “other interests”.  When he came out if stealth this year, we were surprised, and pleased, that it was in pursuit of another cutting edge technology scale-up endeavor - productizing an electrolyzer stack that can scale effectively for developers as many, like Intersect Power, scour the market for a partner to help convert those clean green electrons from massive solar and wind parks into Green Hydrogen. 

Founded by experienced renewable energy technologists, Electric Hydrogen aims to cost-effectively decarbonize the massive industrial sectors that we all rely on. Raffi and team are thinking big and with urgency to decarbonize the physical world, and in today’s part four of our Green Hydrogen series, he speaks to exactly where the market is going and what technological limitations have thus far limited scale thus far.

If you’re new to the Hydrogen discussion, you’ll also appreciate Raffi’s solar-specific perspective, detailed insight into the role of solar project developers, and critical thought around the barriers to scale presently for Green Hydrogen technology. It gets technical, but it’s eye-opening, and it’s a ton of value packed into an hour - fair warning, you may need to listen twice!  

As in the last 3 episodes, Intersect Power’s CEO, Sheldon Kimber, joins me for a “takeaways” session at the end of the episode so you can hear from a major clean infrastructure developer (Intersect has raised >$2.5B in financing) on where all this fits in a real-world application.

This is part four of our Green Hydrogen Mini-Series.  You can follow along and learn more about our experts at www.mysuncast.com/hydrogen 

Episode 1 - Nexus of Deep Decarbonization & “The Inevitability of Hydrogen” with Sheldon Kimber, CEO Intersect Power

Episode 2 - The Green Hydrogen Opportunity with DNVs Global Energy Storage leader and Hydrogen Industry Veteran, Jason Goodhand

Episode 3 - The Role of the Large Energy Companies, partnership opportunities, existing infrastructure, and more from a top 10 Oil & Gas analyst, RBC’s Biraj Borkhataria

Episode 4 - Role of New Technologies - with Raffi Garbedin, Co-founder of Electric Hydrogen (formerly CTO of First Solar) 

Episode 5 - Decarbonizing Hard-to-abate Sectors Like Steel with Joachim Von Sheele, Global Director of Commercialization at the world’s largest industrial gas company, Linde, who is also building the world’s largest Electrolyzer. (*coming December 21st)

ABOUT RAFFI GARABEDIAN:

​​Raffi Garabedian is co-founder and CEO of Electric Hydrogen Co.

Raffi served as chief technology officer of First Solar, Inc. since May 2012. Raffi joined First Solar in June 2008 as director of disruptive technologies. Before First Solar, Raffi spent over 15 years in the MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) industry, developing new products ranging from automotive sensors to telecommunications switching systems. He was the founding CEO of Touchdown Technologies, Inc., which was acquired by Verigy, as well as Micromachines Inc., which was acquired by Kavlico. Raffi serves or has served on the boards of a number of companies including ESS Inc., Natron, and Covalent Metrologies. 

He’s also named on approximately 28 issued U.S. patents.

RESOURCES:

Find Raffi on LinkedIn.

Follow Electric Hydrogen Co. on LinkedIn and their website.

Article: Electric Hydrogen Partnership Hopes To Repeat Success With Renewable Hydrogen Technology

NOTEWORTHY QUOTE:

“Our goal is to build industrial-scale electrolysis so that carbon-heavy industries can adapt”
— David Eaglesham, co-founder and chief technology officer at Electric Hydrogen.

CHECK OUT THE ENTIRE GREEN HYDROGEN SERIES:

ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

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

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.

Episode 428: System Repowering, Microgrids, and a New DC Optimizer contender, Hanan Fishman of Alencon Systems

We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: www.ratethispodcast.com/suncast

In the words of today’s guest, Hanan Fishman, “Planning a DC microgrid is no different than any other technical undertaking. You need to start with defining the problem you are trying to solve. In the realm of microgrids, several buzzwords often come to mind including resilience. But you’ll need to drill beyond just buzzwords and really understand the problem you want to solve, whether it is offsetting higher demand charges, creating greater resiliency from grid outages or something else altogether. Answering this first question will determine if a DC microgrid even makes sense versus an AC coupled topology.”

Hanan Fishman is the President of Alencon Systems and has over 20 years’ experience in technology development and commercialization. He actually sold his last company to a brand you might recognize, Autodesk! Today, he’s working hard to scale a DC-DC “platform”, we might refer to it as a DC Optimizer, and he has a particular view on the weaknesses in the current power conversion model/market, and how Alencon does things differently.

