Is it possible to keep an electricity grid fueled by renewable energy stable every minute of every day, given the variability of wind and sunlight? Eric Williams, a clean energy advocate and board member of one of the nation's largest publicly owned electric utilities, thinks it is. In a conversation with Nico Johnson, Eric explains his role as one of eight elected directors overseeing the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD), which serves 855,000 people in Omaha and 13 surrounding counties in sou...
Jun 08, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 12Ep. 602
Houston, often touted as the Energy Capital of the world, is rapidly transforming into the clean energy capital of the United States, spearheading the renewable revolution. In this special Tactical Tuesday, Nico engages in insightful conversations with industry leaders who shed light on the city's transformative initiatives. Jeff Tolnar, President & interim CEO of Shoals Technologies Group, shares his unique perspective on the energy transition, gained from attending the oil and gas-centric ...
Jun 06, 2023•22 min•Season 12Ep. 601
Nico Johnson, the visionary entrepreneur behind SunCast Media, discusses the insights & lessons learned through achieving the milestone of 600 episodes. Guest host, Sean Tanabe, pulls threads that he feels longtime listeners and newbies to SunCast alike would seek to know about Nico, his Mission, and what 600 episodes may have revealed. Many themes emerge as the conversation unfolds, ranging from dedication, consistency, and mentorship to the challenges of growth, accessibility, and the Powe...
Jun 01, 2023•1 hr 50 min•Season 12Ep. 600
Live from Midwest Solar Expo ‘23, listen in as I speak with two established industry experts about how we can work more effectively with corporate investors, policymakers, and utilities to grow solar and storage. Dr. Priscilla Lu serves as Managing Director at Deutsche Bank DWS Asset Management Sustainable Investments Group where she helps the world's largest corporations lower their carbon footprint and understand and manage their ESG metrics. Zaid Ashai has been CEO of Nexamp, one of the count...
May 30, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 11Ep. 599
Welcome to today's podcast, where SunCast Host Nico Johnson interviews entrepreneur and clean energy advocate Katherine Hamilton. As chair and co-founder of 38 North Solutions, a public affairs firm specializing in clean energy and innovation, Katherine has a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Her influential voice has earned her a trusted position within the industry, solidified by more than eight years as co-host of the highly acclaimed "Energy Gang" podcast. Katherine actively contributes to ...
May 25, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Season 11Ep. 598
If you’ve been following what we refer to here on the pod as “the 4th vertical of solar”, namely, Community Solar, then you know it’s been quite a year for this category. So, for this Tactical Tuesday episode, I got a chance to speak Live from the Midwest Solar Expo stage in Chicago with passionate proponent of clean energy proliferation, Kiran Bhatraju, about best practices for engaging lawmakers, utilities, and customers. Kiran founded Arcadia almost ten years ago to offer consumers greater ac...
May 23, 2023•42 min•Season 11Ep. 597
SunCast Host Nico Johnson and Bodhi CEO Scott Nguyen host three expert panelists for a wide-ranging discussion on tackling climate change through investments and technology. Our panelists — Mark Tomasovic, Principal at Energize Ventures and two Google executives, Caroline Golin, Global Head of Energy Market Development and Policy and Sonal Somaiya, Sustainability Investments and Corporate Development — offer practical ways individuals can support clean energy initiatives, emphasizing collective ...
May 18, 2023•1 hr•Season 11Ep. 596
In this Tactical Tuesday episode, we speak with three Department of Energy officials on strategies for building lasting, equitable institutions that effectively forward the adoption of clean energy in our communities. From the newly created Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) come Chief of Staff Chris Castro and Director Dr. Henry McKoy. SCEP’s mission is to work closely with state and local governments, tribal nations, and community members to deploy decarbonizing technologies....
May 16, 2023•48 min•Season 11Ep. 595
Sollega founder and CEO Elie Rothschild talks with Suncast host Nico Johnson about the innovation and founding story behind the company’s category-defining approach to ballasted rooftop solar racking. The San Francisco-based commercial flat-roof PV solar racking manufacturer is a unique company that solves universal issues in a solar niche known for low margins and intense competition. Elie launched it in 2008 to find an easier way to install solar panels on notoriously frustrating commercial fl...
May 11, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 11Ep. 594
Solar and storage expert Tim Montague’s tagline is “to help speed the energy transition”. He’s helped hundreds if not thousands of people through his work as a Commercial & Industrial (C&I) Solar Developer, a green business consultant, and as the host of the podcast, Clean Power Hour, producing over 300 episodes! Tim’s been a featured speaker on our Quarterly cleantech podcasters roundtable, in our RE+ Media Zone and on numerous stages, but this is his first time on SunCast (so how bout ...
