In today’s episode, you’ll be able to hear insights from clean-energy thought leaders like Emma Nicholson, Jon Wellinghoff, and Dawn Weisz, as they share with us their insights on week 5 sessions, as well as their experience of participating in this fully-virtual format of North America’s most popular cleantech tradeshow. We also had Brian Lynch, LG Electronic’s Director of Solar and Storage, and Ian Lochore, Vice President and General Manager of Baker Electric Home Energy starring in our newest...
Oct 20, 2020•38 min•Season 7Ep. 306
Special shoutout to Nicole Watson from Iconic Earth Foundation back in Episode 277 for the intro to Dr. Phil Watts, today’s entrepreneur. Dr. Watts studied aeronautical engineering at McGill University, and went on to earn his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering Sciences from Caltech, where he lobbied for on-campus recycling and green buildings. Upon graduation, he worked as a research scientist for around a decade, publishing more than 30 scientific papers in some of the top peer-reviewed journa...
Oct 15, 2020•53 min•Season 7Ep. 305
We're so excited to be back with you for SPI, ESI & NORTH AMERICA SMART ENERGY WEEK 2020 in its new virtual format. Alongside my friend Glenda Johnson, we're stoked to have been invited back by the SPI team to bring you an exciting new segment - the SunCast Weekly Roundup, presented by LG Solar. This is a recap of week 4, where interesting sessions like “ Using Storage to Achieve Long-Term Equity Outcomes “, and “ Storage Solutions for Utilities ” took place. In today’s episode, you’ll be ab...
Oct 13, 2020•36 min•Season 7Ep. 304
In case you haven’t heard about Hanna Grene, Head of Commercial Development for PXiSE Energy Solutions, I invite you to listen to episode 296 where she and I talked about the 16 Core Infrastructure Sectors of Modern Economy. In today’s interview with Hanna, we‘re going to deep into a framework we’ve both used in our career: a 30/60/90 plan. Michael D. Watkins, author of the book “The First 90 Days” framed this out for millions of other hiring managers, and Hanna will help us understand what the ...
Oct 13, 2020•40 min•Season 7Ep. 303
This week's entrepreneur is someone who's risen to the title of CEO of the largest public power, gas, and electric utility in the United States, CPS Energy down in San Antonio. If you’re from Texas, then this episode is especially for you. Paula Gold-Williams is the President & CEO of CPS Energy, a company that has over 3,100 employees and more than two billion dollars in annual revenue. Paula leads more than 3,100 team members with the vision she has coined “People First,” whereby CPS Energ...
Oct 08, 2020•59 min•Season 7Ep. 302
If you didn’t have a chance to listen to part 1 of this episode, I invite you to check it out clicking here . During that episode, Impact Energy Solution’s Adam James and I walked down memory lane and reminisced some interesting facts about the clean energy industry back in 2015 when SunCast began. This is Part 2, where we get really deep into Adam’s daily routine, how he manages his calendar, and how he manages his schedule. Adam kind of gives all about how he balances a family of three and bei...
Oct 06, 2020•51 min•Season 7Ep. 301
The story that you're going to hear today takes us back to the very beginning. Mr. Adam James was the first interview guest here on SunCast, and he’s back to celebrate this important milestone with us. It is a distinct honor to bring him back now for his third appearance here on SunCast. In that time, Adam has risen to the position of Chief of Staff at Energy Impact Partners, which is a nearly $700MM dollar strategic venture investment fund focused on sustainable energy. Adam is going deep down ...
Oct 01, 2020•50 min•Season 7Ep. 300
We're so excited to be back with you for SPI, ESI & NORTH AMERICA SMART ENERGY WEEK 2020 in its new virtual format. Alongside my friend Glenda Johnson, we're stoked to have been invited back by the SPI team to bring you an exciting new segment - the SunCast Weekly Roundup. This is a recap of week 2, where interesting sessions like “ Financing Renewables in the Face of COVID 19” or “ Variations on Community Solar Program Design ” took place. In today’s episode, you’ll be able to hear insights...
Sep 29, 2020•38 min•Season 6Ep. 299
Today's entrepreneur is a new friend of mine, introduced by our friend Tara Doyle and Amanda Bybee. Ebony Seymour is the Associate Vice President at GQR Global Markets, and if you're not familiar with either GQR or Ebony, you're in for a treat. We're gonna go deep into how Ebony rose from Associate to Associate Vice President in the recruiting world, and how she's adding value to private equity, investment banking in the renewable sector and infrastructure, and the many ways she has self-educate...