Listen closely if you’re at all curious how the solar and microgrid space is expanding, and you’ll learn from a seasoned Technology executive who’s bringing electronics manufacturing back to US Shores and giving incumbent power conversion device makers a run for their money!

BOOKS MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

RESOURCES:

Find Hanan on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Follow Alencon Systems on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and check out their website.

Article: So You Want to Build a DC Microgrid?

Article: The Rise of the DC Coupled Microgrid

NOTEWORTHY QUOTE:

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
— Theodore Roosevelt

Energy Toolbase’s cohesive suite of project modeling, storage control, and asset monitoring software products enables developers to confidently deploy solar and energy storage projects.

ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

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

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.

Episode 427: Green Hydrogen (Mini-series) Ep 3 - The Role of the Large Energy Companies with Biraj Borkhataria, a top 10 Oil & Gas analyst at RBC Markets

 

Biraj Borkataria is always looking at the details to determine how they affect the big picture.  As an analyst for RBC, ranked #7 globally for his sector, he’s a respected voice in the discussion around Big Energy’s transition toward climate solutions. In this Part 3 of our Green Hydrogen series, Biraj and I aim to take stock of how Green Hydrogen is developing through the lens of major global energy players.  What is tipping the scales?  Who is working together now and what role does the government play?  How can we separate hype from reality, what innovations are inevitable, and who can participate in the revolution?  Is there space for startups? Where are the billion dollar investments going?  Will the Supermajors play along?

If you’re new to the Hydrogen discussion, you’ll also appreciate the description on the “colors of hydrogen” (blue, black, green, what?), scopes 1, 2 and 3 emissions defined, carbon capture ventures versus renewable hydrogen production, and even the details about carbon regulation in the European market vs the US. It’s technical, it’s eye-opening, and it’s packed into 55 minutes - fair warning, you may need to listen twice!  

This is part three of our Green Hydrogen Mini-Series.  You can follow along and learn more about our experts at www.mysuncast.com/hydrogen

Episode 1 - Nexus of Deep Decarbonization & “The Inevitability of Hydrogen” with Sheldon Kimber, CEO Intersect Power

Episode 2 - The Green Hydrogen Opportunity with DNVs Global Energy Storage leader and Hydrogen Industry Veteran, Jason Goodhand

Episode 3 - The Role of the Large Energy Companies, partnership opportunities, existing infrastructure, and more from a top 10 Oil & Gas analyst, RBC’s Biraj Borkhataria

Episode 4 - Role of New Technologies - with Raffi Garbedin, Co-founder of Electric Hydrogen (formerly CTO of First Solar) (*coming December 20th)

Episode 5 - Decarbonizing Hard-to-abate Sectors Like Steel with Joachim Von Sheele, Global Director of Commercialization at the world’s largest industrial gas company, Linde, who is also building the world’s largest Electrolyzer. (*coming December 21st)

ABOUT BIRAJ BORKHATARIA:

​​Biraj joined RBC Capital Markets’ energy research team in 2013 and covers the large-cap integrated energy companies. In the latest II Survey he ranked as the #7 analyst in the sector, and was the highest ranked analyst outside of the US. He is also RBC’s Deputy Head of European Research and helps support the wider management team.

RESOURCES:

Find Biraj on LinkedIn.

Follow RBC Capital Markets on Twitter and their website.

Podcast: Redefining Energy

RBC’s Energy Transition Series

Enabling the hydrogen ecosystem business case

CHECK OUT THE ENTIRE GREEN HYDROGEN SERIES:

ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

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

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.

Episode 426: Green Hydrogen (Mini-series) Ep 2 - The Green Hydrogen Opportunity with Jason Goodhand, DNVs Global Energy Storage leader and Hydrogen Industry Veteran

 

Two decades ago, Jason Goodhand was working in Hydrogen. But he says it’s different now. “Whether it's renewable energy, or oil and gas, every sector is trying to ramp up to have enough people to work on hydrogen projects. And it's incredible how fast it came around this time.”  How has the market developed?  What’s changed over the last twenty years?  Did he just say “electrolyzer”?  We talk about the journey to scale the industry, the goals of a 100% renewable grid, and opportunities for hydrogen in synergy with other renewables.  “I don’t think lithium will get us there” …. let’s look at the business case for clean hydrogen and who’s tackling the challenges to bring it to market at scale.  

This is part two of our Green Hydrogen Mini-Series.  Hear them all as they are released this week on Sun Cast.

