Sean White‘s Solar and Energy Storage Podcast: Recent Episodes
whitehousesolar
Sean White teaches solar classes and seminars around the world. He attempts to slightly humor you while learning and to not talk over your head. This podcast contains an assortment of topics, with an emphasis on technical solar knowledge.
Eric Woodruff, a PhD and CEM who served as past president of the Association of Energy Engineers. Eric explained the CEM (Certified Energy Manager) program, which has been around since 1981 and is recognized in 100 countries, serving as a foundational course covering energy management across buildings, industrial systems, and power systems. They discussed technical topics including power factor correction, the California duck curve showing 66% renewable grid power on many days, and the benefits of solar installations, with Eric sharing his experience getting 15% returns on solar investments. The conversation also covered Eric's international work training energy professionals in countries like Lebanon, Jordan, and the Philippines, and his belief that energy efficiency should be non-political and focused on financial benefits for everyone. Topics CoveredKeynote speaker interviewsSailing and pilots Power factor billingVariable frequency drivesHarmonics and filtersInternational energy trainingClean energy politics
Premier ProgramSolar investment returns
Presidents and politicsAEE = Association of Energy Engineers www.aeecenter.org/CEM = Certified Energy ManagerEV = Electric vehicle emissions
kVA = Kilovolt-Amps apparent power
Reach out to Eric Woodruff here:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ericwoodroof/Association of Energy Engineers: www.aeecenter.org/Profitable Green Solutions: www.profitablegreensolutions.com/
Email: eric@ericwoodroof.com Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes atwww.heatspring.com/seanwww.solarsean.com/pvipexam
Bill Taylor, CEO of DCE Solar, DCE Services, and DCE Design, discusses building three complementary companies spanning solar structure manufacturing, installation, and electrical design. He explains his commitment to domestic steel sourcing, his people-first management philosophy, and hiring based on behavior rather than credentials. Topics CoveredDCE Company Overview
Solar Structure Manufacturing
Domestic Steel Sourcing
Company Culture & Leadership
Hiring Philosophy
Employee Retention
Solar Module Trends
Battery Storage
Tax Credits & Incentives
AI Power Demand
EPC = Engineering, Procurement, Construction
IPP = Independent Power ProducerCarport Reach out to Bill Taylor here:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/billetaylor/
Website: www.dcesolar.comEmail: btaylor@dcesolar.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes atwww.heatspring.com/seanwww.solarsean.com/pvip
Stanislav Kvochak, a commercial project engineer at Exact Solar, about solar energy projects at nuclear power plants, particularly focusing on the Chernobyl site. Stanislav shared his experience visiting Chernobyl in 2016 as part of a company tour, describing the decommissioning process and the presence of a 1-megawatt solar installation that continues to operate there. They discussed how Ukraine's energy landscape has shifted due to the war, with increased focus on decentralized solar and energy storage systems, and Stanislav explained safety procedures for working in radioactive areas including dosimeter monitoring and security protocols during air raid alerts. The conversation also covered Ukraine's historical reliance on nuclear power, current solar installations across the country, and recent developments including Ukraine’s contract with Holtec International for small modular reactors.
Topics CoveredSolar Chernobyl ProjectChernobyl Nuclear Plant HistoryNew Safe ConfinementChernobyl During the Russia-Ukraine WarUkraine's Grid Resilience Through SolarZaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Solar at Nuclear SitesSMR = Small Modular Reactor Reach out to Stanislav Kvochak here:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stas-kvochak/Website: www.linkedin.com/company/exactsolar/Email: stanislav.kvochak@exactsolar.com Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes atwww.heatspring.com/seanwww.solarsean.com/esip
Aaron Thurlow, Chief Commercial Officer at Caelux, about the company’s perovskite solar technology. Aaron shared his career journey from working at SunPower during its rise to market dominance to his current role at Caelux, where they are developing double-power-layer solar modules that can increase efficiency by 3% absolute (from 24% to 27%) while providing cost benefits including a 20% reduction in levelized cost of energy for utility-scale projects. They discussed the technical aspects of perovskite technology, including how it captures different parts of the solar spectrum that crystalline silicon cannot, and its potential applications in space, residential, and commercial markets. Aaron emphasized that efficiency remains the single biggest lever for driving down overall system costs and enabling 24/7 solar power through reduced storage requirements, positioning Caelux 's technology as a key enabler for the industry's continued growth and the transition to more distributed and localized manufacturing
Topics CoveredCaelux Commercial Readiness
SunPower Market LaunchPower Optimizer OriginsSolar Efficiency HistorySolar Cost Reduction24/7 Solar FutureLocalized ManufacturingPerovskiteDick SwansonSolar GlassThin FilmSpace Based SolarTriple Junction CellsSilicon Efficiency LimitsEnergy Storage Integration
CapEx = Capital ExpenditureBIPV = Building-Integrated PhotovoltaicsHJT = Heterojunction TechnologyTopCon = Tunnel Oxide Passivated ContactDC = Direct CurrentNREL = National Renewable Energy LaboratoryEV = Electric Vehicle Reach out to Aaron Thurlow here:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/aaronthurlowWebsite: www.caelux.comEmail: aaron.thurlow@caelux.com Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes atwww.heatspring.com/seanwww.solarsean.com/esip
In this episode we have Shawn Shaw, founder and CEO of Camelot Energy Group, discussing energy storage and renewable energy development. Shawn explained how Camelot helps investors, asset owners, and project developers build reliable clean energy projects, highlighting challenges with community resistance to renewable energy installations including over 200 energy storage moratoria across the United States. The conversation covered technical aspects of energy storage safety, with Shawn sharing that commercial and utility-scale batteries experience fires at approximately 0.3% per year, similar to residential house fires, and discussing how safety standards have improved significantly since incidents like the Moss Landing fire. They also explored historical perspectives on energy storage, from medieval mill ponds to modern battery technology, and discussed how energy storage benefits extend beyond renewable energy integration to improving grid reliability regardless of energy source. Shawn mentioned his recent book publication on energy storage systems by the International Code Council and his work training professionals through Heat Spring platform, while both participants agreed to potentially collaborate on future podcast episodes covering the history of energy storage
Topics CoveredCamelot Energy Group www.camelotenergygroup.comMoss Landing IncidentThermal Runaway
History of Energy
Camelot Name OriginKing Arthur InspirationMedieval Energy StorageMill Pond HistoryGenghis Khan EnergyFirefighter TrainingProject DevelopmentInvestor Decision-MakingClean Energy Mission
Big Bang PhilosophyElectricity Bill CostsGrid Infrastructure OverbuildingBESS = Battery Energy Storage SystemAHJ = Authority Having JurisdictionUL 9540A
Reach out to Shawn Shaw here:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/shawnshawpeWebsite: www.camelotenergygroup.comEmail: shawn.shaw@camelotenergygroup.com Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes atwww.heatspring.com/seanwww.solarsean.com/esip
This podcast interview featured Maxim Kosenko, CEO and founder of Axentum, discussing their innovative technology for autonomous solar installation for AI data centers. Maxim explained their system uses flat, zero-degree tilt solar panels with pre-assembled PV modules and battery packs (2- 3 kWh per module) connected in strings to create 0.9-megawatt DC clusters that can be installed by four-person teams in under two hours, enabling installation of a gigawatt-scale project within a month using approximately 12 teams. The system eliminates traditional tracking systems, uses ballasted mounting instead of piles, and includes integrated battery storage and power electronics, resulting in a levelized cost of electricity around $50 per megawatt hour (5 cents per kilowatt hour) and potentially dropping the cost five times lower than current solar options for data centers. Topics CoveredAxentum www.axentum.comAutonomous Solar InstallationAI Data CentersMegawatts per hour InstallationRobotESS = Energy Storage SystemFlat Panel DesignIntegrated Battery StorageRobot DeploymentInstallation SpeedWind Resistance DesignVegetation PreventionLabor ReductionGas Turbine ShortageSolar vs TurbinesGigawatt Scale BuildoutPower Electronics Embedded Reach out to Maxim Kosenko here:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/maxkosenkoWebsite: www.axentum.comEmail: m@axentum.com Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes atwww.heatspring.com/seanwww.solarsean.com/pvip
Arilla Barnes, founder and CEO of Energy IoT Open Source, discussing open-source energy solutions and microgrid technology. Arilla explained how her organization creates turnkey solutions for microgrids using open-source software, firmware, and hardware to enable energy access and control for communities, with a current demonstration lab at Informal Spaces in Oakland featuring a 5.8 kilowatt solar carport, battery storage, and hybrid inverter systems. They discussed challenges with electric vehicle bi-directional charging, regulatory barriers to energy sharing between homes, and the potential for distributed data centers using renewable energy. Arilla shared her work with Linux Foundation Energy projects including LF Hyphae and LF Open Leader, and expressed interest in collaborating on a demonstration project at Sean’s solar training center property Topics CoveredEnergy IoT Open Source www.eiot.energyIOT = Internet of ThingsSunSpec AllianceOpen SourceOpen Energy LabEV = Electric VehicleMicro-GridGridNet-MeteringUtilityBidirectional EV ChargingMarketOpen Source Computer TechnologyData CenterHydro PumpESS = Energy Storage SystemBiofuelBidirectional EV ChargingLinuxPeer-to-Peer Energy TradingVirtual Power PlantsEnergy Asset Ownership Reach out to Arila Barnes here:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/arilabarnesWebsite: www.eiot.energyEmail: arila@eiot.energy Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes atwww.heatspring.com/seanwww.solarsean.com/esipexam
Victoria Stulgis, President of Black Bear Energy, discusses the complexities of deploying solar on commercial real estate portfolios. The conversation covers landlord-tenant split incentives, third-party ownership structures, hosted community solar models, and how policy shapes market opportunity across states like New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Illinois. Black Bear Energy's role as an owner's representative in helping institutional real estate investors navigate and scale renewable energy adoption is also examined.
Topics Covered
Black Bear Energy www.blackbearenergy.com
ESS = Energy Storage System
Battery Storage
ASES = American Solar Energy Society
Real Estate Solar
Commercial Solar
Landlord Tenant Incentives
Hosted Community Solar
Solar Policy Impact
Portfolio Scale
Distributed Solar
Net-Metering
B-Corps
REC = Renewable Energy Certificate
SREC = Solar Renewable Energy Certificate
Reach out to Victoria Stulgis here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/victoriastulgis
Website: www.blackbearenergy.com
Email: vstulgis@blackbearenergy.com
Black Bear Email: info@blackbearenergy.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvipexam
Sean Tygrett, Chief Operating Officer of Carbon Enfo, discusses how his company's platform Brytr aggregates Solar Renewable Energy Certificates from small-scale residential and commercial solar producers and tokenizes them on the Cardano blockchain. The conversation covers SREC market mechanics, the $1.4 billion in uncollected voluntary certificates, blockchain-based provenance verification, and an innovative eco-loyalty model that enables corporate buyers to purchase SRECs directly from their own customers.
Topics Covered
SREC = Solar Renewable Energy Certificate
SREC Mechanics
API = Application Programming Interface
Blockchain
Cardano
NFT = Non-Fungible Token
API Data Collection
Producer Aggregation
Voluntary SREC Market
Corporate Carbon Reduction
Eco-Loyalty Model
Greenwashing Prevention
Brytr Platform
Inverter
Reach out to Sean Tygrett here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/seantygrett
Website: www.carbonenfo.io
Email: stygrett@carbonenfo.io
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/esip
Dan Fletcher, Co-Founder and Head of Ecosystems at dcbel, joins Sean White to explore the technical and commercial realities of residential energy management - including what it means to run a true private grid at home. Topics include DC home charging, on-device energy optimization, vehicle-to-grid integration, UL 1741 SB certification, virtual power plants, compatible EV models, and California's Redwoods incentive program.
Topics Covered
DCBEL www.dcbel.energy
Home Energy Station
Solar Integration
EV = Electric Vehicle
Bidirectional EV Charging
EV Charging
Battery
Inverter
ESS = Energy Storage System
DC Home Charging
Energy optimization
Solar integration
Battery storage
Vehicle-to-grid
REDWDS program = Responsive, Easy Charging Products with Dynamic Signals Program
VGIC = Vehicle-Grid Integration Council
UL Listing
Utility
VPP = Virtual Power Plant
Code
Data Center
Distributed Energy
Bitcoin Mining
V2G = Vehicle to Grid Podcast with Dan Fletcher | Part 1
- Apple podcast
- YouTube
- Spotify
- Pandora
- Podbean
Reach out to Dan Fletcher here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/fletcherdan
Website: www.dcbel.energy
Email: flora@ink-co.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
http://solarsean.com/sfev
President of Blue Water Battery Logistics, LLC.They discussed the company's business of handling surplus and recycling batteries, solar panels, and other energy equipment. Steve explained how Blue Water handles various battery types including LFP (lithium iron phosphate) and NMC (lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide), with recycling values ranging from $2 per pound to 10-20 cents per pound depending on the material and volume. They covered the process of battery recycling, including refurbishing used EV batteries and the challenges with consumer electronic batteries ending up in landfills. Steve also discussed the company's expansion plans, hiring 20 additional employees, and their business model of finding reuse or recycling solutions for surplus energy equipment rather than sending it to landfills.
Topics Covered
Bluewater www.bluewaterbattery.com
Pirates
Battery
Market
Battery recycling, Reusing, Refurbishing, Repowering
EV = Electric Vehicle
Utility-scale storage
V2G = Vehicle to Grid
Battery management
Solar surplus
Transformer rehoming
Cost reduction
Second-life markets
Clean energy supply
170’ sailboat!
Reach out to Steve Feinberg here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/steve-feinberg
Website: www.bluewaterbattery.com/
Email: sfeinberg@bluewaterbattery.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/esip
Plug-in solar legalization, large solar company closures, and the One Big Bogus Bill are examined in this episode. Aaron Nichols and Sean White bring decades of combined industry experience to each topic, covering state-level policy developments, market consolidation, and the potential impact of shifting federal tax credit structures on solar businesses and homeowners.
This podcast was stolen from Aaron Nichols. I dare you Aaron, sue me! It’s mine now. I am this week in solar!
Topics Covered
This week in Solar www.youtube.com/@ThisWeekInSolar
Plug-in Solar
BBB = Big Beautiful Bill
Tax Credit
DIY Solar
Balcony Solar
No Permits (Plug-in Solar)
Water Heating
Solar Companies Going Bankrupt
Solyndra
Ray Kurzweil
Evolution of Solar
The Future
Space Based Solar
Moon
Reach out to Aaron Nichols here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-nichols
This week in Solar: www.youtube.com/@ThisWeekInSolar
Email: aaron.nichols@exactsolar.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/pva
This podcast episode featured Sean White's interview with Heather Newport, Director of Community Relations at Aileron, a Chicago-based community engagement and public affairs firm that works on renewable energy projects across the United States. Heather discussed the challenges of community opposition to renewable energy projects, particularly battery energy storage facilities, explaining that concerns often stem from misinformation, fear of the unknown technology, and distrust of developers rather than the actual safety of the technology. They explored how Aileron helps developers navigate community relations through early engagement, stakeholder outreach, and relationship building with local officials and residents, emphasizing the importance of listening to community concerns and providing transparent, authentic information about project safety and benefits. Topics CoveredAileron Communications www.aileroninc.comAirplane AileronCommunity Engagement in Public AffairsPolitics
PolarizationESS = Energy Storage SystemEV = Electric VehicleMoss LandingBatteryData CenterNIMBY = Not in my backyardErin Brockovich Reach out to Heather Newport here:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/heathermonaghanWebsite: www.aileroninc.com Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes atwww.heatspring.com/seansolarsean.com/pvipexam
Dan Fletcher, Co-Founder and Head of Ecosystems at dcbel, discusses Ara - the company's integrated home energy station combining solar, battery storage, bidirectional EV charging, and grid connectivity in a single device designed to give homeowners greater control over their own energy supply. The conversation covers how vehicle-to-home technology works, its role in reducing grid stress during peak hours, virtual power plant integration, and the California Redwoods program. dcbel's approach removes redundant power conversion hardware, improving efficiency and lowering the cost of achieving genuine residential energy independence.
Topics Covered
DCBEL www.dcbel.energy
Decibel
Home Energy
Solar Integration
ESS = Energy Storage System
Battery Storage
Nissan Leaf
EV = Electric Vehicle
EV Charging
Bidirectional EV Charging
Vehicle-to-Home
Grid
REDWOODS Program
Energy Efficiency
Residential Energy
Power Conversion
Distributed Energy
Utility
VPP = Virtual Power Plant
CEC = California Energy Commission
Queen’s University Podcast with Dan Fletcher | Part 2
- Apple podcast
- YouTube
- Spotify
- Pandora
- Podbean
Reach out to Dan Fletcher here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/fletcherdan
Website: www.dcbel.energy
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
http://solarsean.com/sfev
Millions of solar systems installed between 2010 and 2018 are approaching inverter end-of-life, creating a $3 billion repowering market. GoodWe Sales Manager Manny Aponte breaks down what repowering actually involves, why functional panels rarely need replacing, how modern inverters improve system performance, and where energy storage fits into the upgrade conversation. Recorded at the 2026 NABCEP Conference in Milwaukee.
Topics Covered
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
Vanguard 1 satellite
GoodWe www.goodwe.com
Repowering
Inverter
GE = General Electric
White Labeling
OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer
VPP = Virtual Power Plant
ESS = Energy Storage System
John Berger Episode
* Apple podcast
* YouTube
* Spotify
* Pandora
* Podbean
Cesar Barbosa Episode
* Apple podcast
* YouTube
* Spotify
* Pandora
* Podbean
Reach out to Manny Aponte here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mannyaponte
Website: www.goodwe.com
Email: mannyaponte@goodwe.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
http://solarsean.com/esipexam
Bruce Anderson, CEO of 247Solar, explains how concentrated solar power using air and ceramic pellets can deliver reliable electricity around the clock. Unlike photovoltaic systems, 247Solar heats air to 1,000 degrees Celsius, stores that energy in insulated ceramic pellet silos, and uses a modified turbine to generate power at night. The system pairs with daytime solar PV, requires no exotic materials, and eliminates the need for battery backup.
Topics Covered
247Solar www.247solar.com
24 Hours Solar Energy
Solar Hot Air
1,800°F/1000°C Air
Heat Transfer
Solar Thermal
Molten Salt
ESS = Energy Storage System
Turbine Mechanics
Environmental Safety
Ceramic Pellets
Reach out to Bruce Anderson here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bruceanderson
Website: www.247solar.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/esipexam
Recorded at the NABCEP conference, solar educator Sean White and Rudy Saporite discuss the InterSolar Solar Games, a competitive installation event where certified teams race to complete a 4 kW rooftop system under timed, judged conditions. They also explore solar education strategies, the carbon lifecycle of renewable energy systems, and the importance of safety and code compliance in professional solar installation.
Topics Covered
Solar Nerds
Solar Education
Code
Trees
EV = Electric Vehicle
ICE = International Combustion Engines
Flat Earth
Solar Games
InterSolar
Rack Learning Curve
Battery
Reach out to Rudy Saporite here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rudy-saporite
Website: www.ibts.org
Email: rsaporite@gmail.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/pva
Eric Partyka, Director of Business Development at Standard Solar, explains how community solar works and why it matters. The conversation covers how renters, low-income households, and small businesses can subscribe to solar energy without rooftop panels, which states have adopted community solar programs and why others have not, and how utility deregulation shaped today's market. Standard Solar operates commercial projects ranging from one to five megawatts across more than twenty states.
Topics Covered
Standard Solar www.standardsolar.com
Standard Oil
Oil
Community Solar
Utility
DG = Distributed Generation
Fossil Fuel
Sean’s trips:
Going back to two dimensions
Only land owners should vote
Trickle down economics
Rich people rights
Reach out to Eric Partyka here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/eric-partyka
Email: eric.partyka@standardsolar.com
Website: www.standardsolar.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/pvipexam
Recorded live at the NABCEP 2026 conference, Sean White and Brian Hayden discuss the current state of NABCEP credentials, including updates to the PV Associate, the ESIP (Energy Storage Installation Professional), and the upcoming OMAT (Operation and Maintenance Associate Technician credential. They also cover Spanish language exam availability, the history and growth of HeatSpring as an online renewable energy education platform, and the expanding role of operations and maintenance in the solar industry as installed systems continue to age.
Topics Covered
HeatSpring www.heatspring.com
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners www.nabcep.org
Sean’s Training Impact
JTA = Job Task Analysis
PV Associate
ESIP = Energy Storage Installation Professional
Spanish Exams and AI
OMAT = Operations & Maintenance Associate Technician
HeatSpring Origin Story
BPI = Building Performance Institute
Building Performance
Online to In Person Training
Practice Exam
PVCMS = PV Commissioning & Maintenance Specialist
Reach out to Brian Hayden here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/brianfhayden
HeatSpring: www.heatspring.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/40hrpv
David Taylor, Solutions Expert at Anker Innovations, discusses the Anker Solix E10, a modular home energy storage system scalable from 6 to 90 kilowatt hours. The conversation covers solar compatibility, smart panel integration, generator pairing, and time-of-use optimization. Taylor also addresses installation options for both DIY homeowners and licensed electricians, portable power stations, and Anker's broader expansion from mobile charging into the residential energy storage market.
Topics Covered
Anker Solix www.ankersolix.com
Anker Solix E10
Anker Innovations
Battery
Solar DIY
Inverter
Off Grid & On Grid
EMS = Energy Management System
PCS = Power Control System
Back Feeding the Grid
Ul Listing
DC = Direct Current
AC = Alternating Current
Balcony Solar
Plug-in Solar
EV = Electric Vehicle
EV = Charging
PPS = Portable Power Station
Reach out to David Taylor here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/david-taylor
Website: www.ankersolix.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/esipexam
Gwendoly Espe, Product Manager at Yaskawa Solectria Solar, discusses the technical and commercial advantages of DC-coupled solar-plus-storage systems at utility scale. The conversation covers DC versus AC coupling architecture, energy harvest optimization through clipping recovery, and Yaskawa’s American-manufactured PVS 500 inverter solution. Additional topics include NABCEP-accredited training programs, FEOC compliance, and the growing role of solar storage in powering data centers and supporting grid stability.
Topics Covered
Yaskawa Solectria Solar www.solectria.com
Inverter
Converter
DC Coupling
AC Coupling
Energy Yield
DC = Direct Current
AC = Alternating Current
Utility Scale Solar
Utility
Grid
Microgrid
Ercot
DER = Distributed Energy Resources
AI = Artificial Intelligence
ESS = Energy Storage System
Data Center
Recharge with Solectria
FEOC = A Foreign Entity of Concern
Reach out to Gwendoly Espe here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gwendolyespe
Website: www.solectria.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/esipexam
Dylan Rup, Director of Marketing at EG4 Electronics, discusses the company's acquisition of Outback Power and plans to continue manufacturing its legacy product line. The conversation also covers EG4's current battery pricing at $260 per kilowatt hour, the upcoming XR 60 all-in-one energy storage system, UL 9540A safety certification, and why technical knowledge matters in solar sales.
Topics Covered
EG4 www.eg4electronics.com
Outback www.outbackpower.com
ASES = American Solar Energy Society
Solar Marketing
Solar Salespeople
Inverter
Battery
ESS = Energy Storage System
XR60
UL 9540
UL 9540 A
UL Listing
Code
Podcast with James Showalter
* Apple Podcast
* YouTube
* Spotify
* Pandora
* Podbean
Reach out to Dylan Rup here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-a-rup
Website: www.eg4electronics.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/pvtsexam
Arnold Andrade and Stephan Engel of Engel Electric, a San Antonio-based solar and electrical contracting company, sit down with Sean White at the 2026 NABCEP Conference to discuss microgrid design, energy storage, and hybrid inverter technology. The conversation also covers the rise of DIY solar in Texas and a large-scale off-grid ranch retrofit currently underway, featuring four hybrid inverters and 120 kWh of battery storage.
Topics Covered
Engel Electric www.engelelectrictx.com
Microgrid
Grid
Off-Grid
Utility
Candle Power
DIY Solar
Inverter
Tech Support
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
ASES Conference = American Solar Energy Society Conference
Batteries
ESS = Energy Storage System
Retrofitting
Educating Customers
Reach out to Stephan Engel and Arnold Andrade here:
Engel Electric: www.engelelectrictx.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/pvipexam
Professional engineer and sailor Marc Lopata discusses two decades of solar development across the Caribbean (which includes the Midwest), focusing on off-grid microgrid design for privately owned islands in The Bahamas. Topics include achieving 90% diesel offset, hurricane survivability engineering, utility-scale solar for small island communities, and the economic case for solar in markets independent of tax credits. Marc also covers his role on the NABCEP conference education committee and maintenance standards for commercial PV systems.
Topics Covered
Bahamas
Sailboat
Off-Grid
Marc Lopata’s Career
Diesel Offsetting
Utility
Grid
Net-Metering
Haines Alaska
Battery
Data Center
Distributed Energy
Bitcoin
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
NABCEP Conference
Solar Builder Magazine
Microgrid
Boat Solar
Hurricane Preventative Maintenance
Hurricane Survivabilty
ISO 2859
Reach out to Marc Lopata here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/marc-lopata-pe
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/pvcmsexam
Recorded at the NABCEP Conference, this episode features a conversation between Sean White and Marlene Brown, a solar energy educator and advocate with over three decades of experience. Topics include the grassroots origins of the photovoltaic industry, early off-grid solar installations, international solar development work in Vietnam and the Solomon Islands, and Marlene's ongoing efforts to increase women's technical participation in the renewable energy sector.
Topics Covered
ASES = American Solar Energy Society
Breaking Bad
Johnny Weiss
Colorado Mountain College
Solar back in the days
DIY Solar
Passive Tracker
Steve Baer
Vietnam
Solomon Islands
Jeff Spies
Off-Grid
NABCEP
Women in Solar
Podcast with Johnny Weiss and Terence Parker
* Apple podcast
* YouTube
* Spotify
* Podbean
Podcast with Ward Bower
* Apple podcast
* YouTube
* Spotify
* Podbean
Reach out to Marlene Brown here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/marlene-brown-9737307
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/pvipexam
Turning lemons into lemonade after a plane full of solar professionals was diverted to Chicago due to a blizzard, Travis and Sean podcasted the entire Lyft ride to the NABCEP conference in Milwaukee. Montana Solar founder Travis Jordan breaks down the company's patented high-clearance ground-mount racking system. Topics include the chain-hoist lifting mechanism, agrivoltaic applications, installation methods across remote and extreme terrain, and a lifelong background in off-grid solar dating back to the 1970s.
Topics Covered
Montana Solar www.mtsolar.us
Montana
Evel Knievel
Robbie Knievel
Chain-Hoist Lifting System
Off-Grid Solar
Racking
Agrivoltaics
Montana Solar Racking
DPW Solar
Pile Driving
Battery
Africa
Seasonal Tilt Change
Alaska
Cattle Voltaic
Reach out to Travis Jordan here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mtsolar
Montana Solar: www.mtsolar.us
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/pvipexam
Bruce Anderson, CEO of 247 Solar, details his company's concentrated solar technology that delivers round-the-clock clean electricity without combustion or emissions. The system uses heliostats to heat air to 1,800°F, stores that thermal energy in ceramic pellets, and converts it to electricity via a modified turbine. Paired with solar PV during daylight hours, the solution addresses intermittency at a commercial scale, with the first deployment underway in India.
Topics Covered
247 Solar www.247solar.com
24 Hours Solar Energy
1,800°F / 1000°C Air
Solar Thermal
Air Pressure
Compressed Air
ESS = Energy Storage System
Natural Gas
Fossil Fuel
Molten Sault
Reach out to Bruce Anderson here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bruceanderson
Website: www.247solar.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/esipexam
Jason Sharp, CEO of Namaste Solar, discusses the company's worker-owned cooperative model, where employees hold equal ownership and elect the board of directors. The conversation covers solar installation practices in Colorado, electrical apprenticeship programs, the evolving role of energy management systems and meter collars, distributed energy policy, and the future of bidirectional EV charging and balcony solar. Sharp also addresses how cooperative ownership fosters safety, accountability, and fair compensation across the solar industry.
Topics Covered
Namaste Solar www.namastesolar.com
Worker-owned Company
Flashing
Snow
Tax Credit
Snowy Roof Installation Safety
Home Power Magazine
Jason Sharpe’s Background
EV = Electric Vehicle
EV Charger
Solar Universe
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
Apprenticeship Program
IEC = Independent Electrical Contractors
Electrical License
IBEW = International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Prevailing Wage
Amicus Solar
Cooperative Business
ESOP = Employee Stock Ownership Plan
ASES = American Solar Energy Society
Evolution of the Industry
Bidirectional EV
Politics
Oil and Gas
Utility
ESS = Energy Storage System
Grid
California Fire
Off Grid
Market
Fossil Fuel
Distributed Energy
Demand Charge
Peak Demand
Code Evolution
EMS = Energy Management System
PMS = Power Management System
PCS = Power Control System
UL 916
UL 3141
Meter Collar
Balcony Solar
Plugin Solar
COSSA = Colorado Solar and Storage Association
Why Republicans Love Solar Podcast
* Apple Podcast
* YouTube
* Spotify
* Podbean
Podcast with Riley Neugebauer
* Apple Podcast
* YouTube
* Spotify
* Podbean
Reach out to Jason Sharpe here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jason-sharpe
Namaste Solar: www.namastesolar.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/esipexam
From Intersolar San Diego, this conference-end wrap-up takes a tour through the world's solar and energy conferences — from SNEC in Shanghai to ASES in Austin, Texas. Learn which events are worth your time, how the solar industry has shifted from Germany to China, and why building a global network matter. Whether you're chasing NABCEP credits or your first industry connection, conferences might be the most underrated career move in solar.
Topics Covered:
Intersolar San Diego
Intersolar Munich, Germany
SNEC PV Power and ES Expo
ASES Conference in Texas
NorCal Solar Party
German Feed-in-Tariff
Hans-Josef Fell
RE+ Las Vegas
RE+ North California
Intersolar Middle East
Intersolar India
Intersolar Bangalore
COP = Conference of Parties
OSSIA = Oregon Solar + Storage Industries Association
CALSSA = California Solar and Storage Association
TenneSEIA
Gil Hough
Hans-Josef Fell podcast:
https://www.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hans-josef-fell-started-the-feed-in-tariff-the/id1441958371?i=1000715753971
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvace
Sungrow's Power Stack 2.0 represents a shift in commercial and industrial energy storage, from backup power to a scalable, revenue-generating financial asset. This episode explores the system's specifications, deployment flexibility, and real-world applications including demand charge reduction, EV charging support, and grid resilience. Topics also include market trends across key U.S. states, the investment tax credit, and the emerging role of grid-forming inverters.
Topics Covered
Sungrow www.sungrowpower.com
Inverter
Battery Storage
ESS = Energy Storage System
SLAC = Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
C&I = Commercial and Industrial
Grid
Market
Sungrow PowerStack
Sungrow Power Titan
EV = Electric Vehicle
Incentives
Solar Tax Credits
UL 9540
UL 9540A
Utility Scale
ESS Liquid Cooling
Demand Charge
Grid Forming Inverter
Reach out to Kane Kuharik here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kane-kuharik
Sungrow: www.sungrowpower.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/esipexam
Utility-scale batteries are far more complex than they appear. Ty Fenton, Director of Data Analytics at FlexGen, breaks down how software keeps massive battery systems running — from detecting a single failing cell among thousands to predictive diagnostics powered by machine learning. The episode dives into real-world degradation versus lab data, operators who intentionally voided warranties for short-term profit, and why AI training loads create extreme power spikes that only batteries can absorb. Recorded live at Intersolar San Diego.
Topics Covered:
FlexGen = Flexible Generation Battery Management
Battery Technology
Software
Point of Interconnection
Energy Storage Systems
Warranty Terms
Battery Manufacturer
Lithium-Ion Batteries
Data Centers
Training Load Profile
Machine Learning
Accelerated Aging
Reach out to Ty Fenton here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ty-fenton-84782830/
Website: www.flexgen.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvace
Jack West has over 100 patents, including patents sold to Solar City (Tesla) and NextPower (NexTracker) and probably most importantly to Jack, guitar patents.
We hear about Elon’s personable and calm demeanor (joking) and Jack’s Steel Pulse solar roof invention, which Elon cancelled.
Jack started his solar career in 1993 with a $5/hr job in Concord, CA with a job where he alone sold, designed and installed PV systems, before PV was popular. This goes to prove that it is worth it to start your career with a low paying job to get experience.
Jack gives us advice on how to make an idea turn into reality and how a setback, such as a patent lawsuit, can end up making a patent strong and more valuable, thus turning lemons into lemonade.
Topics Covered
ZEP Solar
Ojjo Solar
Solar City
Tesla
Jack West’s Career & Background
Solar Battle of the Bands
Humboldt
Dr. Peter Lehman
SERC = Schatz Energy Research Center
Activism
Earth First
Solar Thermal
Solar Hot Water
Christina West
Railless System
Tony Fadell
Vivint Solar
Elon Musk
Tesla Solar Roof
Patent
Tip Tonic www.tiptonic.com
Gliss Guitar
Guitar
Music
Canadian Solar www.canadiansolar.com
Steel Pulse www.fastcompany.com
3rd Annual NorCal Solar Party www.luma.com
Reach out to Jack West here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jackwestzepsolar
Website: www.jackwestguitar.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/jackwestguitar
Facebook: www.facebook.com/p/Jack-West-Guitar
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/pvipexam
Ever wonder what's actually inside a DC-to-DC converter (optimizer) or inverter? Recorded live at InterSolar San Diego, this episode breaks down the inner workings of solar optimizers, from maximum power point tracking and energy recovery to the software that makes them last 20 years. The conversation also dives into how inverter IGBTs turn DC into clean AC power, how Tigo's approach differs from competitors like SolarEdge, and whether Tesla or Edison deserves the bigger crown.
Topics Covered:
DC to DC Converter
The Flinstones
Optimizers
MPPT = Maximum Power Point Tracker
PV Watts
IV Curve
MLPE
Tigo
SMA
Solar Edge
TS4
IGBT = Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor
Tesla
Edison
Reach out to Greg Smith here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gregsmith007/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvisexam
Enphase Energy has evolved from a microinverter company into a full energy systems platform enabling virtual power plants (VPP) nationwide. In this episode, CMO Marco Krapels explains how aggregated home batteries, AI-driven capacity forecasting, and a new bidirectional EV charger could reshape the grid, turning ordinary homes into small-scale power plants that generate income for homeowners while supplying utilities with the reliable, clean energy capacity they need.
Topics Covered
Enphase www.enphase.com
Solar Universe
Net Metering
AI = Artificial Intelligence
Market
VPP = Virtual Power Plant
Data Center
Utility
Probability Forecasting
API = Application Programming Interface
Battery
Fossil Fuel
EV = Electric Vehicle
EV Charger
Grid
Bidirectional EV Charger
Reach out to Marco Krapels here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/marcokrapels
Enphase: www.enphase.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/30hrpv
Michael Wise, Commercial Operations Manager at LS Energy Solutions, talks string inverter technology, battery-agnostic design, and how scalable 140 kW units’ power everything from 5 MW commercial systems to the 200 MW Big Rock installation at Intersolar San Diego. The conversation covers voltage flexibility, container configurations, safety considerations, and what's next for energy storage — including sodium-ion, flow batteries, and supercapacitors.
Topics Covered:
Inverter
Power Brick
MSSP Gen 2
Battery racks
Battery modules
Battery cells
Ion ESS
DC Solutions
Big Rock
Sodium Ion
Super capacitators
Flywheels
Reach out to Michael Wise here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/michael-wise-17929b56
Website: www.ls-es.com/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/30hr2023nec
Get an insider preview of Solar 2026, the American Solar Energy Society's 55th annual national solar conference, coming to Austin's Palmer Event Center October 19–21. Host Sean White and Conference Director Ella Nielsen cover keynote speakers, student programs, award nominations, technical divisions, and why this year's collaboration with the Texas Solar Energy Society makes it a can't-miss event.