Sep 24, 2020•54 min•Season 6Ep. 298
Welcome to another Tactical Tuesday, a short-form conversation with subject-matter experts designed to give you practical tools, tips and advice for building your solar business or career. We're so excited to be back with you for SPI, ESI & NORTH AMERICA SMART ENERGY WEEK 2020 in its new virtual format. Alongside my friend Glenda Johnson, we're stoked to have been invited back by the SPI team to bring you an exciting new segment - the SunCast Weekly Roundup. This is a recap of week 1, where ...
Sep 22, 2020•26 min•Season 6Ep. 297
Today’s guest is taking us into what is like to work in a fast-moving intrapreneurial role at a mega-corporation inside Energy Industry. Hanna Grene is the Head of Commercial Development for PXiSE Energy Solutions, a growing company that builds technology to manage an increasingly complex, renewable, and distributed energy grid. In this role, Hanna oversees market development, sales, marketing, external relations, and global partnerships. She goes down the rabbit hole of positioning yourself not...
Sep 17, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Season 6Ep. 296
Today we have a repeating guest, Jesse Grossman, Co-Founder & CEO of Soltage. We already had Jesse on the show in episode 283, where we dropped the replay of the webinar we had back in June: Solar Project Finance & Acquisitions in the Post-COVID Era. The webinar included valuable insights around not only how Soltage has grown to be one of the leaders in developing solar assets in the United States, but also advice and insight from Jesse’s 10+ years since the last recession. Today, we’re ...
Sep 15, 2020•25 min•Season 6Ep. 295
I’m honored you’re joining me for another fantastic foray into the world of solar energy. Today’s guest, Daren Goldin, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Goldin Solar, one of Florida's leading solar energy contractors with over 1,000 active installations throughout the state. Daren founded Goldin Solar in 2014 to bring the best solar technology available to Floridians to help them save money and protect the planet. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more a...
Sep 11, 2020•57 min•Season 6Ep. 294
If you have been building a residential solar installation business, then today’s episode is for you. Are you on the front lines trying to convince homeowners for value over price, and trying to help them understand how this investment is going to improve their overall well-being and life? Grab a seat and listen to this conversation with LG Electronic’s Brian Lynch, the Director of Solar and Storage . Working closely with industry contacts and partners, Brian has been involved in hundreds of meg...
Sep 08, 2020•24 min•Season 6Ep. 293
What do the Chicago Bears , United Airlines , and the solar industry have in common? Well, the particularly quick mind, feet, and contributions of today’s guest. Eric Peterman, the CEO of GRNE Solar has such a transformative and interesting story. Eric and I knew each other preparing for a Midwest Solar Expo panel that you’ve probably already heard. If you haven’t, I invite you to go back and listen to that one about O&M. Eric impressed me and I had to get to know more about his story, and i...
Sep 03, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Season 6Ep. 292
If you listened to our previous episode with Tom Tansy, then you are aware that we left off with unfinished conversations around cybersecurity, which itself is a very hot topic. Today we are digging deeper into some of the implications of the “internet of energy” concept that we are creating, and that the next decade is absolutely certain to cement and expand upon exponentially for our industry. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book ...
Sep 01, 2020•19 min•Season 6Ep. 291
We have a returning SunCast guest: Tom Tansy. Having first appeared in episode 111, his entrepreneurial story is remarkable (you can listen to episode 111 clicking here). Tom unfolded how he broke into clean energy, and how he parlayed one opportunity after the other, translating into a successful entrepreneurial career. He has found a home for himself as one of the arbiters of how regulatory policy in solar and internet energy makes its way to us: the practitioners. Remember you can always find...
Sep 01, 2020•21 min•Season 6Ep. 290
Welcome to another SunCast episode with a clean energy thought leader you should definitely know better. Every now and then I have the opportunity to host guests who have as equal or greater a platform as we do in presence in the public from a thought leadership and content creation perspective. Today, Peter Kelly-Detwiler from NorthBridge Energy Partners, LLC is joining us on the show. He has become well known for his advocacy and education around helping others understand not only how the clea...
Aug 27, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 6Ep. 289
Do you know if your marketing strategy is working? The coronavirus (COVID-19) has disrupted the way in which we work and engage as a society. Cities, states, and countries are shutting down, slowing the economy. During times of crisis, it’s important to adapt your marketing strategies to ensure your business continues to bring in revenue and thrives post pandemic. Join us for a candid conversation with Katie Ullmann, Senior Director at Antenna Group, Lennie Moreno, Founder & CEO of Sofdesk, ...
Aug 25, 2020•50 min•Season 6Ep. 288
Today’s entrepreneur is a longtime internet friend and member of the SunCast Tribe, Eric Pasi. Better known for his role as Chief Development Officer at Impact Power Solutions, one of the well-known EPC and Energy Development companies in the MN and broader Midwest markets. He was instrumental in the Community Solar Gardens initiative at the company and foresaw the community solar boom in the region. Since becoming Chief Development Officer in 2016, he’s helped IPS grow revenues by more than ten...