May 09, 2023•50 min•Season 11Ep. 593
Today we talk with Arshad Mansoor, President and CEO of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), about the crucial link between resiliency and decarbonization. Reducing our carbon footprint and transitioning to a low-carbon economy is essential for combating climate change. However, before we can achieve these goals, we need to ensure that our systems are resilient enough to cope with the impacts of climate change. Arshad Mansoor defines resiliency as "the tip of the spear to get to decarbo...
May 04, 2023•57 min•Season 11Ep. 592
I’m so incredibly excited today to announce the officially official launch of our newest podcast, Climate Avengers! Many of you have heard & shared the trailer episode that we revealed a couple of weeks ago (thank you). Now, here is Episode 1 of the show, featuring the show host, Elena Foukes, and yours truly answering one of the questions that’s on the tip of the tongue for many folks investing in the renewable and “cleantech” sector over the last couple of years… “just what IS Climate Tech...
May 02, 2023•13 min•Season 11Ep. 591
Dominion Energy Chair, President, and CEO Robert "Bob" Blue explains how his company plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and become the most sustainable energy company in the country on today’s podcast. Bob shares his vision of a cleaner, greener future with SunCast Host Nico Johnson, while explaining how the realities of reliability, affordability, and reasonable regulation play into Dominion’s plans. Dominion is one of the largest regulated electric utilities in the United States, serv...
Apr 27, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 11Ep. 590
Navigating the complexities of land acquisition and project development in renewables is no easy task. From securing the right land, doing site control, perfecting sites, and looking at financing there are so many details that give leeway to possible mistakes that could end up costing a lot of money. In today’s Tactical Tuesday, we get to learn from Kimberlee Centera, CEO of TerraPro Solutions, and how she became a land and title expert. Listen as explains how she helps to ensure that renewable ...
Apr 25, 2023•27 min•Season 11Ep. 589
Elena Foukes is an investor, advisor and climate entrepreneur who upgraded her career from a low-level analyst at a public utility to co-founder and CEO of a climate-tech startup. Now she develops programs to help others build purpose-filled climate careers, stressing, "You can make money and save the world at the same time." Elena was reared in a Midwest family steeped in automotive tradition, has been in climate work her entire career, and even had a stint paying homage to the family heritage ...
Apr 20, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 11Ep. 588
For this bonus episode, we’re introducing a new podcast! The Climate Avengers podcast explores the stories of entrepreneurs and investors tackling the challenge of climate change through technology. With over $200 billion invested in the climate tech sector and trillions more needed, the podcast aims to demystify the capital raising process for founders and help investors understand how to source and invest in climate-focused startups. Host Elena Foukes guides listeners through interviews with f...
Apr 19, 2023•3 min
Bonus episode! Today, we're dropping in an episode from our friends over at the Factor This! podcast that we know you'll enjoy. Host John Engel has a wide-ranging conversation with Tim Hade, COO of Scale Microgrids, covering the role of distributed energy for the grid of the future, the perils of scaling a climate tech hardware company, and what's holding back the Inflation Reduction Act. Hade shared how his time in the military mobilized him to fight climate change, why he's so optimistic that ...
Apr 18, 2023•1 hr 6 min
Raise Green is a platform that allows people with as little as $100 to invest in projects that promote clean energy and climate solutions in their local communities. It relies on crowdfunding, so you don't have to be a solar finance guru or a billionaire to join those building a better tomorrow — and gain an opportunity to earn a healthy return. In the words of CEO and Co-Founder Franz Hochstrasser, "Invest today and make an impact you can see." In today's podcast, Host Nico Johnson talks with F...
Apr 13, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 11Ep. 587
How does one write a book on the history of renewables and make it a fruitful and engaging experience for all types of readers? Tom Weirich, author of the award-winning book “We Took the Risk” did exactly that in 2022, and he shares How and Why with Nico. Tom Weirich has had the privilege of watching (and helping) titans in the Renewables industry from the front lines build the core skeleton of what we now call a thriving and scalable Trillion-dollar sector. His proximity to the early leaders in...
Apr 11, 2023•38 min•Season 11Ep. 586
Interested in investing in the Clean Energy and Climate Tech Boom!?! Buckle up, bc it can be a bumpy ride. Few have the direct operational experience that today’s guest does, and he’s placing some very specific bets through his latest venture, Energy Transition Ventures. We recently had one of his portfolio company founders, Karin Calvinho, on the show, and I legitimately think it was one of our best episodes in a long while…now you can learn more about the guy and the Fund that believes she’ll ...
