Suncast

Start each day with the Daily Roundup as we bring you the trends and conversations unfolding in Anaheim at the RE+ 2022 conference formerly known as SPI.If you are in Anaheim, visit us at the PowerUp Media Zone, booth 438.You can also watch the show stream live from suncast.live.If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to his contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 730 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-71

We are in Anaheim!Start each day with the Daily Roundup as we bring you the trends and conversations unfolding in Anaheim at the RE+ 2022 conference formerly known as SPI.If you are in Anaheim, visit us at the PowerUp Media Zone, booth 438.You can also watch the show stream live from suncast.live.If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to his contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 730 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-conten

We are in Anaheim!Start each day with the Daily Roundup as we bring you the trends and conversations unfolding in Anaheim at the RE+ 2022 conference formerly known as SPI.If you are in Anaheim, visit us at the PowerUp Media Zone, booth 438.You can also watch the show stream live from suncast.live.If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to his contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 730 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-conten

We are in Anaheim!Start each day with the Daily Roundup as we bring you the trends and conversations unfolding in Anaheim at the RE+ 2022 conference formerly known as SPI.If you are in Anaheim, visit us at the PowerUp Media Zone, booth 438.You can also watch the show stream live from suncast.live.If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to his contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 730 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-conten

Today's entrepreneur is no stranger to the solar startup world. He was part of the early merger and acquisition activity that ultimately became the juggernaut we all remember as SunEdison. That, alone, would be worth the listen, but wait, there’s more.Mark Culpepper has a brilliant mind and a fascinating story about transitioning from tech to the solar world. Like many of us, he became interested when he started looking at solar for his home. And through that decision, he landed in an advantageous position to watch the solar industry's explosive growth.Mark is now general manager of solar solutions for DroneBase, the company that acquired his latest venture, and is the leader in intelligent aerial imaging and data analytics for the entire lifecycle of renewable energy assets. Mark already did a deep-dive Tactical Tuesday with us on how DroneBase uses drones and human-crewed aircraft to capture thermal imaging of solar energy systems and turn that into actionable data in Episode 433 back in Jan

I fondly remember circa 2018 (when I first debuted the Know before you go episode) I was barely at Episode 112, and I interviewed Andy Klump for the first time in my hotel room at the Hilton Anaheim!  Here we are 4 yrs and >400 episodes later, and this Pre-conference episode feels as important as ever!Each year, I try to curate the collective wisdom of 5 of my favorite industry thought-leaders (who somehow carve out time before the show to spend 10min with me) and deliver it to you as a sampling of the how/when/why/where and what to do leading up to, during and AFTER the show!In today’s episode:Danielle Danko, Sr. Director of Marketing for RE+ speaks to the Rebrand (what, it’s not SPI??) and all the fun festivities they have in store for you (yes, they rented out the entire Angels stadium y’all!) Tom Weirich, Head of Marketing for EDPR North America, shares his Top 10 tips for getting a positive ROI out of a tradeshow when you’re sending a teamMichelle Davis & Sylvia Leyva-Martinez

Australian legend David Scaysbrook has nearly 30 years of experience in energy and renewable infrastructure. He and his partner, Rory Quinlan, co-founded Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners Group — one of the industry's most lauded and recognizable renewable energy fund and development platforms. Headquartered in London with offices on three continents, Quinbrook is an ESG-focused, "value add" investment manager focused on low carbon and renewable energy supply, storage, grid stability and related assets and businesses. And they’ve amassed one of the brightest teams and stellar track records in the marketplace, of that nobody can object. Heck, they’re building THE largest solar+battery storage project in the world!As fund managers, David and Rory have led investment teams and portfolio companies that have invested more than $2.5 billion in upward of 200 low carbon, renewable, storage and grid support projects covering a broad spectrum of technologies since the 1990s.Today's wide-ranging conversa

Solar projects are growing exponentially — and while that's positive by almost any metric, it comes with complications. Take site selection for instance. We're running out of the easy, flat terrain in the deserts and abundant farm fields so prevalent a decade ago. Solar developers are reevaluating rocky, hilly terrain as prices rise on the remaining prime parcels. This is where the foundation conversation meets the ground, as it were. Selecting the proper ground-mount foundation will minimize delays, lower costs, and maximize returns on your solar project. But I find that far more often than I suspected, buyers and engineering departments in development shops are unsure, apart from the obvious very rocky sites, exactly when it is both cost effective and site-appropriate to use ground screws over driven-pier (pile) foundations. Pile foundations are the traditional option. But our guest today suggests ground screws may offer particular advantages. Mike Faraone is director of engineering at Terrasmart,

