Episode description

Over the last decade, solar growth has exploded. Just last year, the U.S. added a record 13 gigawatts of utility-scale solar to the grid. And despite supply chain disruptions and inflation, the average solar panel cost still dropped by 11%. 

New solar plants are now cheaper to build than new gas or coal-fired power plants. But according to the Department of Energy, for the country to achieve a zero-carbon grid by 2050, we'll need 1,600 gigawatts of solar compared to the 13 we added last year. This means solar will have to break through its current single digit share on the grid. And doing that means drastically rethinking the way developers, owners, and operators keep tabs on new and existing solar projects. That's exactly what Nikhil Vadhavkar, CEO and co-founder of Raptor Maps, is doing. 

Raptor Maps help utility scale solar owners and operators to build, monitor, maintain, and expand their solar plants. Before Raptor Maps, each solar farm operated in its own silo, essentially disconnected from other solar plants, and relied on old school paper, spreadsheets, and emails to record and track important information.

By introducing cutting edge software, Raptor Maps’ took an inefficient process and streamlined it. 

Emily spoke to Nikhil about what it takes to bring new innovation to the now well-established solar industry. They also talked about Raptor Maps' early transition from potato farms to solar farms and the work it took to build their reputation as an industry standard.

Powerhouse is an innovation firm that works with leading global corporations to help them find, partner with, invest in, and acquire the most innovative startups in clean energy, mobility, and climate. Powerhouse Ventures backs seed-stage startups building innovative software to rapidly decarbonize our global energy and mobility systems. You can learn more at powerhouse.fund, and you can subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.powerhouse.fund/subscribe.

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