Today on the Clean Power Hour, recorded at Intersolar San Diego, host Tim Montague sits down with McKay Johnson of Helix Electric and Kelly Shamblen of CPS America to discuss the current state of the commercial and industrial solar market. Despite the industry's unpredictable nature—often called the "solar coaster"—both guests express optimism about continued growth in the clean energy transition. McKay Johnson highlights how permitting challenges in Southern California create obstacles for proj...
Apr 16, 2025•9 min
Today on the Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague sits down with Carlos Abad, the newly appointed head of Latin American markets for CPS America. Recorded at Intersolar San Diego, this conversation offers insights into the growing solar and energy storage markets across Latin America, with a particular focus on Mexico's promising 7-8 gigawatt solar market potential for 2025. Carlos shares his journey from being an architect caught in the 2008 recession to becoming a solar industry leader. Starting wit...
Apr 15, 2025•19 min
In today’s episode of Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague sits down with LinkedIn marketing expert Jacob Lundy to unveil powerful strategies for clean energy professionals looking to maximize their B2B marketing efforts on LinkedIn. As the premier platform for business-to-business connections, LinkedIn offers unique opportunities for renewable energy companies to reach decision-makers and build meaningful relationships that convert to business. Jacob Lundy, a 10-year veteran of marketing with a focus...
Apr 14, 2025•44 min
In this episode of Clean Power Hour, hosts Tim Montague and John Weaver dive into the latest developments in the solar and storage industry. Episode Highlights: Perovskite Breakthrough: Analysis of Trina's new commercial-sized perovskite solar panel exceeding 800 watts with 26% efficiency, marking a significant advancement in solar panel technology. Link: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/03/25/chinese-pv-industry-brief-trina-solar-announces-800-w-tandem-solar-module/ Battery Storage Revolution: ...
Apr 11, 2025•49 min
Today on the Clean Power Hour recorded at InterSolar in San Diego, host Tim Montague welcomes back Matt Campbell, CEO and founder of Terabase Energy, to discuss the future of automated solar construction. Matt shares Terabase's journey over the past four years developing Terafab, their innovative "in-the-field factory" that semi-automates solar power plant construction. Matt explains how Terabase is tackling the unique challenges of outdoor autonomy and robotics to achieve 24/7 solar constructio...
Apr 10, 2025•14 min
Today on the Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague speaks with Costa Nicolau of PanelClaw and John Drummond of CPS America about the critical policy challenges facing the solar industry in 2025. Recorded at InterSolar San Diego, the conversation highlights the existential threat to energy credits that the solar and storage industries depend on. Costa Nicolau, a long-time SEIA board member, delivers a passionate call to action for industry professionals to become more politically engaged as Congres...
Apr 09, 2025•11 min
Today on the Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague sits down with Bryan Wagner, President of CPS America, at InterSolar San Diego 2025. Wagner shares insights on CPS's impressive growth to over 10.5 gigawatts of inverters deployed in the US market and their ambitious goal to reach 15 gigawatts. The conversation dives into CPS's innovative product offerings, including their groundbreaking skidded string inverter approach that combines the benefits of centralized and distributed string systems. Wagner ex...
Apr 08, 2025•13 min
Today on the Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague interviews Tooraj Arvajeh, co-founder and CEO of Perl Street, a fintech platform designed to streamline financial operations for distributed energy resources. Tooraj shares his journey from sustainability engineer to fintech entrepreneur, explaining how his experience developing energy efficiency projects led him to identify a critical gap between engineering expertise and financial knowledge in the clean energy sector. Perl Street addresses the financ...
Apr 03, 2025•29 min
Today on the Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague sits down with Ryan Mayfield of Mayfield Renewables and Jayson Smith of CPS America to explore commercial and industrial battery solutions, with a special focus on the new "Gonzo" 125 kW / 261 kWh C&I battery from CPS America. The conversation dives deep into microgrid applications, examining both resiliency and demand response use cases. Jayson Smith details the technical specifications of the Gonzo unit, highlighting its grid-forming capabilities...
Apr 02, 2025•21 min
Today on the Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague delves into the critical yet often overlooked aspect of electrification: EV charging infrastructure for multifamily housing. Tim welcomes Aubrey Gunnels, CEO and co-founder of 3V Infrastructure, a company that's tackling the significant gap in EV charging accessibility for the 31% of Americans living in multifamily buildings. Aubrey explains how 3V's business model works – they provide all capital expenditure and operational costs while installing Leve...
