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Many of you have probably listened to today's guests Joe Tassone Jr. from episodes 232 where we told his journey from the telecom industry to solar. He was also in episode 341 helping us give an overview of the clean energy industry. Joe is an experienced industry executive with access to the frontline conversations about what's happening in the world of project development. We brought Joe back to discuss what is happening in the world of solar project development in the United States, get his sense of how that front line is evolving, and learn about how his business ABOVEgrid is evolving so you can learn from his expertise. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links, and more than 360 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https://www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/369 (Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here) You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email

Today’s guest is Martin DeBono, and he is by no means a stranger to distributed energy and high growth working in the startup industry. However, he didn't cut his teeth in solar energy. In fact, he has had a bit of an unorthodox entry into alternative energy. We talked about this especially in his first episode about a year ago where he mentioned being a decorated officer on a nuclear submarine in the US Navy. He has led sales and marketing for companies you'd recognize such as Cisco, Siebel, Insightful, and Pure Networks. He even headed SunPower's residential North American business and global commercial business before taking on the role he currently has as President of GAF Energy. We're going to get into how the new GAF Energy product rollout is going and what it means for the residential market looking forward. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links, and more than 360 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https

On April 21st, the team of 17TeraWatts hosted a panel with a group of communication experts to answer the question, “How do we effectively communicate the severity of climate change and the solutions in a way that compels people to also take action?”. During the conversation moderated by a previous SunCast guest, Scott Nguyen from 17TeraWatts, we spoke to Susannah Bradley, Director of Emerging Audiences at SunCommon, Brooke Betts, VP US Climate Campaign at Rare, and Carter Lavin, the Director at California Solar & Storage Association. Together, we explored the growing nuances in climate change messaging, the innovative programs with real-world successes, and new approaches YOU can try in your business or community. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 360 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https://www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/367 (Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this epis

Today’s guest is Russell Schmit, a successful executive with extensive experience in energy‑related manufacturing, service, and consulting companies ranging from start‑ups to Fortune 100 corporations. At Sage Energy Consulting, he leads the growth initiatives for the company, works on selected projects that leverage his specialized experience, and guides internal operations to achieve high levels of client satisfaction. Beginning with his early-career work leading solar photovoltaic technology programs at the global semiconductor firms Motorola and Texas Instruments, and followed by entrepreneurial roles at manufacturing firms in the United States and Europe, Rusty has proven his skills building high-growth businesses based on energy technologies. He has led international technical and business teams to develop new, innovative products and has developed strong client relationships around the world. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and

Welcome to another Tactical Tuesday, a short-form conversation with subject-matter experts designed to give you practical tools, tips, and advice for building your solar business or career. Today we’re digging into the idea of intellectual property, patents, and other ways to protect your business and assets, and the guest in charge of explaining this process is Russ Krajec. How patents protect you (or not), and what should you do about it? Stay tuned to find out! Russ Krajec is an author, inventor, angel investor, podcast host, and patent attorney. After a 13 year career as an engineer, Russ switched to patent law to “reverse engineer” the patent system to create good patents. 20 years later, he has seen the deep, dark underbelly of the patent system. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 360 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https://www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/365 (Gain access to all th

If you're tuning in for the first time, you're tuning in to a second-part episode of my conversation with a friend and industry colleague and leader mentor, Robb Jetty. I encourage you to check out part one of this inspiring conversation with Robb to capture more of the backstory, his origin of how he made his way into solar, and the role he has now with DSD Renewables. Today, we're gonna dig into the second half of the conversation more about what inspires him, how he made the eventual pivots, how DSD is differentiating itself in the marketplace and why Robb has decided to take this commanding role. If you are at all curious about the career of a true Maverick, a true apprentice who has found his way to a master in operations of the solar construction industry, you've come to the right place. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 360 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https://www.mysuncast.com/s

Happy Earth Day! I'm excited about all the wonderful events and activities that are going on today on Earth Day as we celebrate another year of work towards taking massive climate action. Today we are going to learn a lot about how the solar industry has evolved. The protagonist of the story is one of the guys I've watched grow in his career for more than 15 years. Robb Jetty and I have seen each other in the industry, and today we're going to dive into how he arrived at the company that he helped launch spin out of GE. If you are a longtime listener, you'll recognize the name of the company Robb works for: Distributed Solar Development, mainly because we just had Meghan Gainer on not too long ago. I hope that you are ready to learn all about how a career is built around execution and curiosity, because that is Robb’s story. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 360 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.c