Topics Covered
ASES = American Solar Energy Society
ISES = International Solar Energy Society
NorCal Solar
ASES 55th Annual National Solar Conference
Texas Solar Energy Society
EV = Electric Vehicle
Formula 1 & Formula E
Texas
ASES Chapters
Reach out to Ella Nielsen here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ella-nielsen
Email: conference@ases.org
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/pvcmsexam
SunPower co-founder Dick Swanson discusses his pioneering work developing Interdigitated Back Contact solar cells at Stanford and the industry's evolution from the 1973 energy crisis to today's cost-competitive technology. Topics include Bell Labs' accidental solar cell discovery, the learning curve predicting cost declines, critical partnerships with Cypress Semiconductor, major technical pivots from concentrating to flat-plate systems, and the fortuitous circumstances that transformed solar energy into the world's cheapest electricity source.
Topics Covered
NorCal Solar = Northern California Solar
ASES = American Solar Energy Society
Gerald Pearson
History of Solar
Discovery of Solar
Bell Labs
John Perlin
Selenium Solar Cell
EPRI = Electric Power Research Institute
Utility
SunPower www.sunpower.com
TPV = Thermal Photovoltaic
Stanford
Silicon Cell
Semiconductor
Dick Schwartz
Thin Film
Wafer Silicon Solar Cell
IBC Cell = Interdigitated Back Contact Cell
Germanium
PVT = Photovoltaic Thermal
Stirling Engine
Concentrating PV System
Swanson’s Law
Learning Curve
Elon Musk
Cypress Semiconductor
Sharp
Silicon Valley
James Gibbons
Semiconductor Electronics Book
Jeff Spies
Solar Roots
Hippies
Grateful Dead
Sailboat
Tom Wylie
This podcast was recorded on a phone call.
Reach out to Dick Swanson here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dick-swanson
Website: www.sunpower.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/pvdsexam
At Intersolar San Diego, Tim Price (CRO) and Trace Jenkins (Senior Sales Engineer) of SOLO LLC discuss how modern solar software is transforming residential sales, from accurate system design and interactive proposals to integrated financing tools. They reflect on the evolution from early platforms like OnGrid to today’s AI-driven solutions, highlighting how increased transparency and consumer awareness are shaping more informed buyers. The conversation also covers key industry shifts, including upcoming tax credit changes, the growing adoption of leases and PPAs, evolving pricing and commission structures, and the importance of getting to permit and design right the first time—alongside the expanding role of battery storage in residential solar.
Topics Covered:
SOLO = Speed of Light Operations
Slack
Mike Bishop
OnGrid
Pizza
Bitcoin
Solar Games
EPC Installer
TPO = Third Party Ownership
Corporate Tax Credit
TAM= Total Addressable Market
Red line
Flat Commission Rate
.io = Indian Ocean
Energy Storage
Reach out with Tim Price and Tracey Jenkins here:
LinkedIn
Tim Price: www.linkedin.com/in/timpricepdx/
Trace Jenkins: www.linkedin.com/in/trace-jenkins-27059629b/
Website: www.gosolo.io/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/40hress
Rapid shutdown was designed to protect firefighters, but could simpler systems be the smarter path forward? A 10-year fire veteran turned solar installer shares hard-won lessons from the field, including why fewer electronics in the array might mean safer, more reliable solar for everyone. A bold conversation about building a better solar future.
Topics Covered
Rapid Shutdown
Firefighter
Energy Wise Services www.energywiseservices.com
Energy Wise Lighting
Feed in Tariff Program in Oregon
Solar Coaster
Solar Games
Boys and Girls Club at Corvallis Oregon
Solar Fire
MC4 Connector
UL 3741
Tax Credit
Corporate Tax Credit
Corporate Personhood
Tank Solar
Hans Joseph Fell
* Apple Podcast
* YouTube
* Spotify
* Podbean
Why Republicans Love Solar
* Apple Podcast
* YouTube
* Spotify
* Podbean
Reach out to Peter Greenberg here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/peter-greenberg
Energy Wise: www.energywiseservices.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/pvtsexam
Energy industry veteran Sasson Peress examines why standard metrics like watts and kilowatt hours fail to capture real-world performance. From solar panel ratings under idealized test conditions to battery storage variables, including degradation, C-rates, temperature constraints, and cycle limitations, the gap between nameplate specifications and actual delivered value has significant implications for developers, financiers, and end users navigating today's energy landscape.
Topics Covered
Mohawk Indigenous Land
First Nations in Canada
Currency in Energy
Solar in 1989
STC = Standard Test Condition
ESS = Energy Storage System
Battery
C-rate
Degradation
Depth of Discharge and State of Charge
Energy Demand
Data Center in Space
Home Power Magazine
ASES = American Solar Energy Society
ISES = International Solar Energy Society
NorCal Solar = Northern California Solar Energy Association
EV = Electric Vehicle
Market
ICP = Intersolar Consumer Product
Parasitic Load
Solar Roots
Reach out to Sasson Peress here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sassperess
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/pvsiexam
What does it take to install solar in one of the most regulated cities in the country? From specialty flat-roof racking in Brooklyn and Queens to navigating NYC's newly adopted 2020 electrical code, this episode explores the technical and business realities of urban solar plus why younger designers see opportunity where others see complexity.
Topics Covered
How to make solar more exciting
Decreasing Pollution
Coal
Oil
Heating
New York City Solar
Dubai Chiller Buildings
Installation
Racking
Commercial and Residential System
NEC = National Electrical Code
Code Cycles
Reach out to Cameron Feary here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-fearey
Indent Builders Website: www.indentbuilders.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/2hrbfc
At Intersolar San Diego, Sean sits down with Curtis Merring, Director of Product Marketing at Aurora Solar, about how Aurora and its C&I product HelioScope help installers design and sell solar remotely using aerial imagery, lidar, and accurate simulations, reducing soft costs and improving safety. Merring explains Aurora’s go-to-market marketing approach and notes the company has 7,000+ customers, with 70–80% of the industry touching its tools during a project lifecycle. They discuss why Aurora and HelioScope remain separate products, and how growing U.S. complexity—net metering shifting to net billing, rising electricity rates, grid uncertainty, and increased demand for storage and control—drives new needs like peak shaving and export decisions. He also describes Aurora’s AI-driven 3D modeling, trained on millions of projects, now generating models in under 10 seconds and increasingly used by both sales and designers.
Topics Covered:
Ethos = Essence of the product creating
Solar software
Helioscope
Lidar
CNI
Solar design
Product marketing
On Grid
Excel spreadsheet
Clean Power Finance
Virtual power plants
Bidirectional EVs
Macrotrends
Energy Management System
Chris and Sam
AI design
Reach out to Curtis Merring here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/curtismerring
Email: c.merring@aurorasolar.com
Website: www.aurorasolar.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvds
Solar industry veteran Mike Bishop discusses two decades of photovoltaic market transformation on Sean White’s Solar and Energy Storage Podcast. From California's $4/watt rebates and OnGrid financial modeling software to current net metering policy, AI data center power demands, and Energy Net protocols, they analyze economic trends, regulatory impacts, and technological developments. The discussion examines distributed versus utility-scale generation, battery storage evolution, and whether rising fixed utility charges could make grid disconnection economically viable.
Topics Covered
OnGrid www.ongrid.wtf
Solar History
SoftwareNorCal Solar www.norcalsolar.org
Market
Battery
Rebate
Governator
Expected Performance Based Buydown
Tax Credit
Net Metering
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Energy Net
Broadband Internet
Galvanic Isolation
Slow Power www.slowpower.wtf
Slow Power Blog www.slowpower.wtf/blog
AI = Artificial Intelligence
AI Utilizing Jobs
Swanson’s Law
Price of Solar
Arco Solar
Used Module
Podcast with Alfredo Ignacio (AI)
* Apple Podcast
* YouTube
* Spotify
* Pandora
* Podbean
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
Reach out to Mike Bishop here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/michael-c-bishop/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/20hrpv17
At Intersolar San Diego, Sean meets again with Eric Holvik of EnergySage (which was acquired by Schneider Electric) about the shifting U.S. residential solar market. Holvik says residential solar is projected to contract by about 30% this year and notes the customer-owned residential tax credit has expired, swinging the market toward 80–90% third-party ownership after a recent 50/50 owned-versus-leased split. They discuss how rising utility rates, time-of-use pricing, batteries, and virtual power plants may create new value even as net metering and policy changes pressure demand. Holvik argues the industry harms itself through misleading sales tactics, especially the “red line” commission model that inflates prices and contributes to installer failures and explains how Energy Sage improves consumer choice and pricing transparency, typically saving customers about 20%.
Topics Covered:
Schneider Electric
Energy Sage
Solar Energy
Tax credits
Residential systems
TPO = Third party ownership
Bernadette Del Chiaro
CALSSA = California Solar and Storage Association
Environmental Working Group
Red line model
Polygraph Test
1099 salesperson
Tony Diaz
Schneider Electric
PV Associate Class
PV Technical Sales Class
Reach out with Erik Holvik here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/erik-holvik
Email: erik.holvik@energysag.com
Website: https://www.energysage.com/
Podcast episode link for the previous episode:
Erik Holvik: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/energy-saging-with-erik-holvik-of-energysage/id1441958371?i=1000705129177
Bernadette Del Chiaro: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bernadette-del-chiaro/id1441958371?i=1000741834340
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pva
http://www.solarsean.com/pvtsintesive
At Intersolar San Diego, Sean White meets Michael Schwarz, General Manager for growth at Arch O&M, about operations and maintenance for solar projects. Schwarz describes O&M as the “service shop” for PV systems, with days driven by shifting schedules, customer and technician calls, and occasional field work. Arch focuses mainly on commercial/industrial and ground-mount systems roughly 400 kW to 20 MW, with maintenance needs increasing around years 7–9. They handle preventive work such as IV curve testing (often with Fluke), drone flights, insulation resistance (“megger”) testing, and troubleshooting, and they increasingly specialize in wind and storm damage remediation. They discuss challenges of sourcing matching replacement modules for older arrays, Arch’s emphasis on training and growing talent, NABCEP’s PV Commissioning and Maintenance Specialist certification and upcoming O&M associate credential, and the NABCEP conference in Milwaukee.
Topics Covered:
O&M = Operations and Maintenance
CapEx = Capital Expenditure
OpEx = Operational Expenditure
PV Maintenance
NABCEP PVCMS Certification
NABCEP Conference
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Harley Davidson Museum
Electric cruiser bike
Electric adventure bike
IV curve testing
Insulation resistance training
Megometer
Arch
O&M training programs
OMAT = O&M Associate Technician
Reach out to Michael Schwarz here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/michael-schwarz-ms-lod-lean123
Website: www.archsolar.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at:
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvcms
Solar Steve Sherman highlights his solar energy projects and shares updates from Aruba on Sean White’s podcast. They talked about Steve's musical project using AI to create solar-themed songs, his recent completion of the ESIP exam, and his installation of solar systems in Michigan before the tax credit expired. Steve shared his experiences working on rooftops in snowy conditions to meet the deadline, emphasizing the importance of safety and careful planning. They also discussed the potential for solar energy in Aruba, including the island's current renewable energy goals and the challenges of net metering policies. The conversation touched on the broader implications of energy policy changes and their impact on installers and consumers.
Topics Covered
Steve’s AI Generated Solar Song – Solar Trillions
AI = Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence VS Humans
Utility
Net Metering
Tax Credit
Osha
Safety Rules
Sigenergy
ESIP = Energy Storage Installation Professional
Codes
ESS = Energy Storage System
Steve’s Project in Aruba
Reach out to Steve Sherman here:
Email: szsherman@gmail.com
Website: www.superiorenergysolar.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/pvipexam
Shawn O’Brien, president and CEO of NABCEP, previews the NABCEP 2026 conference in Milwaukee, describing it as a high-training, high-networking event with Irish-themed festivities because St. Patrick’s Day falls during the conference. He outlines the nightly schedule—Monday sports-themed reception after the keynote, Tuesday St. Patrick’s Day dinner with karaoke and an Irish pub after-party, and Wednesday awards night—plus meals, open bar, and extensive networking. The conference is the third largest to date and draws many non-certified attendees seeking up to 24 hours of training across 3.5 days, with 82 total sessions spanning residential through utility-scale work. O’Brien also announces upcoming credential launches and updates, including an Operations & Maintenance Associate Technician and a new PV Associate exam, and highlights the event app and venue details at Milwaukee’s Baird Center connected to the Hilton.
Topics Covered:
Irish theme NABCEP Conference
NABCEP PV Associate Class
St. Patrick’s Day
Sports night
Milwaukee Brewers
Orlando Solar Bears
NABCEP Event app
Cvent
NABCEP Conference night activities
Ignite sessions
SunCast podcast booth
Heatspring podcast booth
Trainings
OMAT = O&M Maintenance Associate Technician
New PVA Exam
Party night during conferences
Cvent App NABCEP Conference Event ID = UrZbinabcep26
Enroll to Sean White’s PVA Class on the NABCEP CE Conference here:
Heatspring: www.heatspring.com/courses/nabcep-pv-associate-training-live-from-the-2026-nabcep-ce-conference
Register to NABCEP CE Conference here:
https://web.cvent.com/event/6fb58a2d-8582-490a-beb1-2b1b9dad4e51/summary
Reach out to Shawn O’Brien here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/shawnwobrien/
Website: www.nabcep.org
NABCEP CE Conference venue:
The Baird Convention Center: www.bairdcenter.com
NABCEP Conference Night happenings
Monday: Sports theme Night
Tuesday: St. Patrick’s theme Night & Karaoke Night
Wednesday: Awards Night
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at:www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pva
Darren Tan, CEO of Unigrid Battery, discusses sodium-ion battery technology as a safer, temperature-resilient alternative to lithium-ion batteries. The conversation explores the chemistry differences, safety advantages, manufacturing approach, and emerging applications in residential energy storage, commercial buildings, data centers, and electric vehicles.
Topics Covered:
Sodium-ion vs. lithium-ion battery technology
Battery safety and fire risk comparisons
Temperature performance advantages
Material availability and supply chain benefits
Manufacturing model and contract production
Residential energy storage regulations and building codes
Commercial applications
Electric vehicle applications and range limitations
NMC = Nickel Manganese Cobalt
LFP = Lithium Iron Phosphate
Sodium-ion safety profiles
Thermal runaway and fire suppression protocols
Prismatic cell design and specifications
Cooling system requirements comparison
Cost trajectory and market adoption timeline
Virtual power plant concepts
UL 9540 certification and compliance testing
Reach out to Darren Tan here:
Website: www.unigridbattery.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/esipexam
At Intersolar San Diego, Sean White and Bill Brooks discussed about the growing U.S. momentum for “plugin” or balcony solar, where small PV systems plug into a home branch circuit. Brooks explains that what happens with excess power depends on the utility meter: old spinning meters may run backward and credit you, some modern meters can charge you for exported power, and others ignore exports unless programmed for net metering, which typically requires an interconnection agreement. They discuss efforts to exempt very small systems from interconnection agreements and permitting, pending proposals for the 2029 NEC to address source connections to branch circuits and potential exemptions around 400 watts, plus the need for robust safety certification such as UL 3700. Brooks also recounts his historical role in net metering, IEEE 1547, and California Rule 21, and predicts tighter integration of solar, storage, EVs, and load control to enable self-consumption without exporting. Bill tells us how Jim Dunlop and Jerry Venture taught him about solar in the 1980s and how Ward Bower was one of the first solar people and is still working daily in the industry.
Topics Covered:
Balcony Solar
Plug-In Solar
Portable Solar
Net-Metering
Spinning Meter
Branch circuit
PCS = Power Control System
Interconnections
IEEE 929 = original IEEE
IEEE 1547
Jerry Venture
Florida Solar Energy Center
Ward Bower
Mike Russell
Utility pushback soft costs
Reach out to Bill Brooks here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bill-brooks-6782616
Website: www.brooksolar.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at:
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvsiprep
A satirical look at how solar energy aligns with conservative values like energy independence, national security, and free-market competition. Sean White reframes renewable energy through a Republican lens, emphasizing self-reliance, lower costs, and freedom from utility monopolies rather than environmental concerns. The message: solar isn't partisan, and there's more common ground than you'd think.
Topics Covered
God bless America!
Independence
Grid is a commie
No shared electricity with democrats
Not depending on Gavin Newsom’s grid
Utilities are the Deep State
High voltage wires cause EMFs and mess with you (RFK)
Market Competition
Property Rights
National Security
Individual Liberty
Lower Electric Bills
ROI: It offers a predictable, solid return on investment.
Job Creation: The solar industry creates more jobs per unit of energy than fossil fuels.
Reduced Inflation: Solar acts as a hedge against rising utility rates.Market Competition: It forces monopoly utilities to compete for customers.
Private Sector Innovation: The industry is driven by entrepreneurs, not government bureaucrats.
Lower Taxes: More efficient local energy production can lower the municipal tax burden for powering schools and public buildings.
Business Overhead: It helps small businesses reduce operating costs, improving margins.
Grid Efficiency: Distributed solar reduces the need for expensive transmission line upgrades that ratepayers cover.
Fixed Costs: Once installed, the "fuel" (sunlight) is free forever; no price shocks.
Land Lease Revenue: Farmers can lease unused land for solar farms, saving the family farm.
Reduced Grid Congestion: It produces power right where it's used, saving the system money.
Avoided Fuel Costs: It keeps money in the local economy rather than sending it to out-of-state fuel providers, like Saudi Arabia
No Foreign Oil: Sunlight is domestic; we don’t have to import it from hostile nations.
Military Readiness: Solar allows forward operating bases to function without dangerous fuel supply convoys.
Grid Resilience: Distributed solar makes the grid harder for terrorists or hackers to take down in one swoop.
Disaster Recovery: Solar + battery systems keep power on during hurricanes and storms.
Energy Dominance: Developing superior solar tech keeps the U.S. ahead of China.
Decentralization: A decentralized grid is a harder target than a centralized one.
Backup Power: It provides security for families during grid failures (like the Texas freeze).
Strategic Reserves: Using solar allows us to save oil and gas reserves for tactical military needs.
No Embargoes: You can’t embargo the sun.
No OPEC
Energy Freedom: The right to generate your own power is a fundamental property right.
Off-Grid Living: It enables the ultimate libertarian dream of living disconnected from the system.
Anti-Monopoly: It breaks the stranglehold of state-sanctioned utility monopolies.
Choice: It gives consumers a choice other than the single utility provider.
Self-Reliance: It encourages personal responsibility for one’s own needs.
Protection From Bureaucracy: You are less beholden to utility commission decisions.
No Eminent Domain: Rooftop solar doesn't require seizing private land for pipelines.
Privacy: Generating your own power reduces the data utilities collect on your usage habits.
Voluntary Association: Community solar allows people to voluntarily pool resources without government mandates. How about a Republican-only solar cooperative, no blue electrons
Individualism: My roof, my power, my rules.
Avoiding Rationing: Self-generation protects you from government-imposed rolling blackouts. (electrical bread line)
Stewardship: It aligns with the biblical mandate to be good stewards of the Earth.
Clean Air: It reduces smog and pollution, which is pro-life and pro-health.
Countering the Left: Embracing solar takes the issue away from Democrats.
Electric Fencing: Essential for ranchers managing livestock.
Water Pumping: Solar well pumps are a lifeline for cattle ranchers.
Silent Operation: Great for hunting cabins and retreats. (Sneak up on that deer meal)
Preppers: The ultimate survivalist energy source.
Libertarians: Decentralized and anti-state monopoly.
Fiscal Hawks: Lowest cost of energy in many markets.
Tech Conservatives: Represent innovation and modernization. (Winning the AI war)
Legacy: Leaving a self-sufficient home to your children.
Competition with China: We shouldn't let them own the future of energy.
Freedom: Ultimately, it gives you the power to tell the power company to shove it.
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
Erika of Gismo Power discusses their innovative plug-in solar system that challenges traditional solar installations. The conversation covers the regulatory barriers facing plug-in solar technology, her company's groundbreaking deployment on the Lakota Nation, Pine Ridge Reservation, and the future of democratized renewable energy generation in America.
Topics Covered:
Plug-in solar technology and mobile electricity generating appliances (MEGA)
Regulatory challenges and codes & standards development
Plugin solar vs. balcony solar systems
Grid interconnection and utility monopolies
Home Power Magazine
Back feeding
NFPA = National Fire Protection Association
Pine Ridge Reservation renewable energy deployment
VPP = Virtual Power Plants
Grid-forming inverters
Solar adoption in coal states
Plug-in solar legislation in Utah
Net metering and energy storage economics
EV charging integration
Vehicle-to-grid (V2X) technology
Solar system costs and residential applications
Reach out to Erika Ginsberg-Klemmt here:
Email: erika@gismopower.com
Website: www.gismopower.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/sfev
At Intersolar San Diego, Sean talks with Tim Bridgewater, CEO of ZEO Energy, about the company’s shift from 100% residential solar into behind-the-meter solar-and-storage solutions for large loads like data centers. Bridgewater shares ZEO Energy’s growth path (including acquiring Synergy Solar and Heliogen and going public in March 2024) and announces an MOU for a 280 MW solar farm with energy storage in central Utah to power a data center. They discuss surging U.S. data center demand, why on-site solar plus storage can be built faster than gas or nuclear, the industry move toward 800V DC power systems, and current tax-credit timelines and incentives affecting residential solar, large-scale projects, and standalone storage.
Topics covered:
ZEO = Greek word “Zeal” means energy
Synergy Solar
280-megawatt facility = large solar farm with data storage
Behind the meter power solutions
NEC Article 691
Chip Technology
800 volts DC
Tax Credit
NVIDIA
Data centers
Permitting process
Nasdaq
Heliogen
Inflation Reduction Act
Energy Communities
Reach out with Tim Bridgewater here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-a-bridgewater-347b062/
Website: https://zeoenergy.com/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at:
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/ess
Explore the real-world transformation of America's energy landscape through candid conversations with solar industry insiders like Andrew Holmstrom of Arch Solar. From innovative vertical installations and Wisconsin's unique capacity credits to deep-fried cheese curds and maple syrup experiments, discover how rising electricity costs, AI-driven data center demands, and grid modernization are making renewables more competitive than ever. Get unfiltered perspectives on net metering policies, battery storage economics, and the practical realities of the clean energy revolution—complete with dad jokes and unexpected tangents about supply-side connections to maple trees.
Topics Covered:
NABCEP Conference
Lake Michigan = the 3rd Coast
PV Associate Class
NABCEP Milwaukee’s Party Theme
St. Patrick’s Day at Milwaukee
Beer breweries
Cheese curds
Solar in Milwaukee and Wisconsin
.77 Factor
Co-generation customer use
Capacity credit
Avoided capacity cost rate
PV Walls
PV Cladding
Mitrex Canada
Glass
Rates (commercial and residential)
Maple syrup
Tree activist
Reach out to Andrew Holmstorm on:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-holmstrom
Website: www.archsolar.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at:
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/10hress
In this podcast episode, Sean interviewed Meghan Wood, CEO of Raya Power, about their innovative solar and storage system. Meghan explained how Raya Power's all-in-one appliance connects directly to home appliances and provides both energy savings and backup power during outages. They discussed the system's features, including its ability to handle both 120V and 240V loads, and its potential applications for electric vehicles and residential use. Meghan also touched on the growing interest in balcony solar and the regulatory challenges it faces. The conversation concluded with a brief discussion about upcoming events and potential future collaborations.
Topics Covered
Raya Power www.rayapower.com
Battery
Grid
Mini Split
Plug-in
Air Conditioner
EV = Electric Vehicle
EV Charger
Balcony Solar
Stove
UL
Code
Guerilla Solar
Reach out to Meghan Wood here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/woodmeghan
Website: www.rayapower.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/30hrpv
The residential solar tax credit (25D) is gone, but commercial solar tax credits are still alive! In this podcast, we break down the critical deadlines and requirements for the 30% Investment Tax Credit (ITC) under the modified Inflation Reduction Act.
Topics Covered
IRA = Inflation Reduction Act
ITC = Investment Tax Credit
Commercial Tax Credit
Residential Tax Credit
Section 48E
TPO = Third Party Ownership
TPO = Thermoplastic Polyolefin
The 5% Rule
Bonus adders
Standalone Storage Tax Credit
Prevailing Wage & Apprenticeships
Physical Work Test
FEOC = Foreign Entity of Concern
OBBB = One Big Beautiful Act
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/30hr2023nec
www.solarsean.com/esip
Titan Containers has developed the Arctic Store Horizon, a solar-powered refrigerated container that reduces energy consumption by over 50% through integrated photovoltaic panels, vacuum insulation, and environmentally friendly refrigerant technology. This episode explores the engineering innovations behind sustainable cold storage, including applications in food preservation, pharmaceutical storage, and potential solutions for crop loss in developing regions. The discussion covers technical aspects of solar integration, mobile battery storage concepts, and the business case for reducing both operational costs and environmental impact in temperature-controlled logistics. Learn how container technology is evolving to address global sustainability challenges.
Topics Covered
Titan Containers www.titancontainers.com
Containers
ESS = Energy Storage System
Arctic Store Horizon
Refrigeration
Cold Storage and Hot Storage
Battery
Portable Energy
Solar on Container
Grid
Reach out to Søren Mogensen here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/s%C3%B8ren-skov-mogensen
Website: www.titancontainers.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
solarsean.com/sfev
Inspired by the Colbert Report, where Stephen pretends to be a right wing show host, in this podcast, Sean pretends to be an oil-loving, dinosaur-loving, coal-rolling podcaster and delivers some really stupidly funny and immature podcasting. He makes fun of people that might be even dumber than himself.
Topics Covered
Fossil Fuel
Dinosaurs
Oil
Global Cooling
Sea Level Rising
EV = Electric Vehicle
Privatizing Sunshine
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
Interconnection regulations are quietly blocking solar projects across America. Vaughan Woodruff, distributed energy resources consultant and former VP of Regulatory Reform at IREC, reveals why outdated utility rules are stalling clean energy adoption. Discover how Maine became #2 nationally for solar capacity per capita, why Delaware's community solar program failed spectacularly, and which technical solutions could unlock grid capacity without expensive upgrades. This conversation explores the regulatory maze where only 37 states have formal interconnection standards, each different, many decades old. Learn why smart policy matters as much as smart inverters for achieving our renewable energy future.
Topics Covered
DER = Distributed Energy Resources
Interconnection
ESS = Energy Storage System
EV = Electric Vehicle
Diablo Canyon
Inverter
Heatspring
Utility
Grid
ISO = Independent System Operator
SREC = Solar Renewable Energy Certificate
Renewable Energy Certificates
Market
EquinoxDG www.linkedin.com/company/equinoxdg
IREC = Interstate Renewable Energy Council
CCA = Community Choice Aggregiation
Paul Finn
Balcony Solar
Interconnection Agreement
Guerilla Solar
Home Power Magazine
Podcast with Alfred Ignacio (AI)
* Apple Podcast
* YouTube
* Spotify
* Pandora
* Podbean
Podcast with Khanti Munro
* Apple Podcast
* YouTube
* Spotify
* Pandora
* Podbean
Podcast with Paul Fenn Part 1* YouTube * Podbean
Podcast with Paul Fenn Part 2* YouTube * Podbean
Reach out to Vaughan Woodruff here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaughan-woodruff-9a7a0821/
EquinoxDG: www.linkedin.com/company/equinoxdg
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
Phil Horwitch of AMH Holdings discusses utility-scale solar engineering, covering their work on 1 gigawatt of projects in 2025. Topics include the dramatic shift toward standalone battery storage, the engineering trade-offs of large-format modules (up to 700 watts), tracker systems with bifacial panels, and grading challenges. Phil explains how bigger modules reduce earthwork costs, shares insights on hail protection strategies, and reflects on the solar industry's newfound resilience and maturity in the face of political and market pressures.
Topics Covered
AMH Holdings
Utility Scale Projects
Market
ESS = Energy Storage System
Tracker
Photovoltaic Module Size
Hailstorm
UL Testing
Golf Ball
String Inverters vs Central Inverters
Reach out to Phil Horwitch here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/phil-horwitch
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
In this episode, Dr. Laura A. Ward, Ph.D. in electrical engineering, and Sean White explore the practical realities of grid-forming inverters and their role in modernizing power grids. Drawing from her experience in Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria and her work as a Ph.D. intern on the analysis and modeling team for the PR100 project, Dr. Ward discusses the technical and policy challenges of adopting IEEE 1547-2018 and integrating renewable energy at scale. The conversation covers grid resilience, the importance of updated standards, and the future of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). Listeners will gain insight into how the next-generation of power electronics technologies are being designed and implemented to create more reliable, sustainable, and resilient energy systems.
Topics Covered
- Grid-Forming Inverter Technology for enabling more integration of renewables
- Dr. Ward’s career and her Ph.D. in electrical engineering under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Bayne at Texas Tech University in Lubbock
- Experience as a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) intern
- Impact of Hurricane Maria
- Former University of Puerto Rico Teaching Assistant in Mayaguez Campus
- Former Arizona State University (ASU) Research Assistant in Tempe
- Resilience hubs, reliability, and stability studies
- EIF Fellow at DOEE adopting and implementing the IEEE Standard 1547-2018 for DC grid modernization
Dr. Ward is an evangelist, technology innovator, and application engineer. Regarding the adoption of standards, she notes that Washington, D.C. has one of the most complex secondary network grids in the country, making the implementation of IEEE 1547-2018 significantly harder than in a suburban radial grid. Dr. Ward provided the technical leadership and engineering solutions to adopt IEEE 1547-2018 in the District of Columbia, specifically overcoming the technical barriers of high-density secondary networks to enable 100% decarbonization goals by 2032 and 15% solar generation by 2041.
Technical Contribution Citation:
"For leadership in supporting the adoption and applying IEEE 1547-2018 to complex urban secondary networks, enabling the transition to high-penetration renewable energy systems." — Dr. Laura A. Ward
Reach out to Dr. Ward here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drlaura-ward
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4550-1581
Instagram: stem.laurandre
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
Join Clean Counts’ leadership as they discuss the real-world impact of renewable energy certificates (RECs) on today’s energy markets. This episode explores how robust verification, evolving market demands, and new attributes like pollinator-friendly certifications are shaping the sector. The conversation details how Clean Counts’ systems operate, the economic and policy context, and the practical implications for renewable energy producers and buyers nationwide.
Topics Covered
Clean Counts www.cleancounts.org
REC = Renewable Energy Certificate
SREC = Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (Solar Energy Certificates Market)
Clean Energy Verification
Utility
Pollinator Friendly SREC
Agrivoltaic
IPA = Illinois Power Authority
Illinois Adjustable Block Program
Voluntary vs. Compliance Markets
Net Metering
Alternative Compliance Payment
Hourly Matching / Time-based RECs
Energy Storage and RECs
Co-benefits (Pollinator, Water Quality, Tribal Lands, Localized Benefits)
Market-based Mechanisms for Clean Energy
MISO = Midcontinent Independent System Operator
Nuclear Certificates / Alternative Energy Certificates
Greenhouse Gas Protocol (Annual vs. Hourly Accounting)
Software Development for Clean Energy Tracking
Third-party Certification and Attribute Tracking
Clean Energy Standards
PPA = Power Purchase Agreement
State-by-State REC/SREC Programs
Reach out to Ben Gerber & Rob Davis here:
Ben’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-gerber
Ben’s Email: ben@cleancounts.org
Rob’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/robdavis
Rob’s Email: rob@cleancounts.org
Website: www.cleancounts.org
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
Join Sean White and Aaron Nichols as they turn the world of solar energy upside down with humor, stories, and a fresh take on education. Discover why facts and graphs aren’t enough, and how laughter and creativity can make even the most technical topics memorable. From fake ads to satirical brainstorms, this episode proves that learning about solar can be fun, engaging, and unforgettable. Tune in for a brighter perspective!
Topics Covered
Sitcom = Situation Comedy
Making Boring Stuff Fun
Graphs & Acronyms
Exact Solar
This Week in Solar
Substack www.exactsolar.substack.com
The Modern Mythmaker www.themodernmythmaker.substack.com
Podbean
Colbert Report
Solyndra
Fake Advertisement
Big Oil
Beverly Hillbillies
YouTube Channel Repurposing
Reach out to Aaron Nichols here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-nichols
Substack: www.exactsolar.substack.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
Join host Sean White as he sits down with Mike Haydon, CEO of The Off-Grid Shop, to explore how Australians are leading the way in solar innovation. Discover how peer to peer energy trading is empowering everyday people to share solar power with neighbors, family, and local businesses. Hear real stories about off-grid living, community microgrids, and the unique challenges and opportunities of building energy independence in Australia. Whether you’re a solar enthusiast or just curious about the future of energy, this episode offers practical insights and inspiring ideas from the front lines of the renewable revolution.
Topics Covered
The Off-Grid Shop www.theoffgridshop.com
Net Metering
Solar in Australia
Cheaper Home Batteries
Solar Market
Off-Grid
Peer to Peer
Utility
Energy Lending
Eco Hamlet
Microgrid
Battery
Generator
Reach out to Mike Hayden here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mikelhaydon
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
Sean White is joined by Alfred Ignacio, also known as AI, to discuss the proposed changes in the 2029 National Electrical Code (NEC). They cover the renumbering and restructuring of key articles, such as PV systems and energy storage, moving from familiar chapters to new ones, highlighting significant. The discussion also emphasizes the importance of understanding these new placements for professionals in the field, and humorously explores the reliability and future roles of artificial intelligence in handling NEC content. The episode wraps up with a playful interaction, affirming no AI world domination plans.
Topics covered:
Article 690 Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems
Article 690.12 Rapid Shutdown
Article 691 Large-Scale Photovoltaic (PV) Electric Supply Stations
Article 692 Fuel Cell Systems
Article 705 Interconnected Electric Power Production Sources
Article 480 Stationary Standby Batteries
Article 445 Generators
Article 480 Stationary Standby Batteries
Article 694 Wind Electric Systems
Article 706 Energy Storage Systems
Article 710 Stand-Alone Systems
Article 702 Optional Standby Systems
Article 100 Definitions
Article 110 General Requirements for Electrical Installations
Article 220 Branch-Circuit, Feeder, and Service Load Calculations
Article 750 Energy Management Systems
Chapter 2 Wiring and Protection
Chapter 3 Wiring Methods and Materials
Article 310 Conductors for General Wiring
Article 200 Use and Identification of Grounded Conductors
Article 210 Branch Circuits Not Over 1000 Volts ac, 1500 Volts dc, Nominal
Article 215 Feeders
Article 225 Outside Branch Circuits and Feeders
Article 230 Services
Article 240 Overcurrent Protection
Article 300 General Requirements for Wiring Methods and Materials
Article 330 Metal-Clad Cable: Type MC
Article 334 Nonmetallic-Sheathed Cable: Types NM and NMC
Article 338 Service-Entrance Cable: Types SE and USE
Article 342 Intermediate Metal Conduit (IMC)
Article 344 Rigid Metal Conduit (RMC)
Article 352 Rigid Polyvinyl Chloride Conduit (PVC)
Article 356 Liquidtight Flexible Nonmetallic Conduit (LFNC)
Article 358 Electrical Metallic Tubing (EMT)
Chapter 10 Power Systems
Article 368 Busways
Article 408 Switchboards, Switchgear, and Panelboards
Article 450 Transformers and Transformer Vaults (Including Secondary Ties)
Chapter 11 Temporary and Open Wiring
Chapter 12 Devices and Distribution Equipment
Chapter 13 Ligtng equipment
Chapter 14 Motors and Motor-Driven Machinery
Chapter 15 Electric Heating and Heating Equipment
Chapter 16 Other Equipment
Chapter 17 Equipment Over a Thousand Volts AC, 1500 Volts DC
Chapter 18 Hazardous Locations
Chapter 19 Occupancies
Chapter 20 Installations Associated with Bodies of Water
Chapter 21 Life Safety and Emergency Systems
Chapter 22 Electrified Transport Equipment
Chapter 30 Tables
AI world domination plans
For more information and resources, visit www.solarSEAN.com. Interested in advancing your solar career? Get NABCEP certified with Sean’s classes at:
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/30hr2023nec
Join host Sean White as he interviews John Lind, Senior Vice President of Aspen Power, for an insightful look into the commercial and industrial solar industry. Discover how financial incentives, not just environmental benefits, are driving businesses to adopt solar energy. The conversation covers the evolution of solar technology, the growing importance of battery storage, and the challenges of navigating tax credits, regulations, and supply chain issues. Learn how Aspen Power adapts to changing markets and why distributed generation is shaping the future of energy. Perfect for anyone interested in the business side of renewable energy and the path to mainstream adoption.
