Send us a text Rohan McGlew has been a champion for solar in Australia and joined us to talk about the industry, trends, and life... Give to the PV Chain Gang here: https://www.cancer200.org.au/fundraisers/pv-chain-gang Just Another Solar Podcast is hosted by Luke Beattie and Karl Jensen. This is the sort of conversation that solar industry professionals would have at the pub. If anything sounds like financial, business, legal or any other type of advice, you should always do your own research a...
Sep 27, 2022•44 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Send us a text Kathleen Ryan has been around the solar industry since the mid-90's, when she was simultaneously working with the greatest researchers in solar panels, raising babies and finding opportunities to dance on tables. Everyone who's encountered Kathleen during her decades in the industry would know that she's an absolute livewire who puts people first. We really enjoyed recording this one! Just Another Solar Podcast is hosted by Luke Beattie and Karl Jensen. This is the sort of convers...
Sep 12, 2022•42 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Send us a text Daniel Bleakley is the founder of the viral "Coal Miners Driving Teslas" Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy0JcHf7dSYHlsnUNDgmTww He's also an activist, engineer and EV enthusiast, which made him an excellent guest for our latest episode. Just Another Solar Podcast is hosted by Luke Beattie and Karl Jensen. This is the sort of conversation that solar industry professionals would have at the pub. If anything sounds like financial, business, legal or any other type ...
Aug 29, 2022•48 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Send us a text In the latest episode, we were joined by solar data guru Warwick Johnston from Sunwiz. We learnt how the Sunwiz data is collected and got answers to some of the questions we've had e.g. why don't all solar companies show up in the insights report. Currently, 18% of solar installations in Australia include storage and it's still trending upwards - how can solar businesses find their sweet spot in the market to benefit? We also get Warwick's thoughts on the movement to electrify eve...
Aug 15, 2022•40 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Send us a text Kosta Bourandanis is our latest guest and we delved into current industry issues. Kosta is a co-founder of the Solar Cutters and is also well-travelled, so we had to discuss the world of solar junkets and building business relationships, along with other relevant topics. Just Another Solar Podcast is hosted by Luke Beattie and Karl Jensen. This is the sort of conversation that solar industry professionals would have at the pub. If anything sounds like financial, business, legal or...
Jul 31, 2022•38 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Send us a text We caught up with Thomas Bywater from Jinko Solar to talk about all things solar panels. Watt-classes and pricing are constantly changing so we talked about what to expect in the future (spoiler alert: panels are going up!). We also talked about the potential of local manufacturing, warranty shenanigans and other current issues in the Australian solar industry. Just Another Solar Podcast is hosted by Luke Beattie and Karl Jensen. This is the sort of conversation that solar industr...
Jul 17, 2022•39 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Send us a text John Grimes, the CEO of the Smart Energy Council, joins us to work through some of the biggest opportunities and hurdles that are facing the solar industry in Australia. The current energy crisis and rapid transition to renewables presents an opportunity but also a challenge to meet the 3 x volume increase by 2030 that the new Government targets call for. Also, what does it look like if the CEC loses their monopoly? Could swapping to IEC standards reduce the issues related to the ...
Jul 03, 2022•41 min•Season 2Ep. 20
Send us a text Jack "Longy" Long, co-founder of the Solar Cutters, joins us to discuss how they built a grass-roots movement that includes some of the best in the Aussie industry. Longy's personal story about the journey to build one of the most influential solar movements is really interesting, as are some of the tangents we take along the way. Just Another Solar Podcast is hosted by Luke Beattie and Karl Jensen. This is the sort of conversation that solar industry professionals would have at t...
Jun 19, 2022•45 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Send us a text In this episode, we give a brief update on the inverter compliance issue and other market news for installers and solar companies. With a national energy crisis and costs spiking upwards, it was the perfect time to have Ben Hutt from Evergen as a guest (from 10:21). We discussed Virtual Power Plants, demand response, market-based incentives and how to engage customers to determine the best solution. Evergen works with solar and battery installs from residential to utility, so ther...
Jun 06, 2022•42 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Send us a text Brendan "Knackers" Laidlaw, the Head Trainer at Energy Training Group, joins us to discuss the industry's biggest issues. We cover the impact of the the new standards on inverters (the 1.25 x calculation), how to interpret it and also how to navigate around it. That leads us into similar issues with DCU's (i.e. optimizers), micros, earthing, cable, string fusing and other ludicrous outcomes from the new regulations. Knackers has an epic story of success after emerging from the ash...
May 22, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Send us a text In this episode, we joined Nigel Morris to give a wrap of the Smart Energy Conference in Sydney. It's a cross-over between Just Another Solar Podcast and the Great Solar Business podcast. We discuss some of the excellent and not-so-great elements of the conference. Make sure you check out Great Solar Business: https://open.spotify.com/show/4U6Dyw19vTD6wIaoqWG3yW?si=WLZ1-hiASmKwhfMsTkj2rw AWISE: https://www.awise.com.au/ Just Another Solar Podcast is hosted by Luke Beattie and Karl...
May 10, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Send us a text Sean Guzzi from Clenergy Australia joins us to discuss how Clenergy have successfully used market engagement to built grassroots support (5:19). He also breaks the news of the incoming changes to wind regions (14:03) and roof zone definitions (21:00) when the new AS1170.2 come into effect in September. This includes a "climate change multiplier" (22:55). These will all impact on solar system installs. We also discussed racking solutions for the new AS5033 requirements (25:11) and ...