Aug 20, 2020•52 min•Season 6Ep. 287
After big oil & gas companies like Chevron laid off up to 15% of their staff amid Coronavirus context, the downsizing of the fossil fuel industry has become obvious, and it opened a window for many qualified professionals to transition into the clean energy space, but how do we get there? Join me with Catherine McLean and Reneé Bourgeois as we cover some of the best techniques and approaches you can take to transfer your skills into the clean energy sector by identifying your right "role". A...
Aug 18, 2020•33 min•Season 6Ep. 286
How did one of the solar industry’s true pioneers take everything he’s learned about solar in the last 20 years and make it Free and open-sourced to the world? Andrew Birch (Birchy), Co-Founder of the first company to pioneer delivering online solar designs(Sungevity), tells us what his research suggests is the answer to scaling solar by 30% per year through 2050 to address climate change. The 1st barrier - permitting. The 2nd barrier - adding 10M people to the industry in the next 10 years. The...
Aug 13, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Season 6Ep. 285
Coronavirus has drastically changed the global economy with impacts across every industry, including clean energy and solar development. We may have never seen an economic or public health crisis at this scale, but policy, solar and finance experts have reason to believe that renewable energy can weather this storm and continue to grow. Moreover, the industry can help create jobs and meet public policy goals once we return to a new normal. How can we navigate current challenges, and what can we ...
Aug 11, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Season 6Ep. 284
COVID-19 has touched every corner of our economy, and guess what? The solar project finance and acquisition space is not the exception. Jesse Grossman, CEO of Soltage, joined us here on SunCast to provide his insights on this concerning area. Jesse has directed over $600M into solar asset investment through Soltage, which currently owns and manages a solar portfolio of over 300 MWs across 14 states. The main points of our conversation were how the solar industry has changed since the start of th...
Aug 11, 2020•45 min•Season 6Ep. 283
We’ve been extending into e-mobility and energy storage as you might have noticed in our recent episodes. Both elements serve the collective consciousness of how low-carbon future for the grid can be achieved, as well as mas penetration of renewables as a whole. Today, we have Giovanni Bertolino, Head of E-Mobility for U.S. and Canada at Enel X. We are going to tease out what’s happening in the market from their mobility-business representative. He’s focused on growing the Residential and Commer...
Aug 06, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Season 6Ep. 282
From residential to large-scale utility projects, energy storage (predominantly in the form of batteries) is leap-frogging other applications for finally providing firm and transactive power to the grid from renewables. How are developers using storage as a force-multiplier and where can we expect to see further business model innovation? We had the pleasure to break this question down with Jacqueline DeRosa, Vice President Battery Energy Storage Systems of Ameresco, Omeed Badkoobeh, Co-Founder ...
Aug 04, 2020•58 min•Season 6Ep. 280
Today’s episode is one of the keynotes of our SunCast Clean Energy Summit: the State of the Union of Clean Energy in the LATAM region. Learn about this market’s ecosystem, players, and dynamics from BloombergNEF's Head of Research in LATAM, James Ellis. He is based in São Paulo, and he oversees an analyst team focused on research material into the clean energy sector across the LATAM region. This was a great session to those who needed (and need) to make critical decisions around how to grow the...
Aug 04, 2020•45 min•Season 6Ep. 281
Did you ever wonder how ideas like SunRun’s Brightbox Storage Program got their start? Today’s Intrapreneur and solar OG, Paul Dailey, has had a hand in that bright idea and more in his 2+ decade career on the solarcoaster. We dig into his journey to Director of Product Strategy at Outback, the twists and turns along the way, and the carefully curated and practical steps he took to craft his role in this booming market. Committed listeners will recall that we had Paul on last week for a Tactical...
Jul 30, 2020•1 hr 21 min•Season 6Ep. 279
What you’re about to hear was recorded LIVE during the pandemic, but also during the first-ever virtual solar conference hosted by our friends over at Midwest Solar Expo 2020. I was the moderator for a panel dedicated all about the innovations around operations and maintenance. This topic certainly demands more attention than what it’s getting within the clean energy industry, so we’re trying to give it more exposure. Thanks to our friends at Midwest Solar Expo 2020, as well as the fantastic ind...
Jul 28, 2020•50 min•Season 6Ep. 278
It’s truly an honor every time I get the chance on this show to highlight the work that folks are doing to bring light, electricity, hope and opportunity to those less fortunate. Today’s entrepreneur has traveled the world producing and acting in films, and she has learned what a privilege we have in developed countries to consider electric lights and running water a necessity, not a luxury. She also has seen first hand how introducing the simplest of light can eradicate darkness in many differe...
Jul 23, 2020•37 min•Season 6Ep. 277