Episode 1 - Nexus of Deep Decarbonization & “The Inevitability of Hydrogen” with Sheldon Kimber, CEO Intersect Power

Episode 2 - The Green Hydrogen Opportunity with DNVs Global Energy Storage leader and Hydrogen Industry Veteran, Jason Goodhand

Episode 3 - The Role of the Large Energy Companies, partnership opportunities, existing infrastructure, and more from a top 10 Oil & Gas analyst, RBC’s Biraj Borkhataria

Episode 4 - Role of New Technologies - with Raffi Garbedin, Co-founder of Electric Hydrogen (formerly CTO of First Solar)

Episode 5 - Decarbonizing Hard-to-abate Sectors Like Steel with Joachim Von Sheele, Global Director of Commercialization at the world’s largest industrial gas company, Linde, who is also building the world’s largest Electrolyzer.

ABOUT JASON GOODHAND:

Jason is Global Segment Leader for Energy Storage, with 20 years of experience in the cleantech energy sector, including storage, renewables, and in fact he got his start in hydrogen fuel cells some 2 decades ago.

“A wide scale hydrogen economy will require new or adapted gas infrastructure, sector coupling with renewables and the electricity grid, and the adoption of hydrogen for a range of industries and applications.”
— DNV

CHECK OUT THE ENTIRE GREEN HYDROGEN SERIES:

ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

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

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.

Episode 425: Green Hydrogen (Mini-series) Ep 1 - The Inevitability of Green Hydrogen with Sheldon Kimber, CEO Intersect Power

We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: www.ratethispodcast.com/suncast

It’s time to bet on the future.  Climate change is here, disasters are daily, and even financial systems are strained to breaking.  In Episode One of our Green Hydrogen Mini-Series, Sheldon Kimber is thinking outside the grid and betting on dramatic change, with his eyes set on five inevitable technologies of the zero carbon future. What markets will be both profitable and scalable?  Why is Green Hydrogen a giga-ton clean gas solution? And how does it even work?  We talk about his vision of the carbon-neutral future and the steps Intersect Power is taking to get there.  Hold on, because we are going to be thinking big and out of the box in the series.  Don’t miss it.  

The Green Hydrogen Mini-Series is produced  in partnership with Intersect Power.  It will help you filter hope from hype and reality from fiction to see where the true opportunities exist with Green Hydrogen.  

Be sure you’re subscribed so you’ll catch each episode as soon as it is released.  

Here’s a peak at what’s coming this week in the Green Hydrogen Mini-Series

Episode 1 - Nexus of Deep Decarbonization & “The Inevitability of Hydrogen” with Sheldon Kimber, CEO Intersect Power

Episode 2 - The Green Hydrogen Opportunity with DNVs Global Energy Storage leader and Hydrogen Industry Veteran, Jason Goodhand

Episode 3 - The Role of the Large Energy Companies, partnership opportunities, existing infrastructure, and more from a top 10 Oil & Gas analyst, RBC’s Biraj Borkhataria

Episode 4 - Role of New Technologies - with Raffi Garbedin, Co-founder of Electric Hydrogen (formerly CTO of First Solar)

Episode 5 - Decarbonizing Hard-to-abate Sectors Like Steel with Joachim Von Sheele, Global Director of Commercialization at the world’s largest industrial gas company, Linde, who is also building the world’s largest Electrolyzer.

 

ABOUT SHELDON KIMBER:

Sheldon has almost 20 years of experience in energy finance, development and entrepreneurship.  He is currently CEO and Founder of Intersect Power, a developer of utility scale renewables.

In his prior role as COO of Recurrent Energy, he led all of the company’s development, origination, engineering, procurement, construction and operations activities globally. During more than seven years at the company, Sheldon led its expansion from a small-scale, rooftop developer to a leading, utility-scale photovoltaic developer with over one gigawatt of contracted projects and a pipeline of more than three GW. Throughout his tenure, Sheldon was intricately involved in all major project development, power purchase agreement origination, mergers and acquisitions, and module procurement, including hundreds of megawatts in Arizona, Ontario, Texas and California. Sheldon joined Recurrent Energy in the Spring of 2007, shortly before its initial funding. In his first year at Recurrent Energy, he held the role of vice president of finance, where he was instrumental in developing and negotiating the company’s first projects, early corporate fundraising efforts, and joint venture agreements.