Topics Covered
Aspen Power www.aspenpower.com
Tax Credits
Utility
Fossil Fuel
Saving the Planet VS Saving Money
Independent Power Producer
Standalone Photovoltaic
BBB = Big Beautiful Bill
Car Shading
Carport
EV = Electric Vehicle
PPA = Power Purchase Agreement
CNI = Commercial and Industrial
Tariff
Reach out to John Lind here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jhlind
Aspen Power: www.aspenpower.com
Email: jlind@aspenpower.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
In this episode, Sean White talks with Tom Yeshurun, the founder and CEO of Civ Robotics. Tom discusses how his company's innovative robots are helping to make solar farm construction faster and more efficient. By providing tools that assist in surveying and marking precise locations for pile installations, Civ Robotics is minimizing the labor-intensive tasks on job sites. They cover the hiring opportunities available at Civ Robotics, the evolution and future of robotics in the construction industry, and the practicalities of deploying and managing autonomous machines in varied global terrains. Tune in to learn about the latest advancements in construction robotics and what the future might hold for solar energy and beyond.
Topics Covered:
Civ = Civil Engineering
Robots for surveying
Piles
Spray beam
Laser beam
Torque tube
Career with Robotics
Open careers in Civ Robotics
Field Engineers
Rental Products/Agreements
KPI = Key Performance Indicator
Made in America
Built for America
GPS Technology
IMU
Intersolar Conference, San Diego
Reach out to Tom Yeshurun here:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tomyeshurun
Website: www.civilrobotics.com/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvcms
This episode features Lennart Hinrichs from TWAICE, exploring how AI and data analytics are transforming battery energy storage systems. Discover how advanced software helps operators optimize performance, ensure safety, and maximize the value of large-scale batteries. The conversation covers technical challenges, industry acronyms, and the future of energy storage in a rapidly evolving grid. Perfect for anyone interested in renewable energy, battery technology, and the impact of AI on the energy sector.
Topics Covered
TWAICE www.twaice.com
Battery
BESS = Battery Energy Storage System
ESS = Energy Storage System
DOD = Depth of Discharge
SOC = State of Charge
PCS = Power Conversion System
EPC = Electronic Power Converter
NEC = National Electrical Code
Chemistry
Coulomb Counting
C-rate
RTE = Round Trip Efficiency
AI = Artificial Inteligence
Reach out to Lennart Hinrichs here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lennart-hinrichs
TWAICE: www.twaice.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
Sean White is joined by Julia Lee, Yash Ketharam, and Ilya Mazalov. The group dives into the journeys of Gen Z engineers and advocates, exploring their roles in student organizations, hands-on projects like the Solar Car Race, and their vision for the future of sustainability. The discussion covers generational perspectives, the power of community, and the challenges and opportunities in renewable energy education.
Topics Covered:
Grassroots community
Triton Solar Car
Formula Sun Grand Prix
Solar powered car
Generational perspectives
Social media
Renewable energy education
UC San Diego Club
Climate change
Student leadership
Tips in writing and publishing books
Reach them out here:
Julia Lee: www.linkedin.com/in/julialee123
Yash Ketharam: www.linkedin.com/in/yash-ketharam
Ilya Mazalov: www.linkedin.com/in/ilya-mazalov
UC San Diego Renewable Energy Club: www.eswtritons.wordpress.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at:
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/ess
Join host Sean White as he interviews William Grant, co-founder of Sun Collectors, for an inspiring deep dive into the world of solar energy. Discover William’s journey from electrical engineer to solar entrepreneur, the challenges and rewards of building a business in Illinois, and the impact of the SREC program. The conversation covers technical insights, ethical business practices, and the importance of community and second chances. With personal stories of overcoming adversity and a commitment to making solar accessible and reputable, this episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in renewable energy, entrepreneurship, and positive change.
Topics Covered
Sun Collectors www.suncollectors.solar
William’s Background
SREC = Solar Renewable Energy Certificate
Tax Credit
Incentives
Lease
Solar Coaster
PPA = Power Purchase Agreement
Illinois Peoria
Unions
Reach out to William Grant here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-grant-b49a65156/
Sun Collectors: www.suncollectors.solar
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
Discover how Brooklyn Solar Works is transforming New York City rooftops with innovative solar canopies. Host Sean White chats with co-founders T.R. Ludwig and Gaelen McKee about the challenges and breakthroughs of installing solar in dense urban environments. Learn how their unique canopy designs overcome space, code, and engineering hurdles, turning underused rooftops into sustainable, usable spaces. From technical insights to humorous anecdotes, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at the future of urban solar, the growth of a pioneering company, and the exciting possibilities for clean energy in cities everywhere.
Topics Covered
Brooklyn Solar Works www.brooklynsolarworks.com
Solar Canopy
Solar Carport
Burj Khalifa
Solar in New York City
Codes and Jurisdictions
Racking
Post and Truss Designs
Previous Podcast with T.R. Ludwig
* Apple
* YouTube
* Spotify
* Pandora
* Podbean
Reach out to T.R. Ludwig and Gaelen McKee here:
T.R Ludwig LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/trludwig
Gaelen McKee LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gaelen-mckee
Brooklyn Solar Works: www.brooklynsolarworks.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
Discover the story of Johnny Weiss, the visionary who transformed solar education and empowered a global clean energy movement. Join host Sean White and guest Jeff Spies as they share personal stories, industry insights, and the lasting impact of Solar Energy International. Learn how one man’s passion for teaching sparked a revolution, inspired thousands, and continues to light the way for a sustainable future. Whether you’re a solar pro or just curious about renewable energy, this episode will leave you inspired by the power of community, education, and one remarkable legacy.
Topics Covered
Johnny Weiss
Solar Pioneer
SEI = Solar Energy International
SEI Mini Documentary of Johnny Weiss www.youtube.com
Claudia Wentworth Award
Mark Mrohs
Bill Brooks
Solar Training
Podcast with Johnny Weiss
* Apple
* YouTube
* Spotify
* Pandora
* Podbean
Podcast with Mark Mrohs
* Apple
* YouTube
* Spotify
* Pandora
* Podbean
Johnny Weiss Initiative
Solar Maintenance
Fossil Fuel
Greenhouse Gas
Solar Roots – the Pioneers of PV
Reach out to Jeff Spies here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-spies
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
In this episode, Sean White welcomes Bernadette Del Chiaro, a prominent figure in the solar industry. Bernadette discusses her current role as the Senior Vice President of the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and her extensive background in the field, including her tenure as the executive director of the California Solar and Storage Association. The conversation dives into EWG's mission and Bernadette's recent projects, including a lawsuit against the California Public Utilities Commission over net metering policies and promoting balcony solar systems. The episode highlights the importance of distributed generation, rooftop solar, and the legal and policy challenges facing the solar industry in California. Sean and Bernadette also touch on the political influence of investor-owned utilities and the future of energy policy.
Topics Covered:
CALSSA = California Solar and Storage Association
Distributed generation
EWG = Environmental Working Group
Public Utilities Commission and California
Net-Metering
Balcony Solar
Plug-in and play systems
Neighborhood sharing program
Lawsuit
Load growth
Million Solar Roof Initiative 2006
Reach out to Bernadette Del Chiaro here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bernadette-del-chiaro-7598706/
Email: bernadette@ewg.org
Website: www.ewg.org
Rooftop Solar Defense Fund Campaign: www.act.ewg.org/a/ewg-solar
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/30hrpv
Join us as we explore the future of energy storage with Antonio Baclig, CEO of Inlyte Energy. Discover how reinventing batteries—especially sodium-based technology—could transform the grid, make renewable energy more reliable, and reduce dependence on global supply chains. We break down battery basics, discuss the challenges and opportunities in battery innovation, and touch on the broader impact for climate and society. Whether you’re an energy enthusiast or just curious about what powers tomorrow, this episode offers fresh insights and inspiration for anyone interested in the next big leap in clean energy.
Topics Covered
Inlyte Energy www.inlyteenergy.com
Battery
Solid State Battery
Battery Chemistry
Antonio’s Career Background
ESS = Energy Storage System
Chemistry
Sodium Metal Battery
Grid Storage
Anodes & Cathodes
Alkaline Batteries
Three Electrode Batteries
Quantum Mechanics
Intercolation
Dendrites
Batteries for Airplane
EV Charging = Electric Vehicle Charging
Electrochemical Potential
Nominal Volt
Chemical Bonds
Bill Gates’ Three Tough Truths About Climate Change
Global Climate
Reach out to Antonio Baclig here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/antonio-baclig
Inlyte Energy: www.inlyteenergy.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
Celebrate a century of innovation with “100 Years of Energy.” Host Sean White interviews Laurie Oswald, Chief Commercial Officer at Trojan Battery Company, to uncover how Trojan evolved from a lead-acid battery pioneer to a leader in lithium technology. Discover real-world stories from off-grid Alaska to global markets, the secrets behind batteries that last decades, and how customer feedback drives Trojan’s innovation. Whether you’re into energy, technology, or inspiring business journeys, this episode offers powerful insights into the past, present, and future of energy storage.
Topics Covered
C&D Trojan www.cdtrojan.com
ESS = Energy Storage System
Battery
LSEV = Low Speed Electric Vehicle
EV = Electric Vehicle
Trojan Batteries
Lead-Acid VS Lithium ion
Battery Longevity
NEC = National Electrical Code
Float Charge
Off Grid
Reach out to Laurie Oswald here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ldoswald
C&D Trojan www.cdtrojan.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
Discover how solar power is changing the game for cities, businesses, and your wallet. Host Sean White sits down with Michael Chanin, CEO of Cherry Street Energy, to reveal the secrets behind affordable, no-upfront-cost solar electricity. From the company’s unique origin story to real talk about industry myths, workforce training, and building a legacy business, this episode is packed with insights, humor, and practical advice. Whether you’re a solar skeptic or a clean energy fan, you’ll learn how the future of power is being built, one community at a time. Tune in and get energized!
Topics Covered
Cherry Street Energy www.cherrystreet.com
Heatspring www.heatspring.com/instructors/sean-white
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners www.nabcep.org
Marketplace
Education
IREC = Interstate Renewable Energy Council
Unethical Solar Salespeople
Supply and Demand
Utility
Coal
Fossil Fuel
Solar Coaster
Combustion Car
EV = Electric Vehicle
HVAC = Heating, Ventilation, And Air Conditioning
Reach out to Michael Chanin here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/michaelchanin
Website: www.cherrystreet.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
Dr. Laura A. Ward is a leading contributor to the global shift from inertia-dominated, mechanically driven power systems to inverter-based, high-renewable smart grids. She bridges advanced power electronics theory with practical, data-driven roadmapping to deploy resilient microgrids at scale.
As the global grid pivots away from fossil generation, the industry is confronting a core question: how do we maintain stability without the physical inertia of synchronous machines? In this RE+ episode, host Sean White speaks with Dr. Laura A. Ward—IEEE Senior Member and Energy Innovator Fellow at the DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), mentored by Thomas Bartholomew in the Clean Energy Division—about the transition from inertia-based power systems to “virtual” stability enabled by inverter-based resources and smart-grid controls.
Dr. Ward breaks down the high-stakes engineering behind Grid Forming (GFM) inverters, the technical bridge that allows renewable energy to go from simply "following" the grid to actively "forming" it. Whether you are curious about the physics of droop coefficients or the policy hurdles of DC grid modernization, this conversation provides a masterclass in building a resilient, decarbonized future.
Key Insights Include:
- The Physics of Stability: Why losing traditional synchronous machines creates a "stability gap" and how inverters fill it.
- GFM vs. GFL: A deep dive into the technical advantages of Grid Forming over Grid Following technology.
- Urban Infrastructure: Adopting and applying 21st-century standards (like IEEE 1547) to complex, high-density city grids.
- Microgrid Resiliency: How autonomous control allows local grids to survive during wider system outages.
Dr. Ward’s work is anchored in her unique ability to provide insights and influence decision-making through recommendations on best practices. While many focus on either the adoption of IEEE 1547-2018 or the scalability analysis of Grid-Forming inverters using software—work she did under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Bayne at Texas Tech University—Dr. Ward has unified them through the validation of the scalable Self-synchronized Universal Droop Controller (SSUDC), providing a mathematical and practical foundation for a carbon-neutral grid.
Dr. Ward’s influence is solidified by her rigorous data-driven approach, featured in major repositories and journals:
- OSTI Office of Scientific and Technical Information (Department of Energy): Modeling and Evaluation of Microgrids with Grid-Forming Inverter Technology (Focus on SSUDC algorithms). DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su16052148
- Technical Roadmaps: Authoring the transition strategies for DOEE and utilities moving from 20th-century synchronous machine reliance to 21st-century power electronics. ArcGIS StoryMap technical report:https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/cca0d8ca348c452787e70759035aaa97
Connect with Dr. Ward:
Professional: www.linkedin.com/in/drlaura-ward
Research: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4550-1581
Public Engagement: @stem.laurandre (Instagram)
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
Join host Sean White as he interviews Mark Jacobs, a renewable energy marketing expert, about creative ways to make solar energy and electric vehicles part of mainstream American culture. Discover the story behind a unique solar-themed jigsaw puzzle, learn about the EV Math campaign helping rural communities save money with electric vehicles, and hear how Twende Solar brings clean energy to underserved areas worldwide. With engaging stories, humor, and practical insights, this episode highlights the power of creativity and community in driving the clean energy transition. Perfect for anyone interested in sustainability, innovation, and positive social impact.
Topics Covered
Solar Marketing
Jigsaw Puzzle
Twende Solar www.twendesolar.org
EV = Electric Vehicle
EV Math
Range Anxiety
Free Supercharging for Life
Rural Community
AI = Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Smoke and Sound for Electric Vehicles
Self-Reliance and Independence
Creative Marketing
Portland Puzzle Company
Reach out to Mark Jacobs here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/markjacobs
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
Join jokester Sean White as he interviews Aaron Nichols, research and policy specialist at Exact Solar and creator of "This Week in Solar." Discover Aaron’s unique journey from teaching and traveling to working in solar and learn how he’s making solar news accessible through engaging communication. The episode covers the evolution of solar industry messaging, strategies for reaching diverse audiences, and the importance of storytelling in marketing and public outreach. Whether you’re a solar professional or just curious about the industry, this episode offers practical insights, real-world experiences, and a fresh perspective on solar news and careers.
Topics Covered
Grid Alternatives
Aaron’s Career
Cougars
Circus girls
This Week in Solar www.exactsolar.substack.com/podcast
Podcast
Public Speaking
Stage Fright
Exact Solar www.exactsolar.com
Infinite Solar
NEC = National Electrical CodeEPC = Engineering Procurement and Construction
Circus
Copywriting
Writing
Burning Man
Suncast
Communication Strategies
Utility
Reach out to Aaron Nichols here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-nichols
Exact Solar: www.exactsolar.com
This Week in Solar Substack: www.exactsolar.substack.com/podcast
This Week in Solar YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ThisWeekInSolar
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
Join host Sean White and solar industry leader Nabih Cherradi for an expert discussion on the explosive growth of solar manufacturing, global market dynamics, and the future of clean energy. Recorded live at RE+, this episode explores why solar keeps beating projections, the role of policy and innovation, and offers practical advice for new entrants. Discover why the future of solar is brighter than ever!
Topics Covered
Desert Technologies www.desert-technologies.com
Solar in Antarctica
Policies
Solar in the Past
Feed-in Tariff
Supply and Demand
Solar Market
Incentives
Factory
Polysilicon
Investment
What Creates Jobs in the Solar Industry
Module Manufacturing
CapEx
Workforce
Sustainable Jobs
Africa Workforce and Market Potential
Podcast in SNEC Conference
* Apple podcast
* YouTube
* Spotify
* Pandora
* Podbean
Reach out to Nabih Cherradi here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nabih-cherradi
Website: www.desert-technologies.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
Join host Sean White as he interviews Dr. David Renee and Dr. Paulette Middleton, leaders in atmospheric science and renewable energy. Explore the evolution of solar energy, the impact of organizations like ISES and ASES, and the transition from fossil fuels to renewables. This episode highlights the importance of community, workforce development, and effective communication in advancing sustainable energy. Gain professional insights and historical context on the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of solar and renewable energy worldwide.
Topics Covered
ISES = International Solar Energy Society www.ises.org
ASES = American Solar Energy Society www.ases.org
NorCal Solar = Northern California Solar Energy Association www.norcalsolar.org
Atmospheric Sciences
Climate
David’s Career
NREL = National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Early Days in Solar Industry
Wind Energy
SERI = Solar Energy Research Institute
President Jimmy Carter
CALSA = California Storage Association
IRENA = International Renewable Energy Agency
COP Conference
Fossil Fuel
Solar Today Magazine www.ases.org/solartoday
Workforce Development
Oil and Gas Industry
Utility
Off Grid
Panorama Pathways www.panoramapathways.net
Aspen Hill Films
Reach out to David & Paulette here:
David’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dave-renne
Paulette’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/paulette-middleton
Panorama Pathways: www.panoramapathways.net
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
In this episode, Sean White welcomes Khanti Munro, Senior Product Manager at ConnectDER, to talk about meter socket adapters (MSAs) and their role in the evolving world of distributed energy resources (DERs). Khanti shares his journey in the solar industry, his mentorship under industry legend Johnny Weiss, and his hands-on experience with solar installations and product innovation
Topics Covered:
Introducing ConnectDER
MSA = Meter Socket Adapter
MBA = Meter Base Adapter
DER = Distributed Energy Resources
EV = Electric Vehicle
California Rule 21
Rule 31
UL 1741
UL 414
UL 3141
ESS = Energy Storage Systems
Supply Side Connection
MSA, EV MSA with load management, Islander for whole-house backup
RTFM = Read the F_N Manual
Integration of MSAs with inverters and storage systems from SolarEdge, Franklin, Lunar, and EcoFlow
The challenges and rewards of product development and patenting in the solar industryPractical advice for installers
Stories from the field, including working with Bernie Sanders
Reach out to Khanti Munro here:
Email: kmunro@connectder.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/khantimunro
Website: www.connectder.com
Check out the latest Greg Smith’s podcast here:
www.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/greg-smith-the-snarky-solar-guy-and-best-selling-author
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvsi
Join host Sean White and Inlyte Energy CEO Antonio Baclig as they discuss the science, innovation, and commercial potential of sodium metal chloride batteries. Learn how these safe, abundant, and recyclable batteries could transform grid-scale energy storage and support the transition to sustainable power. This episode offers valuable insights for professionals and enthusiasts interested in renewable energy, battery technology, and the future of large-scale energy solutions. Topics CoveredInlyte Energy www.inlyteenergy.comSodium Metal ChlorideESS = Energy Storage SystemBatteriesIronSiliconLithiumHydrogenSodiumPotassiumScience EngineeringCeramic MembraneBeta LuminaSodium MetalLithium Ion & Lithium MetalAnode & CathodeDendritesLiquid MetalSodium Sulfur BatteryBritish RailVehicle BatteryYi CuiAmpriusSilicon-Based AnodeNMC = Nickel Manganese CobaltEV = Electric VehiclesManufacturingCeramicSeparator Reach out to Antonio Baclig here:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.comWebsite: www.inlyteenergy.com Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/seanwww.solarsean.com/pvipwww.solarsean.com/esip
How is solar power changing the way we charge electric vehicles? Join host Sean White and Tom McCalmont, CEO of Paired Power, as they reveal the latest breakthroughs in solar-powered EV charging, microgrids, and clean energy innovation. Discover how deployable solar solutions and vehicle-to-grid technology are making EV charging smarter, more reliable, and accessible for everyone. With 25 years of industry experience, Tom shares real-world stories and a positive vision for the future. If you care about clean energy or electric vehicles, this episode will show you why EV charging will never be the same again!
Topics Covered
McCalmont Engineering
ReGrid Power
Real Goods Solar
ESS = Energy Storage System
Micro Grid
EV = Electric Vehicle
EV Charging
20% Solar Vehicle Paint
Paired Power www.pairedpower.com
Micro Grid EV Charging
V2G = Vehicle to Grid
V2X = Vehicle to Everything
Battery
Grid
PairPHNXX
PairTree
PairFleet
Pairiscope
EV Charger Reliability
Broken EV Chargers
CALSSA = California Solar & Storage Association
Reach out to Tom McCalmont here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tom-mccalmont
Website: www.pairedpower.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MCd3-kJNa_s
In this episode, Sean White is joined by Jeff Spies and Deep Patel for a hands-on unboxing and deep dive into vintage Arco Solar modules from the early 1980s. The team shares the history, technology, and quirks of these classic solar panels, sharing stories and technical insights along the way.
Key Topics Covered:
* The origins of Arco Solar Module
* Differences between various Arco models (M51, 16-2000, 16-2300)
* Carrizo Solar Power Plant
* Cell degradation
* Reason of encapsulant browning
* Evolution of module design.
* The importance of cell count for charging 12V lead-acid batteries and the move from 33 to 36 cells.
* Unboxing and examining the modules’ physical features, including junction boxes, grounding, and serial numbers.
Reach out to Jeff Spies here:
Email: jeff.spies@planetplansets.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-spies
Website: www.planetplansets.com
Reach out to Deep Patel here:
Email: dpatel@gogreensolar.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/deeppatel
Website: www.gogreensolar.com
Check out the podcast with Don Bilinski here:
• Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/arco-solar-with-don-bilinski-remembering-russ-campbell/id1441958371?i=1000736949407
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nurs9Ucszro
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3K1MTsZRImkuBXnirG17V6?si=PeV-q4L9SEGUc2R-Ge_RPw&nd=1&dlsi=4f52b0250ec64be2
• Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/sean-whites-solar-and-energy-storage-podcast/arco-solar-with-don-bilinski-remembering-russ-campbell/PE:1320680210?part=ug-desktop&corr=95823540019819880
• Podbean: https://whitehousesolar.podbean.com/e/arco-solar-with-don-bilinski-and-russ-cambell/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvsi
In this episode, Sean White sits down with CJ Colavito, General Manager of Integrated Project Teams at Standard Solar. They dive deep into the world of distributed generation, community solar, and the evolving landscape of solar policy in the United States. The conversation also touches on industry anecdotes, the impact of policy on solar markets, and the future of solar technology and supply chains.
Topics Covered:
Standard Solar’s story
CNI = Commercial and Industrial
Growth of distributed generation and community solar
Policy impacts in California and Texas
Utility-scale vs. distributed generation
FEOC = Foreign Entity of Concern policy
Advances in solar module efficiency
U.S. and China solar manufacturing
The role of quality and engineering in project longevity
Reach out to CJ Colavito here:
Website: www.standardsolar.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/cjcolavito
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at:
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/30hrpv
Join host Sean White as he interviews Peter Gruenbaum, an energy software engineer and instructor, about the real-world role of software in battery systems and modern energy markets. Discover how batteries are managed, how software enables market participation, and why understanding these systems is crucial for the future of renewable energy. Perfect for anyone interested in the intersection of technology, energy storage, and education.
Topics Covered
SDK Bridge www.sdkbridge.com
Software Engineering
Batteries
Richard Swanson
Swanson’s Law
Moore’s Law
Physics
Software
Peter’s Career
Boeing www.boeing.com
Spectro Lab www.spectrolab.com
Multi-Junction Concentrated Solar
Gallium Antimonide
Permafrost
ISO = Independent Service Operator
ERCOT = Electric Reliability Council of Texas
ESS = Energy Storage System
VPP = Virtual Power Plant
Frequency Response
Energy Market
Demand Charge
Peak Shaving
AI = Artificial Intelligence
Coding
Programming
Peter Gruenbaum’s Heatspring Class www.heatspring.com/courses/introduction-to-software-for-battery-systems
Reach out to Peter Gruenbaum here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/pgruenbaum
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
In this episode, Sean White had a fun chat with Don Bilinski, the Enterprise Business Development Manager at Kinect Solar. They recount a serendipitous meeting at a solar conference and delve into the fascinating history of solar modules. Don shares anecdotes about industry pioneer Russ Campbell, who significantly contributed to the development of early solar modules, right down to the quirky design of junction boxes inspired by a Dodge Dart gas cap. They also discuss the evolution of solar technology from its infancy at Bell Labs to the large-scale utility projects of today, highlighting milestones and challenges in the journey. Don reveals an exciting upcoming unboxing of vintage Arco solar modules, stored for nearly 40 years. This episode is a treasure trove of solar history, technological evolution, and engaging stories from industry veterans.
Topics Covered:
Arco Solar Modules
Bell Labs
Silicon coating
Plexiglass
Russ Campbell
Crystalline Silicon Solar Module 1954
Solar World
Lauren Carson
Johnny Carson
Solar Universe
IPPs = Independent Power Producer
EPCs =
Coda Energy
Utility Scale
JBox M51
Dodge Dart gas cap
Paul Fenn
Community Choice Aggregation
Fidelity Roof Company
Schüco Solar
Women in Solar
Reach out to Don Bilinski
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/don-bilinski-ab288158/
Website: www.kinectsolar.com/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pva
In this episode Sean is joined by Scott Rosenberg, CEO and co-founder of 257. They discuss the origins of 257, named after the historic site of Thomas Edison’s first power plant and dive into the future of residential electrification. Scott shares how 257 uses AI and data science to profile every home in the U.S., helping energy providers and installers identify which homes are ready for solar, storage, heat pumps, and other upgrades. Sean and Scott also touch on the role of electric vehicles as distributed energy storage, the importance of policy and utility planning, and the need for dynamic, responsive grids. Scott introduces the “Pink” platform, a chat-based tool for residential energy intelligence, and shares insights on industry trends and the evolving solar landscape.
Topics Covered:
Story behind 257
AI and data-driven residential electrification
Customer acquisition in solar and storage
Electric Vehicles and Energy Storage
Utility and Policy Challenges
The “Pink” platform for energy intelligence
Industry trends in solar and storage
The impact of policy on solar adoption
Reach out to Scott Rossenberg here:
Website: www.257.co
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at:
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/ESIP
Discover how the solar industry is being transformed by innovative, consumer-friendly leasing models and cutting-edge energy storage solutions. Join host Sean White and expert guest Greg Field as they reveal new ways homeowners can benefit from solar and battery storage without the pitfalls of traditional leases. Learn about the latest trends, ethical practices, and the future of renewable energy in this must-listen episode for anyone interested in smarter, fairer solar solutions.
Topics Covered
Greg’s Background
Unethical Solar Salespeople
Solar Hot Water
Net Metering
ESS = Energy Storage System
Batteries
Lease
APS = Arizona Public Service www.aps.com
Real Estate
Participate Energy www.participate.energy
BBB = Big Beautiful Bill
Participate Energy’s Synthetic Cash Option
Door Knockers
Tax Credit
Battery Only Solution
Storage Without Solar
Homeowners
Utility
Tesla
Reach out to Greg Field here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/solar-home-realtor/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage podcast, Sean welcomes back Matias Sigal for a fascinating discussion on the rapid developments in the solar industry. Matias talks about the booming demand for data centers in the U.S., driven by the rise of AI and tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Meta. The conversation dives into the synergies between data centers and renewable energy, the challenges of grid access, and the evolving landscape of mergers and acquisitions in renewable projects. Sean and Matias also explore the innovative use of waste heat from data centers and touch on the future role of nuclear and geothermal energy. Tune in to learn how the industry is adapting post-COVID and making the best out of changing circumstances.
Topics Covered:
Online Training
One Big Beautiful Bill
Energy Demand Increase
Mega Data Centers
Google
Amazon
Meta
Space-based Solar Energy
Bitcoin Hot Tubs
Bitcoin Miners
Hyperscale data center
Solar thermal
Floating solar
Waste heat
M&A = Mergers and Acquisitions
PPAs = Purchase Power Agreement
Nuclear Power Plant
PJM
Renewable Energy Developers
AI
Loss of tax credits
Sean White and Matias Sigal Podcast “Solar Project Development Software with Matias Sigal, Founder of Replace” released last February 20, 2024
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solar-project-development-software-with-matias-sigal/id1441958371?i=1000645978678
Reach out to Matias Sigal here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/matiassigal/
Website: www.renewableenergy.place/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.solarsean.com
www.solarsean.com/esip
In this episode, Sean White sits down with Jesse Faircloth, founder of PVIT and off-grid engineering expert, to explore the world of off-grid living, homesteading, and the evolving landscape of solar and battery technology. They discuss the challenges and rewards of building self-sufficient homesteads, the role of PVIT in empowering rural communities, and the innovations making off-grid systems more accessible than ever. Jesse shares real-world stories from his work in Moab, Utah, insights on battery recycling, and tips for anyone interested in starting their own off-grid journey. The conversation also covers the importance of community engagement, the future of energy storage, and how technology is reshaping rural life.
Topics covered:
Off-grid living and homesteading
PVIT (Photovoltaics and Integrated Technologies)
Solar energy systems: grid-tied vs. off-grid
Battery storage and recycling
Rural innovation and community empowerment
Homestead Hybrid
Navigating permitting and infrastructure challenges
The impact of electric vehicles and bidirectional charging
Community solar projects and public land use
Tips for aspiring homesteaders and off-grid enthusiasts
The evolving role of technology in self-sufficiency
Reach out Jesse Faircloth here:
Email: jesse@pvit.solar
Website: www.homesteadhybrid.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/18hrpv
In this episode, Sean White talks with Seth Frader-Thompson, President of EnergyHub, about virtual power plants (VPPs) and the future of distributed energy. They discuss what VPPs are, how they work, and their potential to transform the electric grid by pooling together devices like batteries, electric vehicles, and smart thermostats. Seth explains the role of EnergyHub in enabling utilities and customers to participate in VPPs, shares real-world examples of customer savings, and explores the growing impact of electric vehicles and bidirectional charging. The conversation also covers the challenges and opportunities of integrating new technology, the importance of software and APIs, and tips for homeowners and installers interested in joining VPP programs.
Topics covered:
VPP = Virtual Power Plant
How VPPs work and their benefits for the grid
Bitcoin Mining
DERMS = Distributed Energy Resource Management System
Customer participation and incentives in VPP programs
Connected Solutions
API = Application Programming Interface
V2G = Vehicle to Grid
V2H = Vehicle to House
V2X = Vehicle to Everything
Interconnection challenges and grid modernization
EnergyHub’s platform
EVSE = Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment
Tips for homeowners and installers on joining VPPs
The evolving role of inverters and smart devices
Reach out EnergyHub and Seth Frader-Thompson here:
Website: www.energyhub.com
Seth’s LinkedIn Account: www.linkedin.com/in/frader
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/ess
In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage podcast, host Sean White converses with James Showalter, the founder and CEO of EG4. They discuss EG4’s innovative mini splits and energy storage solutions, including their impact in the solar industry and the future of residential batteries. James shares insights into their partnership with LG for American-supplied cells, their significant progress in the energy storage market, and the inception and growth of EG4 and Signature Solar. They discuss the technical and regulatory aspects of private energy generation, aiming to make solar energy more accessible and cost-effective. Tune in to learn about the journey of EG4 and their mission to revolutionize renewable energy storage.
Topics Covered:
EG4 = Energy Generation for Everyone
Sulfur Spring
Off-Grid System
FlexBOSS 18 inverter
UL3141 Inverter
Interconnection Agreement
Private Energy Generation
Energy Storage at homes
10 cents per kilowatt hour
Standardized margin
Signature Solar
Net-Metering
Iceberg Signature
eBay
DIY Solar Projects
Reach out to James Showalter here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/james-showalter-9a0599156
X: @EG4James
Website: www.eg4electronics.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.solarsean.com
www.solarsean.com/pvip
Engineer by day, rapper by night, Steve Sherman joins Sean to talk about his mission to put a battery in every home and the power of solar energy. From startup stories and global adventures to solar-themed rap tracks, this episode is packed with innovation, inspiration, and a few laughs along the way.
Topics Covered
Superior Energy www.superiorenergysolar.com
Michigan
Lake Superior
Hell in Michigan
Steve’s Journey in the Solar Industry
Brian Hayden
Heatspring www.heatspring.com
EV =Electric Vehicles
ONE = Our Next Energy www.one.ai
Dual Chemistry Battery
LFP & NMC
PVIP = Photovoltaic Installation Professional
Entrepreneur
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
Battery
ESS = Energy Storage System
Utility
University of Michigan
Solar in Australia
What would be a good term for Solar and Storage all in one
Alternative Energy & Conventional Energy
Solar Steve Sherman’s Songs
* Solar Cruisin
* Interconnected
Reach out to Steve Sherman here:
Email: szsherman@gmail.com
Website: www.superiorenergysolar.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
In this episode, Sean White chats with John Berger, CEO of Otovo USA and former CEO of Sunnova, about the dynamic landscape of the solar industry. They discuss Otovo's focus on service, including rolling trucks, fixing systems, and creating virtual power plants (VPPs). John highlights the importance of modernizing regulations, expanding into the European market, and the integration of AI to enhance service efficiency. He also shares insights on addressing power bill hikes and the evolving role of batteries and EVs in the energy mix. Tune in to hear about the challenges and opportunities in the clean energy sector, and how Otovo is poised to lead the charge.
Topics discussed:
Sunnova
VPP = Virtual Power Plant
Service Business
Retail power
Deregulated = Consumer Choice
Europe
Sunnova
Dr. Shi Zhengrong
OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturing
Residential customers
NABCEP Certifications
NABCEP website
Storage in Solar vs Solar in Storage
Generators
AHJ = Authority Having Jurisdiction
Iron Curtain Mentality
AI Technologies
Robotics
Waymo
Sean White NABCEP Classes
Reach out to John Berger here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/john-berger-61042724
Website: www.otovo.ai
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvcms
Join Sean White in this engaging episode of the 'Sean White Solar and Energy Storage Podcast' as he converses with special guest Ben Luce, the chair of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES). They share stories about the history and evolution of ASES, the significance of ASES conferences, and the essential role of education in advancing solar energy. Ben also shares insights on both domestic and international solar policy challenges, the impact of regulatory systems, and the pressing need for grassroots advocacy. Additionally, Ben highlights his dual role as a passionate musician with his band Sonic Vortex. Tune in to learn more about the dynamic world of solar energy and the integral efforts of ASES in shaping its future.
Topics Covered:
ASES = American Solar Energy Society
ISES = International Solar Energy Society
NorCal Solar =
E=mc2
Kinetic Energy
1954
Solar Cooking
NAEBRS = National Ambient Energy Building Research Symposium
Carly = ASES Executive Director
The ZEN Network = Zero Emission Network
ASES Membership
Fall Fundraiser
Donation = https://ases.site-ym.com/donations/
ASES Conference
COP = Conference of the Parties
Sinai Peninsula
Ra = Egyptian god of the sun
Dr. David Renné = President of ISES
Claudia Wentworth Award
Madam Mi
SNEC Conference
InterSolar Conference
Eicke Weber
CleanTech Business Club
Regulated Monopolies
NYSEIA = New York State Solar Energy Industries Association
Soft costs
Sonic Vortex
And as a special treat, we’ll be wrapping up this episode with a live performance of ‘Hyperion’ by Ben Luce of Sonic Vortex, recorded in February 2024. Stay tuned and enjoy the music!
Here’s the Hyperion YouTube link: https://youtu.be/Rb_sSfcb6yk?si=Jbkmi96TTdMdWUww
Reach out to Ben Luce here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ben-luce-588b1850
ASES Website: www.ases.org/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pva
Join host Sean White as he sits down with Rudy Saporite, Program Director at IBTS, to explore leadership in the solar and energy storage industry. Discover how IBTS sets the standard for quality, and compliance, and learn about the challenges and triumphs of ensuring safe, reliable solar installations across the nation. Rudy shares insights on industry best practices, the importance of third-party verification, and the collaborative spirit that drives progress in renewable energy.
Topics Covered
RE+
IBTS = Institute for Building Technology and Safety www.ibts.org
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy PractitionersBurnham Energy
Inspection
ISO = International Organization for Standardization
Solar Games
Shawn O'Brien
Grid Alternatives All-Women Team
Reach out to Rudy Saporite here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rudy-saporite
Website: www.ibts.org
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
In this episode Sean White is joined by Lishuo Pan, a PhD student at Brown University specializing in robotics and computer science. They talked about the intersection of artificial intelligence, robotics, and solar energy, focusing on the challenges and innovations in solar panel maintenance and cleaning. The conversation covers the use of drones and robots in solar projects. Lishuo shares insights from his research on multi-robot systems and discusses the practical hurdles of bringing new technology to market.