Spencer Oberan — aka "a solar guy" — and Pat Bennett — "a tech guy" — discovered cumbersome and disjointed processes were slowing the growth of solar businesses.In 2018, he and Pat decided to solve the problem by creating Enerflo, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform purpose-built for the solar industry. The Huntington Beach, California-based company promises solar installers and sales dealers "a seamless experience start to finish." By automating tasks and bringing everything together in a cohesive sales and installation platform, Spencer said Enerflo helps people work smarter, faster and more efficiently. Enerflo also fuels Spencer's passion for supporting the positive changes solar brings to families and the environment.Spencer shared Enerflo's success with us in Suncast Episode 470. He's back today to share more about his journey as a serial entrepreneur — from selling candy door-to-door with his sister as a kid to deciding to "make a difference" as an adult."Having money is a bypr

Omnidian co-founders Mark Liffmann and Brad Davis share the stage in this final episode of our six-part Beyond O&M: The Future of Solar series. Mark and Brad, CEO and CMO, respectively, define how solar businesses can maximize growth by delivering custom-centric experiences that align with their company cultures even as they scale. A 15-year solar industry veteran, Mark co-founded SunPower's residential and light commercial business and developed a $500 million global enterprise. He previously held executive leadership positions atClean Power Research, enerG2 and Solar Depot (Soligent). Brad held executive leadership positions for national brands in retail, financial services, and renewable energy, successfully launching new markets worldwide. In addition to a long tenure at retail giant Target, he was CMO at Washington Mutual which became JP Morgan Chase, SunPower and Opus Bank.They believe the most successful solar businesses of the future will share one thing in common: a commitment to e

In the fifth episode of our six-part Beyond O&M: The Future of Solar series, we examine the scalability of service teams from the perspective of two women well respected in the solar industry. Our guests, Angela Burke and Julie King, are experienced leaders who built installation, customer service, and operations and maintenance teams from scratch. One thing we’ve continually heard throughout this series is that as you seek to scale outside your home service territory, one of the true bottlenecks and critical path pain points for growing your solar business comes in the form of maintenance of the already-installed fleet. Increasingly, installers & developers are seeking a reliable service partner or network they can tap into so they can focus on what they do best.Angela was a long-serving core team member at Namaste Solar before joining Pivot Energy to help build its service operations. She now directs Pivot's operations and management (O&M). During her time at the two Colorado-based Certified B C

Everett Brewer is CEO of storage company Storz Power and COO of the solar project matching platform WattHub. He’s a serial entrepreneur who caught my attention lately as an example of someone who manages to have a modicum of balance amidst what is truly a chaotic high-growth time in our industry, despite running not one but TWO successful businesses and balancing the demands of a growing family. From running a crew of 3,300 people at age 21 to dominating the door-to-door alarm business, his remarkable solar journey has seen him navigate successful stints at SunEdison and Evolve Solar before developing nano-printed lithium for OEM applications. His two companies: Lehi, Utah-based Storz Power has experienced large multiples of growth year-over-year, and Watthub has developed and supported the deployment of more than $1.2 billion in projects. Recently, Energy Tech Review named Storz Power a top energy storage provider in 2021 and featured Everett on the cover of its December issue. Curi

Since 2018, Milwaukee-based Sun Badger Solar has evolved into a full-service solar installer offering what customers describe as a "perfect blend of performance, quality, and return on investment." Co-founder and President Trevor Sumner said the company's success results from a partnership with Seattle-based Omnidian, which handles its post-installation services. In this fourth episode of our Beyond O&M: The Future of Solar series, Trevor explains how Sun Badger leveraged its relationship with Omnidian to grow the company from four employees to 112 in five years.Sun Badger provides solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and "the best customer experience," including education, design, and application for state and federal rebates to commercial and residential customers in Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Omnidian enables it to offer proactive customer service.We've already heard some great messages in the first three episodes of The Future of Solar, including Omnidian Chief Operating Office

In this third episode of our Beyond O&M: The Future of Solar series, Kevin Schulte of Greenspark Energy shares his insights about keeping the customer first and building a culture that values the climate of the planet and the workplace equally. You’ll hear from this field-tested veteran how to build trusted partnerships, and how it’s quite often your ability to trust those partnerships that help you scale while keeping your promises.GreenSpark has grown to the largest residential, community and commercial solar provider in Rochester, Central and Western New York through a commitment to people and the planet. For CEO Kevin Schulte, providing an excellent customer experience is essential to the company's mission to be a force for good. Established in 2002 as Sustainable Energy Developments, Kevin and co-founders George McConochie and Ernie Pritchard credit GreenSpark's partnerships and commitment to the tenets that underlie its Benefit Corporation status for its steady growth. Learn more and follo

