Shows / SunCast
SunCast
Nico Johnson takes you into conversations with those at the forefront of Renewable Energy. SunCast gives an inside look into what is happening in renewable energy. From conversations with the biggest Solar Panel manufacturers in the world to the small startups creating the future of renewable energy, such as carbon capture and battery technology breakthroughs. SunCast is dedicated to providing the knowledge, research, tools and expert guidance you need to understand, grow and be ahead of the…
Episodes
- SunCast
740: RE+ Day 3: Abby Hopper and SEIA Recap RE+ 2024
Nico Johnson, Lisa Ann Pinkerton and Josh Beck round out RE+ 2024 with Abby Hopper, Stephanie Bosh and Colin Silver of SEIA. Mentioned in this episode: CPS…
- SunCast
739: RE+ Day 2: IRA Impact, Acronym Soup, Virtual Powerplants, and Rhone Resch, Joe Ordia & Jael Holzman
Start each day the full replay of the Daily Round Up with Nico Johnson and Josh Beck as we bring you the trends and conversations unfolding in Anaheim at the…
- SunCast
738: Alex Honnold on Advancing Solar Access, Alex Shoer on Scaling Storage, Anne Slattery & Kristina Peterson on Trends - RE+ Day 1
Start each day with highlights from the Morning Show with Nico Johnson and Lisa Ann Pinkerton and then the full replay of the Daily Round Up with Nico Johnson…
- SunCast
737: Florida is the next solar battleground, here's how to win - Mike Vergona, Urban Solar
Oh, Florida! You’re the Sunshine State…why has it taken you so long to establish a real solar market? Well, the good news is it’s now heating up. But, that…
- SunCast
736: How To Build Substations For Renewable Energy In Record Time: Dan Girard’s APG Success Formula
One of the most common critical path bottlenecks of any infrastructure project, energy or otherwise, is the transformer and substation. The interconnection of…
- SunCast
735: How to Avoid Common Intellectual Property Mistakes
Knowing when and why to invest in patents can be a game-changer for your startup. But what’s the right strategy to ensure your intellectual property is truly…
- SunCast
734: From Google’s Moonshot to GM’s Vehicle-to-Everything | Lessons in Innovation from Ty Jagerson
How does an idea go from concept to lab, from lab to field, and finally attract massive capital investment? What can a decade of business building behind the…
- SunCast
733: RE+ 2024: The Know Before You Go Guide for the Biggest Show Yet
RE+ is only TWO Weeks Away! Back by popular demand, we’ve curated our annual "Know Before You Go" episode to help you make the most of this not-to-miss event…
- SunCast
732: What’s Really Stalling Solar’s Momentum? Insights from Sunnova’s CEO
Despite more capital coming into the solar industry than ever before, healthy unit economics, rising utility rates, and even declining equipment costs, equity…
- SunCast
731: The BESS Book: A Cell to Grid Guide to Utility-Scale Battery Energy Storage Systems with authors Drew Lebowitz & Swetha Sundaram
I have been looking [and waiting] for this book for years. And if you’re in Utility-scale battery storage, I’m going to boldly suggest that you have too. The…
- SunCast
730: How Each Home Will Be Its Own Energy Generation Machine
With an anticipated 40% increase in energy consumption by 2035, the grid faces immense pressure. How do we service the rising demand driven by AI, data…
- SunCast
729: How to Start a Solar Company that Customers Rave About | Hunter Trenary of Sun Collectors
Deciding where and which customers to focus on can make or break a business. How do you go about choosing one market over another? Furthermore, how do you…
- SunCast
728: The Rocket Scientist Making Rechargeable Lead-Acid Batteries, Michael Burz of Enzinc
From thermonuclear weapons that helped stop the Cold War, to a Le Mans 24 Hour Eco Car, and now pioneering a revolutionary battery, today’s guest has a truly…
- SunCast
727: A Simple Logistics Improvement Worth Billions To The Solar Industry, Philip Schwarz of PVpallet
Have you ever considered the environmental impact of the non-solar components we deploy in the solar industry? It’s good that we generate clean energy, and…
