Solar Maverick Podcast

In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan speaks with Noelle Paige, Vice President of Project Development at Aspen Power. Noelle shares her journey from classical ballet and public administration into renewable energy, including her work at Cypress Creek Renewables, Sol Systems, Summit Ridge Energy, Onyx Renewables, and now Aspen Power. She discusses what it takes to lead projec...

Episode Summary: In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan speaks with Eric Ries, bestselling author of The Lean Startup, about his new book, Incorruptible. Eric explains why successful companies often lose their mission as they grow, take on outside capital, and face pressure to prioritize short-term shareholder returns over long-term value. He explores how founders can protect...

Episode Summary: In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy speaks with Bill Taylor, CEO and owner of DCE Solar, about his 17-year journey building one of the solar industry's most resilient racking and construction companies. Bill shares how DCE Solar grew from a racking supplier into a group of businesses spanning racking systems, construction services, engineering and design, carports...

The League Episode #50 – Show Notes In this episode of The League, Benoy Thanjan and David Magid break down the latest clean energy trends. They discuss litigation surrounding alleged battery leaks in Suffolk County, the revocation of a permit for a major Ohio solar project, and the growing regulatory risks confronting developers. They also explore why data centers, warehouses, and other large ene...

Episode Summary: In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy speaks with Inigo, co-founder and CEO of Concentro and founder of Folio, about how AI is helping streamline clean energy project finance. Inigo shares the story behind Concentro and how tax credit transferability created new opportunities in the market.  The conversation focuses on Folio, an AI-powered platform created by Concen...

In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan speaks with Russell Laplante, Chief Financial Officer of Convergent Energy and Power, one of the leading battery storage developers and operators in the United States. Russ shares his nearly two-decade journey in renewable energy from his Goldman Sachs training program to becoming the first employee at wind startup Own Energy in 2007, th...

Episode Summary: In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan speaks with members of the Solar Sisters about their organization, their partnership with Let’s Share the Sun Foundation, and their recent delegation to Puerto Rico around International Women’s Day. The conversation features Abby Hopper, Noelle Paige, Yejdie Olutosin, Addie Momyer, and Erin Greeson, who share how the Sol...

Episode Summary In this special episode of Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan sits down with Russell Laplante, Flavia Cabral, and Stephen Jordan to reflect on the November 2025 Puerto Rico delegation with Let’s Share the Sun. The group reflects on their time in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, where they helped install solar and storage systems, spent time with beneficiary families, and saw firsthand why...

Episode Summary In this episode, Benoy Thanjan sits down with Victoria Stulgis, President of Black Bear Energy, to explore one of the most underrated opportunities in the solar industry: commercial real estate. Black Bear Energy acts as an owner’s representative for institutional property owners, helping them deploy on-site solar and battery storage across their portfolios at scale. Victoria discu...

The League Episode #49 – Show Notes In this episode of The League, Benoy Thanjan and David Magid break down the latest clean energy trends. Benoy discusses why policy certainty matters for solar and storage, how clean energy tax credits impact project economics, and why commercial real estate owners are increasingly treating behind-the-meter solar as a profit center. David covers solar module cost...

Episode Summary: In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan speaks with Kellie MacPherson, Executive Vice President of Compliance and Security at Radian Generation and a board member of the Solar Energy Industries Association. Kellie is one of the leading experts in NERC compliance and cybersecurity for renewable energy assets. In this timely conversation, she explains why the Ma...

In this special live episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, host Benoy Thanjan moderates a panel discussion from the MSSIA(“Mid-Atlantic Solar and Storage Industries Association”) Solar and Storage Conference focused on one of the most important topics in renewable energy today: how AI is accelerating solar development, asset management, and O&M.  The panel explores how AI is both creating new...

The League Episode #49 – Show Notes David Magid and Benoy Thanjan break down major clean energy market updates, including New York’s ASAP Act, rising MISO interconnection costs, Virginia’s storage and shared solar expansion, and Freedom Forever’s bankruptcy.    Host Bio: Benoy Thanjan Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, solar developer and consulting firm, and a strategic advisor...