Topics Covered:
Role of AI and robotics in solar energy
Drone applications for solar panel maintenance
Sensor technology for monitoring solar panel soiling
The job market and skills needed in the solar and AI industries
NABCEP certifications and professional directories
The impact of tax credits and policy on solar innovation
Real-world obstacles in solar panel cleaning and maintenance
Advice for startups and researchers entering the solar technology space
Reach out to Lishuo Pan here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lishuo-pan
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/40hress
In this episode of the Sean White Solar and Energy Storage podcast, Sean sits down with Joe Tassone, founder of onCORE, to explore the intersection of real estate and renewable energy. Joe dives into onCORE’s role in originating land for solar, battery, and EV projects across the US. They discuss the specifics of working with Independent Power Producers (IPPs), the challenges of utility interconnection, the evolving political landscape affecting the renewable industry, and how energy storage could solve current grid limitations. Whether you're an industry professional or an energy enthusiast, this podcast offers valuable insights into the future of renewable energy development and technology.
Topics Covered:
Project Origination Company
IPP = Independent Power Producer
Cell Towers
Originate land
Develop land
DG = Distributed Generation
National Grid
NextEra
Power Plants
Substation
The Big Beautiful Bill
Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
Tax Credit
Vetted projects
Energy storage got spared from Trump
December 31, 2027
FEOC = Foreign Entity of Concern
Safe Harboring
Landlord assigned paper
Reach out to Joe Tassone here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-f-tassone-jr-a778a1190/
Website: www.oncoreorig.com/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.solarsean.com
solarsean.com/58hress
Join host Sean White as he sits down with Blair Reynolds at the RE+ conference for an in-depth discussion on the latest innovations in solar manufacturing. This episode explores the development of flexible solar modules, the shift toward domestic production, and the impact of advanced materials on the future of solar energy. Learn how industry leaders are driving change, overcoming supply chain challenges, and setting new standards for sustainability and performance in the solar sector.
Topics Covered
Blair Society
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
Solar Living Institute
NABCEP Exam Committee
John Wiles
Acid
Marsupials
University of New South Wales
Crystals
Martin Green
Suntech
Dr. Shi Zhengrong
Bila Solar www.bilasolar.com
Flexible Solar
Cold Formed Rolling
Origami Solar www.origamisolar.com
Grid Forming Inverters
SMA Solar www.sma.de
UL 3741
Reach out to Blair Reynolds here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/blair-r
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
Join host Sean White as he interviews Jason Evans, co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer at ProScore Technologies, about the transformative role of AI in workforce management for the renewable energy sector. Discover how ProScore’s innovative solutions streamline compliance with the Inflation Reduction Act, simplify onboarding for contractors and subcontractors, and support apprenticeship programs across the industry. This episode offers valuable insights into prevailing wage compliance, high-paying career opportunities, and the future of technology-driven workforce solutions in clean energy.
Topics Covered
ProScore Technologies
IRA = Inflation Reduction Act
Constructors and Subcontractors
Apprenticeship Program
Incentives
Tax Credits
E-Learning
EPC = Engineering, Procurement and Construction
AI = Artificial Intelligence
ASES = American Solar Energy Society
Big Beautiful Bill
Prevailing Wage
Davis-Bacon
www.sam.govProScore Connect
Solar Apprenticeship Program
Reach out to Jason Evans here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jason-evans
Website: www.proscore.ai
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
In this episode of the Solar and Energy Storage podcast, hosts Sean White and Blair Reynolds provide a detailed discussion on grid forming inverters, the UL 3741 safety standard, and current developments in renewable energy technology. The conversation covers technical aspects of inverter operation, the significance of synthetic inertia for grid stability, and the practical implications of recent industry standards. The hosts also address the relationship between technological advancement and regulatory policy, offering insights relevant to professionals and stakeholders in the solar and energy storage sectors.
Topics Covered
Podcast with Greg smith (rushed by Blair and Emmit!)
* YouTube
* Apple Podcast
Grid Forming Inverters
UL3741
SMA America https www.sma.de
Inverter
Rapid Shutdown
Osmosis
ESS = Energy Storage System
Grid
Inertia / Synthetic Inertia / Virtual Inertia
Backup System
Power Outage
Grid Tied Inverter
Anti-Islanding
Synchronous Grid Forming Technology
Inverter Based Resource
Standalone Inverter
Grid Forming Inverter Technology
ESIG = Energy Systems Integration Group
SunPower www.us.sunpower.com
Sollega
Iron Ridge
RayTray
National Electrical Code
Array Level Shutdown
FMEA = Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
NEC Article 690.12
Wire Management
Derek Solar Boy
Thin Film Solar
Standard First Solar Module
Perovskite
Reach out to Blair Reynolds here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/blair-r
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvsi
Host Sean White sits down with Emily Hwang of Yaskawa Solectria Solar at the RE+ event in Las Vegas to discuss the latest developments in utility-scale solar inverters. The conversation covers the design and maintenance of "mini central" inverters, Build America Buy America (BABA) compliance, and the integration of energy storage systems. Emily also shares her experiences in renewable energy and insights on industry certifications, providing practical perspectives for solar professionals and project developers.
Topics Covered
RE+
Yaskawa Solectria Solar www.solectria.com
Microplastic
Mini Central Inverter
Central Inverter
String Inverter
Pop and Swap Solution
The Jetsons and The Flintstones
Feed in Tariff
National Institute of Ecology
Bioethanol
Ethanol
NABCEP Exam Spanish Translation
NABCEP Exam Committee
Dave Click
John Wiles
Tony Diaz
Ward Bower
PVIP www.solarsean.com/pvip
ESIP www.solarsean.com/esip
BABA = Build America Buy America
FEOC = Foreign Entities of Concern
JTA = Job Task Analysis
Reach out to Emily Hwang here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/emilyhwang
Website: www.solectria.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvip
www.solarsean.com/esip
Host Sean White talks with Ovanova co-founder Lester Crafton about the future of energy resilience and microgrids. Discover how portable energy trailers, solar, batteries, and EVs are transforming disaster response and community power. Learn why energy storage, cybersecurity, and local solutions matter more than ever. Real stories, technical insights, and a vision for a smarter, more resilient energy future, all in one episode.
Topics Covered
Ovanova www.ovanova.co
National Energy Emergency
EV = Electric Vehicle
Manufacturing
Energy Resilience
Microgrid
ESS = Energy Storage System
Inverter
PET = Portable Energy Technology
PET = Portable Energy Trailer
NEC = National Electrical Code
Generator
Internal Combustion Engine
Net metering
Battery Backup
Solar without Storage
Batteries
Bidirectional Electric Vehicle
Sigenergy
Voltage Architecture
EV Charging
Bitcoin Mining
Bitcoin Miner
Bitcoin Heating
Liquid Cooled Bitcoin Miner
Prepper
Solar Prepper
John Wiles
Wildfires
Electric Trailer
Hurricane Helene
Solar Trailers
EG4 Electronics
Hacking
Interconnection Agreement
NEC Article 624
Reactive Power
Power Factor
Utility
Dispatchable Energy Storage
Reach out to Lester Crafton here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lestercrafton
Website: www.ovanova.co
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ovanovasolar
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvsi
In this episode, Sean White revisits the foundation of the podcast by reading and analyzing Article 690 of the newly released 2026 National Electrical Code (NEC). The session provides a detailed walkthrough of the article, discussing its application, key updates, and specific requirements for Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems. The podcast covers various sections, including general and specific equipment requirements, wiring methods, grounding and bonding, and rapid shutdown protocols for PV systems. The episode also includes historical context, teaching experiences, and insights into the evolution of the NEC. Listeners can supplement their learning by taking advanced PV or energy storage classes offered by the host and co-author Bill Brooks.
Topics Covered:
NEC Article 690: Scope and System Types
690.2 Listing Requirements for PV Equipment
690.4 General Requirements for PV Systems
690.7 Maximum DC Voltage Calculations
690.8 Circuit Sizing and Equipment
690.9 Overcurrent Protection in PV Systems
690.12 Rapid Shutdown of PV Systems
690.13 Disconnecting Means for PV Systems
690.31 Wiring Methods and Materials
690.31(B) Identification and Grouping of Conductors
690.31 (C) Wires and Cables
690.32 Component Interconnections
690 Part V Grounding and Bonding
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.solarsean.com
www.solarsean.com/30hrpv
In this lively episode, Sean White and special guest Shawn O'Brien, the CEO of NABCEP, discuss exciting updates and happenings in the solar energy world. They dive into the details of the upcoming NABCEP conference in Milwaukee, including its St. Patrick’s Day theme, technical sessions, and networking opportunities. Shawn O'Brien provides insights into new certifications and exams on the horizon, including the PV associate and Spanish language options. Tune in for a blend of fun and informative content straight from the Power Up Live Pro studio, presented by Terra Hive, with gratitude to RE Plus and Suncast Media.
Topics covered:
NABCEP Conference
Milwaukee Baird Center
St. Patrick’s Day
NABCEP Carribean
Subject Matter Experts
Live Online Proctoring
Energy Center, North Carolina
Mark Mrohs
Interplay Learning
Online Training
Online Simulation
New PV Associate Exam
JTA = Job Task Analysis
Operation and Maintenance Associate Technician
Amicus O&M Cooperative
Heatspring
Energy Storage Installation Professional
Spanish version of exam
PV Installation Professional
PV Design Specialist
PV Commissioner Maintenance Specialist
PV Installation Specialist
Operation Maintenance Associate Technician
French Translation
NABCEP Conference Registration Opens
NYSERDA = New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
Grants
San Francisco Comedy College
Curtis Matthew
PV and NEC Book by Sean White and Bill Brooks
Reach out with Shawn O’Brien here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/shawnwobrien/
Website: www.nabcep.org/
Previous Podcast with Shawn O’Brien:
NABCEP and Job Security featuring Shawn O’Brien President and CEO of NABCEP
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
http://www.solarsean.com/pvaspanish
In this episode, Sean White talks with Brooklynite Neil Hurlock about his path to earning the NABCEP PV Associate certification. They cover his classroom experience, the role of mentorship, and what it’s like starting out in solar at a young age. Along the way, Neil shares a bit of New York perspective and the motivation that keeps him moving forward in the clean energy field.
Topics covered:
Neil’s path to solar certification
Apex Technical School experience
NABCEP PV Associate exam preparation and strategies
The role of mentorship and teaching in clean energy
Building community and connections
The importance of studying and self-motivation
New York City culture and traditions (including chopped cheese!)
The future of solar and clean energy innovation
Overcoming challenges and adapting to change
Public transportation, urban life, and sustainability
The impact of technology on daily life
Opportunities in the solar industry for new generations
The value of credentials and ongoing education
Policy, tax credits, and industry trends
Personal growth, mindset, and positive thinking
Reach out to Neil Hurlock Here:
NABCEP Professional Directory: www.directories.nabcep.org
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pva
The American Solar and Energy Society (ASES) has a new editor in chief Jacob Yang. Jacob brings fresh ideas and enthusiasm to solar today, learn how you can write articles and get involved with ASES, Jacob Knows all the answers.
Note: This podcast was recorded during Jacob Yang's time as Editor-in-Chief of Solar Today.
Topics covered:
ASES = American Solar and Energy Society
SBSP = Space Based Solar Power
Solar Today Magazine
Minnesota
Prairie Home Companion
Solar Educating
Cesar Barbosa
RE+
ASES Conference
National Solar Tour
NorCal Solar = Northern California Solar Energy AssociationASES Membership
Podcast with Cesar Barbosa
* Apple Podcast
* Spotify
* YouTube
* Pandora
* Podbean
Reach out to Jacob Yang here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jacobjuancarlosyang
Email: jlundy@ases.org
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage podcast, Sean welcomes the legendary Bill Brooks for an engaging conversation. They discuss their recent class, reminisce about their friend John “Gino” Espino, and his unexpected passing, sharing reflections on friendship and the impact John had on the solar industry. They also humorously tackle the topic of 'cancel culture' with the 'John Gino Espino Uncancelled Award.' The episode wraps up with insights into the new 2026 NEC and 2029 National Electrical Codes, making it a mix of heartfelt memories, industry insights, and lighthearted banter.
Topics Covered
John “Gino” Espino
SPI = now RE+
Sean and Bill Brooks Class
North Dakota
Alaska
RE+ Alaska
NEP
Racking
Sailing
Cancelled
Dave Chappelle
John Espino Uncancelled Award in RE+
Comedy
23 Me Test
Birthright Citizenship
2026 NEC
Proposals for 2029 Code
Get to know John “Gino” Espino here:
John “Gino” Espino LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnespino/
Go Fund Me
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-carole-and-sons-after-johns-passing
Reach out to Bill Brooks here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bill-brooks-6782616/
Website: www.brooksolar.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvsi
Join Sean White as he talks with Guy Vandendungen, CTO of Perpetuum Energy, about the latest trends in solar and energy storage across Europe. They discuss real-world challenges like negative energy pricing, grid constraints, battery technology, and the future of decarbonization for industry. Whether you’re in the solar business or just curious about how Europe is leading the energy transition, this episode is packed with practical insights and global perspectives.
Topics covered:
PerPetum Energy www.perpetumenergy.com
SNEC
Global Energy Storage and Battery Council
Guy’s Career Background
Energy Transition
Wind Energy
Solar Prices
Levelized Cost of Energy
Negative Pricing in Europe
Grid
European Union and European Economic Area
European Market
US Market
ESS = Energy Storage System
AFRR = Automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve
Solar and Energy Storage Market
Battery
Frequency Regulation
Solar in China
European organizations for transmission system operators
Grid Underutilization
Bifacial PV
Vertical PV
Solar Panel as Fence
Solar Price Decrease
Solar Industry Evolution
EV = Electric Vehicle
Vehicle to Grid
Vehicle to Home
Decarbonization as a Service
Carbon Market
ETS = Emission Trade System
Cooperation Across Borders
Nuclear Energy
Oil and Gas
Electric Planes and Helicopter
Reach out to Guy Vandendungen here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/guyvandendungen/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode Sean is joined by Gil Hough, Executive Director of the Tennessee Solar & Storage Association. Broadcasting live from the Power Up Live Pro Studio at RE+, Sean and Gil explore the unique landscape of solar and storage in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) region. Gil shares the history and structure of TVA, the challenges and opportunities in the seven-state territory, and the rapid growth of solar and storage in Tennessee. The conversation covers TVA’s integrated resource planning and the upcoming Tennessee Solar + Storage Conference.
Topics Covered:
The New Deal
TVA = Tennessee Valley Authority
TVA’s seven-state territory
Tennessee Solar + Storage Conference
TVA’s (IRP) Integrated Resource Plan
Solar and storage market growth
2025 Tennessee Valley Solar + Storage Conference (October 28-30, 2025)
LPCs = Local Power Companies
FERC = Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
TVA’s River management
SEIA = Solar Energy Industries Association
SEPA = Smart Electric Power Alliance
TenneSEIA = Tennessee Solar Energy Industries Association
501(c)(3) and 501(c)(6) organizations
NorCal Solar = Northern California Solar Energy Association
Nonprofit vs. business association roles
Lobbying and policy advocacy
Reach out to Gil Hough and TenneSEIA here:
Website: www.tenneseiasolar.com
Conference registration: www.tenneseiasolar.com/conference
Register for my Tenneseia class here 👇🏻
www.tenneseiasolar.com/conference
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at:
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/ESIP
Host Sean White talks with solar engineer and educator Mike Nowicki about utility-scale solar projects, the ins and outs of professional engineering licenses, and the evolution of industry codes. They dive into PE registration, project design, and Mike’s experience teaching future engineers. A must-listen for anyone interested in the real-world challenges and opportunities in solar energy.
Topics covered:
ACP = American Clean Power
Utility Scale Solar
Burns & Mcdonnell www.burnsmcd.com
EPC = Engineering, Procurement, and Construction
ESS = Energy Storage System
ESOP = Employee Stock Ownership Program
Solar Engineer
PE = Professional Engineer
NCEES = National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying
Certifications
Licenses
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
NEC = National Electrical Code
CMP = Code Making Panel
NREL = National Renewable Energy Laboratory
RE+ Conference
PV and the NEC (Sean & Bill’s Book)
Solar Power International = SPI
Solar Professional Magazine
Rapid Shutdown
SSIF + Solar and Storage Industry Forum
SEIA = Solar Energy Industries Association
UL 3741
Clipping
Battery
DC Coupling
AC Coupling
Union Labor
UBC = United Brotherhood of Carpenters
IBEW = International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Backtracking
Trackers
Next Trackers
Wayne State University
Grid
Short Circuit
Fault
Utility
Reach out to Mike Nowicki Here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/michael-p-nowickiBurns & Mcdonnell: www.burnsmcd.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode of the Sean White Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, Sean White interviews Ryan Jones, a NABCEP-certified solar professional who transitioned from the U.S. to a thriving career in Europe. The discussion covers Ryan's early experiences in the solar industry, his job at the now-defunct Lyra solar company, and his journey to living in Spain. They explore the challenges and rewards of working internationally, including visa issues, tax considerations, and the different electrical codes and standards. Ryan shares insights on becoming a digital nomad in the solar industry, the evolution of the European solar market with feed-in tariffs, and the drastic growth of solar capacity from 2007 to today. The episode offers valuable advice for anyone looking to take their solar career global.
Topics Covered:
NABCEP
PV Installer Exam = PV Installer Professional Exam
Solyndra
Solar Tubes
Solar Power International = RE+
Stephen Colbert
GCR
Crystalline Silicon on tubes
CIGS = Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide
Solar Coaster
Hans Josef-Fell
Feed-in Tariff
DC Power = Soligent
Polar Bear Effect
Digital Nomad
Fully Remote Work
Tax Implications
NEC
International Electro Technical Commission = IEC
UL9540
Working Visa
Malaga, Spain
Gold Coast
Intersolar
Reach out to Ryan Jones here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-jones-9426a211/
Website: www.recurrentenergy.com/
Hans-Josef Fell Podcast Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hans-josef-fell-started-the-feed-in-tariff-the/id1441958371?i=1000715753971
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at:
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/40hress
Frank Haugwitz speaks the three main solar languages, Chinese, German, and English. Sean and Frank have known each other for many years, beginning when Frank was head of Intersolar Global Conference Development. They have worked together on most of the continents. Frank is an expert on solar manufacturing and development with a big focus on what's happening in China from a global perspective.
Topics covered:
Climate Change
Solar in China
Feed-in Tariff
Apricum – The Cleantech Advisory www.apricum-group.com
Intersolar
Sean and Frank’s Backstory
Bidding
Curtailment
Clipping
Coal
Inverter
ESS = Energy Storage System
Forecasting
Renewables
Propaganda
SNEC
The Margin
Political System
Solar in Germany
High Speed Trains
Construction Speed
Production Capacity
Pollution
Coal Plant in China
Water Energy
Wind Energy
Inversion Layer
US Embassy in China
Politics and Society
ISES = International Solar Energy Society
Electric Vehicles in China
Manufacturing
Solyndra
Bosch Solar
Aleo Solar
Carbon Capture Storage
Clean Coal
ASES = American Solar Energy Society
NorCal Solar = The Northern California Solar Energy Association
NorCal Solar Tours
Catamaran
Solar Coaster
Half Moon Bay
Farallon Islands
Balcony Solar
Guerilla Solar
Reach out to Frank Haugwitz Here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/frank-haugwitz
Apricum Solar: www.apricum-group.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/3hressbfc
Blair Reynolds and Emmitt Muckles rush the stage and crash the podcast with guest and best-selling author Greg Smith. This is a good podcast to get the video version of, so be sure to check this out on YouTube. There are plenty of jokes, such as Sean’s invention of PV modules with only positive terminals. The group shares stories and insights about the solar industry, the importance of community, and keeping a positive attitude at industry events. They discuss new technologies, the role of finance in solar adoption, and the future of training and standards. The conversation is filled with humor, camaraderie, and practical advice for solar professionals and newcomers alike. Topics covered: The RE+ event and its growthBuilding community and mentorship in the solar industryThe importance of positivity and fun at industry eventsThe role of finance and FinTech in making solar accessibleBattery technology trends and cost focusThe impact of recent policy and manufacturing incentivesQuality installations and customer educationThe future of training, NABCEP certification, and NEC updatesBook recommendations from Greg Smith and Sean WhiteValue of networking Guests: • Greg Smith• Blair Reynolds• Emmitt Muckles Special thanks to: Power Up Live stage, Wärtsilä, Suncast Media, and Nico Johnson Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes atwww.heatspring.com/seanwww.solarsean.com/18hrpv
In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, Sean is joined by Lukas Shield, the General Manager at REC Solar Hawaii. Lukas shares insights on Hawaii's progressive solar energy landscape, the differences between REC Solar and other solar companies, and REC Solar's focus on commercial and utility-scale projects involving microgrids and energy storage. The discussion covers Hawaii's renewable portfolio standards, challenges posed by unpredictable natural events like lava flows, and the shift toward grid-forming capabilities. Additionally, Sean and Lucas talk about the importance of adapting to policy changes, the benefits of in-person solar training in Hawaii, and their shared enthusiasm for surfing. Tune in for a comprehensive look at Hawaii's solar energy developments and innovations.
Topics Covered:
REC Solar Hawaii
Solar Training Center Canyon California
IPP = Independent Power Producer
Burnham Energy
Commercial and Industrial Solar
Small Utility Scale
CNI Microgrids
Anti-islanding
CS Solar and Storage Industry Forum
Enphase inverter
NESC = National Electricity Safety Code
Interia
Mauna Loa eruption
RPS = Renewable Portfolio Standard
100% renewable by 2045
Kauai Island
RE+ Hawaii = https://re-plus.events/hawaii/
Hawaii Energy Conference/Maui Energy Conference = www.hawaiienergyconference.com/Reefer Plants = Refrigeration Plant
PSPS = Power Safety Public Safety
Surfing
Reach out to Lukas Shield Here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lukas-sheild-101b1163
REC Solar Hawaii: www.recsolar.com/commercial-solar-in-hawaii/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at:
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/30hrpv
In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, host Sean White converses with Daniel Dus from Clean Tech Industry Resources (CIR). They discuss CIR's innovative approach to development and construction management in the renewable energy sector, termed as 'development as a service' and 'construction as a service'. Daniel shares insights on large-scale solar projects, including a massive 30-gigawatt project, and how CIR commoditizes project development activities to provide efficient turnkey solutions worldwide. They also discussed industry challenges, the future of solar energy, and the importance of combating misinformation about climate change. Additionally, the episode touches on the upcoming Solar Fight Night event, aimed at promoting industry collaboration and fundraising for renewable energy causes.
Topics Covered:
CIR = CleanTech Industry Resources
DaaS = Development as a Service
Construction Management/Construction Service
RE+ Las Vegas
Power Up Live Stage
30 Gigawatts
DevPC Model
Turnkey systems engineering
Sarnia, Ontario Canada
Dubai
Data room
NTP = Notice to Proceed
Data Integrity Specialist
Dakota
West Virginia
Digital Twin Creation
LiDAR
NABCEP PV Associate
Solar Fight Night
Cleantechfactcheck.org
Solarfightnight.org
Run on Climate
Joe Rogan
Misinformation
MIT World3 Model
Reach out to Daniel Dus here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/danielrdus/
Website: www.cleantechir.com
www.solarfightnight.org
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/ess
In this episode, Sean White talks with Wayne Feltman from VELUX about skylights and how they can help bring more daylight and fresh air into homes and buildings. They discuss the difference between solar PV and passive solar, and how skylights can make spaces brighter and more energy efficient. Wayne shares the history of VELUX, explains how modern skylights work including solar-powered and smart skylights and talks about the benefits of natural ventilation for better indoor air quality. The conversation also covers energy savings, new technology like app-controlled skylights, and tips for builders and homeowners.
Topics covered:
VELUX company background and history
Passive solar vs. solar PV
Benefits of skylights for daylight and ventilation
Energy efficiency and building envelopes
Natural ventilation and indoor air quality
Types of skylights (fixed, manual, solar-powered, smart)
Fire safety and egress with skylights
Solar-powered skylights and battery technology
Smart skylight controls and app integration
Shades and light control for skylights
CO2 and humidity sensors for healthy homes
Sustainability and electric vehicles at VELUX
Energy savings and automation
Skylight installation tips for builders and homeowners
Reach out to Wayne Feltman here:
Email address: wayne.feltman@velux.com
VELUX: www.veluxusa.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/10hress
In this episode, Sean White and Cesar Barbosa, CEO of Nu Life, break down the seven “re-”s of solar: Repurpose, Repower, Recycle, Repair, Refurbish, Retrofit, and Remediation. Discover how these strategies are shaping the future of solar projects, from giving panels a second life to tackling the challenges of decommissioning and sustainability.
Topics covered:
Nu Life www.nulifepower.com
PPA = Power Purchase Agreement
Repurpose: Use old panels in a new place or application.
Repower: Upgrade a system with new parts for better performance.
Recycle: Break down panels to recover materials.
Repair: Fix specific issues without major replacements.
Refurbish: Restore used panels by repairing minor parts.
Retrofit: Replace or upgrade components across a system.
Remediation: Correct larger-scale problems to restore function.
FabTech www.fabtech.net
Decommissioning
PV Cycle www.pvcycle.org
Used Solar
End of Life
Utility
Cesar Barbosa’s Articles www.linkedin.com/in/cesarbarbosa
Reach out to Jon Williams Here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/cesarbarbosa
Nu Life Website: www.nulifepower.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/pvcms
When a battery cell heats up a lot, it can propagate to its neighboring cell and usually they do propagate on the cell level and not the battery storage unit level, but Viridi Parente has figured out how to not have cell propagation and has gone through the UL 9540A fire testing to prove it. They are working on a residential battery that will be “listed and labeled for use in habitable spaces” which nobody has ever successfully done to the best of my knowledge. This means that you would not have to follow the 2024 International Residential Code (2021 IRC with different wording), which means they can put as much as they want in any room in a house, once this is a done deal, which will probably happen in the first quarter of 2026.
Here it is in the IRC:
https://up.codes/viewer/mississippi/irc-2024/chapter/3/building-planning#R330.1
This is big news that could revolutionize energy storage.
Viridi Parente has two factories in historical places. The Ford Motor building in Richmond CA where Rosie the Riveter worked and was photographed during WW2 and also the other factory in Buffalo NY was a GM factory built in 1920 which was also building tanks for WW2, so besides kicking Nazi’s butts, these buildings will help with the modernization of the grid.
Jon and Sean also talk about virtual power plants (VPPs) and the internet of things (IoT). They cover how using energy storage can lead to a lot less current on wires and how you can run 40 houses on a single 200A service with the right amount of energy storage and coordination.
Topics covered:
Viridi Parente www.viridiparente.com
Nikola Tesla
George Westinghouse
AC = Alternating Current
DC = Direct Current
HVDC = High Voltage Direct Current
Arc Lighting
Electric AC Lighting
Devil in the White City (Historical Fiction Book)
Thomas Edison
Battery
Inverter
Pack System
UL Listing
UL 9540A
Preventing Cell to Cell Propagation
Sewage Lift Station
Rosie the Riveter
Transmission And Distribution Deferral
ESS = Energy Storage System
Jigar Shah
EV = Electric Vehicle
Energy Density
LFP = Lithium Iron Phosphate
NMC = Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide
Thermal Runaway
Cheese Cloth Test
IRC = International Residential Code
VPP = Virtual Power Plant
IoT = Internet of Things
Balcony Solar
18650 Battery
CSA = Canadian Standards Association
EV Charging
California Olympics
Tax Credit
Energy Revolution
Reach out to Jon Williams Here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jon-m-williams
Viridi Parente www.viridiparente.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at:
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/sfev
Curious about how residential solar could actually get cheaper, and what’s holding it back? In this episode, host Sean White speaks with Ravi Mikkelsen, CEO of Atmos Financial, to explore the realities behind solar pricing, industry challenges, and how smarter financing can make solar accessible for more people. Whether you are a homeowner, industry professional, or simply curious about clean energy, this conversation offers valuable insights.
Topics covered:
Atmos Financial www.joinatmos.com
Grandma Maxing
Solar Bros
Transparency to Homeowners
Tax Credit
Atmosphere
Financing
Banks
Credit Unions
Loan / Lending
Solar and Storage
Grid
Utility
Battery
C10
C46
Ravi Mikkelsen’s Origin Story
Tesla
AHJ = Authority Having Jurisdiction
Standardization
NEC = National Electrical Code
Unethical Salespeople
Equipment Cost
DIY Solar
Smarter E / Intersolar
Balcony Solar
Reach out to Ravi Mikkelsen Here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ravimikkelsen
Atmos Financial: www.joinatmos.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at:
www.heatspring.com/sean
www.solarsean.com/40hrpv
In this episode, Sean White talks with Nick Tumilowicz, Director of Product Management Solutions at Itron, about how smart meters and distributed energy resources are changing the way we use electricity. They discuss the role of grid edge technology, virtual power plants, and how consumers can save money and help the grid by managing devices like solar panels, batteries, and EV chargers. The conversation covers practical tips for homeowners, the future of energy management, and how new technology is making the grid smarter and more efficient.
Topics covered:
Itron www.na.itron.com
Gas
Water
Electricity
Grid Edge
Solar and Storage
Itron Meter
Grid
Distributed Energy
Battery
Energy Forecasting
Meter
DER = Distributed Energy Resources
EV = Electric Vehicle
Consumer
Utility
VPP =Virtual Power Plant
Nuclear
Central Generation
AMR = Advanced Meter Reading
AMI = Advanced Metering Infrastructure
PG&E = Pacific Gas and Electric Company
EV Charging
Energy Management System
Autonomous Load Following or Automated Load Management
NEC = National Electrical Code
Transformer
Utility Programs
Bi-Directional EV
OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer
ESS = Energy Storage System
Automated Program
HEMS = Home Energy Management Systems
Smart Appliances
Emergency Load Response Program
Mini Split
Heat Pump
Voltage Sag
Data Center
ASES = American Solar Energy Society
Reach out to Nick Tumilowicz Here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Join Sean White as he talks with John Perlin, a well-known historian and author, about the history of solar energy and how it connects to human progress. John shares stories from his books and career, touching on everything from ancient solar use to the role of forests in shaping our world. It’s a laid-back, insightful episode for anyone into solar, history, or just learning something new.
Topics covered:
Intersolar
Eicke Weber
UC Berkley
Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems
Smarter E
Hermann Scheer
Hans Josef Fell
Feed in Tariff
NREL = National Renewable Energy Laboratory
International Solar Energy Society
University of California Santa Barbara
Monty Python
Keeling Curve
Solar Water Heater
Roman, Greek & China History
Heliocaminus
Photovoltaic History
Bell Labs
Calvin Fuller
Daryl Chapin
Gerald Pearson
Becquerel
Thermodynamics
Albert Einstein
Solar Selenium Photovoltaic
Solid-State Solar Cell
Pier 39 Fisherman’s Wharf
UC Berkeley Alumni Camp
Barrington Hall`
Lexicon
The Wood Age
Literature
The Great Valves of Roam
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
Ship
Solar Thermal
Iron Horses
Coal & Charcoal
UCC Monitor
USS Monitor
CSS Virginia (USS Merrimack)
John Ericsson
A Golden Thread: 2,500 Years of Solar Architecture and Technology
From Space to Earth: The Story of Solar Electricity
Let It Shine: The 6,000-Year Story of Solar Energy
A Forest Journey: The Role of Trees in the Fate of Civilization
Patagonia
Eike Webber (Herman Scheer 80th Birthday) Podcast www.podcasts.apple.com
Reach out to John Perlin Here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/john-perlin
Website: www.aforestjourney.com
John Perlin’s books: http://aforestjourney.com/
Links to John Perlin’s book reviews:
Let It Shine: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/seven-of-the-greatest-solar-stories-over-the-millennia
A Forest Journey:
https://botany.one/2023/05/perlins-potentially-perfect-plants-and-people-publication/
https://time.com/6969478/forests-human-history/
https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/interview-with-john-perlin/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this podcast Dan Lotano, GoodLeap’s Chief Operating Officer, talks about the Treasury guidance that is good news, because it offers a smooth glidepath, rather than a hard landing.
This podcast was recorded on August 15, 2025 at 11AM Pacific.
Additionally, we talk about GoodLeap and their involvement with virtual power plants (VPPs), solar and storage financing, home energy, the GoodLeap app, Connecticut Green Bank and a lot more.
Topics covered:
GoodLeap platform and services
Treasury Guidance Update
Solar Coaster
IRA = Inflation Reduction Act
Energy Incentives
Domestic Manufacturing & Jobs
ITC = Investment Tax Credit
Residential Credit Expiration
Corporate vs Homeowner Tax Credits
VPPs = Virtual Power Plants
Financial Innovation in Solar
Utility Interconnection Timelines
AI’s Role in the industry
Future of Incentives
Reach out to Daniel Lotano here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-lotano
GoodLeap: www.goodleap.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Join host Sean White as he welcomes Stephanie Choi Brookes of Emtel Energy USA to discuss a revolutionary new approach to energy storage. Discover how graphene technology could reshape the future of power and hear stories from the front lines of innovation. Don’t miss this insightful conversation about what’s next in solar and storage!
Topics covered:
Solid State Graphene Based Electrostatic Storage
Emtel Energy USA www.emtelenergyusa.com
Masdar
Capacitor
Super Capacitor
Graphene
ESS = Energy Storage System
Energy Density
LDES = Long Duration Energy Storage
Li-ion battery = Lithium-ion Battery
Battery
Silicon
Diamond
Industrial Diamond
Waste-based graphene
Utility
Duke Energy
Dominion Energy www.dominionenergy.com
Con Edison www.coned.com
EPRI = Electric Power Research Institute www.epri.com
EMWALL
Wall Mounted ESS
C&I Commercial and Industrial
EV = Electric Vehicle
EV Charging
Reach out to Stephanie Choi Brookes Here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-choi-brookes
Emtel Energy USA: www.emtelenergyusa.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode, Sean White talks with Paul Warley, CEO of Ascent Solar Technologies, about the latest advances in solar panels for space. They cover how thin-film solar technology is changing satellite design, why weight and flexibility matter in orbit, and what makes space solar different from panels used on Earth. Paul also shares insights on manufacturing, industry trends, and the future of solar power in space. If you’re interested in solar energy, satellites, or new technology, this episode has something for you.
Topics covered:
Ascent Solar
Mark Mrohs
Space X
Starlink
Project Kuiper
Space Station
Gallium Arsenide
CIGS = Copper Indium Gallium Selenide
Thin Film
Watts per Weight VS Watts per Square meter
Solar in Space
Satellite
LEO = Low Earth Orbit
Crystalline Silicon
ASES Conference = American Solar Energy Society Conference
Geosynchronous Orbit
Hubble Space Telescope
Concentrated Solar
SBSP = Space-Based Solar Power
Vanguard 1
Sputnik
Sesna 150
Solar Cooling in Space
NASDAQ = National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations
NASDAQ: ASTI = Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc.
Moon
Reach out to Paul Warley Here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/paul-warley
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode, recorded at the SNEC Conference in Shanghai, the world’s largest solar and energy storage event, Sean meets with Dr. Stefan Kaufmann, former member of the German Parliament and Hydrogen Commissioner for the German government. Dr. Kaufman is now a consultant in the private sector and co-head of the hydrogen sector of the Clean Tech Business Club. They discussed the power of international collaboration through the Clean Tech Business Club. How hydrogen is transforming the industries: steel, shipping, aviation and more. The challenges and opportunities of transporting and storing hydrogen and why ammonia is the key for global hydrogen logistics.
Topics Covered:
Hydrogen Economy
German Parliament
CleanTech Business Club
Hans Josef-Fell
Green Party = Conservative Party
Tomasz Slusarz
Hydrogen Plants
Hydrogen in Mobility Sector
Green Molecule
Green Hydrogen
Ammonia
Fertilizers
Shipping the sunshine
Compressed hydorgen
Natural Gas Pipeline
Synthetic Aviation Fuel
You can reach Dr. Stefan Kaufmann here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dr-stefan-kaufmann
Website: www.cleantechbusiness.club/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode, Sean White interviews Kirk Edelman, CEO of SolMicrogrid, who brings a unique perspective with a business degree and an electrical engineering degree. They dive into the intricacies of microgrids, energy as a service (EaaS), and the future of renewable energy. Topics include the unique business model of SolMicrogrid, the role of batteries in energy storage, the impact of community choice aggregation, demand response programs, and new initiatives like the Energy as a Service Partners Program. They also discuss energy tariffs, load shedding, peak demand management, and more.