- SunCast
726: Community Solar: Renewable Energy At A Discount Everyone Can Afford; Aviv Shalgi of Solar Simplified
You might think of community solar as a “Groupon for your energy bill” - you get discounted access to clean energy without needing to install solar panels, and…
- SunCast
725: Fewer holes, No Leaks. Solar Racking Reimagined, with Pegasus CEO Kai Stephan
What is the unsung hero of solar installations? Racking… It's a "set it and forget it" component for contractors, as its reliability is essential to avoid…
- SunCast
724: Operating Systems for a Drama-Free Workplace | Maria Kingery of Southern Energy Management & 360Impact
“Unclear expectations are a downpayment for future resentment.” Maria Kingery is the Founder & Principal of 360Impact and Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer…
- SunCast
723: From Tetris To Clean Energy: Henk Rogers' Conversion Story
two years before the end of the Cold War to broker a licensing agreement for what would become the best-selling video game of all time: Tetris. Either of those…
- SunCast
722: A 100-Year Vision for a new kind of Energy Company with Cherry Street’s Michael Chanin
What does it take to build a 100-year business? How does one expand beyond integration of off-the-shelf products to branding power plants as a unique…
- SunCast
721: Achieving 250x growth, How CPS Americas scaled to >1000 customers & #1 Market Share in under a decade, with Bryan Wagner
Every growth story has roots in finding scalable and duplicatable processes. From a Big Mac to the Macintosh, the capacity to create products people want and…
- SunCast
720: Derek Chase Built A Robotics Company For Better Solar Inspections
Imagine a Roomba on a solar farm with a camera that can automatically inspect modules, wiring, even hot-spots, and report all that information back…
- SunCast
719: Training The Clean Energy Workforce w/Brittany Heller of Heatspring
Perhaps the best way to scale your company is by investing in your people! If knowledge is wealth, then upskilling your workers (and indeed yourself) could be…
- SunCast
718: FBI Negotiation Tactics To Better Your Business, With Chris Voss
I’m going to argue that procurement (buyer OR seller) negotiations are just like hostage negotiations. Hear me out. Effective negotiations are crucial for…
- SunCast
717: Is THIS the biggest clean energy opportunity? Panama Bartholomy of Building Decarbonization Coalition thinks so
Electrify Everything! Ok, we’ve heard that “Electrification” is coming, but beyond our Automobiles what else can be electrified? Did you know that cleaning up…
- SunCast
716: NC's Clean Energy Evangelist (is not a Democrat): John Szoka
Energy isn't a battle of fossil fuels vs renewables; it's about figuring out the energy transition together. As a North Carolina State Representative (GOP)…
- SunCast
715: Why Culture Eats Strategy: A Peak Performance Playbook From An Inc 5000 Solar Company, with Summit Energy's Eric Israelson and Dallin Mall
Finally, a feel-good story of independence and triumph! There’s little more patriotic and American than the dream of starting out on your own and building a…
- SunCast
714: The Republican Case for Clean Energy: Insights from Georgia Public Service Commissioner, Tim Echols
Have you ever wondered why clean energy is not only surviving, but thriving in RED states here in the USA? Despite the common perception that Republicans are…
- SunCast
713: Then And Now, How SEIA Helped Transform Solar Energy - 4 SEIA Presidents share the stage
In 50 short years, solar energy transformed from a niche interest to a key driver of the global energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. The…
- SunCast
712: SEIA’s 50-Year Legacy of Advancing Solar Energy with CEO, Abby Hopper
The United States just surpassed 5 million solar installations, but as excited as Abby Hopper is to shout that from the rooftops, she agrees we’re just getting…
- SunCast
711: How Agrivoltaics is Doubling The Use of Scarce Land with Dan French and Dave Gahl
