SunCast

Today we are going to explore what it looks like to develop a Solar+ Storage project at scale.As we enter into the Solar+ Decade, storage is increasingly becoming an area of expertise for the industry’s leading EPCs and Development firms. Those of you familiar with Strata Solar won’t need an introduction to this North Carolina based EPC that has quietly dominated the Southeast markets for a decade.One of our LATAM Market Solar Warriors, Josh Rogol, joined Strata Solar to run their Energy Storage division. Today, he along with his colleagues Will Mitchell and Garrett Lehman, are going to help us understand the development of a truly remarkable achievement from this company: the 400 MWh Battery Energy Storage System recently approved for construction in Ventura, California.Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 270 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode hereCheck 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 an in-depth look at the ins and outs of building a project that incorporates a massive battery component to the equation. Energy Storage is all the rage in California, and all over the renewable energy landscape in the world. There’s at least one missing element to the conversation to understand the how and why folks are able to monetize and deploy these battery systems: resource adequacy.Consequently, we are diving into the following questions:What is resource adequacy? Why does it matter? Who is involved in the discussion?We’ll answer these questions and more with Will Mitchell, Director of Origination for the Western U.S. of Strata Solar, a massive EPC from North Carolina with over a decade of success developing, constructing and commissioning more than 150 utility-scale projectsCheck 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

Our guests rarely get very specific about the decision matrix of forming their business, and understanding the unique space they hold that makes their version of the widget the best in the world.Today’s entrepreneur, Dr. Nick Engerer, found his way to his current job, or rather created his current job, vis a vis academia. We dove into the mind of a brilliant thinker, biohacker and true process engineer who’s not satisfied with the status quo. His company, SolCast,  provides solar irradiance & power forecasting data to some of the largest IPPs and Utilities in the world.How and why did he decide to dedicate that last decade of this his life to this? Why did he end up in Australia of all places to work it out? Tune in to find out.Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 270 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode hereCheck 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, Marek Kubik, has been on the show before. Perhaps you caught him on episode 251 or in as a panelist in one of the sessions of our SunCast Clean Energy Summit. Wherever you have met him, you surely have been impressed by this young leader from the Fluence team.He leads Fluence’s UK & Ireland team, responsible for overseeing the origination, development and commercial negotiation of energy storage tech sales.Today’s conversation will cover what’s generationally different about storage and how Fluence shows up in the market. Fluence’s new 6th generation technology stack combining factory-built hardware, advanced software and data-driven intelligence. It has made a splash in the market, arguably as the answer to Tesla’s Megapack. They did all of these in stealth mode, but we are going to bring it to light now.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

If you are new and didn’t yet check out this week’s Tactical Tuesday, I would highly recommend you just hit pause and take a look back at the episode from June 30th as it’ll help set the stage.If you’re already up to speed on Reactive & Real Power, then power on my friend.Today’s Entrepreneur is a returning guest, but not just from this week’s Tactical Tuesday. President of Apparent, Inc, Jacqueline Desouza was also one of the featured speakers during our Suncast Clean Energy Summit back in April alongside Jon Bonano and James Pagonis all about going from Innovation to Implementation.Today, Jacqueline and I explore how Apparent is taking on the task of making clean renewable energy look more like a spinning generator, at least as far as the Grid can tell, and why electric vehicles are ultimately the right testing ground for their technology. With a mix of hardware and software, she and her team are making the complexity of Real and Reactive Power more, well, Apparent.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

Welcome to another Tactical Tuesday, a short-form conversation with subject-matter experts designed to give you practical tools, tips and advice for building your solar business or career.This Thursday, you will have the chance to really get inside the business and career of one of our recent SunCast Clean Energy Summit guests, Jacqueline DeSouza, President of Apparent Inc.However, during that interview, we will get into quite some complex topics. In order to follow along, Jacqueline and I sat down to explain some things that will be helpful for you on Thursday, namely, the relationship between reactive and real power.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

If you missed it, this is Part 2 of our two-part conversation with Chuck Swoboda, former CEO of Cree, Inc. It was a phenomenal conversation about his history, and how he got to Cree, Inc.We will wrap up the conversation today, so I’d encourage you to press pause and listen to Part 1 (if you haven’t already). I’m glad that you’re finding his stories intriguing and you’re looking for more. Chuck didn’t disappoint, so hold on to your hats as Chuck Swoboda and I take a fascinating look at his career leading up to and through Cree’s meteoric rise in the LED world. His legacy and impact at CREE, Inc. are legendary, and he’s put many of his fabled stories and lessons learned into his recently launched book, The Innovator’s Spirit, and his fantastic podcast Innovator’s on Tap.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 entrepreneur story is with someone with whom SunCast faithful listeners are already familiar. Chuck Swoboda has graced the podcast a couple of times: recently as both Tactical Tuesday guest and a keynote for the SunCast Clean Energy Summit in April.His legacy and impact at CREE, Inc. are legendary, and he’s put many of his fabled stories and lessons learned into his recently launched book, The Innovator’s Spirit, and his fantastic podcast Innovator’s on Tap. But I was not satisfied with just getting the deets on his book, and suspected, as I tend to do, that there were still some stories held back. Chuck didn’t disappoint, so hold on to your hats as Chuck Swoboda and I take a fascinating look at his career leading up to and through Cree’s meteoric rise in the LED world. From hilarious family stories to heartbreaking life lessons about the reality of leading a fast-growth company, Chuck let us peer into the career of one of the most intriguing stories I’ve chronicled on SunCast yet. Did you know that CREE wasn’t even created to take on LED lighting? If that surprises you, you’re in for a treat.I am honored to be able to provide you with this Part One of the interview, and we'll be following the Part Two on Episode 269.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

Last week, I participated in the first-ever virtual e-conference in the solar industry: the Midwest Solar Expo. Thanks to a virtual platform called Virbela, everyone created their digital avatars, walked around the virtual campus, and attended diverse sessions and panels.Every morning, I had the SunCast Morning Show, presented by LG! What you are about to hear next are excerpts from those morning shows.We started with a "what-to-expect" overview of the event, and then we talked about what's happening in the solar market, broadly speaking, from the perspective of our guests: Brian Lynch, Director of Solar + Storage of LG Electronics, Eric Pasi, Chief Development Officer of Impact Power Solutions, and Rex Kehoe, Director of Partnerships of Solar.comIf you want to check what the Virbela digital platform is about, check the videos of these morning shows on our Youtube channel.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 taking a journey down intrapreneur lane with an inspirational figure and example of how to take a long-standing role in corporate life and create a company out of it. Patrick Lee is the President & CEO of PXiSE, and also the VP of Infrastructure and Technology at Sempra N.A. Infrastructure.Along the way, we also hear from his team about how they’re building a scalable solution to the Transition from a 1-way centralized grid to a multi-dimensional (and directional) operating system, - an operating system that could piece together the disparate components, apps, and platforms in a scalable and seamless solution.Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 260 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode hereCheck 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