Today we explore energy management and the customer-focused opportunities it creates to monitor, control and conserve energy. We'll examine the topic through the lens of CPower Energy Management — better known as CPower, a leading provider of commercial and industrial demand-side energy management programs.CPower is one of the most recognized load management companies servicing clients in the Distributed Energy Resources (DER) market. DER has been defined by many entities (including way back in 2002 by NREL!), but I prefer the SEPA definition circa 2017:  DERs are physical and virtual assets that are deployed across the distribution grid, typically close to load, and usually behind the meter, which can be used individually or in aggregate to provide value to the grid, individual customers, or both.If you’re totally unfamiliar, you’re in good hands, just sit back and enjoy today's conversation with Mathew Sachs, senior vice president of strategic planning and business development at CPower.Math

Distributed Solar Development (DSD) has grown from a stand-alone offshoot of a multinational conglomerate to a powerhouse in its own right. In the second episode of our Beyond O&M: The Future of Solar series, DSD Asset Management Director Chris Larkin explains how DSD serves as a "one-stop shop" for large-scale, custom solar PV and energy storage solutions.DSD provides customized solar PV energy and energy storage solutions — from analysis through design and finance to commercial operation — to commercial and industrial customers looking for a hedge against increasing energy costs and kilowatt-hour demand. You can learn more about their story in SunCast podcasts 338, 363 and 364.Beyond O&M: The Future of Solar is a six-part series we present to you in partnership with Omnidian. Omnidian's mission is to protect and accelerate investments in clean energy through innovative technology, passionate teams, and an amazing customer experience. It’s industry-leading service optimizes solar asset performan

Dave Kenny, co-founder and chief operating officer of Omnidian, has spent more than 15 years building solar plants and the teams and software to keep them running. In this first episode of our Beyond O&M: The Future of Solar series, Dave discusses the evolution of solar as an asset class through his deep experience in building operations and fleet management for both utility-scale solar portfolios and national residential solar leaders such as SunRun. Dave is passionate about delivering retail-inspired excellence in customer experience (CX) to solar customers. In our conversation, he presents compelling data that underscores the need for a more robust, customer-centric experience. He also illuminates how enterprising entrepreneurs can leverage data and the evolving Internet of Things (IoT) to deliver on customer-centric experience at scale. Learn more and follow along as we unwrap this six-part series in partnership with Omnidian. You can check out the series and the experts who comprise it at:

This isn't a typical SunCast podcast episode. Today, I'm sharing my interview done by the inimitable Lee Krevat on his podcast, The Climate Champions.I became acquainted with Lee through the pandemic, and have truly come to deeply appreciate his perspective and insight into the energy transition. He’s an entrepreneur, leader, investor and speaker who has had a front-row seat to the way the energy grid is evolving. Lee is a Carnegie-Mellon grad with more than three decades of experience in the energy and technology industries. Now, he helps clean technology start-ups, utilities, regulators, legislatures, and environmentally-focused companies and communities bring clean energy and clean transportation solutions to market.It was an honor to sit down with him to reflect on the meaning of the work we do at SunCast and why I do the work that I do. I love his format. And more than that, I love Lee's candor as he explores leadership in the fight to mitigate climate change.After nearly 16 years in the solar

For nearly three decades, Andy Tang has led business development, strategic planning, corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions for some of the most influential players in the energy and telecom sectors. From modernizing the electric grid with smart meters to replacing aging grids with energy storage and microgrids, Andy stands at the bleeding edge of the digital energy frontier. As vice president of energy storage and optimization for Wärtsilä's global Energy Business, he works directly with utilities and power producers to accelerate the shift toward a 100% renewable energy future. His position at Wärtsilä evolved from a role he began in 2014 at Greensmith Energy, a provider of energy storage software and integration services. Helsinki, Finland-based Wärtsilä acquired Greensmith in 2014, greenlighting Andy into a new role with full responsibility for Wärtsilä's energy storage business. In the past year, Andy has led massive growth in the Energy Business, increasing order

Did you know that clean energy hardware startups can benefit from millions of dollars in testing at world-class labs?Today's expert industry guide, Tenley Dalstrom, will explain everything you need to know. But don’t queue it up and forget… the next deadline is August 19th!As Director of the California Testbed Initiative (CalTestBed) at New Energy Nexus, Tenley works with all types of clean energy technologies and helps innovators and entrepreneurs bring clean energy concepts to market. CalTestBed provides $8.8 million in testing vouchers to California clean energy entrepreneurs for third-party technology testing at more than 70 facilities across nine University of California campuses and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (aka Berkley Lab) near UC Berkeley. In addition to CalTestBed, Tenley explains the American-Made Solar Prize, a multi-million-dollar U.S. Dept. of Energy competition to energize U.S. solar manufacturing for which she’s served as an advisor over the past few