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! In short, https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoff-greenfield-595a406/ ( Geoff Greenfield) uses the power of business as a force for good.  If you think this is white-guy speak for “i really want to feel good about what I do” well then you’re in for a treat bc you and I both want to hear how Geoff rationalizes his privilege (hint: he’s very aware of and i

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, I give you a great example further down with a reference for further reading.  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 cr

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 th

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 Ale

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 detai

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 https://mysuncast.com/hydrogen (SunCast). Episode 1 - Nexus of Deep Decarbonization & “The Inevitability of Hydrogen” with Sheldon Kimber, CEO Intersect Power Episode 2 - The G

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 Mi

Hydrogen, the most abundant element on earth, has been hailed for decades as a beacon of the coming clean energy revolution. So why has it still not arrived? And why is everybody all of a sudden talking about Green Hydrogen? In this mini-Series, in partnership with Intersect Power, we will help you filter hope from hype and reality from fiction to see where the true opportunities exist with Green Hydrogen. If you’ve been looking for one place to understand whether there really is a pathway for renewable energy developers to benefit from the long-awaited Hydrogen Economy, this series is for you. Join me and five subject matter experts, and get smart enough on this topic to engage in Holiday banter and maybe even a healthy professional debate! Be sure you’re subscribed so you’ll catch each episode as soon as it is released. Here’s a sneak peak at what’s coming in the Hydrogen Mini-Series Episode 1 - Nexus of Deep Decarbonization & “The Inevitability of Hydrogen” with Sheldon Kimber, CEO Intersect Power Epis

I’ve said it a lot from the pulpit of SunCast, but there really is a LOT that the Renewable energy sector can still learn from the traditional power sector. The fundamentals of how the power sector works can often feel like a lost art. Today’s guest, Mitchell Samuelian, recounts the many stories and examples where he helped fill those gaps in skills and knowledge from his early days in Renewables as the first O&M Hire at First Solar to his roles leading site maintenance & operations at NRG, Clearway and more. And, in so doing, I’d like to introduce you to a brand new company he’s leading, Tonian Renewables! When we recorded this episode, Mitch’s newest venture didn’t even have a name yet.  And the leaders of this new O&M rollup are some of the players that have helped make sure large solar and wind projects stay online in the industry for awhile now.  Mitch is the operations glue that binds them all together.  He has a fascinating “how I got here” story, constantly showing up to man

Bill Nussey’s book comes out TODAY! Freeing Energy: How Innovators Are Using Local-Scale Solar and Batteries to Disrupt the Global Energy Industry from the Outside In is a handbook for navigating the clean energy transition. Last week, we released a 2+ hour in depth interview with Bill. Today, we’ve got a highlights reel, to help you get to know the author and share some key points from that longer episode. There is A LOT that we trimmed in this abridged episode, so if you want to get the FULL interview (and I humbly submit you do), you’ll need to queue up https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/421 (Ep 421). Bill is on a mission to understand how the transition to Clean Energy will benefit us all, especially with regard to what he refers to as “Local Energy”. His book 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! In our interview we get the backstory on how & why the Freein

The transition to clean energy is moving far too slowly. 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 forthcoming 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! Bill has been a friend and mentor to SunCast since he started this journey 4 yrs ago, and he asked 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 best nuggets if you’re a longtime #SolarWarrior! Bill Nussey is a career tech CEO with three successful exits, in

Today is https://donate.givepower.org/suncastmedia (Giving Tuesday), yes, yes it is a real thing, and each year we highlight the GivingTuesday campaign of one Nonprofit that we see doing world-changing things. This year we are thrilled to highlight GivePower, one of the most impactful nonprofits in both rural electrification and clean water. If you missed it, we had GivePower’s President, Michele Magee, on Episode #388 of SunCast and we were inspired, but we also didn’t dive deep enough into how their partnership programs work! This time, we’ve got Aparna Mohla (VP Corp. Partnerships) and Benjamin Materna (VP Deployment) to share about their global projects, their massive impact and their unique approach to donor engagement. If you’re as impressed as I was with their organization, please follow this special https://donate.givepower.org/suncastmedia (Suncast Giving Tuesday donately link) and donate $20, which provides clean water for one person for 20 years! As a special bonus, every donation will contribute t

Today’s Thanksgiving Episode features Youness Scally, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the non-profit, Everybody Solar. Over the past ten years, they’ve developed systems to aid other nonprofits and charitable organizations in installing their on solar projects, and he did it all as a side-project! Hear what it’s like to tackle the details of solar installation from the nonprofit perspective, how many “no’s” he got before he found a “yes”, how they get a job done now, the ups and downs of fundraising and the big picture they always try to keep in focus. I’m continually inspired by my guests and Youness is no exception. He balances his own CPA practice while running Everybody Solar with both humility and focus, empowered by a dynamic and diverse team of board members and a world-changing list of projects. You’ll love this episode and if, like me, you’re compelled to support one of their projects, head over https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/419 (to our blog) for more details and links. https://mysu

FRIDAY BONUS EPISODE.  Today’s episode is EXTRAORDINARY and is not limited to energy professionals.  It’s about storytelling, and I bring it to you, solar warrior, because I love this industry and I want to inspire each one of you to tell your unique story to the world.  You give me hope. Your hard-earned skills, aspirations, drive and creativity are making this industry a permanent fixture in the Energy Transition, not just a passing fad.  Sure, you’re an expert.  That’s why you’re here.  But I hate to break it to you, no one cares about your expertise.  They care about YOU, and why you choose to do this.  So listen hard, because this episode is a little like therapy.  Rain and I work on bringing out the story in every human, the unique intersection of your past and your present, and the boldness to say it outloud, maybe on your website, maybe even on the stage.  This is beyond branding.   This is how you get to your Story.  -- There's a lot we dig

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.  His knowledge on the subject is deep enough and his perspective unique enough that he even wrote a book on the subject.  From author, (check out his biography of Eulla Hall called Mud Creek Medecine) 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.     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

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”.   https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/416 (On the blog) I link to his Ted Talk and the book pre-release. But also, be sure you’re subscribed to the podcast so you don’t miss the Full conversation with Rain coming this Friday.  

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 talk 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 e

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

Nathan Jovanelly believes everyone should have the right to purchase clean energy. In today's discussion, 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 Solar. As is often the case, good relationships and excellent work reputation 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 the key advantages Nate and IGS had over the competition when launching this fast growing division? Cash and a tax appetite. Nate goes into how & why, but you'll need to click "Play" to digest it all. We also talk about some of the strategies they used to become efficient experts in these markets, and about creating financing options for those that otherwise wouldn't have access to solar. Along the way, they've innovated in tech interfaces that the custom

In Today's Tactical Tuesday we spend 15 minutes diving into the reality of deregulated markets with of Jesson Bradshaw of Energy Ogre. Most of us in the US do not have choice when it come to who powers our homes. But in Texas, and a several other "choice markets" (deregulated energy markets), energy is as competitive as telecom services. Much like the airline industry and natural gas, deregulation can bring lower prices to the consumer. But there's still no Priceline.com for powering your home. The information is still hard for the consumer to understand and therefore, hard for them to make well informed choices. Energy Ogre aims to educate the consumer so they can, in fact, choose an energy plan that it is in their best interested. Jesson talks about how "light handed" regulation states like Texas helps lower the barrier of entry to new ideas, projects and companies. Not only does that mean a chance to offer a revolutionary service or product to the community, but when it's done right, it can also yield bi