Apr 06, 2023•1 hr 42 min•Season 11Ep. 585
In today's Tactical Tuesday, Nico Johson shares a trove of practical, tactical information through an interview with Linette Casey, Head of Americas Sales, Electrification, Automation & Digitalization (EAD) at Siemens Energy. Linette shares her fascinating career journey, from initially pursuing ocean science and social studies to serendipitously finding success in the energy industry. She discusses how her education and experience in logistics led her to work for the U.S. Navy SEALs — the U...
Apr 04, 2023•49 min•Season 11Ep. 584
Host Nico Johnson speaks with Emilie Oxel O'Leary, CEO of Green Clean Solar, about the utility-scale solar industry's waste challenges in today's podcast. The US Dept. of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimates 80 million metric tons of solar photovoltaics (PV) could reach end of life by 2050. Many million tons of additional waste are generated during the construction and installation of solar projects. Emilie shares how her Marietta-based commercial waste management and l...
Mar 30, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 11Ep. 583
On today's Tactical Tuesday, Nico Johnson leads a conversation on the growing presence of renewables at CERAWeek, the world's leading annual global energy conference. Nico delves into the language surrounding the energy transition conversation and talks with three solar industry leaders about the importance of attending this event, held annually in Houston. You'll hear from Meghan Nutting, EVP of Government and Regulatory Affairs at Sunnova Energy, Abigail (Abby) Ross Hopper, president and CEO o...
Mar 28, 2023•50 min•Season 11Ep. 582
Christine Todd Whitman gained prominence as the 50th person — and the only woman — to serve as a New Jersey governor. When her eight years in office ended in 2001, she spent two years as head of the Environmental Protection Agency in the administration of President George W. Bush. Now the former Republican is working with ex-Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang and others on a new political party called Forward — an option, she says, for the politically homeless. In addition to her poli...
Mar 23, 2023•46 min•Season 11Ep. 581
“‘No one knows where the equity metrics are’... This is completely false. Communities that have had to endure environmental racism and exclusion...they know exactly what success looks like.” Dana Clare Redden shares how her solar entrepreneurship has created success for communities and in business on today's Tactical Tuesday episode with Nico. Founder of Solar Concierge and Solar Stewards, Dana describes how she’s taken national economical strategies and creatively implemented them into local co...
Mar 21, 2023•29 min•Season 11Ep. 580
Emily Sanders Cohen talks with Nico Johnson about her 20-plus years of renewable project development, including more than 15 gigawatts of operational wind & solar projects. Emily has spent the past three years at Primergy Solar as Chief Development Officer, responsible for project development, power marketing and origination activities associated with the company's growing portfolio of North American utility-scale and distributed solar and storage assets. Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners, a...
Mar 16, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Season 11Ep. 579
How do you ensure people remain the priority no matter how complex your product or service — and persuade investors to overcome unconscious bias against an untraditional woman-led technical company? In today's Tactical Tuesday, Nico talks with Piper Foster Wilder, the self-described non-technical co-founder and CEO of 60Hertz Energy. The Alaska-based company offers computerized maintenance management software that enables microgrids and their managers to use their assets more effectively and eff...
Mar 14, 2023•25 min•Season 11Ep. 578
A startup spun out from Rutgers University called RenewCO₂ is rewriting the ways we make plastics and chemicals — along with the ways these industries will handle carbon emissions, regardless of the price of carbon or credits. Can we truly create carbon-negative plastics? How do we better capture and utilize the CO2 in existing chemical processes in a climate-positive way? Join Nico Johnson for an interview with RenewCO₂ Co-Founder and CTO Karin Calvinho as he breaks down the complexities behind...
Mar 09, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 11Ep. 577
Mechanical engineer Shannon Miller is the CEO and co-founder of Mainspring Energy, which aims to increase grid reliability and resilience while accelerating the transition to clean fuels. She leads the design, manufacture, and commercialization of the Mainspring Linear Generator, whose fuel-agnostic design enables it to adjust dynamically for varying fuel qualities and types, including biogas, green ammonia, and green hydrogen. In today's Tactical Tuesday, Nico Johnson explores this remarkable w...
Mar 07, 2023•29 min•Season 11Ep. 576
Today's conversation is a deep and wonderful exploration of both the entrepreneurial journey and the built environment — specifically, how we control it and how it controls us. My guest, Tanya Barham, is the CEO and founder of Community Energy Labs, which aims to make smart energy management and decarbonization accessible and affordable for public building (think schools, municipalities, etc). Tanya is an innovator, serial entrepreneur and self-described utility nerd, skilled in the execution of...
Mar 02, 2023•1 hr 20 min•Season 11Ep. 575
