

SunCast
Nico Johnson
Nico Johnson takes you into conversations with those at the forefront of Renewable Energy.
SunCast gives an inside look into what is happening in renewable energy. From conversations with the biggest Solar Panel manufacturers in the world to the small startups creating the future of renewable energy, such as carbon capture and battery technology breakthroughs.
SunCast is dedicated to providing the knowledge, research, tools and expert guidance you need to understand, grow and be ahead of the curve in the fastest-growing markets in the world.
Featuring over 800 conversations, Nico has interviewed people from Tesla, SolarCity, Trina Solar, Meyer Burger, Conergy, SunEdison, Energy Vault and even the US Government... to name a few. Covering topics such as Solar Power, Wind Energy, Batteries, Electric Vehicles, Carbon Capture, Finance, Hydrogen, and more.
You can watch SunCast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SunCastMedia
...or view the full archive of SunCast episodes here: https://www.suncast.media/media/podcast
SunCast gives an inside look into what is happening in renewable energy. From conversations with the biggest Solar Panel manufacturers in the world to the small startups creating the future of renewable energy, such as carbon capture and battery technology breakthroughs.
SunCast is dedicated to providing the knowledge, research, tools and expert guidance you need to understand, grow and be ahead of the curve in the fastest-growing markets in the world.
Featuring over 800 conversations, Nico has interviewed people from Tesla, SolarCity, Trina Solar, Meyer Burger, Conergy, SunEdison, Energy Vault and even the US Government... to name a few. Covering topics such as Solar Power, Wind Energy, Batteries, Electric Vehicles, Carbon Capture, Finance, Hydrogen, and more.
You can watch SunCast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SunCastMedia
...or view the full archive of SunCast episodes here: https://www.suncast.media/media/podcast
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 23, 2020 • 1h 5min
221 - From Redmond to the Sun: Why Jeff Ressler Left Microsoft to Focus on Clean Energy
Jeff Ressler, CEO of Clean Power Research, has had a remarkable career. From designing the park experience at Disneyland to designing the user and audience experience at Microsoft, he’s learned first-hand how worldclass thinkers leverage data and software to improve the lives of customers. Tune-in to today’s episode to learn how he graduated college without a job and ultimately ended up traveling the world with Bill Gates for 2 yrs! And hear what compelled him to leave the nest at MSFT to run the software company that helped launch and manage the California Solar Initiative. Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here You can connect w/host, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email Thanks a ton to our podcast sponsors for continuing to help make this content FREE to You! Please check them out and let me know what you think!

Jan 21, 2020 • 35min
220 - Fundraising Checklist for Solar Startups with Josh Beck [SPI 2019]
We have Josh Beck from BCI technology investments. He's the Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer. Josh and the BCI Technologies team know a thing or three about raising money and about investing in companies. Josh has brought a checklist of tips and tricks you should definitely take a look at in order to facilitate the whole fundraising process of your solar company. Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here You can connect w/host, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email Thanks a ton to our podcast sponsors for continuing to help make this content FREE to You! Please check them out and let me know what you think!

Jan 17, 2020 • 33min
219 - An Inconvenient Truth: Installation Quality Roundtable Royale! [SPI 2019]
This Flashback Friday is with an illustrious panel of professionals who unpack some of the underlying assumptions and assessments that need to be made around the installation quality part of the solar business. Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here You can connect w/host, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email Thanks a ton to our podcast sponsors for continuing to help make this content FREE to You! Please check them out and let me know what you think!

Jan 16, 2020 • 1h 12min
218 - Powerley, the "Intel-Inside" of Home Automation
Kevin Foreman, understands how to work with and through Utilities better than most. And his company, Powerley, seamlessly empowers Utilities to offer a customized service that improves the experience for millions of homeowners who want to understand and interact w/their energy data. Kevin and I had a wide-ranging conversation about the birth and evolution of Powerley, and we get into the weeds busting myths about residential user data, IoT, and the future of software in energy. It’s a conversation you won’t want to miss so hang tight and enjoy the geek-fest. Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here You can connect w/host, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email Thanks a ton to our podcast sponsors for continuing to help make this content FREE to You! Please check them out and let me know what you think!

