SunCast

Founded in a Wisconsin barn more than 60 years ago, Generac is a global leader in designing and manufacturing residential, commercial and industrial power generation equipment. Generac practically created the market for home standby generators and still commands an impressive market share in that category. Now it's fueling its transition to the renewable energy reality through an acquisition spree in clean energy products and services.Take Neurio, a Vancouver, British Columbia-based energy data company. Founded in 2005, Neurio focused on metering technology and analytics to optimize home or business energy use. Generac bought it in 2019 to accelerate its efforts around connectivity and remote monitoring — what it described as "critical parts of its 'Powering Our Future' strategy."Keith Marett was CEO of Neurio at the time of the acquisition. He said combining Neurio's intelligent energy management technology with Generac's products, distribution, and market creation capabilities created tremendous energy use and management opportunities. And that was only the beginning. Keith is now the president of Generac's Clean Energy Services, its fastest-growing division. He expects homeowners to become increasingly aware they can track and control their energy use through various technologies that allow them to decide who they pay and how much they pay for electricity. And he’s shepherded a 3+ year transformation of this traditional power company into an outperforming Fortune 1000 star. What’s the strategy, and where are they looking next? Stay tuned…Get your Solar Fight Night tickets before they're gone: https://tinyurl.com/522wf8v3Also check out Renewables UnWind Las Vegas: https://tinyurl.com/2ea2c6k3And don't forget about the pickleball games: https://tinyurl.com/p9h5nv42If 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/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 730 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

Today’s Tactical Tuesday is a compilation of my favorite moments from the recent George Hershman 2-part interview. If you missed that one, then you’ll for sure want to queue up this more snack-able episode (but I’ll bet it will leave you ready to commit to the longer version!) It was packed with great stories and advice, but it was also a long interview, and maybe you're short on time. So think of this as the SparkNotes or CliffsNotes version of those two back-to-back podcasts. George is a solar industry icon and one of my heroes in the industry. His leadership & industry accomplishments have set the bar for so many who see him as a mentor, boss and colleague. And, he brings unparalleled insights into the clean energy revolution from his vantage point as the CEO of SOLV Energy and board chair of the Solar Energy Association (SEIA). Todays, preview give you a glimpse of the doubleheader mega interview I mentioned, which you can listen to in its entirety in SunCast Episodes 478 and 479. Get your Solar Fight Night tickets before they're gone: https://tinyurl.com/522wf8v3Also check out Renewables UnWind Las Vegas: https://tinyurl.com/2ea2c6k3And don't forget about the pickleball games: https://tinyurl.com/p9h5nv42If 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/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 730 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

Solar Energy International (SEI) holds a special place in the hearts and minds of many #SolarWarriors who tune in regularly to SunCast. And SEI is equally important to me because it's partnered with SunCast for the entirety of our existence in support of nearly all our in-person and virtual events through the years.So I'm especially delighted to welcome SEI Executive Director Elizabeth Sanderson and learn how, in her first year, she’s growing into the leader role of expanding this beloved organization. In case you're new to the industry, SEI is a 30-year-old solar education and training organization that's changed how folks learn to install solar and energy storage. In simplest terms, SEI supports a diverse, inclusive, well-trained solar workforce to promote sustainable economic growth, mitigate climate change, and support energy independence. It aims to Educate, Engage and Empower — a mission it's meeting because it already has nearly 100,000 graduates. They attend programs online and at SEI's technical training facility in Paonia, Colorado.In today's podcast, we'll explore everything from how Elizabeth positions an organization that generates an exceptional amount of love from people in the solar industry for its next 30 years. She has an excellent vantage point, poised at the bleeding edge of technology in a quest to deliver the future workforce. So we'll also get her perspective on some technologies that excite her.Elizabeth offers some keen insights about personal growth, professional development and staying true to your passions in an ever-evolving world. For now, she's focused on accelerating partnerships and collaborative relationships at SEI to keep an older organization relevant and agile. "I'm tasked with expanding the organization but keeping its soul and culture,” she says.Elizabeth has a lot to say. And if you want to continue the conversation after listening, Elizabeth is more than happy to connect on LinkedIn.Get your Solar Fight Night tickets before they're gone: https://tinyurl.com/522wf8v3Also check out Renewables UnWind Las Vegas: https://tinyurl.com/2ea2c6k3And don't forget about the pickleball games: https://tinyurl.com/p9h5nv42If 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/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 730 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