Episode Summary: In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan sits down with Marek Kubik, energy storage expert and former Fluence founder, to break down the rapid evolution of battery storage and its critical role in the energy transition. Marek shares insights from nearly two decades in the industry, explaining how declining costs, technological advancements, and new use cases ar...

The League Episode #48 – Show Notes Solar is scaling at a record pace in the U.S., but grid infrastructure, policy decisions, and permitting challenges are becoming the biggest bottlenecks. From interconnection costs in New York to stalled community solar in California and rising data center demand, the gap between generation and infrastructure is widening.   Host Bio: Benoy Thanjan Benoy Thanjan...

Episode Summary: In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan speaks with Zainab Gilani and Diana Rasner from the Cleantech Group to break down the biggest trends shaping the energy transition in 2026. From AI-driven energy demand and data centers to shifting investor sentiment and evolving policy dynamics, this conversation dives deep into where cleantech capital is flowing and wh...

Episode Summary: In this episode, Benoy Thanjan speaks with Julia Wu and Anuj Saigal from Spark AI and Patrick Chandler from Standard Solar about how artificial intelligence is transforming solar project development, diligence, and acquisition. They explore how AI powered tools are enabling developers and asset owners to move significantly faster, reduce manual work, and improve decision making. T...

The League Episode #46 – Show Notes Benoy Thanjan and David Magid break down major shifts reshaping the energy market, from Brookfield’s $6.5 billion acquisition of Boralex to NextEra’s massive 10 gigawatt natural gas buildout driven by data center demand. They also discuss the surprising $1 billion payment for TotalEnergies to exit offshore wind and what it signals about changing U.S. energy poli...

Episode Summary: In this episode, Benoy Thanjan sits down with Dorian Hunt from Leo Berwick to break down the Foreign Entity of Concern(“FEOC”) rules and what the February 2026 guidance means for solar and storage projects. They unpack how FEOC is reshaping supply chains, tax credits, and project finance, and why uncertainty is currently the biggest risk to development.   Biographies Benoy Thanjan...

The League Episode #45 – Show Notes In this episode of The League, Benoy Thanjan and David Magid break down how rising geopolitical tensions are driving energy security concerns and accelerating investment in solar and storage. They share insights from Puerto Rico Energy Week, where grid instability is pushing rapid adoption of microgrids, distributed solar, and battery storage. Benoy also highlig...

Episode Summary: In this episode, Benoy Thanjan sits down with Nobel Chang, Co-Founder & CEO of Palladium Energy, to discuss how AI is transforming solar and infrastructure development. Nobel shares how Palladium built Scout IQ, an AI-driven development engine that has enabled a 3-person team to originate 2.7 GW of projects and dramatically compressing timelines, reducing costs, and redefining...

Episode Summary: In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan speaks with Peter Pongratz, host of the Soliverse Podcast, about the current state of the European solar market and how it compares with the U.S. Peter shares insights on the slowdown in European solar installations, the growing importance of battery storage, curtailment, negative pricing, permitting delays, and the need...

In episode 44 of The League, in this episode, Benoy Thanjan (Solar Maverick) and David Magid discuss the growing role of fuel cells powering AI data centers, including how companies like Bloom Energy are enabling on-site, reliable electricity using existing gas infrastructure. They also cover the U.S. Department of Energy’s $26 billion loan program supporting major energy infrastructure projects,...

Episode Summary: In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan sits down with Hervé Billet, CEO and co-founder of Sunvoy, the first white-label customer portal and fleet management app built by solar installers for solar installers. Hervé shares his entrepreneurial journey, from helping design Belgium’s first solar car to building and selling a solar installation company in the U.S....

The League Episode #43 – Show Notes In episode 43 of The League, Treasury has released initial guidance on Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) rules, reshaping tax credit eligibility, supply chains, and project financing across the clean energy industry. In this episode, Benoy Thanjan and David Magid break down what the guidance means for developers, investors, and manufacturers and provide a deep di...