Jan 14, 2020 • 22min
217 - German Market Strategies for the US Solar Market w/Gordon Baier of GoSolar [SPI 2019]
Gordon Baier and Cindy Baier of GoSolar joined us for a conversation at the SunCast Podcast Lounge at SPI 2019. He has experience in the rise of the solar market in Germany (his accent is as pronounced as the experience he brings to our market), and today you can find out how he first got into the solar journey, and how he has undergone a knowledge transition process from the German market to the US. Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here You can connect w/host, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email Thanks a ton to our podcast sponsors for continuing to help make this content FREE to You! Please check them out and let me know what you think!

Jan 14, 2020 • 22min
216 - Ann Gaglioti, CEO of Groundwork: The Pre-eminent Provider of Site-Specific Weather Data to Developers [SPI 2019]
Ann Gaglioti joined us at SPI 2019. Ann is the CEO of Groundwork. To date, GroundWork has directly contributed to the successful financing and installation of over 16GW of solar power in North America, and counting! Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here You can connect w/host, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email Thanks a ton to our podcast sponsors for continuing to help make this content FREE to You! Please check them out and let me know what you think!

Jan 10, 2020 • 40min
215 - Customer Acquisition From Online Lead Generation [SPI2019]
How does online lead gen help installers grow their business? It’s been the topic of many webinars, but if you’re like me you still have so many questions! So, I invited some friends in the lead gen arena to share their insights with SunCast listeners, and I was blown away by the value of what they shared. This was one of the most talked-about and attended sessions at the Podcast Lounge during SPI. Residential solar sales and lead gen experts Ruben Ugarte (Active Prospect), Scott Mueller (Solar Lead Factory), and Kyle Cherrick (PickMySolar) joined me to dispel myths and argue methods. If you’ve been wondering about whether purchasing leads or participating in a lead gen program is right for your company, you owe it to yourself to tune in to this episode! Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here You can connect w/host, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email Thanks a ton to our podcast sponsors for continuing to help make this content FREE to You! Please check them out and let me know what you think!

Jan 9, 2020 • 34min
214 - Solar Optimization Methods with Michael Ginsberg of Mastering Green
Today’s entrepreneur is Doctor of Engineering Candidate, Solar Energy Specialist, and 2-time Author Michael Ginsberg. Michael has spent his career helping Embassies and government agencies implement solar and efficiency programs worldwide, and has recently distilled his learning, lessons and case studies into a pair of books on the topics of Solar Implementation, Operations and Maintenance. It’s a rare skill to be a practitioner with the ability to teach and train, and I thoroughly enjoyed an early look and discussion with Michael at the best practices he’s helping bring to market with these texts. Stay tuned as Michael shares the key lessons takeaways from his world travels and training. Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here You can connect w/host, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email Thanks a ton to our podcast sponsors for continuing to help make this content FREE to You! Please check them out and let me know what you think!

Jan 7, 2020 • 24min
212 - Two-fer Tuesday - SPI'2019 Eliminating Capital Constraints for C&I Development - Jim Spano, RadiantREIT
Today we are interviewing Jim Spano, Co-Founder of RadiantREIT. We discuss their new program that offers liquidity effectively to developers that would otherwise be cash strapped to be able to expand their portfolio, hence eliminating capital constraints for C&I developers as the episode title suggests. Thanks to our podcast sponsors for continuing to help make this content free to You! IF you have stuck Commercial Solar projects, you really should consider how they can help: Extensible Energy and Chint Power Systems Learn more by clicking on their respective company links. Resources Connect with Jim on LinkedIn Check out the RadiantREIT website

Jan 7, 2020 • 25min
213 - Two-fer Tuesday - SPI'2019 Barry Cinnamon, CEO of Cinnamon Energy Systems: 20 Years of Riding the Solar Coaster
Today’s interview happened between two greats in our industry: Tor “Solar Fred” Valenza, Founder & CMO of UnThink Solar., and Barry Cinnamons, CEO of Cinnamon Energy Systems. This conversation was a dive into the life and times as it were for Mr. Barry Cinnamon, one of the folks that we consider an icon and pillar in the industry, having pioneered many ways in which the industry moves forward. As some of you may know, Barry has his own radio show and he has interviewed Tor before. Now is the time where Tor turns the mic in his direction, and he's now in the hot seat to answer questions about his life and times on the solar coaster. Thanks to our podcast sponsors for continuing to help make this content free to You! IF you have stuck Commercial Solar projects, you really should consider how they can help: Extensible Energy and Chint Power Systems Learn more by clicking on their respective company links. Resources Connect with Barry on LinkedIn Connect with Tor on LinkedIn Connect with Tor on Twitter Check out the UnThink Solar and Cinnamon Energy Systems websites