Previously, he spent five years at Calpine, working on finance and development of gas-fired power projects. He also worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, and in Accenture’s strategy consulting practice, specializing in power-price forecasting and asset valuation projects for utility clients. Sheldon holds a B.A. in Economics from Kenyon College, where he serves on the Kenyon Fund Executive Committee. He also holds an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, where he teaches Project Finance in the full-time MBA program, and has served on the Dean’s Advisory Committee.

RESOURCES:

Find Sheldon on LinkedIn , Twitter and his blog.

Follow Intersect Power on Twitter and their website.

BOOKS MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

 

CHECK OUT THE ENTIRE GREEN HYDROGEN SERIES:

ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

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

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.

Episode 423: What Solar can learn from the traditional power sector, Mitchell Samuelian, CEO

We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: www.ratethispodcast.com/suncast

Mitch got into energy alongside a lot of really smart people in the army corps of engineers managing nuclear power, pivoting to hydro power and then into solar. He likes to say he just keeps accepting large, exciting projects that “people didn’t want to do” like a school that needs to relocate a solar plant or the Ivanpah Solar Generating System. He brings real strategy and expertise from nuclear and hydro to the solar field, blocking and tackling until all the work is done, training teams of engineers to think on his level of detail and prep, and getting talent in the renewables door through diverse workforce development.

BOOKS MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

 
 

RESOURCES:

Find Mitchell on LinkedIn.

Follow Tonian Renewables on LinkedIn, Facebook and check out their website.

Energy Toolbase’s cohesive suite of project modeling, storage control, and asset monitoring software products enables developers to confidently deploy solar and energy storage projects.

ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

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

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.

Episodes 421 & 422: Freeing Energy, Bill Nussey’s roadmap for the Clean Energy Transition

Hear the full interview on episode 421.

And if you've only got time for the highlights, check out the short episode (422) we created with clips from the full episode.

 

“A passionate, valuable, and detailed blueprint for remaking the shape of everyday energy production... [Nussey] is passionate in advocating for change, but he’s also unfailingly realistic. Skeptics ... will find Nussey a doggedly clear-eyed guide to what he rightly calls “the treacherous divide between wild-goose-chases and billion-dollar opportunities.” — Kirkus Reviews

 

Impressed? Intrigued? You should be...I didn’t know it, but Kirkus Reviews are considered the gold standard and hardest to get [positive] review for a book these days.  So, yeah, I guess you could say this book is something to look forward to!

“The transition to clean energy is moving far too slowly,” according to today’s podcast guest, Bill Nussey. “Trapped by a century of fossil fuel investments and politicians that struggle to plan beyond the next election, the “Big Grid” that powers our modern world is outdated and in dire need of an upgrade.”  Bill Nussey is on a mission to understand how this transition will benefit us all, especially with regard to what he refers to as “Local Energy”.  In his brilliant book, “Freeing Energy”, Nussey explores the history and future of the Grid, why the coming infrastructure and investment wave is the biggest we’ve ever seen, and goes VERY deep into how you can play your part! 

I’m lucky that Bill has been a friend and mentor since he started this journey 4 yrs ago, and he asked me (Nico) to interview him for this in-depth backstory on how & why the Freeing Energy book came to life, why you need to read it, and even where we think you’ll find the most nuggets if you’re a longtime #SolarWarrior! 

As described to me by Bill, “Freeing Energy offers a new and faster path towards a clean energy future— one that is more reliable, more equitable, and cheaper. Just like personal computers eclipsed mainframes, millions of solar rooftops and small battery systems are challenging every assumption about our century-old, centralized electric grid. These small-scale “local energy” systems are deeply disruptive because they are based on fast-moving technologies, not fuels. Bill Nussey takes readers to mud huts in Africa, an off-grid farm in California, and a rural school in the mountains of Puerto Rico to uncover the underlying patterns of technology and the business model innovations of the local energy revolution.”

This book is a treasure trove of well-researched, actionable insights for anyone that cares about the future of energy—from startups, policymakers, investors, and utility leaders to the families and communities that want cleaner, cheaper energy today. It’s the guidebook you’ve been looking for, and from someone who over the last four years has certainly earned his stripes to accurately say he understands the industry from the inside-out, not just from interviews and anecdotes.


Freeing Energy hits shelves on Tuesday, December 7th, but you can pre-order today!

BOOKS MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

 
 

RESOURCES:

Find Bill on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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

 

Energy Toolbase’s cohesive suite of project modeling, storage control, and asset monitoring software products enables developers to confidently deploy solar and energy storage projects.

ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

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

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20min on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.

