SunCast

Jeff Ressler explained how he learned to leverage data and software to improve customers' lives in SunCast Episode 221 . He returns for today's Tactical Tuesday to tell us how his company's cloud software services are powering the energy transformation. Jeff is the CEO of Clean Power Research , which provides cloud solutions for utility workflow automation, customer engagement and solar data servi...

It's no surprise that Sandhya Ganapathy describes herself as a passionate proponent of clean energy. Sandhya is the CEO of EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA) and a member of the Management Team of EDP Renewables (EDPR). EDPR is a global leader in renewable energy and the world's fourth-largest wind energy producer. Working there, Sandhya said, is a chance to constantly uncover new ways to put...

The American-Made program is your fast track to the clean energy revolution. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, it incentivizes innovation through prizes, training, teaming, and mentoring, connecting the nation’s entrepreneurs and innovators to America’s national labs and the private sector. The prize, now in its 6th round, recently awarded the 5th round of innovators with millions of dollar...

SMA has been a cornerstone of renewables for nearly four decades. While their counterparts, like Tesla, didn’t have solar divisions until much more recently, SMA has gradually built one of the largest install-bases of solar customers in the world. With all those installs come hundreds of thousands of satisfied homeowners, many of whom are now eager to embrace the future of the electrified home. Ho...

Many of you have heard one of my close friends & repeat podcast guest, Mike Silvestrini, on how he “and his team” grew Greenskies to be the largest C&I Player in the US (then successfully sold it to Goldman.) However, the story yet-told is the other half of that team , the guy down in the dirt actually drumming up all those sales to iconic companies like Wal-Mart and Target Corporation…Mr....

Today’s guest is a veritable expert on solar and climate change, and has recently served as a lead author for the IPCC’s 6th assessment report. He made his name a few years ago in the energy sector writing a book which explains how we got to the level of low-cost solar we presently enjoy - what was the combination of entrepreneurial effort, technology, and policy that got us here?  Further, h...

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 . Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we shoul...

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 . Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that...

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 . Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that...

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 . Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that...

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...

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-le...

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"...

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 foundatio...

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...

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...

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...

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.&n...

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 o...

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 he...

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 Di...

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 ene...

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 portf...

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 energ...

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. ...