This is Tactical Tuesday, a short-form conversation with subject matter experts designed to give you the practical tools, tips and advice for building your solar business or career. Today, we're gonna be chatting with the two people who run a program I didn’t even know existed until January, Stanford's Lawyers for Sustainable Economy (LSE) Initiative, managed by Molly Melius, the Director of LS, and Jesse Lazarus, Senior Associate of LS, and a second-year law student. The Lawyers for a Sustainable Economy Initiative, or the LSE initiative for short, is a law firm-led and Stanford-supported initiative that provides free legal assistance to sustainability focused entrepreneurs and nonprofits. And in particular, the initiative aims to support promising green entrepreneurs and nonprofits who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford legal services. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 360 other founder stories and startup advice at 

Today's guest is a change maker named “The Green Mark Zuckerberg” by France TV's. I’m referring to Ingmar Rentzhog, The CEO and Founder of We Don't Have Time, the world's largest social network for climate action. We'll hear more about what that means and how the idea was formed. By teaming up with Twitter and the U.N We Don't Have Time is reaching millions around the globe. Ingmar will share how you can invest in We Don't Have Time and be a part of solving the climate crisis and getting good returns on your investment. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 360 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https://www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/361 (Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here) You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email Thanks a ton to our podcast sponsor for continuing to help make this content FREE to You! Please check them out and le

Today’s guest is someone who I've been working with and who several of your colleagues have been working with behind the scenes to help clarify thoughts, especially around the topic of growth. Today's topic is specifically focused on whether or not you are ready for growth. Do you know what it looks like? Are you prepared for the way that you need to orient your team, your vision, and your mission? We’re talking about Robert W. Cross, the Founder & CEO of Cross Consulting Services. He helps cleantech and renewable energy CEOs address challenges in their business model so they may scale. His professional background includes experience in finance, economic development, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean technologies. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 350 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https://www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/360 (Gain access to all the show notes & resources fr

Have you ever wondered why your cell phone gets hot when it's charging? Few folks realize the electromagnetism that's picked up as dirty electricity and moves through the circuit, making the charging process less efficient, and it not only increases your phone's heat, but your energy bills, and it shortens the life of all of the devices and appliances around us. Well, today’s interview is with my friend B.D. Erickson who knows a thing or two about how to address that issue. His company, Satic USA has been building clean electricity products to address this issue since 2008. And more and more solar installers are beginning to install Satic products alongside their inverters to ensure a clean operating system inside your home. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 350 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https://www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/359 (Gain access to all the show notes & resources from

What you are about to hear is content from our Career Summit, a fantastic series of conversations all about not only how to find your dream job, the perfect opportunity to transition into clean energy as a career but also how as an industry we can improve the concepts of hiring with justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. Today you will hear from clean energy executives Matt Hankey and Michael Healy as they’re taking the charge in ensuring their organization and the industry as a whole represents a diverse and inclusive workforce. How are we approaching hiring and access to opportunities in one of the biggest job-creating industries in America? Related to the conversation that we're having today is our Dream Job Coaching Program, which we call Mission-Minded. You can learn more about that at events.mysuncast.com/dreamjob. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 350 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.co

Thank you so much for lending me your ears and the only non-renewable resource that you have: your time! Today's entrepreneur is my friend Scott Nguyen, CEO of 17 TeraWatts. If you are in the broader energy business and you’re looking for an opportunity to get into climate tech and clean energy, you might want to take a listen for today's episode. Scott has 15 years of energy industry experience, 18 USPTO patents, and a Ph.D. in Physics from Harvard University. He is now working on specific technology to solve problems for the homeowners and residential solar space. We're going to talk a bit more about that and how Scott found his way into that area of expertise. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 350 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https://www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/357 (Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here) You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on

What you are about to hear is content from our Career Summit, a fantastic series of conversations all about not only how to find your dream job, the perfect opportunity to transition into clean energy as a career but also how as an industry we can improve the concepts of hiring with justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. Do you get nervous when you have to engage in conversations to negotiate your salary? You’re not alone. In today’s episode, we have Karima Ladhani, Suparna Kadam, Tara Doyle, and Glenda Johnson sharing and discussing experiences of asking and getting their value in the workplace. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 350 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https://www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/356 (Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here) You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email Thanks a ton to our podcast sponsor f