Episode 420: Giving Tuesday: Aparna Mohla and Benjamin Materna of GivePower

Each year on Giving Tuesday we highlight one non-profit making a big impact in the world of energy.  This year, I invite you to be convinced to share your treasure with GivePower. Aparna Mohla, VP Corporate Partnerships, shares GivePower’s dynamic approach to corporate donor engagement, creating a way for companies large and small to contribute with each transaction in what they’ve coined the Give Partners program. Donor groups can eventually build enough capital to send team members on an Install Trek in one of the remote villages GivePower serves!  Fun Fact - Goodleap (formerly LoanPal) contributes $20 for every loan transaction they process, successfully funding ALL of Give Power’s overhead expenses every year!?  In their generosity, Goodleap clears the way for all other donors, large or small, to be certain that 100% of their donation is actually reaching these community projects. 

The kinds of projects GivePower is building are incredibly inspiring.  Benjamin Materna, VP of Deployment, shares how they bring electricity to rural villages through solar projects, helping combat urban flight, providing local education and everything else a simple light bulb can do for a community.  Besides power, access to clean water threatens nearly half the population of the globe.  And GivePower is addressing this, too!   Ben and his teams build Solar Water Farms, powering desalination plants that can provide clean water where there has not been access or where disaster has cost the community their natural clean water source. In fact, after Haiti’s big earthquake last year, GivePower’s water project on the Island of La Gonave was able to support the local community AND several mainland communities, providing more than 1Million gallons of clean potable water!  Their projects are global, powering wildlife refuges that protect endangered species as rare as the last two white rhinos on earth, powering health clinics in rural Colombia and protecting tribal land and language in Canada.  

Ben also leads the TREKs, team building programs that allow donors to send a group of employees to install solar in one of their villages. This program is so cool, I hope one day we can even send our very own #SolarWarrior tribe from SunCast on a TREK, but don’t wait for me, you can join as a Give Partner as well!  

There is so much good left to give, so today we challenge you to take a minute to put some good back into the world.  

Click here to use the Suncast Donately Page and let GivePower know you heard about them on SunCast.

BOOKS MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

Donate by going to this website

RESOURCES:

Find Aparna on LinkedIn.

Find Benjamin on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Follow GivePower on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and check out their website.

 

Energy Toolbase’s cohesive suite of project modeling, storage control, and asset monitoring software products enables developers to confidently deploy solar and energy storage projects.

ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

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

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20min on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.

Episode 419 - Thanksgiving Episode:  Youness Scally, Everybody Solar (non-profit) 

Youness Scally would be doing just fine as a CPA in the Bay Area, but, like so many #SolarWarriors, he was not content to stare at spreadsheets and longed to make a tangible impact on the world we live in.  That’s why, ten years ago, he co-founded Everybody Solar, a nonprofit that aims to install solar on other nonprofit organizations.  Their breakthrough project was on the headquarters of Rebuilding Together Peninsula, which had high electricity costs that they were able to offset with onsite solar panels.  Since then, they’ve done homeless shelters, national parks, after school programs like the YMCA and many more across the US. 

Launching a non-profit was not easy, Youness and I talk about some of the challenges to getting started, and it turns out fundraising is not the only hard part.  We talk about the challenges of starting a nonprofit in the energy sector, building a strong and diverse board, staying engaged with their supporters and managing time so that everything gets done. 

Youness manages his CPA business as well as Everybody Solar, so he is an expert on time management.  We get into tips from his mentors, his favorite accounting software and his bold predictions for the future. 

If you’re looking for an amazing non-profit to support this year, check out their website or just click here to donate.

BOOKS MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

RESOURCES:

Find Youness on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Follow Everybody Solar on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and check out their website.

New Your Times Article: Life is Short, what are you gonna do about that?

DONOR LEVELS:

Click here to donate.

Zeus Level Sponsor - Greek king of the gods - $25,000

Helios Level Sponsor - Greek god of the sun - $10,000

Apollo Level Sponsor - Greek god of light - $5,000

Neaera Level Sponsor - Greek goddess of the rising sun - $2,500

Eos Level Sponsor - Greek goddess of dawn - $1,000

Archimedes Level Sponsor - Greek astronomer - <$999

HIGHLIGHTING INDUSTRY SUCCESS STORIES, NON-PROFIT STARS:

Erika Mackie from Grid Alternatives, website
Reuben Veek, website

Energy Toolbase’s cohesive suite of project modeling, storage control, and asset monitoring software products enables developers to confidently deploy solar and energy storage projects.

ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

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

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20min on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.