Topics covered:
SolMicrogrid www.solmicrogrid.com
SaaS = Software as a Service
EaaS = Energy as a Service
Microgrid
Resiliency
Grid
IEEE = Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
MID = Microgrid Interconnect Device
SDG&E = San Diego Gas & Electric
PG&E = Pacific Gas and Electric
Battery
ESS = Energy Storage System
SMA
Inverter
Peak Demand
Utility
Tariff
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
Energy Charge
Demand Charge
DER = Distributed Energy Resources
Array to Microgrid
CCA = Community Choice Aggregation
PPA = Power Purchase Agreement
C&I = Commercial and Industrial
Morgan Stanley
JP Morgan
Incentives
AHJ = Authorities Having Jurisdiction
Demand Response Program
Duck Curve
Trackers
Energy as a Service Partners Program
Microgrid Knowledge Conference
EEI = Edison Electric Institute
Edison Electric Institute Key Accounts
Reach out to Kirk Edelman Here:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirk-edelman/
SolMicrogrid www.solmicrogrid.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode, Sean interviews Grant Gunnison, founder, and CEO of Zero Homes. They discuss Grant's innovative company, which aims to simplify home upgrades and electrification for homeowners through a seamless digital platform. The conversation covers topics including nomadic lifestyles, the future of solar and energy storage, privacy concerns, and Grant's background in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT. They also touch upon Grant's previous work with NASA on space systems and the potential impacts of advanced home-energy solutions.
Topics covered:
Zero Homes
SNEC
RE+ = Renewable Energy Plus
AWEA = American Wind Energy Association
ACP = American Clean Power
Rooftop Solar
Utility Scale Solar
Grid
Net Metering
Democracy
Elon and Trump Spat
Home Upgrades
Digitized Home
Homeowners and Contractors
NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Flat Earth
Outbound Salesperson
Laser Communication Terminal
Earth Imaging
NPS = Net Promoter Score
Smart Panels
Smart Home
Grid Defection
Natural Gas
Batteries
Fossil Fuel
Electrifying Homes
Starlink
Zero Homes App Android www.play.google.comZero Homes App IOS apps.apple.com
Reach out to Grant Gunnison Here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/grantgunnisonZero Homes Website: www.zerohomes.io
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode of the Sean White Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, recorded at the world's largest solar and storage conference, SNEC, host Sean White interviews Willis Ren, the marketing director for Osda Solar. They discuss the history and growth of Osda Solar, which was founded in 2009, and its extensive manufacturing capabilities including PV cells, modules, and energy storage systems. The conversation delves into the global reach of Osda Solar, their focus on markets like MENA, Southeast Asia, and Brazil, and their ability to provide both OEM, OBM and ODM services. He also explains different inverter types and their applications from residential to utility-scale projects, and the particularities of balcony solar markets in different regions.
Topics Covered:
Osda Solar
Growth of SNEC
Osta Solar's Global Reach and Product Range
Manufacturing and Production Capacity
Introduction to OEM and Branding
Explaining OEM, OBM, and ODM
Original Equipment Manufacturer = manufacturer for another company and put their label on it
Original Brand Manufacturer = you put your own label
Original Design Manufacturer = OEM plus design
Residential and Commercial (C&I) Inverters
MENA = Middle East and North Africa
Manufacturing Capacity Definition = How much you can manufacture if operating 24/7/365 in a year
Manufacturing Processes and Capabilities
Inverters and Product Range
Balcony Solar Market
Reach out to Willis Ren here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/WillisRen
Website: www.osdasol.com.cn/en/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/OSDA2009
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean Getting a NABCEP certification gives you job security.
In this episode, Sean White talks with Ignacio Carellan, founding director of Inverter Advisor, a company dedicated to helping large-scale solar projects avoid costly inverter failures. They explore the growing importance of grid-forming inverters, the role of reliability testing, and key considerations when designing utility-scale systems. With insights from real-world projects across the US, Europe, and Australia, this episode highlights what it takes to build more resilient solar infrastructure.
Topics covered:
Grid Forming Inverter
Grid Following Inverter
Inverter Advisor www.inverteradvisor.com
HeatSpring Classes
Utility-Scale Inverters
String Inverters
Central Inverters
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
Solyndra
MPPT = Maximum Power Point Tracking
PCB = Printed Circuit Board
Spanish Blackout
Stand-alone Inverter
Synthetic Inertia
ESIG = Energy Systems Integration Group www.youtube.com/@energysystemsintegrationgroup
ERCOT = Electric Reliability Council of Texas
Smarter E / Intersolar
NEC = National Electrical Code
PCB = Printed Circuit Board
System Availability
Reliability Testing
Tropical Climates
Root Cause Analysis
LCOE = Levelized Cost of Energy
Tariffs
Inverter Warranty
Microinverter
Three-Phase Systems
Reach out to Ignacio Carellan Here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ignacio-carellan
Website: www.inverteradvisor.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Avery Dennison makes solar tape! In this episode, Jenna Miles talks about how their specialty tapes are finding new roles in solar panel manufacturing, helping with things like ease of installation, cleaner production, and design flexibility. It's a look at how materials from outside the solar world are quietly contributing to innovation in the industry.
Topics covered:
Avery Dennison
Labels
Solar Tape
Foam Tape
Adhesive and Carrier
PSA = Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive
Acrylic Based Adhesive
Solvent Based Adhesive
Solar DIY
Solar Made in America
Reach out to Jenna Miles Here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jenna-golic-miles-11316b68/
Website: www.averydennison.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Sean White and special guest Stephen Smith, CEO of Solvida Energy Group, talked about what’s going on in the solar world today, including tax credits, market changes, and new ideas helping the industry grow. They also touch on policy shifts and how solar is spreading around the world.
Key Topics:
History of the investment tax credit (ITC)
Impact of losing the investment tax credit (ITC)
Politics behind solar incentives
Rising electricity prices and grid reliability issues
Statistics on solar adoption in Australia
Issues with tax equity and financing
Project acceleration at the end of the year
Executive orders affecting solar industry
How the Industry Handles Political Shifts
China’s Influence on the Solar Industry
California and New Jersey rebates
German Feed in Tariff
Recycling of batteries and other minerals
Encouragement for the solar industry
Reach out Stephen Smith here:
Solvida Design Website: www.solvidadesign.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenjsmithjr
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode, we sit down with Ken Bossong, executive director of the Sun Day Campaign and a clean energy advocate who’s been active since the very first Earth Day in 1970. With over 50 years of experience pushing for renewable energy solutions, Ken shares stories from the early solar movement, the rise of wind and solar power, and why nuclear might not be the climate solution some think it is. From his time in the Peace Corps to working with Ralph Nader, Ken has seen the evolution of energy policy up close and he’s not slowing down.
Topics covered:
Sun-Day Campaign
Earth Day
Podcast with Aidan Charron of Earthday.org www.podcasts.apple.com
Fossil Fuels
Nuclear Power
Solar Price
Utility
Solar and Wind
Natural Gas
Coal
Climate Change
Nuclear Waste
ESS = Energy Storage System
Decentralized Systems
Smarter E
Rooftop Solar
Transmission
Nuclear Fusion & Nuclear Fission
Peace Corps
Energy Policy
Chernobyl Fallout
Offshore Wind
Reach out to Ken Bossong Here:
Email: sun-day-ampaign@hotmail.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Sean welcomes Ben Batchelder, Multi-Family Engineering Manager at Aspen Power, for an in-depth conversation about the solar energy industry. They discuss Ben’s career journey, from his early days at Sunlight and Power to his current role. Topics include the evolution of solar technology, the distinction between residential and commercial solar projects, the significance of energy storage, and innovative solutions in the field. Ben also shares fascinating experiences from his time working in Antarctica and highlights the importance of designing for the long term in solar energy projects.
Topics covered:
SLP = Sunlight and Power www.sunlightandpower.com
C&I = Commercial and Industrial
SatCon Technology Corp
SNEC www.snec-pv.com
SolarEdge www.solaredge.com/us
UL 3741, Rapid Shutdown, and Firefighter Safety
Legacy Systems
Power Garden
Sean’s Solar Training Center
Recycling old modules
Solar thermal vs. PV
Decline of solar hot water
Pool thermal systems
Ben’s experience in Antarctica
Life at McMurdo Station
Shift to large-scale PV
NEM 3.0 and electricity rates
Demand charges and storage
Energy monitoring strategies
PPAs and system ownership
Site visits and real-world issues
Bad solar practices in the industry
Aspen Power Solar Long-term design mindset
Find out more on:
Aspen Power Solar Website: www.aspenpower.com
Episode with Michael Shonka: www.podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/michael-shonka-solar-thermal-and-solar-in-the-80s/id1441958371?i=1000708495417
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, Sean interviews Nabih Cherradi, a longtime industry expert with over 34 years of experience. The interview takes place at the SNEC conference in Shanghai, the world's largest solar and storage event. Nabih discusses his extensive career, including his PhD work, involvement in manufacturing solar panels, and his current projects in Saudi Arabia. They also touch on the impact of new technologies like simultaneous translation earbuds and the global expansion of solar energy. The conversation highlights the importance of local manufacturing in the solar industry and the positive future trends for solar energy deployment.
Topics Covered:
SNEC China
Intersolar Germany
34 years in the industry
Dessert Technology
Madam Mi
Blockchain Technology
Simultaneous Translator Tool
GPS
CTO = Chief Technology Officer
Yingli Solar
Reach out Nabih Cherradi here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nabih-cherradi-b9b4157
Empowersun Website: www.empowersun.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Thresh power can analyze a lot of data at once for large solar projects and then answer queries about those projects. Meet Mark Grozen-Smith, founder and CEO of Thresh Power. Learn about practical solutions for energy project diligence, how AI is changing the industry, and what’s ahead for large-scale solar and wind projects.
Topics covered:
Thresh Power www.threshpower.com
Automated Diligence
AI = Artificial Intelligence
Interconnection
9 Zero www.9zero.com
Wind EnergyLease
Climate Industry
EV = Electric Vehicle
Grid
Data Center
Cryptocurrency
AI Training and Inference
Toyota Prius
Reach out to Mark Grozen-Smith Here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/grozensmith
Website: www.threshpower.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Join Sean White and Greg Smith, the Snarky Solar Guy, as they talk about the ups and downs of solar energy and battery storage. They cover everything from dealing with unexpected weather to the latest updates in the solar world. This episode has honest conversations, useful tips, and a look at what Greg’s working on next. Tune in for a fun mix of jokes, know-how, and real stories from two solar pros.
Topics covered:
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy
Tax Credits
Greg Smith’s YouTube Channel www.youtube.com
The Big Beautiful Bill www.youtube.com
Solar Bros
ITC = Investment Tax Credits
Door-to-Door Salespeople
Tariff
Oil and Gas
Incentives
SMA
Sonnen Energy
TIGO Energy
Hofbräuhaus
Greg Smith’s Books
O&M = Operations and Management
Curriculum
Codes
Rapid Shutdown
IRC = International Residential Code
IFC = International Fire Code
NEC = National Electrical Code
Inverter
Short Circuit
MPPT = Maximum Power Point Tracking
AC Coupling and DC Coupling
VPP Virtual Power Plant
Lumen Panels
Home Automation
Connected Home
AI = Artificial Intelligence
Defecting from the Grid
Off Grid Solar
Balcony Solar
Mini Splits
Reach out to Greg Smith Here:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregsmith007/
Tigo Energy: www.tigoenergy.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode of the Sean White Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, Sean White is joined by two of his good friends, both named Juan Carlos, in Shanghai. The discussion revolves around their experiences in the solar industry, particularly in Panama, where they have implemented solar and storage systems. They share their journey of achieving NABCEP certification, their choice of microinverters for Panama’s conditions, and the benefits of net metering. The conversation also touches upon attending various conferences and a factory visit in Shanghai, and their plans for solar technology in Panama. Sean highlights the importance of ethical practices in the solar industry and emphasizes gradual policy changes.
Topics Discussed:
Solar and Storage
NABCEP Certification
Las Vegas
Computer-based exam
Juan Carlos
Microinverters
Solar Bros
Ethical Sales
Casco Viejo
San Jose Island
Hacienda Delmar
C250 Enphase
Yingli Solar Modules
PV Technical Sales
Net Metering
Policy Change
Shanghai Maglev train = Magnetic Levitation Train
Microinverter
Glasses with thin film
BIPV
Racks
Panama Canal
Solar in Panama with Juan Andrés Navarro of NSolar Podcast Link:
www.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solar-in-panama-with-juan-andre-s-navarro-of-nsolar/id1441958371?i=1000685533681
Reach out Juan Carlos Navarro Barb & Juan Carlos Arango de Dianous here:
Juan Carlos Navarro Barb LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/juan-carlos-navarro-barb
Juan Carlos Arango de Dianous LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/juan-carlos-arango-de-dianous
NSolar Website: www.nsolar.net
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean.
Sean interviews JP DZahr, an expert in digital marketing with experience at Microsoft, Boeing, and the banking industry. JP shares his journey from corporate marketing to creating niche market platforms for the solar industry. They go through topics like pay-per-click advertising, geotargeting, and generating leads through content-rich platforms. JP explains how solar companies can minimize costs and maximize revenue by leveraging Google's AdSense program and organic traffic. Whether you're a solar installer or a marketer, this episode is packed with valuable insights on optimizing solar marketing strategies.
Topics covered:
JP Dzhar background
Pre-press
Lawinfo www.lawinfo.com
PPC = Pay-per-click
Geotargeting
Information platform
AdSense
Permutations and Combinations
AI-generated articles for ad pages
Solar Bros
Door Knockers
Tax Credits
Lead generator
Looky-loo
Researcher
Buyer
Generating income using Google Ads
Trolling the Spammers
Find out more on:
The World of Codes Website: www.theworldofcode.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Sean talks to himself like a crazy person about the Big Bad Bill and why we should stay optimistic and kick fossil fuels ass!
One way of compensating for anything that the government throws at you is to work hard and make yourself irreplaceable. One way of doing this is proving yourself invaluable with a NABCEP certification.
With or without tax credits, solar, storage and wind will kick fossil fuels behind.Topics Covered:
Solar Industry’s Resilience
Soft Costs and Complexity
Job Security and Layoffs
Solar Coaster
Fossil Fuel Phase-Out
Net Meetering in California
Call to Action
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Sean talks with Navdeep Martin, CEO and co-founder of Flypower, at the American Clean Power (ACP) Clean Power 25 conference in Pheonix. Flypower is leveraging AI to enhance renewable energy projects. Navdeep, a former speaker at the big NorCal Solar event recently in Oakland, discusses Fly Power's mission to streamline the process of securing permits and overcoming community resistance by analyzing public data. They dive into how AI can optimize renewable energy site selection and community engagement, the hurdles faced by solar and wind energy developers, and how AI innovations enhance decision-making. They also touch on the social dynamics and opposition from various groups towards renewable projects, how developers can navigate these challenges, and the broader significance of renewable energy adoption.
Topics discussed:
NorCal Solar 50th Anniversary
Flypower
AI
Clean Power Conference = Clean Power 25
Wind Industry
CIA
Community Resistance
Data Centers
Trevor Noah at ACP
Analyzing Commissioners
Public available data
Census AI based
Perplexity
Gemini
Cloud
ChatGPT
Deepseek
Allies
Cancel culture
Teddy Kennedy
Reach out Navdeep Martin here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/navdeepmartin/
Website: www.flypower.io
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean.
Solar energy was the most expensive energy in the world 25 years ago and now it is the least expensive energy in the world. This is because Hans-Josef Fell invented a policy called the Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) that made it a good financial decision to invest in solar back when solar was very expensive. This caused mass production of solar technologies and the price of solar systems went down orders of magnitude. The first FIT program was in Hans-Josef’s hometown in Bavaria Germany and was capped at 15kW for the entire program (now that is how much solar that is over my head). The FIT price was 2 Marks (pre-Euro money) per kWh, which was about $1 US. With the FIT, there was a law requiring the utility to pay the solar system owner a price for the electricity for usually 20 years, so that people will have the incentive to purchase grid-tied solar. 1000 years from now, Hans-Josef will be recognized as saving the planet and as the most important person of our era.
Topics Covered:
Hans-Josef Fell’s Credentials:
Started the world’s first Feed-In-Tariff
Co-author of the German Renewable Energy Sources Act 2000 with Hermann Scheer
Member of the German Parliament representing the 15 years (Green Party)
President of Energy Watch Group
Author of Global Cooling
Past Vice President of Eurosolar
City Counselor
School Teacher
Awards:
Global Leadership Award in Advancing Solar Energy Policy – In Honor of Hermann Scheer, January 2019
LUI Che Woo Prize – Prize for World Civilization, Recognizing lifetime achievements for sustainable global development, January 2018
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, January 2015
Bavarian Order of Merit, January 2012
Bonda Award – European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA), January 2006
Nuclear-Free Future Award, January 2001
Energy Globe Award, January 2000
Solar Award – European Solar Energy Association (EUROSOLAR), January 1994
I met Hans-Josef Fell at the Intersolar Germany conference in May (also known as The Smarter E) thanks to Tomasz Slusarz, who invited me to a Cleantech Business Club dinner near the Hofbräuhaus München, (where I drank beer as a teenager). I was fortunate to sit next to Hans-Josef and have non-alcoholic beer with him! #TogetherWeAreStronger
Contact info:
Website: www.hans-josef-fell.de
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hansjoseffell
Global Cooling book: https://a.co/d/6JlAOw5
In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, Sean interviews Sachin Gupta at the American Clean Power conference in Arizona. They discuss the lengthy lead times for huge transformers, the challenges of supply chains, and the capabilities of Pennsylvania Transformer Technology. Gupta explains the details of manufacturing and delivering massive transformers, some of which take up to three years to produce. They cover the significance of Made in America products, the impact of tariffs, and the growing demands in the solar and energy storage sectors. Additionally, they talk about the future of transformer technology, including potential developments in high voltage direct current (HVDC) applications.
Topics discussed:
American Clean Power (ACP)
Affordable Wire Management
144 to 146 weeks lead time
Supply chain
50 to 500 MVa transformer
MVA (VA=volts x amps)
Tariffs
765,000 volts transformer
Single Phase Transformer
Bushing
American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)
Utility Scale
Rooftop solar
Small pad transformers
Collector transformer = Large power transformer
Pad mounted transformer
Civil pad
FAT = Factory Acceptance Test
Minimum 25 years life span up to 40 to 50 years
HVDC = High Voltage Direct Current
Reach out to Sachin Gupta here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sachin-gupta-b1997b1a
Pennsylvania Transformer Technology LLC: www.patransformer.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Matt Hirsch is a writer and has been writing about the solar industry before there was a modern solar industry in California. Sean and Matt shoot the breeze and find out they crossed paths a few different times in the industry, when Matt was writing about the birth of solar CCAs in California in the 1990s and writing about Sean’s friend Paul Fenn, who got Sean into solar. Matt and Sean were both affiliated with Photon Magazine and now they are both hanging out in Berkeley and hanging out at NorCal Solar events.
Matt Hirsch is the Chief Marketing Officer of TerraCurrent
Topics covered:
Terra Current www.terracurrent.com
Photon Magazine www.photon.info
Grounding and electrical current flow
Single Wire Earth Return
Sean White’s creative songs to promote NABCEP certification
NorCal Solar = Northern California Solae www.norcalsolar.org
CALSSA = California Solar and Storage Association www.calssa.org
ASES = American Solar Energy Society www.ases.org
Solar Coaster
Challenges in solar policy and public perception
Bundesnetzagentur
Net metering
Starlink
FIT = Feed in Tariff
Grid defection
Paul Fenn
CCA = Community Choice Aggregation
Ava Community Energy www.avaenergy.org
Sean’s Journey in the Solar Industry
Life and Politics in Berkeley, California
SEIA = Solar Energy Industry Association www.seia.org
IREC = Interstate Renewable Energy Counsil www.irecusa.org
SEAC = Sustainable Energy Action Committee www.sustainableenergyaction.org
Planet Plan Sets www.planetplansets.com
Solar Roots Party [Register now]
Reach out to Matt Hirsch on:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/matthewbhirsch
Terra Current Website: www.terracurrent.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Sean met Wilson at the RE+ Texas Conference and they hit it off. Wilson also does training and just started an apprenticeship program on HeatSpring.
Check it out!
https://www.heatspring.com/electrical
Topics covered:
NCCER = National Center for Construction Education and Research www.nccer.orgEnergizeus www.energizeus-edu.today www.energizeus.today
RE+ Vegas
Blue Collar & White Collar
Training Roof
SunPower www.sunpower.com
Mark Mrohs
Infinite Solar
Feed in Tariff
Solar Coaster
San Francisco Comedy College
Ontario Solar Academy
Texas Trade Technical
Skill Trades
Apprenticeship
License & Certification
NEC = National Electrical Code
JTA = Job Task Analysis
IRA = Inflation Reduction Act
IBEW = International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
ABC = Associated Builders and Contractors
NorCal Solar = The Northern California Solar Energy Association www.norcalsolar.org
Journeyman Card
Contractor’s License
FAA = Federal Aviation Administration www.faa.gov
Drone Certificate
SEIA = Solar Energy Industry Association www.seia.org
Curriculum
Interstellar
LMS = Learning Management System
Reach out to Wilson Batances Here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/energizeus
Enrgizeus Instagram: www.instagram.com/energize_us_edu
Energizeus Websites: www.energizeus-edu.today www.energizeus.today
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Join us for an exciting episode as we talk with Madeline Acri from SunGrow at the RE+ Texas conference. Learn about the latest in central and string inverters, cool energy storage ideas, and creative ways to help the planet. From the fun side of solar tech to the future of clean energy, this episode is full of insights and a touch of humor. Tune in for a great look into the world of renewables!
Topics covered:
Sungrow
Central Inverter
String Inverter
MPP = Maximum Power Point
MPPT = Maximum Power Point Tracking
DC to DC Converter
Fuse Grounded Inverter
Non-Isolated Inverter
Grounded and Ungrounded
NEC = National Electrical Code
Bipolar Solar Circuit
Floating Array
PID = Potential Induced Degradation
Solar Power at Nighttime
Nicola Tesla and Thomas Edison
SNEC
Distribution System
Geomagnetic Reversal
Solar Roadways
BIPV = Building Integrated Photovoltaics
Solar Window
Balcony Solar
Solar Recycling
Hydrogen Electrolyzer
Wind Energy
Oil and Gas
ESS = Energy Storage System
EV = Electric Vehicle
EV Charging
Vehicle to Grid Adaption
Feed in Tariff
Dual Glass Modules
Tesla
Elon Musk
Electric Bobcat
Ideas to Save the Planet
The Boy who Harnessed the Wind
Space Junk
Dyson Sphere
Reach out to Madeline Acri Here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/madeline-acri
Sungrow Website: www.sungrowpower.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, Sean talks with Fox Swim from Aurora Solar about the latest trends and issues in the solar industry. They cover topics like corporate personhood, solar tariffs, the future of solar technology, and the complexities of modern utility rate structures. They also touch upon the ethical responsibilities of solar salespeople, the evolving landscape of energy storage and virtual power plants, and the impact of recent legislative changes on the industry. This episode offers helpful updates and perspective. Topics covered:Aurora Solar www.aurorasolar.comSoftware toolLiquidationFord versus DodgeShareholder SupremacyCorporate PersonhoodB CorpEV = Electric VehiclesVPP = Virtual Power Plant
NorCal Solar = The Northern California Solar Energy Association www.norcalsolar.orgInverterUtilitySmart GridMicrogridsEuropean MarketIntersolar and Smarter ETariffSolar Bros
Reach out to Fox Swim Here:Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/fox-swimAurora Solar: www.aurorasolar.com Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Rob Mueller teaches a free Ethics in Solar Sales class on HeatSpring. Dive into the world of ethical solar sales with Sean White and Rob Mueller from Revision Energy! Learn about tackling shady practices, industry insights, and how an ethics course can reshape solar sales for the better. Packed with essential tips and insider stories, this episode is a must-listen for anyone in the solar industry! Help us save the solar industry from a potential shady reputation. Topics covered:Introduction to Ethics in Solar Sales Course www.heatspring.com/courses/introduction-to-ethics-in-solar-salesEthics in Solar SalesNABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners www.nabcep.orgRevision Energy www.revisionenergy.comSolar BrosValue Based SalesAmicus Buyers GroupNorCal Solar = The Northern California Solar Energy AssociationDoor to Door SalespeopleBad Actors Reach out to Rob Mueller Here:Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/robertandrewmueller Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this milestone 200th episode, Sean White shares the evolution of his podcast and reflects on his journey in the solar industry. Starting from his days as a radio DJ, he chronicles how he transitioned to producing online solar classes and eventually podcasting. Sean highlights key moments and guests on the show, including industry pioneers like Ward Bower, Bill Brooks and Mark Mrohs. He recounts his engagements at various conferences and the benefits of continuous learning and education in the rapidly expanding solar industry. Sean emphasizes the importance of balancing fun with education and the impact of making incremental changes in policies affecting the industry. Looking forward, he expresses optimism about the future of solar energy and his podcast.
Topics discussed:
Radio DJ
National Electrical Code
Radio 690
Article 690
NABCEP Certified
D1 Water License
Fake Advertisements
A Prairie Home Companion
SunCast Media
RE+ Stage
Johan Alfsen = founder of Solar Battle of the Bands
Ward Bower = Godfather of Solar
Mark Mrohs
Bill Brooks
San Francisco Comedy College
Press pass
SEIA = Solar Energy Industry Association
Feed-in Tariff (FIT)
American Clean Power
Trevor Noah
Solar Coaster
Trevor Noah audio clip courtesy of SunCast Media YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0neVALfl6zQ&t=1981s
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode, we hang out with Madeline Acri at the NABCEP Conference in Reno and hear the wild story of how she went from walking 800 miles to becoming a go-to expert in solar and storage. She shares behind-the-scenes stories from the solar world, what’s changing in the industry, and where it’s all headed. If you’re into clean energy or just love a good journey you’ll want to hear this one.
Topics covered:
Intersolar
EV = Electric vehicle
Solar Coaster
800 Miles Walk: The Arizona Trail
BLM = Bureau of Land Management
Transmission
Sungrow www.en.sungrowpower.com
Inverter
ESS = Energy Storage System
Applications Engineer
Rapid Shutdown
Array Boundary
Bill Brooks
Tigo Transmitter
UL 3741
Wire Management
Derek Solarboi
Subarray Gap
MPP = Maximum Power Point Tracking
IV Curve
Karaoke at the NABCEP conference www.linkedin.com
Reach out to Madeline Acri Here:Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/madeline-acriSungrow Website: www.en.sungrowpower.com Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Join Sean White in a conversation with special guest Johan Alfsen as they explore the history and impact of the Solar Battle of the Bands. They discuss the event's beginnings, standout moments, and how it has shaped the solar industry emphasizing the community spirit and remarkable talent that define it. You'll also hear about upcoming happenings, behind-the-scenes stories, and the unique connection between music lovers and solar professionals. This is an episode full of fun and valuable insights you won't want to miss!
Topics covered:
SBOB = Solar Battle of the Bands
Semicon
NABCEP Conference = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners Conference
History of SBOB
Solar Bands
Effect of Covid
Solar Fight Club
Jerry Garcia
Warfield
Jeff Spies
CALSSA = California Solar and Storage Association www.calssa.org
SnapnRack www.snapnrack.com
Sunrun www.sunrun.com
Solar Coaster
Sean O’Brien
SBOB Timeline
NorCal Solar = Northern California Solar Energy Association
ASES = American Solar Energy Society
InterSolar
Reach out to Johan Alfsen Here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/johan-alfsen
SnapnRack Website: www.snapnrack.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode, Sean White sits down with Matt Ward, President of Etica AG, to explore the fascinating world of battery immersion technology. Discover Etica AG’s approach to submerging lithium-ion batteries in dielectric oil to keep them cool and fire safe. From enhanced safety measures to potential applications across various industries, Matt provides an in-depth look at the benefits and future of this technology. Whether you’re an energy enthusiast or a tech novice, you won’t want to miss this enlightening conversation!
Topics covered:
Etica AG Battery Immersion Technology
Dielectric Oil
Thermal Runaway
ESS = Energy Storage System
UL9540
UL9540A
Cell to Cell Propagation
Liquid Cooling
Transformer Cooling
Batteries
BMS = Battery Management System
HVAC = Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning
O&M = Operations and Maintenance
Etica www.etica.com
AGI www.agirepair.com
Power Cabinet
Reach out to Matt Ward Here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/mattward-energy
Etica AG: www.eticaag.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode, Alex Zhu shares his journey in the solar industry, starting from his time at Suntech to founding ES Foundry, one of the few U.S.-based solar cell manufacturers. We dive into the technical aspects of solar cell production, from silicon wafers to screen printing silver, and discuss the challenges and opportunities of manufacturing solar cells in the United States. Learn about the importance of a stable industry policy, the intricacies of solar technology, and the future of solar manufacturing in America. Tune in to gain insights into the world of solar cells and discover how ES Foundry is empowering the solar industry in the U.S.
Topics discussed:
No wafer manufacturing in the USA
6 9s (99.9999% pure) silicon
Suntech
Suniva
Crystalline Silicon
Chemical etching
Texturing
PN Junction
Phosphorus Diffusion
Oxidation
Silicon Dioxide
Silicon Nitride
Screen Printing Silver
Bifacial solar cells
Aluminum Oxide
Monofacial solar cells
Semiconductor
PERC technology = Passive Emitter Rear Contact
Investment Tax Credit
45x = 4 cents a watt
ES = Empower Solar
SunPower
Reach out Alex Zhu here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/alexzhu
ES Foundry Website: www.esfoundrycorp.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Jeff Spies is organizing The Solar Roots Party which is set to be the fun event of the decade for the solar industry, and all are invited. Party with the solar legends that helped start the solar industry. There will be 2 viewings of the Solar Roots – The Pioneers of PV movie which was produced by Jeff Spies. Jeff is my favorite Solar historian, and he knows the history. Become part of history and have a great time doing it at this party.
Topics covered:
Overview of the documentary film, Solar Roots: The Pioneers of PV
AEE Solar www.test-shop.aeesolar.com
Birth of Solar Pioneer party
Filming the Solar Pioneers
Purpose of the film
Early PV Panel Costs
Origins of Solar Industry and Culture
Hippies and their solar story
Electrochemical Reaction
ARCO Solar Module Cell Evolution
ARCO 16-2000
ARCO 16-2300
Charge controller
Self regulating system
Lead acid battery
Edmond Becquerel
Albert Einstein
Solar Energy
Wisdom Hippie Magic
Solar Roots Party Details
Importance of solar educators
RE+ in Vegas www.re-plus.com
Solar Industry Market
Solar tax credit risk
Tax credit restrictions
Jeff’s Commitment to the Industry
Sean's Book Gets a Strong Endorsement
Find out more on:
Planet Plan Sets Website: www.planetplansets.com
Solar-Roots Website: www.solar-roots.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode, we’re joined by Mick McDaniel the Vice President and General Manager of Bila Solar to explore the operations at the Bila Solar Factory in Indianapolis. Mick provides an in-depth look into how the factory produces lightweight, flexible solar modules using domestic materials and traditional framed PV modules. He also discusses Bila Solar’s collaboration with ES Foundry, shedding light on the innovative practices taking place within the factory.
Topics covered:
Solar manufacturing factory in Indianapolis
Sean’s visit to the Bila Solar Factory
Joel Walsman and his contributions to the solar industry
Beginning of Bila Solar’s and partnership with ES Foundry
Bila Solar’s lightweight, flexible solar panels using aerospace polymer
Installation methods using adhesives on metal and membrane roofs
Relevance to rapid shutdown compliance and UL 3741 certification
Mention of traditional framed modules production alongside flexible panels
Lack of U.S. suppliers for thin, hardened solar glass
Importance of building a reliable U.S. supply chain under the IRA
Challenges importing equipment from China
Post-COVID delays in building and manufacturing permits
Comparison of old vs. modern solar factories
Clarification on “gigawatt” factory capacity
Sean’s Journey into the Solar Industry
Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Law: Paul Fenn’s Role and Its Impact
Early solar industry figures: Stuart Wentworth, Bill Brooks, Ward Bower
Development of early solar inverters and U.S. code challenges
Ward Bower’s pioneering work on the modern grid-tie inverter at Sandia National Laboratories
Challenges with balcony solar installations and code requirements in the U.S. vs. GermanyDurability of flexibility solar modules
Find out more on:
Bila Solar Website: www.bilasolar.com
Click here to listen to the podcast with Sean, Bill Brooks, and Ward Bower
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, special guest Jacob Benzaquen shares his journey in the solar industry, highlighting how obtaining a NABCEP PV Design Specialist (PVDS) certification has significantly enhanced his career from kilowatts to megawatts. Sean and Jacob engage in a lively discussion covering Jacob's transition from residential to community solar, the importance of understanding solar regulations and codes, and the exciting prospects for larger commercial solar projects. They also dive into the evolving landscape of electric vehicles, sustainable energy technologies, and the impact of ethical practices in the solar industry. Join us for an insightful and motivating conversation about the future of solar energy and career growth in this dynamic field.
Topics covered:
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
PV Design SpecialistSean’s PVDS exam prep class www.solarSEAN.com/PVDS
Community Solar
Virtual Net-metering
CCA = Community Choice Aggregation
Net-metering
Solar DIY
Off Grid
Tesla Powershare
EV = Electric Vehicle
EV Charging
Nissan Leaf
DC Fast Charging
Supercharge
CHAdeMO
Fermata Energy www.fermataenergy.com
Bidirectional Inverter
Battery
Bidirectional Charger
Tesla 1 Charger
J1772 / J plug
Charger Adaptors
Tesla Model S
Protest
Solar Bros
Door to Door Salespeople
Up in the Air
Liquidating
Pacific Lumber
Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters www.headwaterspreserve.org
Yuval Noah Harari
Reach out to Jacob Benzaquen Here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-benzaquen
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, Sean speaks with Emmitt Muckles, a NABCEP Board Member, consumer advocate and host of the Billionaire Lifestyle Podcast. They discuss their unique history, the importance of consumer education in the solar industry, and efforts to combat scams and misinformation. Emmitt shares insights on proper installation, the role of fractional training, and his mission to ensure consumers are well-informed. Tune in for a blend of industry expertise and engaging anecdotes!
Topics covered:
GELT = Green Energy Leadership Training
$1 Houses in Detroit
Tax
Fronius www.fronius.com
Inverter
Training
Sunrun
Transformers
Car Amplifiers
Fractional Training
SnapNrack www.snapnrack.com
Chicago’s own Code Book
Henry Ford
Thomas Edison
Nicola Tesla
Electrocuting Elephants
Arc Flash
ESS = Energy Storage System
The Billionaire Lifestyle Podcast www.open.spotify.com
Bitcoin
Jefferson Electric www.jeffersonelectric.com
Joel Walsman www.linkedin.com/in/joel-walsman
Joel Walsman’s Youtube Channel www.youtube.com/@ElectricProAcademy
Agricultural Solar
Carpenters Union
Millwrights
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
Dam
IREC = Interstate Renewable Energy Council
CEU = Continuing Education Units
NEC = National Electrical Code = NFPA 70
IFC = International Fire Code
IRC = International Residential Code
Rapid Shutdown
NFPA
Tesla
EV = Electric Vehicle
EV Charging
Sue Pratt
CT = Current Transformer
Intersolar
Midwest Solar Expo
States of Beam
The Eleven Nations of America www.businessinsider.comSolar Bros
NorCal Solar = Northern California Solar Energy Association
Door to Door Salespeople
Tariff
Solar Generators
Battery
Nissan Leaf
AI = Artificial Intelligence
E-Bike = Electric Bicycle
SNEC
PVIP Photovoltaic Installation Professional
Reach out to Emmitt Muckles Here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/emmittmuckles
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Richard Walker, a returning citizen (formerly incarcerated) became a motivational speaker in prisons after he was released. He has helped people get their rights back after being released, including the right to vote and the right to run for office.
Richard operates a non-profit organization Bridging the Gap of Virginia www.btgva.org that helps people, including returning citizens, get solar training, get NABCEP credentials and get jobs. His organization relies upon grants and donations, so please help him in his important work.
