Inside the Solar PPA Model Driving Clean Energy Growth

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What if the real disruption in solar isn’t the technology — but the business model behind it?

This week I’m joined by Scott Therien, Director of Strategic Partnerships at REC Solar, to unpack one of the most important, and least discussed, shifts in the energy transition: the move from one-off construction projects to long-term, risk-bearing power-purchase agreements. It’s a change that’s quietly reshaping who owns energy infrastructure, who carries the financial risk, and how quickly commercial sectors can decarbonise.

In this episode, you’ll hear why the old “buy a solar system and hope it performs” mindset is being replaced by something far more aligned - developers putting up the capital, carrying the downside, and only winning when the customer wins. We dig into how solar-plus-storage now beats diesel on cost and resilience in many markets, why procurement processes often sabotage their own climate goals, and what separates successful projects from expensive disappointments. You might be surprised to learn how much hinges not on panels or batteries, but on load profiles, tariff structures, and whether an organisation actually knows what it wants.

We also explore the future: a post-ITC world, the rise of data centres as demand engines, and unexpected benefits like agrivoltaics, including sheep producing better wool under solar arrays. It’s a vivid reminder that decarbonisation isn’t just an engineering exercise; it’s a systems shift.

🎙️ Listen now to hear how Scott and REC Solar are reshaping real-world decarbonisation through smarter ownership, smarter incentives, and smarter design.

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Credits
Music credits - Intro by Joseph McDade, and Outro music for this podcast was composed, played, and produced by my daughter Luna Juniper