418: Every CEO needs this ONE skill! Rain Bennett on the power of Storytelling

Can we just agree that authenticity and empathy are worthy buzz words?  Rain Bennett is a movie maker, an author and a public speaker….well, actually, we should add Emmy-nominated producer and TEDx speaker.  And every time, through every channel, he gets your attention with authenticity and empathy because that’s what matters to people.  He’s built a career on storytelling and I’ve brought him on the show today to talk about why that matters to your professional development. 

In a world dominated by “six-second stories,” how do you stand out???

In his recent TED Talk, “You Don’t Get Hired for Your Expertise,” Rain breaks down how to not get caught playing the wrong game, and he does this in a very personal and compelling way. 

Everyone’s contribution to the world is unique, each one of us has an advantage.  Rain tells the story of how Mike Tyson, discouraged that the “great” heavyweight boxers have vertical advantage and longer reach, found his unique advantage in the bob and weave technique that propelled him to Champion.  Comparing yourself to others in your industry and competing without leaning into (or understanding) your core skills often creates a scarcity mindset.  We talk about holding on to moments of success as a way to build confidence and staying clear-headed and focused on your true and critical part of the puzzle.  

Rain is an accomplished film producer and storyteller, and every presentation he gives is engaging and memorable.  But how does he do it?  How does he grab our attention and hold it until the message is clear?  

This episode highlights his field-tested approach.  

It’s so good he’s distilled it into a book, but guess what, the book isn’t out yet!  Luckily you have SunCast and can listen to it instead, but I’m sure you’ll want to pre-order “Six Second Stories” or pick it up next week when it’s available (see link below).  

Watch the TEDx talk that sparked this discussion: No One Hires You For Your Expertise | Rain Bennett | TEDxRaleigh

Read Little Excavator to your kids! Read it for yourself.

Meanwhile, you should connect with Rain on LinkedIn,  Twitter, and especially TikTok (if you’re that hip!)

Follow Six Second Stories on LinkedIn and check out Rain’s website.

And, if you’ve only got time for the highlights, check out the Tactical Tuesday episode.

BOOKS MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

RESOURCES:

Find Rain on LinkedIn and Twitter and check out his website.

Follow Six Second Stories on LinkedIn and check out their website.

ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

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

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20min on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.

417: Arcadia raised $100M to democratize clean energy access! Kiran Bhatraju, CEO

Few clean energy entrepreneurs are as familiar with the bumpy road from coal to clean energy as Kiran Bhatraju. The son of an immigrant doctor, Kiran grew up in a rural Kentucky town where the economy practically depended on coal.  For much of his youth, he saw first-hand how dependent his local community had become on the extraction and commercialization of coal for energy. And he saw how the decline of that sector is taking a toll on rural America.

 His knowledge on the subject is deep enough and his perspective unique enough that he even wrote a book on the subject.  From author (see book links below!) to Capitol Hill, Kiran has learned how to read people, policy and trends well enough to predict the nexus and go where the puck is headed (as our friends from the great North would say).  Which is what led him, through sales and start ups, to the energy sector, and ultimately to found Arcadia. When Arcadia first began, there simply were no meaningful ways for retail consumers to purchase clean renewables-based electricity for the vast majority of the US market, but Kiran and his team saw the way forward. So they set out to create a platform to enable both Utilities and consumers to benefit from a fair exchange of clean electrons.

They synced the first utility account with their platform in 2014. Since then, utilities nationwide use Arcadia to unlock and standardize energy data, helping innovators create the products and services to decarbonize our grid and make energy cleaner and smarter, and helping customers around the country connect to renewable energy sources. Many think of Arcadia as an energy broker; but, I often refer to them as “the Comcast of Solar” because they provide more than just simple energy brokerage services. They truly have a data platform that empowers consumers, solar developers, and utilities to maximize their respective benefit from the booming Community solar sector, and beyond. And, like Comcast, they are able to offer services at prices lower than other competitors thanks to the scale of their platform, quality of the data, and integration with other providers.

Today on SunCast, Kiran shares his secrets to building a power-team, holding on to enthusiasm and attracting employees that are on a mission. And Arcadia has a bold mission to decarbonize the grid and empower utilities and communities with affordable clean energy...want to learn how? 

Tune in to today’s episode.

BOOKS MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

RESOURCES:

Follow Kiran Bhatraju on LinkedIn or Twitter.