Apr 01, 2025•32 min
The energy storage industry is evolving rapidly, driven by shifting market trends, policy changes, and supply chain volatility. In this episode of the Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague sits down with Aaron Marks from Clean Energy Associates (CEA) to unpack the latest insights on energy storage, battery procurement, and how tariffs and policy shifts are shaping the industry. Aaron shares insights from his seven years in energy storage market intelligence, highlighting the different sources of volati...
Mar 27, 2025•7 min
Today on the Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague welcomes back Dan Leary from Denowatts, joined by Marc Bamberger of Portside Systems, to discuss their innovative partnership in solar monitoring technology. Recorded at RE+ Boston, this conversation highlights how these companies are revolutionizing data acquisition systems (DAS) for solar sites. Dan Leary shares updates on Denowatts' growth, including their new ISO-accredited energy test service focused on standardized "energy accounting" for the sol...
Mar 26, 2025•9 min
Women make up only 10-20% of the solar workforce despite being 50% of the population, highlighting a significant gender gap in the renewable energy industry. Today on the Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague sits down with Noelle Paige, Vice President of Development at Aspen Power, to explore the evolving landscape of women's leadership in solar energy. Recorded at RE+ Northeast in Boston, we explore Noelle's unique journey from ballet dancer to solar executive and her eight-year trajectory through th...
Mar 25, 2025•29 min
Today on the Clean Power Hour Live, Tim Montague and John Weaver (the Commercial Solar Guy) dive into pressing developments in the solar industry. They examine the Trump administration's decision to rescind Biden's Defense Production Act support for solar manufacturing and discuss the potential impacts on the 50 gigawatts of planned domestic solar panel production. The conversation shifts to exciting projections that global solar installations could reach one terawatt next year—a staggering mile...
Mar 24, 2025•39 min
Today on the Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague sits down with Peter Oprysko, Key Accounts Manager at CPS America, the nation's leading three-phase string inverter manufacturer. Peter shares valuable insights on how string inverter technology is revolutionizing the renewable energy landscape across diverse applications - from community solar and commercial rooftops to data centers and utility-scale projects. Peter discusses CPS America's commitment to customer service and collaborative partners...
Mar 20, 2025•21 min
This expert panel discussion, hosted by Tim Montague of the Clean Power Hour and sponsored by Chint Power Systems, explores how commercial facilities can implement solar, battery storage, and building management systems to lower energy costs. The webinar focuses on a case study of Rancho Santa Margarita Toyota in California, featuring a 451 kW rooftop solar project paired with a 125 kW/279 kWh energy storage system. Key Discussion Points Financial Benefits of Solar + Storage Ryan Ferrero emphasi...
Mar 19, 2025•1 hr 5 min
In this episode of the Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague sits down with Patrick Canning, Principal Engineer and founder of Canning Engineering, at the RE+ Northeast conference in Boston. Patrick shares his journey from traditional civil engineering to becoming a specialized solar design expert, culminating in launching his own engineering firm focused on community and utility-scale solar projects. Patrick reveals how his experience leading engineering and interconnection teams at prominent com...
Mar 18, 2025•10 min
In this insightful episode of Clean Power Hour, hosts Tim Montague and John Weaver dive into the latest developments shaking up the renewable energy landscape. They discuss the immediate impacts of newly announced tariffs on Canadian and Mexican solar equipment, with John sharing how his commercial projects are already seeing price increases on critical components like neutral ground reactors. ( Link ) The conversation shifts to exciting innovations in the solar space, including Utah's groundbre...
Mar 14, 2025•39 min
Today on the Clean Power Hour recorded at RE+ Northeast in Boston, Tim Montague sits down with Bryan Wagner, President of CPS America, to discuss the latest developments in solar power electronics and energy storage. Wagner shares insights from his recent overseas trip to China, where he explored Chint's global manufacturing capabilities and strategy for the North American market. The conversation delves into Chint's impressive portfolio as a diversified global energy company, including their ex...
Mar 13, 2025•14 min
In today’s episode of the Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague speaks with Parker Schram, the founder of EnergyScape Renewables, a company aiming to revolutionize the solar industry by offering an all-in-one ecosystem for solar enterprises. Parker shares his journey from renewable engineering to building a company that handles everything from site surveys and sales proposals to engineering, design, and even permitting. EnergyScape's vision is to allow EPCs and solar installers to focus on sales and in...