Apr 25, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Send us a text Lily Pejkic joins us for the latest episode to discuss the current challenges from an installer's and business owner's point-of-view. Lily shares about some of the stereotypes that she's come across as a female tradie, from both industry and customers (some are hilarious). On-site safety (including mental health) are discussed, as well as the need to find a balance in business. Lily is from Sydney Solar & Batteries and is a founding member of AWISE (Australian Women in Solar E...
Apr 10, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Send us a text James Taylor joins us to discuss implementing the new AS5033 standards on commercial installs, the impact of price increases on fixed contracts and finding a manageable work/life balance. The price of aluminum has increased 66% year-to-date, which will impact on component pricing. Fuel prices are also starting to bite (pre-excise cut). If you're in Australian solar industry, there's bound to be something relevant for you. Just Another Solar Podcast is hosted by Luke Beattie and Ka...
Mar 29, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Send us a text We're joined by Dougal Gillman to discuss the impact of the Ukraine war and floods on our industry. This includes forecasts on panel pricing and the total installs by GW in Australia for 2022. We also cover: Why would distributors sell panels below cost? How much additional energy do we need to take petrol cars off the road? Why we'll see flying Tesla's before sequestering carbon and carbon capture make sense. Just Another Solar Podcast is hosted by Luke Beattie and Karl Jensen. T...
Mar 14, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Send us a text In this episode we're joined by Andy McCarthy, the CEO of RACV Solar and founder of Gippsland Solar. If you're in the Australian solar industry then Andy probably doesn't need any further introduction. Karl wasn't able to join us as he was travelling around country Victoria, so the excellent Dougal Gillman stepped in as co-host. Andy discusses the journey from solar start-up in a coal stronghold to being acquired by RACV. The contrast of quality-focused companies to the sub-standa...
Feb 27, 2022•37 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Send us a text Matt Wright from Pure Electric joins us to discuss his focus on installing large residential systems, his lobbying for 100% renewables and other industry issues. This includes 40-year warranties on solar panels and what we should make of it. If you're in the Aussie solar industry, this is geared towards you. Just Another Solar Podcast is hosted by Luke Beattie and Karl Jensen. This is the sort of conversation industry professionals might have at the pub. If anything sounds like fi...
Feb 14, 2022•38 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Send us a text Sam Craft joined us to discuss all things solar, batteries and EV's, from an Australian perspective. This conversation covered lots of ground and gave us plenty of insights and laughs along the way. Sam is a Director of NRG Solar, the Smart Energy Council, co-founder of AWISE (Australian Women In Solar Energy) and is also an advisor to the SA Government and SA Power Networks. Just Another Solar Podcast is hosted by Luke Beattie and Karl Jensen. This is the sort of conversation ind...
Jan 30, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Send us a text Out-of-pocket expenses for RMA's can be devastating for businesses. Jack Hooper joins us to discuss the issues surrounding this but also the opportunities it presents. Which obligations belong to manufacturers and what belongs to the retailer? We also discuss differentiating your business, battery growth, asset management as a service and more. Just Another Solar Podcast is hosted by Luke Beattie and Karl Jensen. This is the sort of conversation industry professionals might have a...
Jan 17, 2022•46 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Send us a text Andrew Williams from Findlaysons Lawyers joins us to discuss some of the consumer law questions that we encounter, some of which go beyond contracts and T's & C's. If you're selling products with 25-year warranties, are you on the hook for that whole period? If a customer hasn't paid for an install, can you disable the system and/or remotely disconnect it? What recourse is there for 3 years’ worth of installs when the panels have degraded? What can solar retailers and installe...
Jan 03, 2022•40 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Send us a text Shane Arnold joins us to discuss the resolution to the inverter crisis (hence the clickbait title). We also talk about EV charging. batteries and why Delta kicked all the Australians off their stand at Intersolar 2019. Listen and subscribe to stay across relevant issues to the Australian solar industry. Just Another Solar Podcast is hosted by Luke Beattie and Karl Jensen....
Dec 19, 2021•33 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Send us a text Bryn Foletta joins Karl and Luke to discuss the current issues in the Australian solar industry. The last fortnight has seen a few stumbles with the new PV install standard (AS5033). There's an impending disaster as many of the inverters in the market won't be re-certified before the 18th December deadline. Inverters compliant to AS4777:2021 have an impossible task to meet the new requirements introduced by an EESS working group less than a month before the new standards come into...
Dec 05, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Send us a text The new standards for PV installs have been published (AS5033:2021), so we called in one of the big guns to help us understand what this means. Glen Morris joins us to discuss the requirements around: - Roof-top isolators no longer being required - Residential limit increased to 1000V's - No power limit on DCU's - Restricted access - Planned view diagrams - Can you still install under the previous version? Glen is also running a New PV Array Standard Crash Course on the 1st-2nd De...
Nov 20, 2021•35 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Send us a text Karl and Luke give their usual market wrap and are then joined by Rod Dewar to discuss the upcoming changes to AS4777 - why they're happening and the impact it may have. Rod Dewar is the Product Solutions Manager for Fronius, sits on standards committees and is an all-round great bloke.
Nov 07, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Send us a text Luke Beattie & Karl Jensen recap the last fortnight in the Australian solar industry. There's no agenda, it two mates having a beer on a Friday and discussing topics such as: DC isolator madness in Australia, coal, EV's, supply chain strategy and Chernobyl. There's no producer or sponsors so the Audio is still a work in progress.
Oct 23, 2021•33 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Send us a text Luke Beattie and Karl Jensen discuss the recent price shock of solar panels in Australia. They chat about the causes and forecast where the market will go from here. The first three minutes were recorded in a cave using dial-up modem internet. If that frustrates you, go forward a few minutes. Luke and Karl are great mates and have both been in solar for 10+ years. This is typical of the conversations they have most days....
Oct 08, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 1