You need a way to define winning solar projects fast, while eliminating all doubt that you've selected the most optimum configuration. And it’s frustrating to commit to a design strategy knowing that if you had the time or data, you could find something better. Furthermore, in the current procurement process, constrained by module availability, trade concerns and interconnection timelines, the need to modify project configuration is an increasing concern to keep these projects on-time. Today’s Tactical Tuesday conversation should help with that. I don’t often give such an overt (and free) endorsement of a specific design tool, but when I discovered the Solar Instant Feasibility Tool, I knew it was something I needed to share w/the community.  Today's guest will tell us about a product he created to solve his pain as a project development engineer. And I think you'll find it could help you make better decisions as well.Ashton Vandemark is the business unit manager for the Solar Instant Feasibility Tool (SIFT) at Terrasmart, a provider of ground-mount solar racking technology primarily used for solar projects. SIFT — a design, performance and financial modeling solution — is Ashton's baby. In today's podcast, Ashton shares his experiences from graduating with a mechanical engineering degree from The Ohio State University through relocation to China and ultimately founding the company where he developed SIFT.He founded that company, Sunfig, in 2017, which he sold in January 2021 to Gibraltar, a provider of solar racking technologies, electrical balance-of-system products, and installation services. Gibraltar concurrently acquired TerraSmart in a significant expansion of its solar portfolio, and rebranded the portfolio of companies Terrasmart earlier this year.While Ashton's role has changed, he still proudly promotes the early-stage feasibility tool he developed "to help clients gain confidence in their decisions, maximize margins, and submit winning bids with a competitive edge." He says SIFT can Increase a project's internal rate of return (IRR) by 5% to 15% and speed up the development cycle.Want to know how? Give today’s Tactical Tuesday a listen.Get your Solar Fight Night tickets before they're gone: https://tinyurl.com/522wf8v3Also check out Renewables UnWind Las Vegas: https://tinyurl.com/2ea2c6k3And don't forget about the pickleball games: https://tinyurl.com/p9h5nv42If 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/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 730 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

Yoann Hispa has four science and math degrees, speaks four languages and cultivates a singular obsession with knowledge acquisition. I think you’ll have a lot in common with Yoann; you’re both insatiable infinite learners, that much we know. ;-)Yoann is the CEO and co-founder of LandGate, a company that aims to revolutionize the ways US environmental resources for everything from solar and wind to oil and gas are bought and sold. In his words, “We call ourselves the Zillow for land resources.” The six-year-old Denver-based company helps landowners, real estate agents, investors, developers and other stakeholders make more informed decisions through data and valuation benchmarks, and their thesis has been validated by the likes of Nextera’s venture arm, which led a recent $10Million Series B funding round.In today's podcast, he discusses the catalyst for his career path, his philosophy on building a business and explains how land values for wind and solar compare to traditional oil and gas leases. "Renewables are growing the most now," he said.   My favorite anecdote from the interview is his description of a chance encounter with the late US astronaut James Irwin when he was 10 and how it impacted his career trajectory. Land acquisition is often the lynchpin to most energy transactions, and renewable energy is no different. Yoann explained that his transition to renewables from O&G was very much customer-driven; the need for land remains a constant regardless what the investors are looking to build there. It's a finite commodity but equally crucial whether the focus is fossil fuel or wind. "Land has a historically low dividend. But in terms of an inflation environment, like we are in today, land is a very safe investment," he added.I hope you listen to the full podcast with Yoann Hispa to get a sense of where he sees the world today and his predictions for the future. Get your Solar Fight Night tickets before they're gone: https://tinyurl.com/522wf8v3Also check out Renewables UnWind Las Vegas: https://tinyurl.com/2ea2c6k3And don't forget about the pickleball games: https://tinyurl.com/p9h5nv42If 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/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 730 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

What does it look like to build a career of purpose that also engages your natural talents for educating and relationship building? This week’s Tactical Tuesday will show you! In today’s episode, we feature Miguel Gil Mast of Schneider Electric.Get your Solar Fight Night tickets before they're gone: https://tinyurl.com/522wf8v3Also check out Renewables UnWind Las Vegas: https://tinyurl.com/2ea2c6k3And don't forget about the pickleball games: https://tinyurl.com/p9h5nv42If 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/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 730 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

If you’ve been following along the touchstones that make up the community solar market…“In this final episode of our 5-part series, we still have one more segment of this quilt of knowledge left to weave - the money - how does it work? You heard David Sandbank in Episode 1 refer to the Value Stack. The ways in which the market participants are incentivized to participate is an important element of any complete understanding of an industry sufficient that you could actually begin to participate in it. So, today I’m sitting down with Sy Kim, an industry veteran who has become a go-to resource for those who wish to develop market entry and business development plans for community solar. I first met Sy back when he was a project developer at SunPower before he went on to take senior leadership roles in NRG Energy and what would become Clearway. Sy’s market understanding surpasses most others I’ve met when it comes to explaining the one piece left to unravel in this tapestry - just how does the revenue in these projects stack up? We discuss RECs, Tax Equity, market constraints & More. From types of offtakers to credit risk, incentives and customer mix, this final discussion will hopefully help fill any remaining gaps in your understanding of just exactly what community solar is and how you can participate in this high-growth opportunity.You can learn more about today’s guest and our expert lineup along with what else is to come in the series at www.mysuncast.com/communitysolar Did you miss the series so far?CONSIDER THIS YOUR “COMMUNITY SOLAR 101”In this 5-part series, we answer:How does Community Solar work, and what are the Policy frameworks that support it’s expansion?Is the development of Community Solar that much different from other solar verticals (C&I, Utility)?How does this segment of the industry enable a more just & equitable solar offering?Who are the customers and how are they acquired for Community Solar as compared with other verticals?And, How does the money flow into, through and out of these projects for the various stakeholders?The Community Solar series presented in partnership with EDP Renewables N. America, Distributed Generation.You'll find more resources and learn about SunCast's guest(s), recommendations, book links, and more than 650 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.You can learn more about partnering with SunCast here: https://mysuncast.com/sponsorsYou can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalusSubscribe to Valence, our weekly Linkedin Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/

