SunCast

Trevor Noah, comedian and former host of The Daily Show, challenges listeners to rethink the fragility of democracy through humor and insight. He argues that clean energy needs better storytelling, emphasizing the importance of aligning incentives with people's needs. With a philosophical touch, he discusses how conflict can lead to deeper connections and explores the nuances between truth and perception. Noah masterfully blends comedy with serious topics, advocating for innovative approaches to foster dialogue around America's energy challenges.

Josh Goldberg, CEO of Sunstone Credit and a seasoned solar industry entrepreneur, dives into the untapped potential of small-to-mid-sized commercial solar. He reveals the reasons why this sector lagged behind residential solar, discussing his mission to provide innovative financing solutions. Goldberg shares insights on the billion-dollar bottleneck he's addressing, how Sunstone built robust underwriting for an 'unbanked' market, and why the timing for commercial solar is now ripe for growth. Expect revelations about market changes and financing intricacies!

Winter is comingIf you're a solar or battery developer, especially in utility-scale or C&I, you're likely feeling it already: capital has tightened, exits have dried up, and project timelines are stretching longer than ever. Sound familiar?Rob Sternthal, co-founder of XIP and a two-decade veteran of clean energy finance, joins Nico to deliver a tactical wake-up call. This isn’t just another “market update”—it’s a field guide for navigating what could be the most turbulent season the industry has faced in most of your careers. Rob breaks down the myths developers are clinging to, the real risks of mid-stage assets, and how to avoid ceding your entire platform to creditors.You’ll hear why Rob believes the “build and flip” model is on life support, what capital providers are really thinking, and how XIP is helping developers get scrappy, strategic, and solvent in a capital-constrained world.🧭 Expect to Learn:🔹 Why the capital markets have gone from firehose to faucet🔹 The red flags of a distressed developer (and how to know if it’s you)🔹 Strategies to stay liquid and avoid a fire sale🔹 What kind of investors to seek (and which ones to run from)If you’re feeling the pressure to sell early, raise expensive credit, or just keep your team afloat, this episode could be a lifeline. And if you’re looking for the Linkedin Article that prompted this episode, it’s here: https://bit.ly/RobSternthal-LI-PostCheck 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 if your rooftop solar could do more than just power your fridge?Karl Andersen believes it can—and should—power the future of AI.Karl unpacks the grid’s biggest vulnerabilities, why data centers lack critical power infrastructure, and how we can turn solar-powered homes into the building blocks of a decentralized compute network. Lektra’s tech fuses distributed energy with cloud computing—think “Raspberry Pi meets Tesla Powerwall meets AI.” The result? A game-changing business model where solar homeowners become micro data centers—and start earning like one.From national security concerns to GPU monetization, Karl walks us through why our energy and data systems are broken—and how his patented solution bridges both.Expect to learn:🔹 How Lektra turns excess solar energy into compute power🔹 Why grid fragility is now a national security issue🔹 What it takes to patent an entirely new category of energy-tech🔹 How homeowners could earn 1000x more than selling to the gridThis isn’t really even about solar. It’s about rethinking energy, ownership, and what the next version of the internet could look like.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

Ram Bhat, Head of Product at TeraHive, is a seasoned expert in energy solutions, previously with Enphase, specializing in innovative battery technology. He discusses how NEM 3.0 is transforming residential solar economics, emphasizing ROI over resilience. Ram reveals the critical role of AI-driven systems in enhancing energy management and homeowner adoption. He also highlights the benefits of DC-coupled architecture for cost efficiency and the importance of catering to the middle-income solar-plus-storage market.

What if your truck could power your house—and save you hundreds a month on electricity?Could your EV be a secret energy arbitrage opportunity?Barry Cinnamon, a true solar pioneer, shows that it’s possible right now with Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) systems. Listen in as Barry breaks down why V2H is finally ready for prime time—and why the utility-centric V2X model is failing to deliver real value for homeowners.Barry's message is clear: customers want control, not complexity. And with a 240V inverter in your EV (at least, in his Ford Lightning) plus the right home inverter/battery setup (ht to FranklinWH here), you can skip the expensive hardware and take back some control of your utility costs!This isn’t just a backup power story. It’s about a seismic shift toward energy independence.Expect to learn:🔹 How Barry hacked his Ford F-150 Lightning to power his home🔹 Why utilities are resisting customer-centric energy models🔹 The real cost difference between home solar + EV vs. staying on the grid🔹 What grid defection looks like—and why it’s accelerating in CaliforniaWhether you're an installer, a homeowner, or just EV-curious, this is your primer on the future of decentralized energy. It’s practical, passionate, and packed with real-world insight.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

Why haven’t more homeowners installed batteries—despite growing outages and rising rates? I tend to agree with Vinnie Campo, co-founder and CEO of Haven Energy, who believes the answer lies in who owns the asset. But beyond who owns the asset (and assuming, then, that it should not be the homeowner?), is there a way to deliver a truly zero-cost, fully managed battery system that benefits both homeowners and the grid?In this episode, Vinnie shares how Haven is flipping the script on residential energy storage. Backed by strategic investors (and co-founded by former Casper Mattress execs), Haven is creating a seamless path for utilities and CCAs to deploy batteries at scale—without burdening customers with financing complexity or upfront costs.We explore Haven’s creative partnership with one of those CCAs, Clean Power Alliance, helping deliver batteries to their base of 3 Million homeowners. We also learn just how they make it possible to deploy “zero cost” batteries, and why Vinnie’s background in energy trading helped bring this vision to reality.👉 This isn’t just about batteries. It’s about solving the grid's most urgent problems—and unlocking energy resilience for everyone.Expect to learn:🔹 How Haven offers batteries at no cost ever to income-qualified homeowners🔹 Why utilities and homeowners value batteries for very different reasons🔹 The secret to aligning grid capacity with backup power needs🔹 What makes VPP deployment finally scalable and financeableCheck 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 this enlightening conversation, Samantha Weaver, the Senior Policy Director at the Coalition for Community Solar Access, tackles the critical interconnection challenges hindering community solar projects. She reveals the staggering backlog in project processing and discusses the costly surprises from policy loopholes. Listeners will learn about 'zombie projects' blocking new developments, essential data every developer needs, and the pivotal role of community solar for the 70% of Americans unable to install panels on their property. It's a must-listen for anyone invested in clean energy!

Join Andrew Birch, founder of Open Solar and a longtime advocate for the solar industry, and Kerim Baran, a clean energy champion, as they tackle the real costs of solar tariffs stalling deployment in the U.S. They discuss why Americans pay significantly more for solar installations and how bureaucracy and trade policies are impeding progress. Learn about smarter permitting solutions, the success of Australia’s solar market, and hear intriguing insights on how tariffs hinder innovation and job creation in the industry.

Rachel Bryant, an engineer and lawyer at GridX, shares her insights on the future of utilities amidst the EV revolution. She discusses how confusing tariff structures can be reshaped for better customer engagement and smarter energy use. Rachel explains the need for time-variable pricing to stabilize the grid while accommodating solar and EV demands. She reveals how advanced data tools can empower consumers to understand their bills better and why EVs are key to active grid participation. The conversation also touches on the hurdles some utilities face in adopting innovative pricing.