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

NOTEWORTHY QUOTES:

“No one has given them the transition….” - Kiran on the coal miners of Kentucky
“You can have your best day and worst day on the same day.” Kiran on running a startup.
“Stale, male and pale” - Rubina Singh, Arcadia

TERMS DEFINED:

Community Solar - The U.S. Department of Energy defines community solar as any solar project or purchasing program, within a geographic area, in which the benefits of a solar project flow to multiple customers such as individuals, businesses, nonprofits, and other groups.

NARUC - National Association of Regulatory Utilities

Energy Toolbase’s cohesive suite of project modeling, storage control, and asset monitoring software products enables developers to confidently deploy solar and energy storage projects.

ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

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

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20min on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.

416: You Don’t Get Hired for Your Expertise, Rain Bennett (Emmy-nominated Producer)

You need to tell compelling stories. Rain Bennett can help.

In his recent TED Talk, “You Don’t Get Hired for Your Expertise” Rain breaks down what you DO get hired for in a very personal and compelling way. Moreover, in today’s Tactical Tuesday, Rain and I break down exactly how he does it, and I extract the lessons you can apply to your very next creative project.

Rain is an accomplished film producer and storyteller, and every presentation he gives is engaging and memorable. But how does he do it? How does he grab our attention and hold it until he’s sure the message is clear? This episode highlights his step-by-step approach. Yes it’s good enough for a book, but guess what, the book isn’t out yet! You have to listen, but I’m sure you’ll want to pre-order “Six Second Stories”.

BOOKS MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

Pre-order Six Second Stories for only 99 cents



Watch the TEDx talk that sparked this discussion: No One Hires You For Your Expertise | Rain Bennett | TEDxRaleigh


RESOURCES:

Find Rain on LinkedIn and Twitter and check out his website.

Follow Six Second Stories on LinkedIn and check out their website.


ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

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

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20min on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.

415: How do deregulated energy markets work? Jesson Bradshaw, CEO @ Energy Ogre

This is the Full-length interview with Energy Ogre founder and CEO Jesson Bradshaw, who also appeared on the podcast a couple of weeks ago on a Tactical Tuesday. In this episode, I learned:

  • Why TX is an attractive place for industry

  • How deregulated markets work

  • The perspective of a retail energy provider

  • How you can be sure you're getting the best electricity prices

I was surprised to hear Jesson say that he and his team are really in the education business, bringing attention to Texas’s deregulated electricity industry by discussing topics such as renewable energy, future technologies, and consumer services.

We talked about how deregulated markets work, in particular Texas as one of the great experiments of deregulating energy supply. Jesson was just out of gradschool when he was hired by a Natural Gas company who needed someone to man the overnight desk of their new endeavor: electricity! It was the 90s and a brand new market was hitting the world, trading energy. Jesson worked with ERCOT trading energy for the fist time. In our conversation today, he shares what it was like to ride this wave and he helps demystify the complicated elements the Texas market.

With over 100,000 customers, Energy Ogre has helped save over $150 million for their clients.

Don't miss this deep dive on how electricity deregulation affects your business.

RESOURCES:

Follow Energy Ogre on LinkedIn and check out their website.

BOOKS MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

Thanks again to this week's sponsor, helping keep the podcast FREE to you!


Energy Toolbase’s cohesive suite of project modeling, storage control, and asset monitoring software products enables developers to confidently deploy solar and energy storage projects.

About the Host of SunCast:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

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

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20min on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.

414: WRO & Logistics affecting your Solar pipeline? Supply chain expert Andy Klump of CEA is your guide

We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: www.ratethispodcast.com/suncast


For the las six months, the solar industry has been under a shroud of confusion and uncertainty with regard to a handful of policies that are affecting all of us. Whether you have felt it yet or not, the WRO (Withhold Release Order) has slowly crept into the solar industry consciousness and is impacting everything from project equipment and project delivery timelines to supply chain and equipment pricing.

As much of the news is coming through the filter of international media and is targeted toward the ever-growing trade battle between the US and Southeast Asia, chiefly China, it's often difficult to discern exactly what the WRO and other policies (both in the Biden administration and abroad) could mean for your business and our industry at large. To help sift the wheat from the shaft and give you front lines insight into how this can effect your business and what you can do about it, I've brought Andy Klump, CEO of Clean Energy Associates, to the show today for his fourth appearance because Andy is, in my view, one the of the world's chief experts on US - China solar trade, both from a policy perspective and a delivery/logistics quality perspective.