So far, we’ve taken a look at how Policy works at both the State & Federal Level. And we’ve also heard from a solar developer about the nuance and important differences for community solar from the other verticals.In Episode 4 of this series, we’ll hear from Kate Henningsen, Co-founder and COO at Arcadia Power. Prior to joining Arcadia Power as its sixth employee, Kate spent several years as a litigator at an international law firm, providing counsel to businesses on a wide variety of high-stakes issues. She has helped grow Arcadia to perhaps the most well-known among a category of service providers known as “aggregators” in Community Solar. We often hear community solar buyers referred to as subscribers. But, who actually finds, enrolls and services these subscribers? How does customer acquisition for community solar actually work? And how do you get beyond the general notion that it is just Too Good to be True? To answer these questions and more, I reached out to Kate Henningsen. Kate and the Arcadia team have onboarded more than 200K solar customers, and have eliminated the need for a FICO score as a pre-requisite for subscription. Aggregators serve a critical function in the marketplace to lower customer acquisition costs & address the scalability of the sector. How? Stay tuned.You can learn more about today’s guest and our expert lineup along with what else is to come in the series at www.mysuncast.com/communitysolar Did you miss the series?CONSIDER THIS YOUR “COMMUNITY SOLAR 101”In this 5-part series, we answer:How does Community Solar work, and what are the Policy frameworks that support it’s expansion?Is the development of Community Solar that much different from other solar verticals (C&I, Utility)?How does this segment of the industry enable a more just & equitable solar offering?Who are the customers and how are they acquired for Community Solar as compared with other verticals?And, How does the money flow into, through and out of these projects for the various stakeholders? The Community Solar series presented in partnership with EDP Renewables N. America, Distributed Generation.You'll find more resources and learn about SunCast's guest(s), recommendations, book links, and more than 650 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.You can learn more about partnering with SunCast here: https://mysuncast.com/sponsorsYou can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalusSubscribe to Valence, our weekly Linkedin Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/

The US Department of Energy considers community solar “an indispensable source in our future energy mix.” In Episode 3 of our Community Solar Series, we’ll hear from Nicole Steele, Senior advisor for Energy Justice & workforce at the Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office.Nicole runs the National Community Solar Partnership, which as you heard in Episode 1 has set an ambitious goal of achieving $1B in energy savings across 5M households by the year 2025. This would represent an increase from 3 to 20GW of community solar capacity in the US, and reflects an average bill reduction of 20%.How does the DOE plan to support this program? Why did it need to exist at all? And how can you benefit from it in your company or community? That’s what we intend to understand and illuminate in this discussion with Nicole Steele.Key Questions we cover in this interview:Why is the DOE supporting Community Solar, specifically?Who are the stakeholders DOE is engaging, and how?What is the “5 pathways to success” model that Nicole & DOE offer?And, what are the desired outcomes for this program, beyond the headlines of $1B in energy savings?Tune in to learn more and see how this program might be useful for your community.You can learn more about today’s guest and our expert lineup along with what else is to come in the series at www.mysuncast.com/communitysolar The Community Solar series presented in partnership with EDP Renewables N. America, Distributed Generation.You'll find more resources and learn about SunCast's guest(s), recommendations, book links, and more than 650 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.You can learn more about partnering with SunCast here: https://mysuncast.com/sponsorsYou can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalusSubscribe to Valence, our weekly Linkedin Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/

In  today’s Episode 2 of the Community Solar Series, our solar expert is David Kane, a seasoned developer at EDP Renewables. Dave gives us the view from the developer’s perspective:What exactly is entailed in his role as project developer? How does the organization rely on he and his team for progress?How does a developer think about policy as an enabler or driver for how to structure his/her time & team?What does the ecosystem of stakeholders look like? What are the kinds of people that one looks for in “local” partners?We learn what unique skill sets community solar developers need.And, I ask the question that seems to really be on many people’s minds: “Are these skills & needs all that different from Utility scale development?” If you’ve been wonderingHow do you decide where (market, team requirements, partner development) to focus the effort?Where do people most often fail or mess up in the development process for community solar?What sets successful projects apart from the rest - what do you look for in a development partner or project?Then this next episode of the Community Solar series is for you!Tune-in, and also if you missed it go queue up Episode 1 from the series with Jeff Cramer of CCSA.You can learn more about today’s guest and our expert lineup along with what else is to come in the series at www.mysuncast.com/communitysolar The Community Solar series presented in partnership with EDP Renewables N. America, Distributed Generation.You'll find more resources and learn about SunCast's guest(s), recommendations, book links, and more than 650 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.You can learn more about partnering with SunCast here: https://mysuncast.com/sponsorsYou can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalusSubscribe to Valence, our weekly Linkedin Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/