How can we meet the growing demands for renewable energy without losing precious agricultural land? Agrivoltaics! It’s one of the most exciting growth sectors…
- SunCast
710: The Truth About Solar's Hidden Waste Crisis with Adam Saghei of We Recycle Solar
I learned a staggering statistic recently: Almost 90% of solar panels are thrown away when they reach the end of their useful life. In 2016, The International…
- SunCast
709: NABCEP Solar Certification: Expert Insights from the Top Trainer, Sean White
When it comes to certifications and training in the solar industry, one name (or label) stands out and is recognized as the gold standard: NABCEP. The North…
- SunCast
708: Inside Sunrun’s Customer-Led Revolution with CEO, Mary Powell
Mary Powell, CEO of Sunrun, has cast the vision of the leading solar brand in North America as a clean energy lifestyle company. She recently shared with Nico…
- SunCast
707: US Solar’s AD/CVD, The Latest Round of Investigations Explained with CEA’s Dan Shreve & Christian Roselund
Anti-dumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) are nothing new; they have plagued US-based solar developers and decision-makers since 2011. These duties…
- SunCast
706: An Insider's Guide To Better Solar Projects, with industry veteran Keith Cronin
In the solar industry, we’re often building the plane as we fly it, as it were. This is ever-moreso evident in commercial and industrial (C&I) solar, a…
- SunCast
705: A Plastic Pollution Solution: How PlantSwitch’s Bioplastics Lead the Way, with CEO Dillon Baxter
Ever get annoyed when you order takeout and they give you the obligatory plastic wrapped napkin and plastic cutlery? If you’re like me, you politely decline…
- SunCast
704: Better Funding For Climate Entrepreneurs? Dimitry Gershenson explains
If we’re going to address climate change through capitalism, we’ll need about $10 Trillion. The growing climate crisis demands that we take urgent action, but…
- SunCast
703: Unlocking Great Leadership, Imposter Syndrome, and Authenticity | Paula Glover, President of Alliance to Save Energy
Struggling with imposter syndrome? You're not alone. Returning guest (Ep 333, 687) Paula Glover, President of the Alliance to Save Energy, delves into one of…
- SunCast
702: From Rock Star to Serial Entrepreneur: Rue Phillips' Journey
He came to America with ten thousand dollars and a dream of making it big. A few years later, he was a legitimate rock star, rocking arenas with Black Sabbath…
- SunCast
701: Nextracker and JM Steel Are Reviving American Manufacturing
US manufacturing is back! We were recently invited to a ceremony to celebrate the expansion of Nextracker’s dedicated steel torque tube manufacturing lines at…
- SunCast
700! Behind the Success of Strata Clean Energy, Markus Wilhelm
It only took me 8 years and 699 episodes to finally land today’s guest! But the wait was WELL worth it. You’re in for a treat. And it was recorded in-person at…
- SunCast
Bonus: A love story, about Solar. w/Tor “Solar Fred” Valenza
265,000! That’s how many of you/us work in Solar Energy so far (and rapidly growing!) Yet, with 4 million solar installations in the U.S alone, Solar Energy is…
- SunCast
699: Breaking the American Electricity Monopoly | CleanChoice’s Zoe Gamble
Many of us working in clean energy forget that access to clean power is still a privilege, not a right. Millions of Americans still don’t have the freedom to…
- SunCast
698: Building the Biggest Battery Project in the World — Anthony Carroll, former President of Powin
Imagine that your phone rings. The person on the other end tells you: “you won the project. Now, we need you to fly to Australia and build the largest battery…
- SunCast
697: Chris Nelder is Mobilizing an Army for Clean Energy
Chris Nelder challenges the status quo. And his efforts have, for nearly a decade, centered on mobilizing an army of supporters to help us transition away from…
- SunCast
696: Manufacturing Ground Mounts In The U.S. For The Same Cost as Abroad? FTC’s Solar’s Eric Frazier