Mar 11, 2025•39 min
The solar energy industry is booming, but maintaining and optimizing solar installations is an evolving challenge. Today on the Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague sits down with Chris Grablutz at RE+ Northeast in Boston. Chris is the founder of Triforce Energy and an alum of PurePower Engineering. We explore the world of solar operations and maintenance (O&M)—a critical yet often overlooked aspect of the industry. Chris shares insights into how the O&M sector is maturing, the growing demand ...
Mar 06, 2025•10 min
Today on the Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague sits down with Andrew Birch, the founder and CEO of OpenSolar, to explore the stark differences between solar markets around the world and what the U.S. can learn from countries like Australia and Europe. With over 20 years of experience in the solar industry, Birchy shares his insights on why Australia has achieved an impressive 33% solar penetration, while the U.S. lags behind at just 5%. The conversation dives into the key factors driving Austr...
Mar 04, 2025•51 min
In this engaging bi-weekly news roundup, host Tim Montague welcomes back John Weaver, "the commercial solar guy," to discuss major developments in the renewable energy sector. The episode highlights Bloomberg NEF's report of nearly 50 gigawatts of solar deployed in the US in 2024, a significant increase from the previous year that demonstrates solar's growing dominance over wind in capacity additions. John shares his analysis of California's impressive clean energy progress , where solar generat...
Feb 26, 2025•37 min
In this illuminating episode of the Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague sits down with Joe Ordia, the creator of Solar Surge on YouTube, to explore the rapidly evolving landscape of residential solar technology. With 13 years of industry experience, Joe shares invaluable insights on the transformation of home solar and battery storage solutions, from early "science experiment" setups to today's sleek, integrated systems. The conversation delves deep into the current state of residential solar te...
Feb 25, 2025•38 min
Today on the Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague engages in a conversation with Mitch Ratcliffe, Director of Digital Strategy and Innovation at Intentional Futures and host of the Earth 911 podcast. Together, they explore the complex intersection of artificial intelligence, sustainability, and society's future. Ratcliffe brings his extensive experience in technology and sustainability to discuss how AI can be leveraged to address critical environmental challenges while acknowledging its potentia...
Feb 18, 2025•43 min
Today on the Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague explores the cutting-edge developments in geothermal technology with Joselyn Lai, co-founder and CEO of Bedrock Energy. Lai discusses how her company is revolutionizing the geothermal heating and cooling industry by dramatically reducing installation costs and time through innovative drilling technology. The conversation delves into how Bedrock Energy's proprietary sensor package and two-way communication system allows for faster, more efficient d...
Feb 11, 2025•37 min
Today on the Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague sits down with Joe Ross, Associate Director of National Accounts and Channel Sales at CPS America, to discuss the evolution of power electronics, detailing the shift from central inverters to the more efficient and scalable string inverters. He explains why string inverters are revolutionizing commercial and utility-scale solar projects, offering greater reliability, easier maintenance, and better long-term financial performance. But it’s not just...
Feb 06, 2025•55 min
Today on the Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague welcomes back Marc Palmer, founder and CEO of Conductor Solar, for an in-depth exploration of ITC (Investment Tax Credit) transfers in the solar industry. With over 15 years of experience in renewable energy finance, Palmer breaks down the complexities of tax credit transfers and explains how this mechanism is revolutionizing solar project financing. The conversation delves into the practical aspects of ITC transfers, including pricing considerati...
Feb 04, 2025•40 min
Today on the Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague explores two critical aspects of modern solar development: effective industry partnerships and IRA compliance. Four industry veterans share insights on how collaboration and compliance can coexist with aggressive timelines: Successful Partnership Dynamics: OMCO and Sunstall have collaborated on over 100 projects together, including nearly 100 projects for Coldwell Solar in California Key success factors include: Rapid response time for field issue...
Jan 28, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Today on the Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague sits down with David Huebsch, Field Service Engineer and Manager for CPS America's Central Region. Drawing from his unique background transitioning from wind turbine maintenance to solar inverter service, David shares valuable insights into the critical role of field service in the solar industry. The conversation delves deep into the daily challenges and responsibilities of solar field service, from commissioning new sites to troubleshooting comm...
Jan 23, 2025•38 min