Richard has an interesting story. When he got his right to vote back, he also got the right to run for public office, so he has ran a few times, just like Sean White has run for office 3 times. Here is Sean’s old candidate website: www.seanwhite.org.
Topics covered:
Richard’s Family History
Sean & Richard’s Classes
Dominion Energy
Dominion Energy Pipeline
Grants
Micro Grid
Community Solar
Fossil Fuels
Bridging The Gap in Virginia www.btgva.org
Returning Citizens
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners www.nabcep.org
Thriving Communities Grant
Losing and Restoring Rights
Alysa Liu figure skater World Champion!
Find out if your rights were restored:
www.restore.virginia.gov
Reach out to Richard Walker Here:Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/richard-walker
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, solar expert Michael Shonka is featured as the special guest. Broadcasting from Nebraska, Shonka shares his extensive experience in the solar industry, dating back to 1983. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, including the historical evolution of solar thermal systems, the impacts of past governmental incentives, and the differences in energy markets across regions. Shonka also discusses contemporary issues such as unethical solar sales practices and the importance of community solar projects. The episode provides valuable insights for both seasoned solar professionals and newcomers interested in solar thermal technology.
Topics covered:
Solar in the 80’s
Solar Hot Water
Tax Credit
Solar Thermal
Arco Solar
Digital Differential Controller
Solar Air System
Nuclear Energy
Unethical & Ethical Solar Sales
Bad Actors in the Industry
“Solar Bros”
North Facing System
Educating Consumers
Hydronic Heating
Radiant Floor Heating
Atmospheric Tank
Pressurized Tank
Buffer Tank
Avoiding Orphan Systems
Home Power Magazine
Solar Pro Magazine
Build it Solar www.builditsolar.com
Heat Exchangers
Reach out to Michael Shonka Here:
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/michael-shonka-6833b3
Website: www.solaromaha.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Jared Scott discusses AeroSeal’s cutting-edge duct and building sealing technology, highlighting its role in improving energy efficiency, reducing air changes per hour (ACH), and enhancing indoor air quality. He explores the benefits for both new and existing buildings, as well as how AeroSeal’s innovations help solar companies improve customer retention and reduce cancellations. Tune in to learn about AeroSeal’s product advancements, its impact on sealing attics and crawlspaces, and its growing presence in the renewable energy industry.
Topics covered:
AeroSeal’s duct and building sealing technology
Reducing Air Changes per Hour (ACH) for Efficiency
Comparison with Traditional Sealing Methods
Sean’s Renewable Energy Training Center Project
Sealing Attics, Crawlspaces, and More
Using Fog to Detect Air Leaks
Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRVs) & Ventilation
Compact AeroSeal Equipment Innovation
AeroSeal Crews Availability
How AeroSeal Helps Solar Companies Retain Customers
Importance of proper air sealing in energy efficiency
Find out more on:
Aeroseal Website: www.aeroseal.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, Sean speaks with Qun Wang and Jenny Tong from SNEC about the upcoming SNEC conference in Shanghai, scheduled for June 11-13, 2025. They discuss the sheer scale of the event, which is expected to attract up to 700,000 attendees, making it the world's largest solar storage and renewable energy exposition. The trio dives into different aspects of SNEC, including scientific and industrial applications, international collaborations, and the rapidly evolving renewable energy sector in China. They also touch on practical logistics for international attendees and share personal experiences from previous conferences. An insightful episode for anyone interested in the latest advancements and future prospects in solar energy. It is not too late to go to SNEC.
American’s can go to China without a visa for 10 days as long as they transit through another country, which is how Sean is going.
Sean will have a stage at SNEC where he will be teaching solar and storage classes for 2 days at no cost, and additionally he will be podcasting. If you are going to be at SNEC and want to be interviewed on Sean’s podcast, please let us know.
Topics covered:
Overview of SNEC
Sean’s Involvement on SNEC
History and Growth of SNEC
Traveling to China with a 240-Hour Transit Visa
Shanghai Transportation
Cultural Exchange
Scientific Conferences features top solar scientists like Martin Green and AKI Weber
SNEC’s collaboration with Re+
U.S. solar market challenges
Tariffs on renewable energy
Manufacturing challenges in the US
Cost and growth of solar energy
Utility-Scale Solar Projects
Sean White’s staff going to SNEC for team building
Sean White bringing his mom to SNEC for Mother’s day!
Listen to Sean’s conversation with Madam Mi and Jenny here👇🏻
SNEC ES+ with Madame Mi and Jenny Tong (ES=Energy Storage)
SNEC Website: www.SNEC.org
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Industry podcasters and a print media representative shared insights on the evolving energy landscape. They discussed innovative technologies like module-level storage and lightweight solar, the current uncertain industry sentiment, and emerging opportunities in battery storage and solar servicing amidst economic shifts.
Topics covered:
* New solar and storage technologies, including module-level batteries and lightweight modules, garnered attention for their innovative approaches.
* The industry is experiencing uncertainty and restructuring alongside emerging opportunities in service and battery sectors.
* Policy shifts and economic conditions are creating both challenges and driving the need for adaptation.
Reach out the Nico Johnson and other guests here:
Nico Johnson LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus/
SunCast Media LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/suncast-media/
SunCast Media Website: www.suncast.media/
Chris Crowell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chris-crowell-b065729/
Solar Builder Magazine Website: www.solarbuildermag.com/
Joe Ordia LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/joeordia/
Solar Surge Website: www.solarsurge.net/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, Sean welcomes Alex Rodriguez, the Senior Manager of Learning and Development at Signature Solar. Together, they dive into a light-hearted and insightful conversation about the evolving field of solar energy, DIY solar projects, and the innovative products offered by Signature Solar. They explore topics ranging from the company's STEP program, which incentivizes career growth within the solar industry, to Alex's experiences with various solar products and customer projects. Additionally, Sean shares his unique experiences attending international climate conferences, underscoring the global significance of renewable energy. Whether you're a solar enthusiast or a professional in the industry, this episode is packed with valuable insights and engaging stories.
Topics covered:
Signature Solar www.signaturesolar.com
Sulfur Springs
Cattle Gas
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
Signature Solar Reward for Getting NABCEP Certifications
Solar DIY = Solar Do It Yourself
Mini Split
Rapid Shutdown
UL 3741
EG4 = Energy Generation for Everyone www.eg4electronics.com
Victron Energy
Shore Power
Different Types of Transformers
Grid
Grounding and Bonding
Growatt www.growatt.com
Hybrid Inverter
Soulace www.soulace.com
SNEC
COP Conference = Conference of the Parties
NorCal Solar = the Northern California Solar Energy Association
Protesting
NREL = National Renewable Energy Labs
Reach out Alex Rodriguez here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/alexandercrodriguez/
Signature Solar Website: www.signaturesolar.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Nico Johnson interviews Sean on the stage at InterSolar North America in San Diego. This podcast is reposted courtesy of Suncast.
Sean White and Nico Johnson discuss the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) and its significance in the solar industry. They emphasize how NABCEP certification enhances resilience, career value, and company success, especially during times of uncertainty. The benefits of attending the NABCEP conference for networking and technical knowledge are also highlighted.
Topics covered:
NABCEP certifications.
Certification provides resilience and value for individuals and companies amidst industry fluctuations.
The NABCEP conference offers networking, technical learning, and a unique community feel.
See the original posting of this episode at www.suncast.media/guest/day-2-session-6-why-is-getting-nabcep-certified-even-more-important-with-the-new-administration
Reach out Nico Johnson and SunCast Media here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/suncast-media/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/suncast/posts/?feedView=all
SunCast Media Website: www.suncast.media/
Intersolar Website: www.intersolar.us/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Ward Bower pretty much invented the modern solar industry and the grid-tied inverter. Bill Brooks, who everyone knows is another one of the greatest solar minds of all time gives Sean a hand interviewing their friend Ward Bower. Ward has had a Forrest Gump type of experience in the solar industry, being there when everything happened. He saw the founding of NABCEP, the modern grid-tied inverter, he sits on many panels writing the codes that make solar safe. Ward and Bill have been working closely together on the National Electrical Code for decades. Sean First met Ward when he was recruited for a NABCEP committee and met at Sandia Labs in New Mexico.
Ward is the nicest person with a huge heart and deserves a lot more nice things to be said about him than what we are saying about him here.
For those of you listening to this podcast far in the future, after we are long gone, do your best to use this recording to make an AI version of Ward.
This podcast was recorded on the Suncast Media stage during NABCEP Conference in Reno in 2025!
Topics covered:
History of PV Industry = Photovoltaics
NEC = National Electrical Code
Ungrounded Systems
Power Conditioning Systems
Power Control Systems
Article 690
Line Commutated
Control Technologies
UL
IEEE = Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Microgrid
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
Inverter with Rotating Equipment in it
Reach out to Ward Bower & Bill Brooks Here:
Ward Bower’s Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ward-bower
Bill Brooks’ Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/bill-brooks
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
This podcast is a special release in honor of the godfather of the modern solar revolution Hermann Scheer. This is the second annual Hermann Scheer edition. To learn more about Mr. Scheer, listen to his friend Eicke Weber who was on this podcast exactly 1 year ago, which would have been Hermann Scheer’s 80th Birthday. Today Hermann would have been 81.
Eicke Weber talks about Hermann Scheer:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/eicke-weber-hermann-scheers-80th-bd-4-29-1944-scheer/id1441958371?i=1000653913046
Hermann Scheer article:
https://rightlivelihood.org/the-change-makers/find-a-laureate/hermann-scheer/
In this episode, we dive into ethical solar sales, industry trends, and consumer-first practices with Erik from EnergySage and Sean White. They explore how EnergySage connects customers with vetted installers—cutting out aggressive sales tactics—and discuss the platform’s mission to bring transparency to the solar market. The conversation also covers solar legislation, community solar, and the critical role of education and regulation in protecting both consumers and the industry. A must-listen for solar professionals and enthusiasts alike!
Topics Covered:
Solar Philippines
B2B (Business to business)
NABCEP Conference
Senator Fabian Donate
Solar Bros
Contractor’s License
Utah – Mecca of Solar Sales
Solar Consumer Certification
Solar sales ethics
NABCEP Certifications
Alaska
Ethical Pledge
Sales Channel – connecting homeowners and distributors
Heatspring Course – Introduction to Ethics and Solar Sales
NABCEP PV Technical Sales
Small medium business market
Investment Tax Credit (ITC)
VPP (Virtual Power Plant)
NEM (Net Energy Metering)
Community Solar
Reach out to Erick Holvik here:
Energy Sage Website: www.energysage.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Earth Day officially started on April 22 1970 and is officially recognized as April 22, but there are usually celebrations on different days of the week, such as SF Climate Week, which is this week! In this episode, we talk about important topics related to climate change and renewable energy. We explore the role of renewable sources like solar and wind, and how climate change impacts certain communities more than others. We share ideas for how you can make a difference this Earth Day and highlight career opportunities in the green energy field. Plus, we discuss the importance of standing up for the environment, taking legal action, and keeping up with global climate events.
If you are in the Bay Area, make sure to go to NorCal Solar’s party on Friday April 25th, and find out more here at www.NorCalSolar.org/events
Topics covered:
Renewable energy sources
Divisions in society affecting views on climate change
Climate change and fairness for disadvantaged groups
Pollution and health risks from refineries
Sea level rise and storms affecting the Outer Banks, NC
The Wright Brothers' breakthrough in flight
Earth Day activities like recycling and contacting lawmakers
Organizing neighborhood cleanups
Inspiring others to protect the environment
Career opportunities in renewable energy
Becoming a leader in environmental work
Encouraging others to explore green energy careers
Renewable energy jobs without a college degree
Joining EarthDay.org and contributing
Global climate conferences and their impact
Reach out Aidan Charron here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/aidancharron
Website: www.earthday.org
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
The tables have turned! Sean is getting interviewed by a High School Senior who had an assignment to interview someone, and the High Schooler was directed to Sean! Additionally, they went to the same High School, Northgate in Walnut Creek CA. Go Bronchos!
They discuss how Sean got started in renewable energy, the importance of renewable energy, the challenges and advancements in the solar industry, and even touch on comparisons between renewable and nuclear energy. Tune in to learn how everyday actions can contribute to a sustainable future. Don't miss Sean's insights on the evolving landscape of energy storage and the potential for a world run predominantly on renewable energy.
Topics covered:
PG&E = Pacific Gas and Electric
CCA = Community Choice Aggregation
Fidelity Roof Company
Stuart Wentworth
Quickmount
Used Solar
NorCal Solar = Northern California Solar Energy Association
Recycling & Reusing Solar
Tariffs
Energy Prices<
CALSSA
Net Metering
Energy Storage
Batteries
Duck Curve
Wind Energy
Are the Materials for Solar Modules Harmful?
LFP = Lithium Iron Phosphate
NMC = Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Fossil Fuel
Nuclear Waste
Misconceptions About Renewable Energy
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Join Sean White and Will White as they dive into the latest in solar testing tools and equipment. Learn about the innovative devices from Fluke, their applications, and how advanced tools are revolutionizing the solar industry.
Topics covered:
Fluke www.fluke.com
Measuring Tools
IV Curve
Solmetric www.solmetric.com
Zep Solar
SnapNrack www.snapnrack.com
SunRun www.sunrun.com
RGS = Real Goods Solar
Tesla www.tesla.com
Vivint Solar www.vivint.com
Connecticut
Shade Analysis Tool
SunEye 360
IV Curve Tracers
EV = Electric Vehicle
Solaflect www.solaflect.com
NRG Systems www.nrgsystems.com
IR Camera
Infrared
Multimeter
Fluke’s New Tools
Ground Fault Location Tool
Electric Vehicle Tools
Reach out to Will White here:
Will’s Email: will.white@fluke.com
Will's Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/william-white
Fluke’s Website: www.fluke.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Ben explains how Signature solar has a program to educate employees and give them raises based on passing NABCEP exams. They also have fun talking about the different cool products out there, such as a mini split that you can plug a string of Solar PV into, that will even work when the grid goes down.
Topics Covered:
Signature Solar www.signaturesolar.com
Mini Split and Window type Air Conditioning
PV System Disconnect
EG4 = Energy Generation for Everyone
NEC = National Electrical Code
Air Conditioner
Air Conditioning
Ductless System
NEM 2.0 Status
Signature Solar’s Program
Solar Photovoltaic Basics (Sean White’s Book)
PV and the NEC (Sean White and Bill Brook’s Book)
Signature Solar Batteries
UL 9540
Incentives for NABCEP taker and certified staff
Sulfur Springs
Certification for solar panel cleaners
Reach out to Benjamin Whillock here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-whillock
Signature Solar Website: www.signaturesolar.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
If you are a solar installer, it may be a good time to upgrade your usefulness with a NABCEP certification, before the robots come for your job!This episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast features a live discussion at the Intersolar in North America San Diego. Sean interviews the team behind RoboForce, a cutting-edge robotic solution designed to automate labor-intensive tasks on solar farms and beyond. Discover the capabilities of these intelligent robots, their potential to revolutionize industrial labor, and the future of robotics in challenging environments. Tune in to learn about the technological advancements and industry insights from the experts driving this innovation. This episode was recorded with video of everyone standing next to the robot, which you can see on YouTube. You can see links to every episode at www.solarSEAN.com/podcast
Topics covered:
RoboForce www.roboforce.ai
Intro to RoboForce
What the Robot is and What is it Capable of
AI = Artificial Intelligence
OSHA = Occupational Safety and Health Administration
AI/Robots taking over Jobs
Autonomy
LiDAR = Light Detection and Ranging
RoboForce World-Class Supporters
* Myron Scholes = Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics
* Gary Rieschel = World-Class Venture Capitalist
* Carnegie Mellon University = World-Class AI Robotics Institution
Reach out to RoboForce here:
RoboForce Website: www.roboforce.ai
Linkedin Leo Ma: www.linkedin.com/in/biaoma
Linkedin Dan Zhao: www.linkedin.com/in/dan-zhao
Linkedin Veeral Hardev: www.linkedin.com/in/veeralhardev
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Reno local Eric Haskell, the founder and CEO of Sagebrush Energy, let’s us in on the Reno solar industry and what to do besides hanging out with the brains of the solar industry at the big NABCEP conference in Reno. They cover everything from the booming clean tech scene and solar power in Reno to wild horses and must-visit spots around the city, including the battery Megafactory. Eric shares insightful details about the local solar market, the benefits of Nevada's legislative changes, and even his experiences with international companies like PopSockets and Allbirds. Whether you're attending the conference or simply curious about renewable energy and modern tech in Reno, this episode is packed with valuable information and engaging stories that you won’t want to miss!
Topics covered:
NABCEP Conference
Sagebrush Energy www.sagebrushenergy.com
Burning Man
Solar in RenoEV = Electric Vehicle
Tesla Giga Factory
Lithium Mine in Nevada
Zero State Income Tax
Tesla Semi Truck
Battery Recycling
Red Wood Materials
Lithium Mining
Solar in RenoCasinos
Must-visit Spots of Reno
Marriage and Divorce in Reno
Elvis Wedding
GSR = Grand Sierra Resort
Outdoor Activities in Reno
Sagebrush Energy
Residential Solar Market
Net Metering and Time of Use
ESS = Energy Storage System
Wildfire Risk in Reno
PG&E = Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Battery Attach Rate in RenoBatteries
Wild Horses in Reno Nevada
PopSockets
Riley Neugebauer of Solar for Women www.solarforwomen.com (listen to her podcast here too)Allbirds
California and Nevada
SNEC
Intersolar in Munich
Battle Born Batteries
Climate Change
Senate Bill 293
Residential SolarDoor to Door Sales
New Mission of NorCal SolarSolar Coaster
Solar Sales and Install
Sagebrush Financial www.sagebrushfinancial.com
Reach out Eric Haskell here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/erick-haskell
Website: www.sagebrushenergy.com
Sagebrush Financing: www.sagebrushfinancial.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Shawn O’Brien is probably well known by most of our audience, since we talk more about technical PV and storage topics, than any podcast I know of. If you have even been to a solar conference in the USA, you probably have been in the presence of Shawn and Sean, perhaps both at the same time!
We are leading up to the NABCEP conference in Reno next week, the week of March 24th! Be sure to be there and you can also take Sean’s PV Associate class at the conference, so sign up here: https://www.heatspring.com/courses/nabcep-pv-associate-training-live-from-the-2025-nabcep-ce-conference?aff_id=t3nlgw
Or for the NABCEP Conference, go to www.nabcep.org
Sean will also be there podcasting at the NABCEP conference along with famous podcaster Nico Johnson of Suncast, so check it out!
Topics Covered:
Job Security
Different NABCEP Certifications
Non-PV and ESS Certifications-Wind and Solar Thermal<
Most NABCEP Letters after your name
Certifications vs. licenses vs. credentials
PVO&M Associate Credential
Emeritus status
Retired status
Board eligible status
Online testing = virtual testing environment
NABCEP Certified Locator
Unethical solar salespeople
NABCEP Code of Ethics
NABCEP Company Accreditation
NABCEP ANSI Accreditation
JTA = Job Task Analysis
IREC and NCCER using PVIP JTA
PVIP JTA is open source
Check out Shawn O’Brien here:
www.nabcep.org/about-us/nabcep-staff-members
www.linkedin.com/in/shawnwobrien
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Vince Ambrose, CCO of Franklin Whole Home, explores advanced energy storage solutions, including AC/DC coupling, grid-forming capabilities, and VPP integration. He gets into battery chemistries, installation processes, and the advantages of Franklin's products for homeowners and installers.
Topics covered:
Overview of Franklin Whole Home
Comparison to Tesla Powerwall
Functionality of the Energy Storage System (ESS)
Whole-Home Backup
Energy Cost Savings
Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) & Grid Interaction
Future of Energy Storage & EV Growth
Franklin Whole Home's VPP Participation
EV Integration with Energy Storage
Future of EV and Grid Integration
Microgrid Interconnect Devices
Battery Chemistry & Safety
Battery Type & Construction
Franklin’s AC & DC Coupled Battery Systems
Compatibility with Inverters
FranklinWH’s Distribution & Certification Requirements
System Connectivity & Networking
Learn more about Franklin WH at:
www.franklinwh.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Perovskite is a type of thin film PV that can be layered on top of silicon cells to get more power! Caelux makes perovskite on glass that can be used as the glass of a traditional PV module. Charlie gets into how perovskite is made and how it works, all the way to the band gap.
Topics covered:
What is a Perovskite
How Perovskite Crystals Form
Transparent conductors
Matching Perovskite and Silicon Technologies
Temperature Coefficients
Two-Terminal Tandem vs. Four-Terminal Tandem
Reverse Bias
Solar Cells as LEDs in Reverse
Space-Based Solar Technologies
Perovskite Panel Development & Market Entry
History & Development of Perovskite Solar Cells
Industry Insights & Personal Experiences
Reach out Charlie here:
www.caelux.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com (http://www.solarSEAN.com) and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean (http://www.heatspring.com/sean)
In this episode, Sean White interviews Jordan Harris, CEO of Yotta Energy, at the Inter Solar conference in San Diego. They discuss Yotta Energy's innovative energy storage systems, their thermal management, UL certification process, and the benefits of integrating storage seamlessly with solar installations. Listen in for insights into future-proofing solar storage solutions and the fascinating origin story of Yotta Energy.
Topics covered:
Intersolar
Yotta Energy
BatteryESS = Energy Storage System
Yotta = 10^24
Yotta Block
Ballast Battery
LFP = Lithium Iron Phosphate
Ballasted System
Inverters
Sean’s Red Neck Shaman? (Stay tuned!)
Yotta’s Battery Thermal Management
Lead Acid Battery
Reach out Jordan Harris here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-harris
Yotta Energy Website: www.yottaenergy.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Saad Youssefi is the co-author of Energy Storage Basics, with Sean
In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, Sean interviews Saad Youssefi, the CEO of Batteryze. They talk about Batteryze technology, working with US labs, USAID, and solar and storage in Africa. They discuss Saad's journey in the renewable energy sector, his experience working with solar and battery technologies, and the innovative work being done at Batteryze to improve battery safety and performance. They also explore the geopolitical aspects of renewable energy and the challenges and opportunities in developing countries, particularly in Africa. Along the way, you'll hear fascinating insights into the future of energy storage, electric vehicles, and the potential for sustainable energy solutions worldwide. Tune in for an engaging and informative conversation!
Topics covered:
Batteryze www.batteryze.com
Saad’s Background
EON www.eon.com
EPC = Engineering, procurement and construction
Utility Scale Solar
Utility
Battery
ESS = Energy Storage System
Energy Storage Basics (Sean’s and Saad’s Book)
DNV www.dnv.com
Elon Musk
Idaho National Lab
Nuclear
Battery Testing
2030 Estimation
Internal Short
EV = Electric Vehicle
Thermal RunawayBMS = Battery Management System
NASA Batch Testing
Landfill
EOL Batteries = End of Life Batteries
Battery Recycling
Battery on Landfills
Swissnex www.swissnex.org
Swiss Watch Industry
Dendrites
Lithium Metal
AI = Artificial Intelligence
USAID = United States Agency for International Development
Trump Administration
Belt and Road of China Initiative
USIDFC = United States International Development Finance Corporation
Bribery and Corruption
Fertility rate
Immigration
Reach out Saad Youssefi here:
Email: saad@batteryze.com
Batteryze: www.batteryze.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Take a trip to the summer of 2025, since Gerrit Barnard is in Cape Town South Africa (Where it is now summertime). He is the Director of Sales for EMEA (Europe Middle East Africa) for C&D Technologies / Trojan Battery Company. Trojan is well known by people in the solar and storage industry for a long time and many old-timers used Trojan L16 batteries for their first PV system, back when grid-tied PV was a dream, illegal or both.
Trojan has become one (merger/bought by) C&D Technologies, who has also been making batteries for a long time, especially in the more industrial applications.
Trojan and C&D mostly specialize in reliable lead-acid systems, but also make golf cart batteries that use the lithium-ion technology. There are many people still using lead-acid batteries and when you listen to this podcast, you will know why, and you will likely use NEC Article 480 Stationary Standby Batteries (formerly Storage Batteries) rather than Article 706 Energy Storage Systems.
Remember that although lead tastes good, it is more filling🤣
(Don’t taste lead, they say it was the downfall of the Roman Empire, since it was used to sweeten wine and made those emperors go nuts).
Topics covered:
EMEA = Europe Middle East and Africa
C&D Technologies www.cdtechno.com
Trojan Battery www.trojanbattery.com
Lithium-Ion Battery
Lead-Acid Battery
EV = Electric Vehicles
Golf Carts
Battery Recycling (98% – 99%)
SOC = Stated of Charge
DOD = Depth of Discharge
Equalization on Sealed Batteries
Sealed Lead Acid Batteries
World Changers Academy
SMA Solar Technology
Cape Town
Climate Reality Project
Battery Manufacturing of C&D
Article 706 = Energy Storage Systems
Article 480 = Storage Batteries/Stationary Standby Batteries
Nuclear Power Plant
Trojan 2,460 Amp Hour Cell Battery
Bumi Hills Safari Lodge
Megawatt Hour Lead-Acid Battery System
ESCOM Utility
Inverter
Anti-Islanding
Distilled Water for Batteries
Intersolar in Munich
Smarter E
Reach out Gerrit Barnard here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/gerrit-barnard
C&D Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/c&d-technologies
C&D Website: www.cdtechno.com
Trojan Battery Website: www.trojanbattery.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode, Sean White welcomes Paul Frischer, the president and head of technology at GO-OPV, for a thought-provoking discussion on the revolutionary technology of organic printed semiconductors. Paul delves into the origins, operation, and potential applications of this groundbreaking technology that promises zero-emission power generation from carbon-based materials. They explore topics such as the differences between printed semiconductors and traditional silicon-based solar cells, the intricacies of quantum mechanics in energy production, and the future potential for commercial deployment. Tune in to learn how this innovative approach could reshape the energy landscape and lead to more sustainable solutions.
Topics covered:
Printed Semiconductors
Fossil Fuel
Organic
Silicon Semiconductors
Carbon
Silicon
Zero Emission
Graphite
C₆₀ = Carbon 60
Buckminster Fuller
Fullerene
CH4 = Methane
OLED = Organic Light-Emitting Diode.
P3HT = Poly(3-hexylthiophene)
Konarka = www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konarka<
PET = Polyethylene Terephthalate
Printing
POE = Power over the Ethernet
GO-OPV
ORENgE
Mecho Shade www.mechoshade.com
Inverter
Organic Printed Film Window Shade
Passive Solar
Naphthalene
Petroleum
Quantum Mechanics
Quantum Space
Automated Printed Semiconductor Window Shade
Non-Silicon Photovoltaics Technology
Nanotechnology
Battery
Climate Chamber Test
Reach out Paul Frischer here:
ORENgE Power: www.orengepower.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, Sean sits down with John-Ross Cromer, head of training at Sol-Ark, to dive deep into the world of solar inverters and battery storage solutions. They discuss the evolution of hybrid inverters, the significance of UL 9540 revisions, and the impact of the 2023 NEC on solar installations. John shares insights into Sol-Ark's all-in-one inverter technology, the importance of battery choice, and the exciting growth potential in the commercial solar market. They also touch on practical tips for solar project design, future trends in solar and battery integration, and the transformative potential of 100% daytime solar energy. Whether you're a seasoned solar professional or a newcomer, this episode is packed with valuable information and industry insights. Tune in to learn more! Topics covered:Sol-Ark www.sol-ark.com
Inverter
Fortress Power www.fortresspower.com
Hybrid Inverter
All in One Inverter
Schneider
Grid
Net Metering
Transformer
Tesla Powerwall
EV = Electric Vehicle
EV to Home
Bi-directional EV
EV Charging
Microinverter
ESS = Energy Storage System
NEC = National Electrical Code
DC ESS = Direct Current Energy Storage System
AC ESS = Alternating Current Energy Storage System
UL 9540
UL 9540 Revisions
Briggs and Stratton www.energy.briggsandstratton.com
Simpliphi
Microgrid
Utility
Battery
UL 1741
Converter
PCS = Power Control System
EMS = Energy Management System
Supply Side Connection
Load Side Connection
Off Grid System
High Voltage
Three-phase Inverter
MID Panels
Commercial Market
Lemon Battery
Lemonade Decommissioning plan
DC to DC Converters
DC to DC Conversion
Support Team
Battery Choice
Rapid Shutdown
Battery Heating System
Container Batteries
Inverter Based Country/Grid?
100% Solar
Solar Learning Curve
Fluor www.fluor.com
Utility Market
Demand Charges
PVBatts www.pvbatts.com
Reach out John-Ross Cromer here:
Sol-Ark: www.sol-ark.com
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/john-cromerWebinar: www.shop.sol-ark.com/webinars
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, Sean sits down with Juan Andrés Navarro, the CEO of N Solar, in sunny Panama City. Together, they discuss the growth of the solar industry in Panama, the impact of renewable energy policies, and the technical intricacies of solar installations and energy storage systems. They also touch on the significance of net metering, the benefits of B Corp certification, and innovative solutions for handling excess solar power. Join Sean and Juan for an enlightening conversation about the present and future of solar energy in Panama and beyond Topics covered:
NSolar www.nsolar.net
Solar in Panama
Background of NSolar
Net Metering
Photovoltaics
Energy Storage
NEC = National Electrical Code
Deflation
Canal
B Corp
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners www.nabcep.org
Climate Change
World’s Largest Microinverter
Darién Gap
Grid
Panama Canal Lock
Clipping
Transformers
Fossil Fuel
Anti Solar
Water Pumping
Panamax
Container Ships
Floating Solar Farm
Hydro Electric Storage
Stand-alone Inverter
Utility
Energy Independence
Panama’s Net Metering Law
Future of Renewable Energy
Closing the U.S Borders
Reach out Juan Andrés Navarro here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/juan-andres-navarro
Nsolar: www.nsolar.net
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
NABCEP Energy Storage Installation Professional Lesson
This podcast is an assignment from Sean’s 40-hour NABCEP Advanced Energy Storage Certification Training class on HeatSpring!
It is recommended by anyone in the industry to get a NABCEP certification for job security and to grow! If you are not already in the industry, you can also learn a few things from this podcast, which is a lesson on how to communicate energy storage with customers.
Sean is known for making technical subjects fun and as simple as possible, so people can learn and pass exams while enjoying themselves.
Check out Sean’s HeatSpring classes at www.HeatSpring.com/sean or go to www.solarSEAN.com to find out about his online classes, in-person workshops and more!
Sean has been on Tim’s podcast a number of times and it was time for Tim to be on Sean’s podcast!
Both Tim and Sean have classes on HeatSpring and see each other at all of the big and many smaller solar conferences in the US. In this podcast they talk about various topics including:
Topics covered:
History of Clean Power Hour
Solar Works For Illinois
PV Magazine
John Weaver
RE+
CPS America = Chint Power Systems Americas www.chintpowersystems.com
SUNVOY www.sunvoy.com
O&M = Operation and Management
ESS = Energy Storage Systems
Battery
Sean Whites Solar and Energy Podcast history
Sean’s Radio 690
AI = Artificial Intelligence
Google Notebook LM
Tesla Optimus
Going to Mars
Exploring Uncharted Lands
Fossil Fuel
The Manhattan Alien Abduction
Tim Montague’s Heatspring
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners www.nabcep.org
Online Learning
ESIP = Energy Storage Installation Professional
Net Metering
Non Exporting
VPP = Virtual Power Plant
Schweitzer Relay
C&I Solar = Commercial and Industrial Solar
Elexity www.elexity.io
Goat Yoga
Reach out Tim Montague here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/cleanpowerhour
Youtube: www.youtube.com/@cleanpowerhour
HeatSpring: www.heatspring.com/courses
Clean Power Hour Website: www.cleanpowerhour.com
Tim Montague's Previous Podcasts with Sean White:
May 10, 2022: www.youtube.com
August 10, 2023: www.youtube.com
December 10, 2024: www.youtube.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this interview we talk about reusing and recycling solar PV modules (panels) and other products.
Topics Covered:
Net-metering Policy
Solar Map = map to find recyclers or reuse partners
RE-X = Reusing, repairing, refurbishing, remanufacturing, or repurposing
NorCal Solar
Arco Solar Modules
1954 Bell Labs PV Module
SNEC
Crystalline Silicon
Cadmium Telluride PV Modules
Perovskites
AB2 and AB1238
EPR = Extended Producer Responsibility Legislation for Solar Panel
Permanent Recycling Program
RE-X Prize = This three-phase competition is designed to develop innovative ways to extend the lifetimes of products or parts via reusing, repairing, refurbishing, remanufacturing, or repurposing (“Re-X”) before recycling
California Product Stewardship Council won during the Phase 1 of the project. The prize was used as funds to create solar map
Reach out Keene and Brasch here:
www.calpsc.org/cpsc-solarstewardship
info@calpsc.org
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode Sean learns all about quinone flow batteries, ferrocyanide, and a lot more, including how desalination and air conditioning are related and can use the same membrane redox-flow technology.
It was a pleasure to have a very intelligent guest with degrees from Harvard and Stanford. We will learn what a flow battery is and its benefits and how they expect to be a greater part of the renewable mix in the future.
The water-based technology is different from the acid-based vanadium redox flow batteries, which require vanadium, and much of the vanadium comes from Russia, while quinone can easily be made anywhere, lessening dependence on faraway places, which fits with where our economy seems to be headed.
Here are some of the topics we cover:
What is a flow battery?
Thermal runaway
What is LDES? Your definition and benefits
Different types of LDES
Flow batteries benefits
Benefits vs Vanadium or Zinc Bromine or others
Full to no charge how many times
How long does the electrolyte and membrane last?
Toxicity
Power block cost
DOE 250/kW
40/kWh
What did you do with that $100
Can you theoretically use electrolyte for an EV?
How did you get DOE funding?
What is quinone
Pioneered at Harvard
Energy density and specific energy?
R/T efficiency
Ferrocyanide and quinone
Temperatures
Xerox Parc = Palo Alto Research Center
Redox Flow Desalination for Xerox
Beh invented and commercialized a redox flow desalination technology as a researcher at Xerox PARC
Majove Energy Systems
Reverse Electrodialysis
Supply Chain
Liquid Desiccant Airconditioning
Water harvesting
Reach Eugene Beh here:
Company website: www.quinoenergy.com
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/eugbeh
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this podcast we talk about a type of solar glass that contains a semitransparent layer of perovskite thin film solar tech that you are encouraged to put on top of your crystalline silicon modules to make a hybrid multijunction solar sandwich. The perovskite catches more of the blue side of the light spectrum and lets the red side of the spectrum that crystalline silicon likes through to get the best of both worlds.
This tech is made in Southern California with real rocket scientists.
Scott has a history with Flex, Nextracker and a lot or important companies in the industry.
Topics covered:
Perovskites
ABX3
Multijunction
Monolithic Tandem
Active Glass
Crystalline Silicon
Thin Film Solar
Sanyo
Panasonic
Hetero Junction Technology
Bifacial Solar
TopCon PERC = Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact
Mono PERC
PERC = Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact
IBC = Interdigitated Back Contact
Caelux Industry
Bandgap perovskite in the future
Vacuum Technology
JPL = NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
NexTracker
South East Asian operations
Tariffs
IRA = Inflation Reduction Act
Perovskite’s Technology advancements at Caelux
Caelux customers
Larger modules
Flex Company
Scott’s career at Flex
Triple and Quadruple Junction
Founder of Caleux - John Iannelli
Comparison of Perovskites Initiatives of US vs China
RE+
SNEC
Reach out Scott Graybeal here:
Website: www.caelux.com
Caelux Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/caelux-corporation
News: www.caelux.com/news
Blog: www.caelux.com/blog/
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/scottgraybeal
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
PACE was first developed to creatively “finance” solar installations via property taxes, which has evolved over the years. Listen to Sean and Mike talk about the PACE program in Florida.
Be sure to see if there is a PACE program in your area and you can see all the renewable energy incentives at www.dsireusa.org
Topics Discussed:
PACE = Property Accessed Clean Energy
Financing
Property Tax Bill
Hurricane Hardening
Renewable Energy
Loan
Credit Score
Solicitation
PACE Eligibility in Florida
PACE into Commercial and Residential
Florida PACE www.floridapace.gov
Tax
PACE in other states
PPE = Power Purchase Agreement
Mortgage
Reach out Mike Moran here:
Website: www.floridapace.gov
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmoranflorida
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
An energy storage system (ESS) was always something that included an inverter…. Until now. Tune in and listen to this fun conversation with Sequoya and Sean as they shoot the breeze about how cool this new UL 9540 Edition 3 standard is and how it saves money by not having to get tested with every individual inverter.
