689: O&M: How to Keep Existing Solar Projects Producing for Decades to Come with Renewable Energy Veteran & Founder, Josh Fraughton (FSLR, NOVA, R7/RNWBL)

Apr 4, 2024

Renewable energy veteran Josh Fraughton discusses the stability of solar projects and the importance of maintaining supply chains. He shares his journey from installer to O&M operations, tackling obsolescence in solar components, addressing industry inflation, and optimizing solar industry operations. Fraughton emphasizes the need for proactive measures, strategic planning, and innovative solutions to ensure the longevity and efficiency of solar projects.

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Introduction

00:00 • 5min

Navigating Obsolescence in Solar Energy Projects

04:31 • 23min

Challenges and Solutions in Solar PV Development and Entrepreneurial Pursuits

27:09 • 4min

Navigating Growth and Challenges in the Renewable Energy Sector

31:30 • 15min

Challenges and Innovations in Renewable Energy Staffing and Entrepreneurship

46:51 • 16min

Mastering Daily Routine for Productivity

01:02:25 • 4min

Visioning the Future: Solar Asset Management and Industry Evolution

01:06:45 • 3min

Redefining Accountability in the Solar Industry with Josh Fraughton

01:09:40 • 3min

As our Secretary of Energy says, deploy deploy deploy! It’s incredible to see how hard we’re pushing to modernize the grid, but, we also must maintain and ensure solar projects are delivering on every kilowatt hour that we promised. Today’s guest has been delivering on those promises for nearly two decades.

Josh Fraughton, a renewable energy veteran with nearly two decades of experience in the solar industry, has seen firsthand the increasing need for a stable supply chain for solar O&M. So Josh collaborated with RNWBL at the founding of R7 Supply, a venture so immediately successful that it scaled to meet to start filling the gaps within 18 months and continues strong today under RNWBL.

Today, he shares his entrepreneurial journey with us.

Expect to learn:

Josh’s story of going from boots-on-the-roof as an installer to orchestrating O&M and supply chain operations for industry giants.
A business idea to address a need in the solar industry that Nico and Josh both believe will be huge
Josh’s plan to tackle obsolescence in solar components and ensure that systems remain efficient and viable over time.
How well-intentioned entrepreneurs are creating their own inflation in the solar industry.

Don't miss out – press play to learn more about optimizing the O&M side of the solar industry and Josh’s extensive experience solving the industry’s problems.

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to his contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/.

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Mentioned in this episode:

CPS July 2024 V2