Andy has been in the industry for 20 years and he's seen a lot of cycles. Andy and I talk about how this is similar to and different from past trade cycles, like the Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duties or AD/CVD. Andy has keen insight on the impacts on pricing, timelines on logistics log jams and when they might ease up, and whether or not the underlying arguments of the existing WRO actually holds water. We also contemplate whether this is necessarily fair that the solar industry is receiving the brunt of this trade policy, considering we are not the only industry that utilizes products coming from SE Asia and in particular, the areas that are under inspection in China, with the current WRO rulings.

Andy provides his thoughts on how, where and IF the Biden administration might provide relief to this ever more troublesome situation. If you've been wondering how this will effect you, you want to listen to this today's episode. It's a timely look at how international trade policy directly effects our industry and your livelihood.

RESOURCES:

Find Andy on LinkedIn

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

We've linked a few articles from our friends at PV magazine that go deep into this topic.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/10/11/solar-supply-demand-and-a-foreign-policy-shakeup/

https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2021/08/19/customs-enforcement-is-jeopardizing-2-1-gw-of-solar-projects/

Additional resources, if you want to keep listening to great content on this topic, check out the video interview with Tim Montague of Clean Power Hour called "WRO on Silicon Solar"

https://cesnrg.com/podcast/

All of the other resources Andy and his team have compiled on this topic are at this link including an interview with friend of the podcast, Tim Montague, and another with Benoy Thanjan.

https://www.cea3.com/cea-blog/tag/no+forced+labor.

BOOKS MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

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Energy Toolbase’s cohesive suite of project modeling, storage control, and asset monitoring software products enables developers to confidently deploy solar and energy storage projects.

About the Host of SunCast:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

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

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20min on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.

413: Deregulation, Solar in Choice Markets, & Motivation Mondays, w/Nathan Jovanelly, IGS Solar

We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: www.ratethispodcast.com/suncast

Nathan Jovanelly believes everyone should have the right to purchase clean energy. But he didn't start a non-profit. During our interview today, we talk about his childhood in a blue collar family, how he almost enlisted in the military, and how discipline and diligence paved the way to success, first in engineering and now as the Director of Business Development for IGS.

Nate, as he asked me to call him, studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Delaware, but his heart was focused on the environmental impact that companies have on the world. He learned compliance by working in several sectors, including wast e water regulation for Motts Applesauce and Utz Potato Chips.

Eventually, some good relationships and excellent productivity brought him to IGS, the largest retailer of energy in the US, where he helped diversify their energy portfolio by launching IGS Solar. What were some of the advantages Nate and IGS had over the competition when launching this fast growing division?

For starters, cash and a tax appetite. IGS is privately held by the White family and in those days (circa 2013) they were able to take advantage of the state and federal incentives in order to fund smaller projects, especially for hospitals, schools and other nonprofits. In fact, they became so proficient at the under-500-megawatt category that they partnered with Sun Edison to do the jobs that were too small for their portfolio.

We talk about some of the strategies they used to become efficient experts in these markets. About creating financing options for those that otherwise wouldn't have access to solar, creating tech interfaces that the customer can easily understand, and about when to say "no" to some opportunities.

Nate is not just disciplined, he's full of inspiration. Some of my favorite quotes from his linked-in videos (called Monday Motivations) are:

"The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek." and "Lost time is never found." He's also not afraid to change his mind, we ponder his changing perspectives on battery storage and access to renewables for low- and middle-income Americans. Listen to his "bold predictions"

and more gems from our conversation, here on episode 413 of Suncast.

Resources:

Connect with Nathan on LinkedIn or Instagram

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

Check out one of Nate’s Motivational Mondays Videos and Follow him on LinkedIn!

Hear Nate on our friend Benoy’s “The Solar Maverick” podcast 100th Episode.

What does it mean to have carbon neutral gas? IGS explains in this Video

Learn more about which states have deregulated electricity markets

Two great quotes that have inspired Nate's Motivation Mondays

"The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek." - Joseph Campbell

"Lost time is never found." - Benjamin Franklin

Acronyms explained:

CHP (Combined Heat and Power) - A suite of technologies that can use a variety of fuels to generate electricity or power at the point of use, allowing the heat that would normally be lost in the power generation process to be recovered to provide needed heating and/or cooling.

SAPC - Solar Access to Public Capital

LMI - Low to Moderate Income

EPC - Engineering, Procurement and Construction

Books mentioned and recommendations:


Thanks again to this week's sponsor, helping keep the podcast FREE to you!

Energy Toolbase’s cohesive suite of project modeling, storage control, and asset monitoring software products enables developers to confidently deploy solar and energy storage projects.

 

About the Host of SunCast:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

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

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20min on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.