Sequoya is also on the California Solar and Storage Association Board of Directors, so send them all your money! They are very important!!
Topics Discussed:
Briggs & Stratton Energy Solutions www.energy.briggsandstratton.com
DC only ESS = Direct Current only Energy Storage Systems
NorCal Solar = Northern California Solar Energy Association www.norcalsolar.org
CALSSA = California Solar and Storage Association www.calssa.org
UL 9540 A
UL 9540
LFP = Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery
NMC = Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Battery
Lead Acid Battery
SOC = State of Charge
AEE Solar
Backwoods Solar
48-volt Lithium-Ion Phosphate Battery
Cylindrical Primary Cell Factor
UL 1741
SimpliPHI 6.6 Battery System
Sol-Ark
Off-Grid Solar
Propagation
Stand Alone Battery under UL 9540
IFC = International Fire Code
IRC = International Residential Code
NEC = National Electrical Code
NFPA 855 = National Fire Protection Association (Standard for the Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems)
UL 9540 edition 3
Electromagnetic Pulse
SEIA = Solar Energy Industries Association
Distributed Energy
D Grid
Reach out Sequoya here:
Website: www.energy.briggsandstratton.com
Email: sales@briggsandstratton.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Sean White interviews Paul Bui from Fronius, discussing the company’s history, innovations in welding and solar technologies, new product lines including the Gen 24 hybrid inverters, and the future of energy management. They touch on Fronius' sustainable practices, industry impact, and plans for integrating renewable energy solutions, including energy storage and potential developments in EV chargers and virtual power plants. The conversation sheds light on advancements in solar inverter technologies and Fronius' commitment to sustainability.
topics covered:
Fronius www.fronius.com
Welding
“Energy Thieves”
Inverter
Hybrid Inverter
Robotics
Power Electronics
CMT Machine = Cold Metal Transfer Machine
ESS = Energy Storage System
Fronius’ Smallest Inverter and Largest Inverter
Load-side Connection
CL Inverter = Current Limited Inverter
Rapid Shutdown
Gen 24 hybrid inverters
High Frequency Inverter
Paul Bui’s Background
HeatSpring
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
Emmitt Muckles
Battery
BYD + Build Your Dreams www.byd.com
EV = Electric Vehicle
EV Charging
UL 1741
UL 9540
UL 9540A
Franklin Whole Home www.franklinwh.com
CATL = Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited www.catl.com
Global Warming
Sea Level Rising
How Fronius Started
Transformer
Smart Meter
Electric Meter
CT = Current Transformer
EMS = Energy Management System
PCS = Power Control System
VPP = Virtual Power Plant
Check out Paul here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/paul-bui
Email: bui.paul@fronius.comPhone: 2196167348
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Description:
I first met Mark Mrohs in 2008 and have always been fascinated by his experience in the industry. Some years ago, I made a list of people I wanted to be on my podcast, and Mark’s name was at the top.
Mark has been in the industry since terrestrial solar was a pipedream. He started out working at Spectrolab, which is still making solar cells for space and is not a Boeing company. I once tried calling Spectrolab to see how much solar cells were and they told me they needed government clearance to tell me.
They also discuss his work at Arco Solar and Siemens Solar and transitioning the industry from space cells to terrestrial solar. Mark also shares his journey into training and the evolution of the solar industry.
Here are some of the topics discussed:SunPower Certification in Richnmond California
Ecosolar: https://us.sunpower.com/dealers-installers/ecosolar-usa
SunEdison
Mark Mrohs’ Solar journey – beginning
Spectrolab: www.spectrolab.com
Space Solar Cells
Charlie Gay
Bill Yerkes
ArcoSolar
Carrizo Project
Arco Module
Matt Pace
Siemens Solar: https://www.siemens-energy.com
Mark Mhros in Papua New Guinea
Sean teaching in Islamabad
IREDA = Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency
Mark Fitzgerald
SSP
NABCEP
IIT = Indian Institutes of Technology
Mark Mhros life in India (Indian Program)
AstroPower
Peter Aschenbrenner
Maxeon Solar Technologies: www.maxeon.com
Module
Inverter
Ward Bauer
Solar City
Financial Engineering
Interoperability
Changes in Policies
Space Cells
Interplay Learning
Amicus: www.amicusom.com
Reach Mark Mrohs here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/markmrohs/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Title: Navigating the Future of Renewable Energy with David Chen Description: In this episode, Sean White interviews David Chen, an expert in energy and environment technology, focusing on his journey from Murata Electronics to Cold Electric, a Taiwanese battery company. They discuss green technologies, challenges in clean energy adoption, and the intricacies of global energy markets.
Topics covered:
Murata Electronics www.murata.com
Capacitors
Hydrogen
Blue Economy
Circular Economy
Anthropology
Sociology
Cold Electric
Future of Renewable Energy
Battery
Climate Tech
Ray Kurzweil
The Singularity is Near
The Singularity is Nearer
Better Place
EV = Electric Vehicle
Solar Today Magazine www.ases.org/solartoday
HVAC = Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning
HVAC = High Voltage Alternating Current
HVDC = High Voltage Direct Current
Solar of China
Market
IRA = Inflation Reduction Act
Climate Change
Prices Going up and down
Utility
Fossil Fuel
ESS = Energy Storage System
Transmission and Distribution
Grid
Solar Coaster
Formosa Plastics www.fpcusa.com
Thermal Runaway
UL9540A
Margaret Chen Founder of Cold Electric
Phil Chen CEO of Cold Electric www.linkedin.com/in/phil-chen
Non-Flammable Electrolyte
Inverters
Inertia
Migration
Sea Level Rising
Reach David Chen here:
Email: david@coldelectric.com
Linked in: www.linkedin.com/in/dachen
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Do not listen to this podcast, unless you are an ESS nerd! Sean Reads the International Fire Code Section 1207 Electrical ESS.
This podcast of Sean reading Code, and is not intended for normal people to listen to. Skip this, unless you already know what the IFC is and are interested in this topic.
The International Fire Code (IFC) has the rules for non-residential ESSs that are used in the US and adopted by most states. A few starters use the NFPA 1 Fire Code. There is another NFPA Standard NFPA 855 The Standard For The Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems, which is used as a reference for writing the IFC, but is not meant to be adopted by any state.
Here is the Code:
www.codes.iccsafe.org/content/IFC2024P1/chapter-12-energy-systems#IFC2024P1_Pt03_Ch12_Sec1207
www.up.codes/viewer/mississippi/ifc-2024/chapter/12/energy-systems#1207
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean's classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
They delve into Brit's journey in the solar industry, exploring her experiences from door-to-door solar sales to her work on community solar projects and farm management. The conversation highlights the vital need for more women in solar and the innovative courses offered by Heatspring. Join us for a mix of valuable insights, captivating stories, and plenty of laughs!
Topics covered:
Brit’s role in HeatSpring as the Director of Program Management
PVIP = PV Installation Professional
ESIP = Energy Storage Installation Professional
Solar Roadways
PVTS = PV Technical Sales
Solar Sales
Taylor Jackson of HeatSpring Solar Sales Class
Americorps
Grid Alternatives Solar Corp Fellowship Program
Community Solar Gardens
Brit’s hostel in Chile
Sun Bottle Farms
Women to do Solar
Siblings in Solar Industry
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
HeatSpring involvement in NABCEP
NABCEP Conferences
Reach Brittany Heller here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-hellerhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-heller/
HeatSpring.: www.heatspring.com
Email: brit@heatspring.comLearn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy storage podcast, I'm excited to welcome back my long-time friend and industry expert, Greg Smith. We dive into his book, The Battery Powered Home, and explore the NABCEP ESIP certification, along with a wide range of topics in solar and energy storage technologies. Greg shares some valuable insights from his experiences during the peak of the lockdown and his work with companies like SMA, Sonnen, and Tigo. We also talked about practical tips for new installers, the importance of reading manuals, and share some funny stories from our careers.
Topics covered:
Greg Smith's book
- The Battery-Powered Home: Foolproof Grid-Tied Lithium Storage
SM Sunny Island 5048U
Tokelau Island
Greg Smith Working with various companies
RTFM = Read the F_N Manual
Advice for Solar Industry Newcomers
CCA = Community Choice Aggregation
ATS = Automatic Transfer Switch
Tigo Ei Inverter
Net metering
NABCEP ESIP
Funny Solar model images
NABCEP PVIP
NABCEP JTA committee
NFPA 855
Ward Bower
Sean White as the first to pass NABCEP ESIP exam
Greg Smith's barbecue and personal stories
Check him out here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/gregsmith007
Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/@SnarkySolarGuy
Website: www.snarkysolarguy.com
Amazon: The Battery-Powered Home: Foolproof Grid-Tied Lithium
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean's classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, host Sean White has an engaging conversation with Riley Neugebauer, a renowned solar influencer and installer. Riley shares her journey into the solar industry, the founding of her organization 'Solar for Women,' and her insights on the challenges women face in the solar trades. They also discuss her role as a residential electrician, the social aspects of the solar community, and the future of solar technology and policy.
Topics Covered:
Solar for Women
- Facebook www.facebook.com/SolarForWomen
- Website www.solarforwomen.com
- Instagram www.instagram.com/solarforwomen
ASES conference
Riley's Background
Red Cloud Renewable www.redcloudrenewable.org
Women in the Solar Industry
Namaste Solar
- Website www.namastesolar.com
- Linkedin www.linkedin.com/company/namaste-solar
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
Electricians
Derek the Solar boi www.solarboi.com
O&M = operations and maintenance
Flashing and butyl
Tesla Powerwall
DaVinci Shingles
MCI = mid Circuit Interrupter
Rapid Shutdown
UL 3741
Increasing Module size
NREL = National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Solar tile
The Future
Question and answer for Sean
Check out Riley here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/riley-neugebauer
Solar for Women: www.solarforwomen.com
Namaste: www.namastesolar.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/riley.neugebauer
Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@solarinstallergirl
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean's classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Sean White hosts Tim Townsend in an extensive discussion on the historical and technical evolution of solar energy. They delve into Arco Solar's pioneering work in the 1980s, the PVUSA project, and personal anecdotes that bring to life the early days of the solar industry. The conversation also explores the practicalities of solar energy systems, from degradation rates to the enduring reliability of older and newer modules. Tim shares insights earned from decades in the field, peppered with amusing and thought-provoking stories, including a scare involving a stray bullet at the PVUSA site.
Topics Covered:
PG&E = Pacific Gas and Electric Company
PVUSA = Photovoltaics for Utility Systems Applications.
Eclipse
Arco Solar
Off grid
On grid
AEE Solar
Real Goods Solar
Carrizo Solar
Grid-tie Inverter
History of Solar
Led Acid Battery
33 cell modules and 36 cell modules
System Sizing and Site Analysis
Darren Bouton
SCE = Southern California Edison
Radio Shack Science Kit
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
PVUSA test conditions
EPRI = Electric Power research Institute
NREL = National Renewable Energy Laboratory
M660
NOCT = Nominal Operating Cell Temperature
VOC = Open Circuit Voltage
NMOT + Nominal Module Operating Temperature
CEC = California Energy Commission test conditions
AC = Rating
Evergreen solar
PVUSA Testing Center (near a target range)
PVUSA Testing Center Tour
NREL Performance and Reliability Workshop
PV Degradation
Reach Tim Townsend here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/tim-townsend
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, Sean White interviews Wayne Garrett, Chief Commercial Officer for Viridi. They discuss Viridi's innovative energy storage solutions, including their use of LG 18650 cells, passive cooling technology, and applications in microgrids and commercial settings. They also touch on Viridi's partnerships, particularly with Sunbelt and potential connections to construction equipment. Additionally, Garrett shares insights about their military applications, emphasizing the importance of silent and efficient battery systems in tactical scenarios.
Topics covered:
Microgrids
Microgrid training
Viridi Parente www.viridiparente.com
Energy Storage
Solar on Traffic lights
Scalable systems
Battery Management Systems
Lithium Ion Batteries
Passive Cooling
Active Cooling
NMC = Nickel Magnesium Cobalt
LG 18650
LFP = Lithium Iron Phosphate
First Fail safe Lithium Ion Battery System
UL 9540A
ESS = Energy Storage System
Phenolic plate
Sunbelt
Parallelable
Battery System
Hybrid Cars
EV = Electric Vehicle
EV Charging Station
Bobcat
Battery Energy Storage Systems
VPP = Virtual Power Plant
AI = Artificial Intelligence
Wayne Garrett Army Background
Energy Storage System Benefits for Military use
Reach Wayne Garrett here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/wayne-garrett
Viridi: www.viridiparente.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Join Sean White on this episode of the Solar and Energy Storage Podcast as he sits down with Jessica Harris, President of Harris Energy Solutions. They explore Jessica’s role in shaping her company’s focus on energy consulting versus engineering, and what sets them apart. Discover her approach to establishing a successful consulting firm, and the role of energy modeling in her work. Tune in for a deep dive into the world of energy consulting and the future of sustainable practices.
Topics Covered:
Harris Energy Solutions: www.hesconnect.com
PE = Professional Engineer
Difference between Energy Engineering and Consulting
Title 24 laws in California
C&I = Commercial and Industrial
NABCEP PVDS
Energy Modelling in Equest – Jessica Harris’ Heatspring class www.heatspring.com/courses/energy-modeling-in-equest
VRF = Variable Refrigerant Flow
HERS Rater = Home Energy Rating System Rater
Energy Audit
Solar Incentives
Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency: www.dsireusa.org
NYSERDA = New York State Energy Research and Development Authority: www.nyserda.ny.gov
CPS Energy
Strategies in building and expanding a successful Company
Decarbonization
Heat Pumps
HeatSpring
Different types of companies
Reach Jessica Harris here:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-harris
Harris Energy Solutions: www.hesconnect.com
Heatspring: www.heatspring.com/courses/energy-modeling-in-equest
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Illumine – I is a pioneering solar engineering firm driving innovation and efficiency in renewable energy solutions. CEO and illumine – I’s co-founder, Nithish Sairam discusses his journey, the challenges of the renewable energy sector, and the innovative approaches Illumine-I is bringing to the table. Here are some of the topics discussed: ArizonaEntrepreneurship vs working in Corporate IndustryStanford Seed ProgramIllumine – ITeslaNextEraSurfingBritish Wiring StandardsIllumine-I’s Services and Market FocusIntroducing IVEFormula Race CarsAnalyzing the Wind flow over meteor craterStrategies in handling small and large scale projects Reach Nithish Sairam here:Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/nithish-sairam-26358156Illumine-i.: www.illuminei.com Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this engaging episode, Sean White welcomes back Herve Billiet, who shares insights from his recent experience selling his company Ipsun Solar. They discuss the intricacies of selling a business, the evolution of the solar industry, and delve into Herve's current venture, Sunvoy. The conversation also touches on the importance of efficient business management, leveraging AI for business operations, and the importance of thorough preparations when selling a company. Topics covered:
Selling your company
Sunvoy www.sunvoy.com
Ipsun www.ipsunsolar.com
B corp
C corp
S corp
NABCEP www.nabcep.org
Zepp Solar
Solar City/Tesla
Joe Marhamati
Broker
Stock deal no asset deal
Non-compete regulation
AI = Artificial Intelligence
EPC = Engineering Procurement Construction
EBITDA = Earnings Before Interest Taxes Depreciation and Amortization
White House Energy Incorporated
SaaS = Software as a Service
Sunvoy API = Application Programming Interface
Q&A for Sean White
Matt Pace
Arco Solar Modules
Jeff Spies
Solar Roots Movie
Ezra Auerbach www.linkedin.com/in/ezra-a
Ward Bowers
1954 Bell Labs Solar
Bill Brooks www.linkedin.com/in/bill-brooks
NEC = National Electrical Code
Article 690 Solar Photovoltaic (PV)
705.13 Energy Management System
Check Herve out at:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/hervebilliet
Sunvoy: www.sunvoy.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean ’ s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Perch Energy is a leading community solar servicer on a mission to make renewable energy more accessible and equitable for all. We serve both solar project owners and subscribers. We offer solar developers and asset owners a suite of services to maximize ROI on their projects—including subscriber acquisition and lifecycle management, a robust technology platform, and deep policy expertise to help navigate local solar legislation and regulations. By managing the full subscriber experience for solar farm owners, Perch is able to bring electricity bill savings to the masses, from renters and homeowners to businesses, institutions, municipalities and more by connecting them to community solar projects in their area. Perch isn’t just a for-profit company, we’re a for-purpose company—accelerating the shift to renewables nationwide. Everyone deserves to benefit from clean energy. Everyone has a place on this Perch! Bruce Stewart is a strategic business leader and operator with a career focused on successfully delivering business growth, transformation, and driving business results. Prior to joining Perch Energy, Bruce served as President at Direct Energy Home, and Co-President of Centrica US Holdings, where he led the successful sale of Direct Energy to NRG for $3.6B in January 2021, in addition to delivering a 33% increase in operating profit, renewed customer growth, operating cost efficiencies, 29% reduction in churn and top customer service results for the Direct Energy Home business. Over the past 20+ years, Bruce has enjoyed building and leading great teams that have scaled businesses operating in multiple industries facing dynamic market shifts, regulatory and competitive disruption and change. Specifically, he has had the unique opportunity to develop strategy, execute transformation and drive profitable growth for companies in three different industries: (a) cable telcom/broadband/media; (b) technology/internet/mobile; and most recently, (c) the energy and home services industries.
As a change agent, Bruce was an early adopter in engaging data, analytics and insights to drive day-to-day business decisions, and prioritizing customer experience. He takes pride in building and encouraging great teams within environments of continuous learning, transparency, strong communication and engagement.
In addition to international experience leading teams and running P&L’s in EMEA, APAC and LATAM, Bruce has a legal foundation that has underpinned nearly a hundred M&A transactions and strategic partnerships. Bruce has been covered in leading publications on business and leadership topics including technology, mobile, broadband and energy innovation; leading customer-service focused organizations; driving ops and business transformation; M&A deals; and building strategic commercial partnerships as well as industry leading environmental sustainability initiatives within the sports industry.
An active participant as a Board Member and Advisor for start-up, non-profit and public companies, Bruce has served on non-profits such as the Houston Habitat for Humanity, Project Rebirth and Comprehensive Care Center; professional and corporate boards including the Greater Houston Partnership, Collider Media, Telos Corp, Exodus/GlobalCenter, CTIA-Wireless Internet Caucus, and NCTPA.
Early on, Bruce competed in the 1987 America’s Cup races in Fremantle, Australia as a crew member on the Courageous Challenge US syndicate on behalf of the Yale Corinthian Yacht Club. Topics covered:Community Solar only allowed in 20 statesWhat is community solar?Why would someone not sign up?Day to day, what makes community solar different from paying a utility like most people?Net-metering?Community solar state programs? Which states?Why do some states not have community solar programs/laws?How can we change the community solar laws? PUCs, utilities, local, state and federal lawsHow does community solar make solar more accessible? Poor people – rentersControversial: Should people still have rooftop solar? -what if you move, economies of scaleCan you have community solar and community choice aggregation all at once?With community solar, can subscribers get tax credits and tax benefits? Who gets tax credits? Depreciation?All of energy?Will there ever be community energy storage?EV charging?Pass renter to renter ppurposefulWe're passionate about making clean energy access easier and more rewardingeentrepreneurialWe're visionary disruptors, challenging the status quo, unafraid to fail forwardrrespectfulWe treat our planet, our customers and each other with humility and respectccollaborativeWe value each other's contributions and work inclusively to make things betterhhonestWe communicate openly, act transparently and promote environmental justice Reach Bruce Stewart here:Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/brucestewartPerch energy Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/perchenergyPerch energy website: www.perchenergy.com Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by takingSean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
SNEC is by far the largest Renewable Energy conference in the world with a half-million people attending, and SNEC has also branched out with a conference that is just for Energy Storage and will happen soon in Shanghai SNEC ES: Energy Storage Conference and Exhibition:September 24-27 2024https://es.snec.org.cn Also go to the other SNEC conference and exhibition:June 10-13 2025https://pv.snec.org.cn/?locale=en-US We talk about coming to SNEC ES+ and learning how the ES industry works and what it takes to make a factory in the US, and how you can learn to build and efficient factory in the US and create American jobs! Praise the Inflation Reduction Act! I have known Madame Mi for 19 years and she is a good friend. I have seen her go from someone leading a small conference to a conference that is bigger than many cities. Jenny Tong is Madame Mi's daughter and has helped translate some of the conversation. Both are good friends. In this podcast we also talk about the history of SNEC to where it is now. This big SNEC show floor is 380,000 square meters = 4.3 million square feet = 71 football fields = 54 acres and then there is a lot more space than the exhibition! Jenny is now taking Sean's Energy Storage Boot Camp class on Heatspring and you should too! www.heatspring.comTo learn more and become super successful like Madame Mi, go to www.solarSEAN.com
This is a bootleg copy of a live podcast that RE+ and Nico Johnson of Suncast were nice enough to let us perform. The published title is: Soothsaying / Keeping Solar Jobs Fun and CoolPredict the future of the industry with AI, VPPs V2X and our future Codes and Standards wish list with Sean White and Bill Brooks of Brooks Engineering. Afterwards, Sean and Johan Alfsen of K2 Systems will discuss making solar education and the industry fun and cool. This podcast was a blast! Power Up Live:www.re-plus.com/poweruplive
Suncast YouTube Channel where it was posted live:www.youtube.com/suncastmedia Get your fun and future looking solar knowledge at www.solarSEAN.com
Fluence is one of the big names in Energy Storage Systems (ESS) and Mark Berger explains what Fluence is, the relationship between Fluence, Siemens and AES. Topics covered:Siemens/AESAES = Applied Energy ServicesTX grid-what makes it unique?ERCOT = Electric Reliability Council of Texas www.ercot.comAC vs DC coupled (interconnected)LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate)EV battery vs ESS batteryUL 9540 and AThermal runaway-propagationSizes of different productsBeyond fire testAI Bidding Software-MosaicWorking with Oi l and Gas industry in TXDuck curveFluence UltrastackGrid forming inverters2.2GWh of batteriesBMS = Battery Management SystemsIRA manufacturingCube vs. Cuboid (rectangular cube/container)AI and VPPsIs Fluence hardware and softwareProduct and Program Management in Fluence Fluence Dictionary Definitions: flu·ence1/ˈflo͞oəns/1. mysterious, magical, or hypnotic "you've put the fluence onme, haven't you?" 2. The number of radiant-energy particles emitted from or incident on a surface in a given period of time, divided by the area of the surface. 3. The best ESS company! 4. The energy of a laser pulse per unit area 5. The energydensity from an optical source impingent on a sample 6. The Latijn word fluere, meaning"to flow"
Reach Mark Berger here:Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/markberger-houSuncast: www.fluenceenergy.com Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
David Maher has over 30 years of experience in secure computing and is responsible for Research and Development at Intertrust. In addition, he is currently President of Seacert Corporation, a certificate authority for the Internet of Things, President of WhiteCryption Corporation, a developer of application security software, and Co-chairman of the Marlin Trust Management Organization which oversees the world’s only independent digital rights management ecosystem. Before joining Intertrust in 1999, Maher was chief scientist for AT&T Secure Communications Systems, Head of the Secure Systems Research Department, and security architect for AT&T’s Internet services platform. After joining Bell Labs in 1981, he developed secure communications, information vending, and e-commerce systems. He was Chief Architect for AT&T’s STU-III secure voice, data, and video products used by the White House and Department of Defense for top-secret communications. In 1992, Maher became a Bell Labs Fellow in recognition of his accomplishments in communications security. Maher holds dozens of patents in secure computing; has published papers in the fields of mathematics and computer science; and has consulted with the National Science Foundation, National Security Agency, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment. Maher holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from Lehigh University. He has taught electrical engineering, mathematics, and computer science at several institutions. CTO of Intertrust Dave Maher, was recently selected to join the nation’s leading artificial intelligence (AI) stakeholders to participate in a Department of Commerce initiative established by NIST. Dave can discuss the electric demands of AI and what innovative energy resource will save the electric grid. Topics:VPP = Virtual Power PlantsAI Safety Institute ConsortiumUsing AI to optimize energy systemsHash FunctionalityBlockchainBitcoinSatoshi NakamotoHal FinneyStuart HaberDiffie–HellmanSoviet UnionTransatlantic cableUS-UK wartime communicationsSecure Systems DesignCyber attack preventionData CommunicationDigital CommunicationZero Trust ArchitecturesQuantum ComputingOperational Technology SystemsSCADA = Supervisory Control and Data AcquisitionTEIA = Trusted Energy Interoperability AllianceGCHQ = Government Communications HeadquartersNSA = National Security AgencyAsset ProtectionDual Use Technologies Check him out here:Dave’s email address: dpm@intertrust.comIntertrust Website: https://www.intertrust.comTEIA Website: https://www.trusted-energy.org Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In an urban environment, it can be difficult to find roof space for installing solar. One method is to jack up your solar system, so that it is above all the “junk” on the roof, such as air conditioners and heat pumps. TR Ludwig had a solar installation company, Brooklyn Solar Works, which developed a solution. He has also adopted this solar canopy technology to work on the ground, which is a great place where you can park your car and mount your EV charger. TR is also on the board of NYSEIA and is currently treasurer. In this podcast we also talked about: Electric BoatsBrooklyn Solar WorksBrooklyn Solar Canopy CompanyCanopy Design/StructureHeight requirement for pathways under solar canopiesCanopy Installation (Attachments)Rooftop Canopy and Carport CanopyTilt RackUL (Underwriters Laboratories)NYSEIA: New York Solar Energy Industry Association www.nyseia.org NYSERDA: New York State Energy Research and Development Authority www.nyserda.ny.gov NYC and the 2008 NECNet Metering 3NABCEPAmicus Solar Cooperative www.amicussolar.comWhat happens to the solar industry if Trump gets elected?New York City Solar Canopies Reach TR Ludwig here:Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/trludwigBrooklyn Solar Canopy Co.: www.brooklynsolarcanopy.comBrooklyn Solar Works: www.brooklynsolarworks.comEMO Electric: www.emoelectric.co Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode of the Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, Sean White sits down with Michael Bahtiarian, an expert in acoustics and noise control engineering. They delve into the intricacies of sound in various environments, from solar and battery energy storage sites to wind turbines and submarines. They explore the science behind sound measurement, noise regulation, and innovative solutions for noise reduction. They also share personal anecdotes and discuss the broader implications of noise on human health and environmental impact. Whether you're a sound enthusiast or a professional in the energy sector, this episode offers valuable insights into the world of acoustics. Topics covered:Solar and powerplant soundsInvertersNoise OrdinancesDecibelsEarplugsMike’s professionSound BarriersDecibel levelsThe Big DigTTF = Temporary Threshold ShiftSalesforceWind ShearNikola TeslaSBSP = Space based solar powerPile driversConstruction noisesInfrasonic soundRenewable Energy - WindTransmitting energy with soundSBSP = Space Based Solar PowerO&M = Operation and MaintenanceNoise CancellationNoise underwater (Submarine)How noise and sound acoustics affects every fieldAcentech www.acentech.comInstitute of Noise Control EngineeringBBN = Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc.INCE Institute of Noise Control Engineering www.inceusa.org/ Reach Michael Bahtiarian here:Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbahtiarian/Acentech linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/acentech/ Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this engaging episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, Sean White interviews Nico Johnson, the renowned solar podcaster behind Suncast with over 700 episodes. They delve into Nico's journey in the solar industry, key moments from his podcasting career, and his passion for storytelling. Their conversation spans topics from networking in unexpected places to the evolution of the solar industry. Nico shares insights on podcast preparation, storytelling techniques like the five T's, and the exciting potential of digital archiving. This episode is full of valuable tips and inspirational anecdotes for anyone interested in the solar industry and podcasting. Topics covered:NABCEP www.nabcep.orgSuncast www.mysuncast.comFidelity Roof Company www.fidelityroof.comStuart WentworthConergy EnZinc www.linkedin.com/company/enzincMichael Burz www.linkedin.com/in/michael-burzRechargeable Lead Acid Batteries AltE Store https www.altestore.comSascha Deri www.linkedin.com/in/sascha-deriReal Goods Digital ArchivingHart AkersonHart TransverterNorCal Solar www.norcalsolar.orgJigar Shah www.linkedin.com/in/jigarshahdcAlpha BrainASES = American Solar Energy Society www.ases.orgISES = International Solar Energy Society www.ises.orgStorytelling TacticsNextracker www.nextracker.comDaniel Shugar www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-shugarLead Acid BatteriesThe five TsLisa Ann Pinkerton www.linkedin.com/in/lisaannpinkertonEarthlings Podcast www.earthlingspodcast.comTechnical CommunicationJohn Engel www.linkedin.com/in/johnengelboiseRenewable Energy World www.renewableenergyworld.comLex Fridman www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridmanDwarkesh Patel www.youtube.com/@DwarkeshPatelValence: Content that Connects: www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence Reach Nico Johnson here:Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/nickalusSuncast: www.mysuncast.com Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this conversation with Ezra Auerbach, we cover a lot of topics, especially solar sales, and ethics. Ezra is especially passionate about ethical solar and storage sales practices. Ezra and Sean both teach NABCEP PV Technical Sales (PVTS) classes. Ezra also has lived off-grid on an Island on the West Coast of Canada for 50+ years. He started his first solar company in 1986. Most people know him for his involvement with NABCEP, including being there at the founding of NABCEP and especially his time running NABCEP as the Executive Director from 2009 to 2013. Ezra is still active with NABCEP, and I still see him around at various conferences and events. Perhaps you do too! Topics Covered:NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy PractitionersMicrogridsVirtual Power Plants = VPPEnergy Storage Systems = ESSSEIA = Solar Energy Industry Association NABCEP ESIP = Energy Storage Installation Professional certificationNet-MeteringCalifornia Net-Metering policy (NEM 2.0 and NEM 3.0)California Solar InitiativeJeff Spies (see Sean’s podcast with Jeff 4/28/2024)EA = Energy Alternatives www.energyalternatives.ca/Solar ThermalNorCal Solar = Northern California Solar Energy AssociationScaniflyLiDAR = Light Detection And RangingEV = Electric VehicleSMA solar = System Mess and Anlagentchnik Reach Ezra Auerbach here:Ezra’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ezra-a-4905123b/ Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode, Sean White is joined by Sierra Fan, co-founder of cleantech software platform Illu (www.illu.works) and fellow board member of NorCal Solar. They discuss everything from the importance of nature education for children to the balance of pollutant vs carbon mitigation in Chinese regulatory policy to the difficulties of running a microgrid installation crew in Myanmar. Finally, they dig deep into the new software technology that Sierra is building at Illu and why ongoing digital tools are a critical component for the buildout of the new clean energy workforce in the US and beyond. Topics Covered:Climate ChangePollutionCarbon EmissionGreenhouse GasClimate DeniersGlobal WarmingSilicon Valley HighschoolHenry M Gunn HighschoolAn Inconvenient Truth www.wikipedia.org/An_Inconvenient_TruthSunPower Foundation www.sunpower.com/foundationOne Million Lights Philippines www.onemillionlights.orgSacha Baron Ali G www.youtube.comIllu www.illu.worksBenefits of Illu
Check out Sierra Fan here:Sierra Fan Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/sierrafan/Illu Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/illuworks/Illu www.illu.works Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Matthew is the Communications Lead at the Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub ( MACH2). As one of the leading figures in the hydrogen energy sector, he recently delivered a compelling Opening Keynote at the North American Hydrogen Summit 2024, highlighting the transformative potential of green and pink hydrogen in achieving significant environmental goals. 1. Green and Pink Hydrogen Initiatives:Explore how MACH2 plans to integrate green and pink hydrogen into its operations and the broader implications for the energy industry. 2. Environmental Impact: Delve into MACH2’s ambitious goal to reduce up to 25 million Metric Tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and criteria pollutants per year through innovative hydrogen solutions. 3. Hydrogen Hub Development:Gain insights into the progress and challenges of developing one of the seven hydrogen hubs across the United States and the role of MACH2 in this nationwide effort. 4. Future of Clean Energy: Discuss the broader vision for the hydrogen economy in the U.S. and how MACH2's initiatives align with national and global sustainability goals.