The IRA gave solar manufacturers a huge incentive to manufacture on U.S. soil. How does the 45x incentive work, and are we actually gonna see anybody other…
- SunCast
695: ‘Digital Owner’s Manuals’ for installers with Illu co-founder Sierra Fan
We’ve heard that we need to focus on workforce development. Yet many times the workforce we’ve developed has to re-invent the wheel for lack of reliable…
- SunCast
694: LG Proves There’s More Than One Home Battery That’s Easy, Effective & Elegant
What if solar installers could easily integrate energy storage with any inverter on the market? LG Energy Storage Systems (ESS) makes that possible, and in an…
- SunCast
693: Off-Grid Solar Products As A Form Of Wealth Delivery And Value Creation, with Amped Innovation’s Andi Kleissner & Kurt Kuhlmann
We often take access to electricity, refrigeration, and running water for granted. In many parts of the world, these are luxuries. In today’s episode, Andi…
- SunCast
692: Hydrogen's Role in New York's Green Future with Haiyan Sun of NYSERDA
New York set an ambitious goal for a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040. What will it take to get there? Turns out, hydrogen may be a key component to…
- SunCast
691: Adding Storage to Solar is Harder Than We Thought! Leigh Zanone managed 8Minute/Avantus’s Portfolio & Shares His Insights
Is solar plus storage magically going to fix our grid? If you listen to many of the conversations I’ve heard the last 2+ years, you’d easily assume “we got…
- SunCast
690: Can We Squeeze More Power Through The Existing Wires? AES says Yes; Alexina Jackson, VP of Strategic Development
How do we solve yesterday’s interconnection problems with today’s technology? Alexina Jackson, Vice President of Strategic Development at The AES Corporation…
- SunCast
689: O&M: How to Keep Existing Solar Projects Producing for Decades to Come with Renewable Energy Veteran & Founder, Josh Fraughton (FSLR, NOVA, R7/RNWBL)
As our Secretary of Energy says, deploy deploy deploy! It’s incredible to see how hard we’re pushing to modernize the grid, but, we also must maintain and…
- SunCast
688: Debunking Myths About Solar's Resilience in Extreme Weather; Lightsource BP’s Kevin Christy and Dave Martin
Increasing extreme weather events year over year are forcing all energy assets to reconsider asset protection and resilience. The solar industry has been…
- SunCast
687: Are Diversity and Efficiency being downplayed in the Clean Energy Revolution? Paula Glover of The Alliance to Save Energy gives advice from the front lines
Our guest today points out that energy efficiency is actually employing MILLIONS MORE than Renewable Energy as a sector! Paula Glover, President of the…
- SunCast
686: Fixing Solar’s Waste Problem | Kelly Weger, Qcells’ Dir. of Sustainability
By 2050, around 80 million metric tons of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules will reach the end of their life globally (according to NREL). 10 million metric tons…
- SunCast
685: How this Zillow-like Software Simplifies the Land Permitting Process for Large-Scale Solar; Robin Laine, CEO of Transect
Permitting. The word is enough to send shivers down the spines of most PV professionals. Obtaining permits for solar projects, no matter the scale, is a major…
- SunCast
684: Why Can't We Immediately Decommission Natural Gas? National Grid’s Caroline Hon explains
Is switching from natural gas to electricity as straightforward as flipping a switch, or are we overlooking hidden complexities? Many homeowners want to switch…
- SunCast
683: Will Maryland Fail To Meet Their RPS Targets? What Other States Can Learn, with Stephanie Johnson, President of Maryland Renewable Energy Alliance
Wondering how your state can set and exceed lofty renewable energy targets? Today’s episode is for you. In 2019, Maryland doubled their renewable energy…
- SunCast
{Bonus} How a NABCEP Certification Gives System Designers an Edge: Jada Alcindor (NABCEP) and John Novak (Scanifly)
What's the value of a NABCEP certification? Since most solar companies don't require one, is it worth the time and money? At RE+ Northeast a few weeks back…