Michael Parr is the Executive Director of the Ultra Low Carbon Solar Alliance, a coalition of global solar companies using market forces to decarbonize the solar supply chain, making clean energy even cleaner. Following a 30 year career with DuPont Michael established The Parr Policy Group in 2015 to provide policy and political consulting services to businesses, with an emphasis on sustainability. For almost 20 years Michael lead DuPont’s federal government affairs efforts on the environment, energy, technology, manufacturing and sustainability-related topics, engaging with Congress, the White House, Administrative agencies and private sector stakeholders. He has successfully created advocacy coalitions to achieve major legislative changes related to chemicals regulation (TSCA), renewable energy and natural gas, tax policy for sustainable manufacturing, R&D and STEM education. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 350 other

As we celebrate the impact of women in our culture, the way that women increasingly are being recognized as better leaders as better and more empathic executives in businesses, it's been a real privilege and honor to be able to have some of my friends and folks that inspire me on the show. This week on SunCast, as we wrap up Women's History Month, I am so excited to be able to bring to you a fearless leader. Today's entrepreneur is someone that I genuinely appreciate in the world and in the solar industry. Andrea Luecke is an entrepreneurial leader with a diverse international background. Over the course of a decade, she took an organization you may be familiar with, The Solar Foundation, from idea to globally renowned organization that's responsible for some of the industry's most trusted and valuable research and education. As a means for creating more efficiencies and impact, Andrea led The Solar Foundation through a strategic merger with the Interstate Renewable Energy Council and made a voluntary commi

What you are about to hear is content from our Career Summit, a fantastic series of conversations all about not only how to find your dream job, the perfect opportunity to transition into clean energy as a career but also how as an industry we can improve the concepts of hiring with justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. What do you need to start implementing a D&I Strategy in your organization? Should you be focusing on the talent management side? Join our fireside chat with the President and Founder of Black Women in Science and Engineering (BWISE), Erika Jefferson as we discuss the first steps when looking at your organization's D&I efforts. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 350 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https://www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/353 (Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here) You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedI

Thank you so much for lending me your ears and the only non-renewable resource that you've got: your time. Today's guest, Anna Siefken has spent her career making the business case for energy efficiency, cleantech innovation, and building performance as a means to address the world’s energy challenges and the global urgency of climate change. She is the inaugural Executive Director of The Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University. http://www.cmu.edu/energy (www.cmu.edu/energy). Through programming, targeted outreach, and partnerships, she guides the Institute’s efforts to optimize energy resources, reduce the environmental impacts of energy production and use, and develop breakthrough technologies that will have meaningful impact and accelerate the transition to a sustainable, low carbon energy future. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 350 other founder stories and startup advice at ww

What you are about to hear is content from our Career Summit, a fantastic series of conversations all about not only how to find your dream job, the perfect opportunity to transition into clean energy as a career but also how as an industry we can improve the concepts of hiring with justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. How are managers creating a diverse and inclusive work environment? You’re going to hear from a panel of hiring professionals and D&I experts as they dispense practical advice, best practices, and processes to efficiently implement D&I strategies to your hiring procedures. You’ll hear Catherine McLean, Paige Rutten, Melanie Santiago-Mosier, and Lindsay Reichert as they describe the D&I initiatives implemented by some of the most leading companies in the clean energy sector, their importance, and strategies to attract a more diverse workforce. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 350 other founder storie

Today's guest is our friend Heidi Lim of Opus 12. While I hope that we can do more on Opus 12, we actually don't talk a ton about Opus 12. Today we talk about her process of finding what she calls a “career on purpose and meaning”. Opus 12 happens to be now the vessel through which she pours that energy. I'm excited to bring that conversation to you, so I encourage you not just to listen in to this conversation, but also to go take the time to read the tome that she created, which was the genesis of this episode and this interview. I found Heidi by reading on my own around what is it like to get a job in the clean energy space and trying to really understand the journey that you all are on, and nobody that I've read in the last year has put it more succinctly and more action-oriented than Heidi. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 350 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https://www.mysuncast.com