SunCast

Mark Mrohs is a true solar pioneer and lifelong dedicated educator for our industry. If you missed Part 1 of this episode, I really encourage you to press pause here, and go back and listen to part 1. I think that it would be helpful to better understand Mark’s background and trajectory.Today, Mark and I go into a lot on his theory of learning, where he sees the world of virtual reality and whether or not we're ready for it. VR Headsets like Oculus and many other headset makers are changing the way we think about virtual reality.I hope that you'll have some takeaways from this episode, as I did around the trade gap in many industries and how we are working towards training the next generation, all the hundreds of thousands of people we need, both in the field and in the office, to help make sure that the electricity sector is converted to clean and renewable energy.Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolarIf you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.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

We're going to jump into what I expect to be a very exciting and interesting conversation with Mark Mrohs, a true solar pioneer. A couple of things as his accreditations just to set the stage, Mark was Training Director for ARCO Solar Inc, Siemens Solar, AstroPower, SunPower, SunEdison, of course, he's an instructor for Solar Energy International, and he was a Technician at Spectrolab Inc. before that.He's also had some time now focused on virtual reality with a young company called Interplay Learning down in Austin. Mark has had such a fascinating life and it's all centered around training in the solar photovoltaic industry.It's been so long coming that I sat down with Mark for a long period of time, just catching up and having fun. We've broken this conversation down into Two Episodes. What got Mark into the industry? A deep dive into how he thinks about education and how the education of our industry is evolving.Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolarIf you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.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 you’re about to hear is a recorded keynote of Day 2 of our SunCast Career Summit.Clean Energy has led the job-creation efforts for the decade since the last recession. Hear from industry insiders, SEIA’s Abby Hopper, Lightsource BP’s Emilie Wangerman, GRID Alternatives’ Erika Symmonds, and Clean Energy for Biden’s Audrey Lee, Ph.D., on what roles are being hired for and where we might see the greatest momentum coming out of the current crisis.Get access to the video replay of this and other sessions from our SunCast Career Summit by clicking here. Use the code TRIBE20 for a 20% discount.Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolarIf you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.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

I have really enjoyed the conversations that I've been having with Miss Emilie Wangerman, the Vice President of Business Development for Lightsource BP. Emilie has over 8 years of experience in power markets and energy policy, on both the buy-and-sell side of solar, storage, and distributed energy resources (DERs), as well as experience with generation and electric system operations and utility rate design, which is complemented by her background in technology development and process engineering.We go deep into how Emily started at Lightsource how she has grown into an executive in the industry, and the intentional and not so intentional decisions that led her down that path. We also take a look at the way her experience at previous firms like PG&E and GE which have informed some of the decisions that she now gets to execute inside the marketplace. It's a wide-ranging conversation with someone I find particularly very interesting, and I hope you will too.Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolarIf you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.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

We're so excited to be back with you for SPI, ESI & NORTH AMERICA SMART ENERGY WEEK 2020 in its new virtual format. This is the final edition of the SunCast Weekly Roundup, presented by LG Solar, where we decided to go LIVE and catch some of the big takeaways from the first-ever Virtual Solar Power International.In today’s episode, my Co-Host Joshua Porter from SolarCoaster and I held interesting conversations Inside the Green Room with cleantech leaders like Erika Myers from Smart Electric Power Alliance, Tara Lynn Gray from Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce, David Schlosberg from Enel X, and AJ Perkins from Instant ON as they share with us their final insights on the sessions from last week, their experience participating in this fully-virtual format of North America’s most popular cleantech tradeshow, and what to expect for next year.We had Brian Lynch, LG Electronic’s Director of Solar and Storage, and Julia Pyper, Host and Producer of Political Climate, starring yet again in our newest segment, “Industry Pulse, Presented by LG Solar”. During each week of the event, Brian went 1 on 1 with an industry expert to get hot takes and the latest topics impacting our industry.We also spoke to Ann Gaglioti from Groundwork Renewables, and Christian Roselund from Rocky Mountain Institute, on the importance of the presidential elections for the clean energy industry, and why you should go out and vote!Lastly, we had Danielle Danko from Solar Energy Trade Shows to wrap up these 7 weeks of content with some final thoughts around the efforts to bring SPI to life virtually, how the Virtual Tradeshow will go through the end of the year, and expectations for next year’s edition.Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolarIf you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.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 guest is Arch Rao, Founder & CEO of Span.IO, a technology company reinventing the electrical panel to enable the rapid adoption of renewable energy.  He is an engineer and entrepreneur with expertise in research, development and commercialization of energy technologies.We’re going to not only explore how Span is advancing the very technology that supports home energy devices, but also the background of this engineer and entrepreneur, and his expertise in storage systems and their integration to our energy world.Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolarIf you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.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

Hear insights from clean-energy thought leaders like Daisy Meyer, Robert Broadwater, Gwen Yamamoto and Lavannya Pulluveetil Barrera, as they share with us their insights on week 6 sessions, as well as their experience of participating in this fully-virtual format of North America’s most popular cleantech tradeshow.We also had Brian Lynch, LG Electronic’s Director of Solar and Storage, and Kenneth Locklin, Director at Impax Asset Management, LLC starring in our newest segment, “Industry Pulse, Presented by LG Solar”. Each week, Brian will go 1 on 1 with an industry expert to get hot takes and the latest topics impacting our industry.Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolarIf you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.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 guest is Andy Foote, a professional LinkedIn consultant. He’s spent the last decade obsessively testing multiple engagement strategies and building a large and supportive network on the largest professional networking website in the World. His podcast, Foote Notes, is an interview show featuring interesting people that he’s discovered on LinkedIn.Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolarIf you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.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

This week we have a really interesting angle on the way that cleantech companies are lifted from the dust.Today's intrapreneur and entrepreneur is Trish Cozart, Program Manager for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at the National Renewable Energy Lab in Colorado. Now, Trish has been recommended by several people, but a special shoutout to Antenna Group for helping make this interview happen for you.Trish and I really dig into how the National Renewable Energy Lab, through its Innovation Entrepreneurship Center, is helping to spur entrepreneurship, hence supporting what most cleantech activists and advocates are trying to bring in to the world, both from funding as well as enabling a much broader network, far beyond just the dollars that go into the companies that come through the cohort's in her organization within NREL.Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolarIf you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.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

In today’s episode, you’ll be able to hear insights from clean-energy thought leaders like Emma Nicholson, Jon Wellinghoff, and Dawn Weisz, as they share with us their insights on week 5 sessions, as well as their experience of participating in this fully-virtual format of North America’s most popular cleantech tradeshow.We also had Brian Lynch, LG Electronic’s Director of Solar and Storage, and Ian Lochore, Vice President and General Manager of Baker Electric Home Energy starring in our newest segment, “Industry Pulse, Presented by LG Solar”. Each week, Brian will go 1 on 1 with an industry expert to get hot takes and the latest topics impacting our industry.Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolarIf you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.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