This interview presents a rare and exclusive opportunity to gain insights into the future of hydrogen energy directly from a key leader in the field. Matt Krayton’s expertise and insights will provide invaluable perspectives on how clean hydrogen solutions can drive significant environmental and economic benefits. Topics covered include:Hydrogen colors and definitionsGreen hydrogenBlue HydrogenTurquoise HydrogenYellow hydrogenBrown hydrogen and black hydrogen (coal)Pink hydrogen (nuclear)Orange hydrogenGrey hydrogen (most common)SMR = Steam Methane ReformationHydrogen hubSmart pipeSensorsUsing existing methane (natural gas) pipeRe-sleevingRetoolingRefurbishingIRA = Inflation Reduction ActAmmonia NH3Hydrogen H2Methane CH4Lithium Ion BatteriesEV = Electric VehicleClimate ChangeAmtrakBipartisan Infrastructure Law Reach Matthew Krayton here:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mkrayton/Publitics Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/publitics-solutions-llc/Influence IQ: www.influenceiq.publitics.com/ Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Christopher has and has had many roles in the solar and storage industry. Currently he is a consultant and has fractional leadership roles in various companies, such as Kevala. Christopher was also the CEO and COO of Blue Planet, which is pioneer in using Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) lithium-ion batteries. Christopher has worked with SEPA, CPUC and many others. Christopher Johnson takes things off the plate of busy CEOs. He lives and works in San Francisco, the climate tech capital of the world! Topics Covered:Kevala www.kevala.comBlue Planet www.blueplanetenergy.comTeslaDistributed EnergyFord F150Bidirectional EVsCalifornia 100% EVs by 2035Clean Energy Buyers Association www.cebuyers.comNorCal solar www.norcalsolar.comRice UniversityBatteriesAI = Artificial IntelligenceSeneca NationEV = Electric VehicleSEPA = Smart Electric Power Association www.sepapower.comSEIA = Solar Energy Industry Association www.seia.comRE+ www.re-plus.comVPPA = Virtual Power Purchase AgreementTesla PowerwallNEM = Net Energy MeteringBidirectional Electric Vehicle Reach Christopher Johnson here:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/enlighten/ Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by takingSean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Back in the 2009/2010 Ontario FIT era, Sean was teaching classes for the Ontario Solar Academy and the Solar Coaster ended that job and the Ontario Solar Academy, however Sean discovered 14 years later that solaracademy.com has a 2nd live and Kerim is posting videos on the site. This podcast can also be seen on YouTube and on solaracademy.com. Kerim is an entrepreneur with a passion for renewable energy and a history of many things. Kerim founded Civic Solar and sold it to CED GreentechKerim is the Managing Director of Enki Solar Investments Topics covered:Kerim Baran www.linkedin.comOntario Solar academyNico Johnson www.linkedin.comCivic SolarCED GreentechSolar Academy solaracademy.comFeed-in tariff HeatSpring www.heatspring.comInfinite solarJacob TravisCCA = Community Choice Aggregation Paul FinnHistory of Solar IndustrySean White’s backgroundStuart WentworthQuick mount PVHeatSpring courses and bundles www.heatspring.com/seanNABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioner www.nabcep.comNorCal solar = Northern California Solar Energy Association www.norcalsolar.orgASES = American Solar Energy Society www.ases.com Check Kerim out at solaracademy.com and at www.linkedin.com Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
This podcast episode, hosted by Sean White, features an extensive conversation with Paul Subzak about solar energy and energy storage. Recorded in Orinda, California, Sean and Paul discuss a range of topics from utility-scale solar projects to the technical details of electrical infrastructure, including wire sizing and inverters. They also delve into the impacts of regulatory aspects on renewable energy projects and explore the future of solar technology and practical field implementation. Both Sean, with his solar education background, and Paul, with his engineering experience, offer deep insights into the current trends and future directions of the renewable energy industry. Topics covered:Paul Subzakwww.linkedin.comDG = Distributed generationClear skySolar ImpulseInvertersTrunk busPower outage and brownoutsRecloserIPC = Insulation Piercing ConnectorIPP = Independent Power ProducerAluminum and copper wireAHJ = Authority Having JurisdictionCopper Clad SteelCYME www.cyme.com/software/cymcap/Solar and energy storageSmall Grid InterconnectUtility Scale Solar ProjectsGrid interconnect applicationNESC = National Electrical Safety CodeHigh Voltage DCDG = Distribution GridTransmission GridGroundingOvercurrent ProtectionString inverters vs. Central invertersTransmission linesGrid following invertersGrid forming invertersSpinning reservesIBR = Inverter Based ResourceMPPT = Maximum Power Point TrackingTE ConnectivityFrequency regulationGeothermal Heat PumpsTransmission linesSolar in Texas and CaliforniaDC and AC wireDuct banksERCOT = Electric Reliability Council of Texas www.ercot.comNorCal Solar = Northern California Solar Energy www.norcalsolar.orgASES = American Solar Energy Society www.ases.orgISES - International Solar Energy Society www.ises.org Reach Paul Subzak here:Conductor Power: www.conductorpower.comLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by takingSean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode Sean White welcomes Ed Rottman, CEO of Chroma Energy Group, for a comprehensive discussion on renewable energy, particularly focusing on solar power and energy storage developments. They delve into Ed's background, Chroma Energy Group's operations, and the intricacies of distributed generation, utility scale storage, and the evolution of the solar industry. The conversation also covers innovative trends like agrivoltaics and bifacial photovoltaics, the impact of AI on renewable energy, and the challenges and opportunities facing the sector, including workforce development and infrastructure investments. Topics Covered:Chroma Energy Group www.chromaenergygroup.comStowers Machinery Caterpillar Dealer www.stowerscat.comMDA = Missile Defense Agency www.mda.milBooz Allen Hamilton www.boozallen.comConservative Climate Caucus www.conservativeclimatecaucus.comInflation Reduction ActTVA = Tennessee Valley Authority www.tva.comAl Gore www.algorewiki.comLPS = Local Power Companies EPC = Engineering Procurement and Construction www.epc.comACP = American Clean Power www.cleanpower.comAI technology RE+ in TexasC&I = Commercial and IndustrialDG = Distributed GenerationPaul SubzakElectric VehiclePeople against solar energyAgrivoltaicsFencing Bifacial PVMonofacial PVNellis Solar Power Plant 14 megawatt (MW)Utility Scale Storage ProjectsEMS = Energy Management SystemsClimate WeekNorCal Solar www.norcalsolar.orgSaaS = Software as a ServiceAI = Artificial IntelligenceImpacts on how renewable energy does in the future You can reach Ed Rottmann here:Ed Rottmann www.linkedin.com/in/edward-rottmann/ Chroma Energy Group www.chromaenergygroup.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this podcast, Sean White is joined by Tony Diaz, a seasoned roofer and solar expert, and Johan Alfson, a solar installation specialist. They dig deep into the evolution of solar roofing techniques, discussing early practices, industry standards, and the importance of quality installations. The conversation covers the challenges of maintaining roofing integrity, the impact of using modern materials like butyl, and the need for continuous education and proper business practices in the solar industry. They emphasized the value of quality over speed and cheap methods and highlighted the necessity for industry standards and certifications. Topics Covered:Stuart WentworthClaudia WentworthEzraQuickmount PVGoop in a prayerUnirac www.unirac.comK2 www.k2-systems.comRooftech www.rooftech.comComp Shingle RoofsBernoulli effectMetal FlashingButyl roofDirecTV www.directv.comSnapNrack www.snapnrack.comO&MNABCEP www.nabcep.orgGolden pledge warrantyGAF roofing www.gaf.comPitch PocketRE+ Northern CaliforniaSales trainingCrap Solar on Facebook Solar Hall of ShameNABCEP ConferenceNRCA = National Roofing Contractors Association www.nrca.netRISE = Roof Integrated Solar EnergySCIJeff SpiesRichard Lawrence Check them out here: Facebook: Century Roof & Solar Instagram: @centuryroofandsolarLinkedIn: Century Roof And SolarNo Utility Bills Inc: www.noutilitybills.comCentury Roof and Solar: www.centuryroofandsolar.com Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by takingSean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Sean White talks to John Coffman from Commercial Solar about the innovative hybrid power tree. This new technology combines solar and wind energy. John shares insights about the design, engineering, and potential of these hybrid power trees, which are being manufactured in the Philippines. They also discuss partnerships, financing options, and the advantages of combining solar and wind power. Tune in to learn more about this exciting development in green technology. Topics Covered: Martin NavalesCommercial Solar www.commercialsolar.bizHybrid Power treeSolind Technology Corporation www.solindtechcorp.comMaxeonSun Power www.us.sunpower.comSKEPS www.skeps.comPrimus wind turbineEnphase Battery SystemUL 61730Solar WindowsColored SolarArtistic SolarSolar RoadwaysSmart Flowers
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by takingSean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode, Sean White hosts Joe Marhamati, the visionary behind Sunvoy, as they explore the revolutionary solar and energy storage solutions reshaping the industry. From discussing Sunvoy's innovative customer portal and fleet management app to delving into wider topics like the impact of solar on the grid, the program offers insightful discussions on the future of energy. Join us as we uncover the intersections of technology, sustainability, and business in the solar sector. Topics covered:Joe Marhamati www.linkedin.comSUNVOY www.sunvoy.comIpsun solarwww.ipsunsolar.comLex FriedmanWhite LabelUS Department of Energy www.energy.govPresident Office of Sustainability Support and the Office of the Loan Programs.Jiggers ShawNABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy PractitionersHervey Billy www.linkedin.comSaaS = Software as a ServiceCRM = Customer Relationship ManagementAPI = Application Programming InterfaceRapid ShutdownB Corp = Benefit corpSREC = Solar renewable energy certificateHubspotSalesforceIRS = Internal Revenue ServiceLargest PV Plant in the USElectric VehiclesThe first large scale commercial solar thermal plantsNevadaCSP = Concentrated Solar PowerTeslaRevenge of the electric carSolyndra vs Solar moduleQuestion and answer for Sean WhiteInfinite SolarBill Brooks www.linkedin.comDerek the solarboi www.solarboi.com Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by takingSean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Celebrating 50 Years with NorCal Solar: Insights, Innovations, and Impact In this special episode, join Sean White at the NorCal Solar 50th Anniversary Party in Oakland, California. Sean captures the essence of this vibrant gathering, filled with pioneers, innovators, and advocates for solar and energy storage. Each conversation shines a light on the diverse contributions to the solar industry and environmental sustainability. As we celebrate 50 years of NorCal Solar, join us in exploring the future of solar energy, the importance of community, and the advancements in technological and environmental advocacy. Topics covered and people I talked to: BMO Bank of MontrealPlant-Based Innovations with Climax FoodsClimax Food www.climax.bioOliver ZahnClaudia HemsworthClaudia Hanson Wentworth AwardTor Valin Probably True Solar Stories www.probablytruesolar.comRosemary HowleyCarlo FedericconioSEER Solar Energy Expo and RallyJim AugustynSolar Cat BookJerry BrownKevin GaoWill WisemanClimatize.earth www.climatize.earthInvestmentSolar Cell RegistryEPCHelix Electric www.helicelectric.comWallbox Headquarters www.wallbox.comFranz of Solar4AmericaSolar4America www.solar4america.comElaine HebertASES American Solar Energy Society www.ases.orgRahoos Institute www.rahoos.iePG&E www.pge.comUrban Solar Energy AssociationMass Bay Solar Energy AssociationNESEA New England Solar Energy AssociationNESEA Northeast Sustainable Energy Association www.nesea.orgCalifornia Energy Commision www.energy.ca.govPVUSASiemens Solar ModulesKen WuInternational Ocean Film Foundation www.intloceanfilmfest.orgSaad YoussefiPaul SubzakClimate WeekWill DravenLana SavordovaSujala Climax FoodEase GentleB2B SaaS business-to-business Software-as-a-ServiceJohn MinSaya ImpactKenny WarrenSun RunSierra FanILLU www.illu.worksPaper CutsGreg SmithRTFM
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by takingSean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this episode, Johan shares how he got into the solar industry, talks about Solar Battle of the Bands, the solar installer competition at Intersolar, and the ups and downs of his career. He also discusses how solar installation has changed his musical projects in the industry and a lot more! Topics covered: Quick mount PVK2 systems www.k2-systems.comSolar battle of the bandsSolar battle of comediansSolar installer competitionsFidelity Roof Company www.fidelityroof.comQuality Solar www.qualitysolar.comClaudia WentworthASES www.ases.orgNorCal Solar www.norcalsolar.orgNich Pak, Johan’s Solar Band member111 Minna www.111minnagallery.comIntersolar www.intersolar.usQuick Mount BandFronius BandSolar City BandSun Power BandSMA BandSolectria Band “DCAC”Hotel UtahCALSSA California Solar and Storage Association www.calssa.orgRE+ www.re-plus.comJohan’s Band NorthernerBrittany HellerAlex HellerStand up comediesSan Francisco Comedy CollegeJennifer AlfdsenRolls BatterySolar Games IntersolarSmarter E www.thesmartere.comEicke Weber Herman ScheerFraunhofer Institute www.fraunhofer.deSolar tourTesla toursDiversified www.onediversified.comCSLB www.cslb.ca.govK2 formerly known as EverestCompany Century Roofing and Solar www.centuryroofandsolar.comMetal flashingSealant based flashing and mountsGoop in a prayerComp shingle roof in japanAsphalt shingleAsphalt impregnated underlaymentButyl RoofingTim Montague's podcast www.cleanpowerhourpodcast.comHeatspring ClassesSEIA Solar Energy Industry Association www.seia.orgNYSERDA www.nyserda.ny.govCALSSA formerly known CALSEA You can find Johan Alfsen here:LinkedIn: Johan AlfsenFacebook: Sol RidersInstagram: 510Johan Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Richard Lawrence has a long history in the solar industry and is very knowledgeable in many areas (He was formerly the Executive Director of NABCEP among other things). Our main focus of this podcast was apprenticeship programs. This is a big deal, since to qualify for the Inflation Reduction Act 30% Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for projects over 1MW, fulfilling the apprenticeship and prevailing wage standards are required. Topics covered: Richard Lawrence career:IREC Program Director currently 5 years irecusa.orgIBTS 2 years - Institute for Building Technology and SafetyNABCEP Executive Director 3.5 yrsSolar (PV) Instructor Training Network Hudson Valley Community CollegeTopics covered and questions answered:What is an apprenticeship?What is prevailing wage?Union vs. non-unionIs prevailing wage different for different places?Right to work states (anti-union)Registered apprenticeship programsUnregistered apprenticeship programsHow does someone set up an apprenticeship program?Who to register an apprenticeship program with, like the DOL (Department of Labor)Local and federal programsIRA-apprenticeship - tax credits - pay workers prevailing wage 1MW and up15% of labor hours requirementWhat is IREC doing for apprenticeship and What is IRECDrama with different unions and non-unions-everyone wants the work$200k/yr electrician costPrevailing wage for small vs. large projectsCan election results take away these benefitsVeteransCalifornia C46 solar license and batteriesSolar PV Instructor Training Network Hudson Valley Community CollegeSPINYSERDA www.nyserda.ny.govMassachusetts Clean Energy Center www.masscec.comBurnham EnergyAHJMulti Junction TechnologyApprenticeship programs.Solar Energy InternationalDepartment of Energy www.energy.govLarry SherwoodSoul Smart Program in Puerto RicoZoning lawsDonationsCod community collegeNon-Profit OrganizationsSEAC Sustainable Energy Action Committee www.sustainableenergyaction.orgANSI StandardsJane WeissmanSolar ABC's www.solarabcs.orgSolar ready veterans networkJohn KimAmerican Battery FactoryIBEW International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers www.ibew.orgUBC United Brotherhood of Carpenters www.carpenters.orgITCEike WeberHerman ScheerNREL www.nrel.gov Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Cameron works and lives in New York where having a NABCEP PV Installation Professional (PVIP) helps you qualify for the NY State program that helps fund projects. Here are some of the topics we discuss: NYSERDA = New York State Research, Energy Research Development Association www.nyserda.ny.govNY Sun ProgramNABCEP CertificationsIndent Builders www.indentbuilders.comIBEW = International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers www.ibew.org3 Pathways
Dobbs Ferry
Best Investment is Education
Heatspring Courses Bundles
NFPA 855
NFPA 690
IBC = International Building Code
IFC = International Fire Code
ICC = International Code Council
NFPA 70E
OSHA = Occupational Safety and Health Administration www.osha.govPVCMS Exam
ESIP
NAPCEP Website www.nabcep.orgProfessional Directories
Companies directory
Spanish Class
Tim Montague
C&I = Commercial and Industrial
Clean Power Hour www.cleanpowerhour.com
PV Technical Sales.
PV Installer Specialist Certification
PV System Inspector Certification
FAA class
Drone Pilot Class
UL Certification
120 percent rule for backfeed breaker
690
690.12
Italian Class
Gulia Soriano
Check out his website and connect to his LinkedIN:Website: www.indentbuilders.comLinkedin: Cameron Fearey Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Hermann Scheer (RIP) was a German politician who is responsible for making grid-
connected solar profitable in about the year 2000 as he brought the German policy for
reimbursing people for solar energy, so that they would make a profit. This brought
about years where over half of the World’s installed PV was in Germany. This created
the modern solar industry and kick-started modern PV manufacturing. If it were not for
Hermann Scheer, we would probably be 10 years behind where we are now with PV
prices and installed capacity. Eicke Weber was a friend of Hermann Scheer and Eicke
was also the director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems for 10 years,
which is the European equivalent of NREL. Eicke brought Intersolar to San Francisco,
he was on UC Berkely Faculty and has done a million other things, while remaining a
really nice person. I am proud to call Eicke a friend.
Hermann Sheer’s Legacy www.ilsr.org/hermann-scheers-feed-tariff-legacy-75-worlds-
solar-pv/
Bill Brooks www.brooksolar.com
Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en
Madam Mi
Fusion
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) www.NREL.gov
International Solar Energy Society www.ISES.org
Governor Jerry Brown
California Solar Initiative (CSI)
SNEC World’s Largest Renewable Energy Conference www.pv.snec.org.cn
Nancy and George Lightman
Hans-Josef www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans-Josef_Fell
Swanson’s Law
Feed in Tariff (FIT)
Sultan Al Jaber
Irena www.IRENA.org
International Solar Energy Society (ISES) www.ises.org
PV manufacturing in China
Deng Xiaoping
IRA
John Kerry
Deng Xiaoping
CO2
PV Technology and Market Developments
Global Shifts in Energy Policy
Clean Tech Business Club www.cleantechbusiness.club
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking
Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Where do we start, in this podcast we covered many things and Jeff Spies is very active and connected in the solar industry. Here is a short list of what Jeff does and has done: Owner of Planet Plansets www.planetplansets.comNABCEP Board of Directors www.nabcep.org/about-us/board-of-directorsCALSSA Board of Directors www.calssa.orgSolar Roots, the Pioneers of PV Documentary, Executive Producer www.solar-roots.comThe Solar Panel Podcast www.linkedin.com/company/the-solar-panel-podcast Here are some of the many topics we covered: Solar PV origin in Humboldt and Mendocino Counties in Northern CaliforniaMarijuana wars with guns in Northern California: solar using weed growers vs. the Feds
Hippie Definition
Rednecks and Hippies
Hipnecks
AEE Solar
David Katz is a genius
DC Power
Solar Depot
Real Goods
Solar Living Institute
Ironridge
Quickmount
Stuart Wentworth
Claudia Hansen Wentworth
Johnny Weiss
Go Green Solar
Home Power Magazine
Humboldt Country
Nika Show
Oregon Solar Energy Industry
Boogy rough cut version
Plastics
Blue grass
Solar Pioneer Party
Bell Labs
BriceLand, CA
Brian Tittlebaum
Solar PV Magic
Nobel Prize
Solar Pioneers group in FacebookJohn Burdner
Brian Teitelbaum
Davey Rittner
Jason Vetterli
Wendy Dankof
Gov. Jerry Brown
Bob McKee
Joseph Marino
Keisha
Johnny Hill
Sam Vanderhoof
Ron Kennedy
John Schaefer
Arthur Rudin
Ezra Auerbach
Richard Perez
Bob O. Schultz
Kathleen Schultz
Mark Moroz
Charlie Gay
Albert Einstein
Edmund Becquerel
Adams and Day
Charles Fritz Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
This is my first interview with a real US Military General and I am honored that he took the time to meet with me. I am not worthy! John Kem is in the civilian sector now and is the President of American Battery Factory! In this podcast we discuss their huge Gigafactory, which they are building in Arizona and which will go online towards the end of 2025 making made in the USA lithium iron phosphate (LFP) lithium-ion batteries. They are working on prismatic battery cells, which are as big as 1kWh each! In the podcast we talk about the manufacturing processes and how the battery materials are put together in a factory that can produce 4GWh per year of battery cells. Topics covered:American Battery FactoryLithium Iron Phosphate (LFP)IRA = Inflation Reduction ActArmy Corps of EngineersCivil WorksMiningBattery cell production and safetyInvestment and manufacturing scale of American Battery FactoryThe process and challenges of battery cell manufacturingBattery factoryAmerican Lithium MiningCobalt in the CongoGigafactoryAbundance and toxicity of Lithium, Iron and PhosphorousBig Battery CellFolding CellsPrismatic Battery Cell314 Ah cells x 3.2V = 1kWh/cellHalf of a shoebox size cellBigger is betterPouch and cylindrical battery cell comparisonPrismatic folding speed increasedLonger cycle lifeFiji Water bottle shape comparisonChemical MixingAnode and Cathode layersThin coatingIsotropic graphite = consistent shapeNarrow filmLFP is the cathodeLFP mix in vatsAbsorption capacity for ions to flowBuy pre-mixed LFPSeparator between anode and cathodeFoilsCans - AluminumFood can people making battery can for prismatic battery (cell casing)Stationary Energy Storage SystemsSmart gridUnderground mining operationsDrag racing and LFPRange anxietyHome to GWh ESSTax credit survival vs. competitive manufacturingMade in America with Chinese partsSmartest people in the world come to AmericaEnergy storage is required for net zeroInvesting and buying American Battery FactoryPrivately held nowSeries A and Series B funding definedAccredited investors and venture capital Check out the American Battery Factory website: www.americanbatteryfactory.com For good luck, give this podcast 5️s Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
Joe McCabe has been in the solar industry since before there was a solar industry. In this podcast we talk about many things. Here is a list of topics:ASES FellowAmerican Solar Energy Society www.ASES.orgInternational Solar Energy Society www.ISES.orgMREA = Midwest Renewable Energy AssociationSMUD = Sacramento Municipal Utility DistrictPVUSA Davis CaliforniaPV PolicySAM softwarePV Reliability Workshop NerdfestGolden ColoradoSANDIACommunity Solar GardensBifacial SolarVertical Bifacial produces more than tilted south no matter what the directionHigher latitude better for vertical bifacialVertical bifacial requires smaller wires because of lower IscClippingHanging vertical bifacial to swing in the wind.North facing PV for used PVPV module size increasingPV efficiency not important; LCOE (levelized cost of electricity) is important. MonofacialAgrivoltaicsAgrisoltaicsDual use of landMark FitzgeraldJane WisemanIREC = Interstate Renewable Energy CouncilNABCEP Entry LevelPraise Ward Bower!George KellyNRELNABCEP Exam CommitteesPhotovoltaic effectConduction bandPhotoelectric effectBecquerelEinsteinQuantum mechanicsThermodynamicsNuclear engineeringSchrödinger’s equationStraw bale constructionSERF = Solar Energy Research FacilitySERI = Solar Energy Research InstituteNeutron ScatterCadmium rodsNeutron magazineSmart Inverter Working GroupDan ShugarHoward WengerPG&EPV for $9/watt in 90sRichard Swanson and Swanson’s curveColorado Public Utilities CommissionCALISOCalifornia Independent System OperatorBIPVCalifornia Energy Commission (CEC)Community Solar GardenSolar SharesStupid grid vs. smart gridGrid following and grid forming invertersReactive powerRule 21 Smart Inverter Working GroupSmart Inverter ClassesHermann ScherrFrieberg Germany Smarter E in Munich (formerly Intersolar)Intersolar in San Diego and Long BeachRE+ conferencesMaking education funUniversity of Arizona ReactorHow PV worksPhotonsGrid Forming and Grid Following InvertersDonating a kidney to Bill BrooksFreiburg GermanyNABCEP CertificationEnergy IdeasRenewable Energy StewardGiant Bifacial module Joe Mccabe recommends Bill Brooks on LinkedIn Blue light inside a reactorIntegrated Resource Plan (IRP)Carl WeinbergPaul FennCommunity Choice Aggregation = CCA Eicke WeberRE+ TexasSean Sings ABC 123 at NABCEP Conference Homework Assignment read: Leverage Points, Places to Intervene in a System by Donella Meadowshttps://donellameadows.org/wp-content/userfiles/Leverage_Points.pdf Joe McCabe LinkedIn Page Joe’s email: energyideas@gmail.com Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean
In this podcast, we learn how UL issues first certification to UL 9741 (and UL 1741 SA) for an AI-Driven Vehicle-to-Grid Compliant EV Charger to Fermata Energy. https://www.ul.com/news/ul-solutions-issues-first-certification-ul-9741-and-ul-1741-sa-ai-driven-vehicle-grid Alex Cattelan has been working on EVs for 2 decades and has experience engineering many famous electric and hybrid vehicles, including the Chevy Volt for GM. She also has extensive experience working for Polaris, Johnson Controls and many others. At the end we decide to go to Burning Man together on a bidirectional electric bus and she is going to teach me how to do wheelies on an electric motorcycle. Nothing can compete with the torque of electric motors, much more than those old fashioned explosion driven motors. Here are some of the topics we cover:UL 9741 EVPE (Electric Vehicle Power Export Equipment)John Deere EVsAI for EVPESoftware engineeringDrive trainsElectric vehicles Nissan LeafChevy Volt
Lithium-ion batteriesHybridEPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)Mechanical DrivetrainCO2UL 9741 & UL 1741VPP (Virtual Power Plant)Cost SavingsPublic utility commission (PUC)Stationary StorageNissan LeafNissan KicksBidirectional chargingCommercial fleetsBus fleetJohnson ControlsPop a WheelieFord F-150Cyber TruckTeslaDeveloping SoftwareAI Driven Data ScienceResidential bidirectional chargers Check out Alex on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexandra-cattelan-59abbb11 Email: alex.catelan@fermataenegy.com Check out the Fermata website: https://fermataenergy.com Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.HeatSpring.com/Sean
One week before recording this podcast, Garret Little passed his NABCEP PVIP exam. In this podcast we talk about his experience taking the exam 9 years after his first try and getting a really good score! We also talk about the exam experience, memory techniques, taking the Ecotech class vs. the HeatSpring class for preparing for the exam. There is nothing more important for passing an exam than knowing what to study. Here is the class Garret took to pass the NABCEP PVIP exam: NABCEP PV Installation Professional (PVIP) Certification Prep Garret also has installed PV systems in Nepal and Colombia. Here is a list of topics we covered: Exam PrepNABCEP PV Installation Professional (PVIP) examNABCEP Energy Storage Installation Professional (ESIP)NABCEP PV Associate (PVA)NABCEP PV Technical Sales (PVTS)NABCEP PV Design Specialist (PVDS)NABCEP PV Commissioning and Maintenance Specialist (PVCMS)NABCEP PV Installer Specialist (PVIS)NABCEP PV System Inspector (PVSI)Meazure Online exam platformTaking the exam in person like Garret didKaplan CleanTech (no longer in business)Brian Hayden the Founder of HeatSpring and super cool dudeTom Chatagnier Solar Saint from Diablo Valley CollegeLive online proctoring from home vs. testing center for NABCEP examDry erase board for test notesESIP = Energy Storage Installation Professional NABCEP CertificationColombian Comedian into solarBrittany, Brit, Brian, South, James and NycxLearning techniquesMemory techniquesState dependent memoryShort term memoryLong term memoryQuantum memoryMemorizing Pi Here is from the email Garret sent me after passing the exam: Hey Sean,
I just wanted to express my gratitude towards you for the classes you teach through Heatspring. Hopefully my name rings a bell as I have sent a few messages recently via the 58-hour course, one particular about question 30 on the 1-30 bonus practice exam - looks like the Heatspring team is pretty dang on top of it to make changes, so kudos to them! I took the PVIP yesterday morning and passed with an 87%. I can't express enough just how instrumental this course was in my confidence and ultimately, results. I took the PVIP nine years ago and was far underprepared and it's been a dark cloud looming over me since and when I finally would apply to retake it, I never really had direction in what to study, so I honestly just didn't take it and wasted money and time applying. This time around, after finding out about Heatspring, I signed up back in September of last year and went to work, and boy am I happy I did. The very first thing I noticed during the start of the 40-hour course was how easy it was to stay attentive. The videos and lectures are engaging. Listening to you isn't a chore like many online courses, and please for the sake of everyone, don't ever stop cracking little jokes throughout like the white house being your house, or pointing out the solar "clip art" guy with the blue shirt who appears to be "measuring a module with a fluorescent wire...?". These things make the biggest difference and I absolutely wish more online lecturers leaned a little more into that! This course really covered everything I experienced on the exam and in all honesty, to me it seemed it presented quite a bit more information and material than the NABCEP covered, at least from my experience . For example, I don't think I had one string sizing question, conduit fill, or even conductor sizing with derates (if my memory serves me right). It was not nearly as much calculations as I had anticipated, aside from interconnection calcs, which were all fairly similar. With that being said, I feel tremendously more knowledgeable than I was even just a few months ago prior to taking this course and I am so thankful for that. Thank you again so much for working with Heatspring on these courses to provide such thorough, entertaining, and educational content. It feels so incredibly good to not only have passed the exam, but to feel that much more educated. Sincerely, Garret Little // Sunbridge Solar To pass any NABCEP exam, you can take Sean's online classes at www.HeatSpring.com/SEAN To see all of what he has going on, go to www.solarSEAN.com
I came across a really cool YouTube video, rivaling Mr. Beast, but for solar, which was a purple bearded solarboi going off on Rapid Shutdown UL 3741 PV arrays, I immediately contacted him and a week later, here we are recording this podcast. This guy is entertaining and we are lucky to have him in the industry. This industry needs to be fun!! derek the solarboi has 3 NABCEP Certifications PVIP (PV Installation Professional)
PVCMS (PV Commissioning and Maintenance Specialist)
PVSI (PV System Inspector)Altogether that looks like: derek the solarboi, NABCEP PVIP, PVCMS & PVSI That is a total of 18 letters after his name, making him super special! We talk about some controversial subjects, including Rapid Shutdown and I always try to be bifacial and take both sides for educational purposes, but encourage my guests to have strong opinions. If you have a strong opinion, let’s get you on the show! Here are some of the topics we covered: Other rad solar creators, like Solar Goat (https://linktr.ee/solargoat) and The Solar Slayer (https://thesolarslayer.com/)
Rapid shutdown methods
UL 3741 PVHCS (PV Hazard Control Systems)
Array level rapid shutdown
2019 NEC (serious joke)
NABCEP Certifications
Social media
Water flow in conduit (link to video: https://youtube.com/shorts/5mmDOiH-Res)
DC arc faults and ground faults
Ironridge (press release and installation addendum can be found here: (https://www.ironridge.com/2024/02/27/flush-mount-systems-listed-to-ul-3741/)
Sollega
SMA
Residential UL 3741 (solarboi’s video - https://youtu.be/1MTCvYhjHzA)
Peter Greenberg the String Inverter Activist
RE+
Purple solarboi has decided to remain anonymous for this podcast. This is really cool, my first anonymous guest! You can see all of solarboi’s links at www.solarboi.com
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@derekthesolarboi
Mastodon: https://mastodon.energy/@solarboi
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@thesolarboi
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thesolarboi Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.HeatSpring.com/Sean
Great conversation with Tyler Hortin! His company does everything from Wh to GWh and focuses on prismatic cells that are almost 1kWh! This makes for less cells and less connections that can go wrong. The technology here is Lithium-Iron Phosphate (LFP) and we will talk about the supply chain and implications of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). They are affiliated with American Battery Factory, so we talk a little bit about manufacturing in the USA towards the end. Key Words:
Lithium Iron Phosphate
Prismatic Battery Cell
Battery Manufacturing in the USA
How he get the Iron
LPF
Lithium (L)
Iron (FE)
Phosphorus (P)
Great Salt Lake
Battery management system (BMS)
Marine Battery
NMC
Alternator
DC to DC Charger
Shore Power
Energy Storage System
UL 9540 & 9540A
DC Interconnected System
Cabinet size
American Battery Factory
How long does it take to build a battery factory? Check out Tyler on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-hortin-90469945/ Check out his website:
https://lionenergy.com Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.HeatSpring.com/Sean
Tor "Solar Fred" Valenza is a regular in the solar industry. Tor has a podcast called Probably True Solar Stories, which takes his expertise as a former Hollywood writer and merges that with the solar industry. Some of his Hollywood work was on popular shows, such as Stargate SG-1, Dharma & Greg, and The Dead Zone. Tor's current day job is he is a chief solar public relations geek at UnThink Solar, a solar PR and communications firm. In this podcast we talk about how Tor Valenza became Solar Fred and how he made stories about solar. Topics covered:
The history of branding about Solar Fred
How his fascination in solar energy began as a kid in NYC Central ParkSolar on the White HouseSungevityDanny KennedySolar Head of StateGreat way to promote solar
Probably True Solar Stories Podcast
Murder by Solar Drone
President of the US as a solar installer
The 6000 Year Story of Solar Energy book by John Perlin
Clean nuclear power being used as a disguise for a nuclear weapons program
Solar installation war (Green War).
Nuclear bros
Energy deep state
Sean almost killed by carbon monoxide as a kid
Solar makes you the most moneySteam turbines for solar PV energy storage with hot rockswww.powermag.com/volcanic-rock-offers-new-take-on-energy-storage
Agrivoltaics
CSP = Concentrated Solar Power
Cadmium Telluride
Recycle, Reuse and Reduce
Solar feasibility on the north side of the roof
Solar wedding at a Tweet Up at SPI
Check out Tor on Linkedin:linkedin.com/in/tor-solar-fred-valenza-3150015
Check out his website:www.unthinksolar.com
Here is where to find Tor's Podcast:www.probablytruesolar.com/ Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.HeatSpring.com/Sean
In this episode we are triple fortunate to have three of the smartest individuals in a discussion on science and policy from the Federation of American Scientists (fas.org), a nonpartisan think tank connecting scientific research with policy making to address today’s most urgent needs. Transition to renewable energy is urgent! We talk about how we can transition to solar fast, and how science and policy need to work together to get the job done, and how individuals can get involved. Guests:Erica Goldman, on systems thinking and solar
Alice Wu, on tipping points
Zoë Brouns, on the workforce needed to meet the moment Topics discussed:* American Climate Corps, which is an IRA program intended to mobilize the green workforce on par with the FDR programs (see Civilian Conservation Corps), modeled similarly to the successful AmeriCorps.
* DOE (US Department of Energy)
+ Virtual Power Plant Commercial Liftoff Report
+ DOE Commercial Liftoff homepage
+ Clean Energy Talent Workforce report
* FAS History
* Manhattan Project Los Alamos
* Clean Energy and Climate Policy
* Science, Policy and Policy Entrepreneurship
+ SUBMIT YOUR IDEAS!
* Congress
* White House
+ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) 2022
+ Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) 2021
* Follow FAS’s work via their newsletter
I am honored to have hosted the podcast with the most intelligent people ever on any podcast in history. Erika, Alice and Zoë's backgrounds are very impressive! Be sure to click on their names above, or find them on LinkedIn to see what I mean. We are talking Einstein-level conversation at times, especially when Alice told us about triplet excitons. This is an exciting conversation! Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.HeatSpring.com/Sean
In this show we talk about the different stages of development of solar projects, which are projects that are from 1MW in size to GW sized projects. Matias Sigal is an entrepreneur and has worked with many startups and incubators in different countries. He started off by being born in Argentina, and is currently a resident of Israel (which we discuss at the end of the podcast). Matias has a company that developed software, which works sort of like Zillow for multimillion dollar solar projects. 80% of potential projects do not get developed, because they are missing some of the criteria. REplace can analyze thousands of potential sites at once, so that early stage developers do not have to spend 30 minutes per site analyzing things independently. His software can do over 100 years of hard work with the click of a button. Some of the topics we cover: 8 stages of project developmentCommunity Solar (contrasting with and not Community Choice Aggregation)AgrivoltaicsGISIsrael, Argentina and EuropeCapEx & OpEx Matias Sigal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matiassigal/REplace website: www.renewableenergy.place Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.HeatSpring.com/Sean
In this podcast we talk about safe portable Energy Storage Systems (ESSs). Jon and Viridi are located in Buffalo NY. Topics covered: Portable ESSBuilding and Fire Codes including the International Residential Code (IRC) and the International Fire Code (IFC).Occupied SpacesHabitable SpacesUL 9540UL 9540AULCSAThermal RunawayHow Viridi is saferCathodes and AnodesNMC = Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt OxideLFP = Lithium Iron PhosphateNCA = Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum OxideSpecific Energy vs. Energy DensityHow Viridi Portable ESSs saved Burning ManHow Ford won Pike's Peak race in Colorado using Viridi to charge EV raceSunbelt Rentals using Viridi portable ESSHow using a portable ESS with a diesel generator is much cleaner and less expensive and uses less diesel for the same amount of energy, than a diesel generator alone. Here is where to find Viridi:www.viridiparente.com Here is where to find Jon Williams CEO and Founder:www.viridiparente.com/about/ Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.HeatSpring.com/Sean
In this podcast we have Bill Brooks and Sean talking energy storage system (ESS) Codes, with emphasis on interconnections, including supply-side and load side connections.
Be sure to get Sean and Bill’s latest book, which is the 3rd edition of PV and the NEC, based on the 2023 NEC.
To find where to get different versions of the NEC including the 2023 NEC for free check out the NEC tab at solarSEAN.com.
Disclaimer: This podcast was recorded in 2021.
Supply-side connections (source connections to a service), 705.13 Power Control Systems (Energy Management Systems), ampacity of service conductors are allowed to have ampacity less than the main breaker in chapter III of the NEC, 200A PV system on 100A service with power control system, conductor sizing for supply-side connection,
Article 230 Services, houses not smaller than 100A or old services less than 100A, supply-side overcurrent protection locations, cable limiter distances, cable currents just handle fault currents (not overloads), 250.25, 250.24, bonding supply-side connection like a service required, two single points of system grounding, load-side connections, dedicated overcurrent protection device and disconnect, backfeeding a Tesla at 70W, busbars, 120% rule, suitable for backfeed, feeders, Hawaiian tie-in, tap rules, 10-foot tap rule, 25-foot tap rule, synchronous generators, busbars, 705.12(B)(3)(1) 100% rule, 705.12(B)(3)(2) 120% rule, 705.12(B)(3)(3) sum rule or sum of the branch circuit breakers, two single pole breakers with sum rule, 705.12(B)(3)(4) center fed 120% rule, 705.12(B)(3)(5) engineering supervision/multiampacity busbars and the 200% rule, 705.12(B)(3)(6) feed-through connectors, switchgear, 705.13 Power Control Systems with CTs, power control system certifications, allows more power than 120% rule (705.13 was re-named in 2023 NEC as Energy Management Systems), Article 625 sequencer for EVs, no-export is a power control system, export set at certain kW, physical protection of a Powerwall, residential code vehicle impact protection for ESS in garage, wheel stops, bollards, preventing overloading panel, smart panels, smart load centers.
Note: for visuals, download the NEC presentation at www.solarSEAN.com and look for the pdf downloads.
Links:
Bill Brooks, P.E.: www.brooksolar.com
www.solarSEAN.com
www.HeatSpring.com/SEAN
2020 NEC radio 690 was originally published on Dec 30, 2019, but it did not post to other platforms, so we are reposting it.
In this podcast we have Bill Brooks talking energy storage system (ESS) Codes, with emphasis on the National Electrical Code (NEC) and stand-alone/islanding systems.
Be sure to get Sean and Bill’s latest book, which is the 3rd edition of PV and the NEC, based on the 2023 NEC.
To find where to get different versions of the NEC including the 2023 NEC for free check out the NEC tab at solarSEAN.com.
Disclaimer: This podcast was recorded in 2021.
Flow batteries, fuel cells, Article 692 Fuel Cell Systems, electrolyte, zinc, fuel cell maintenance, Article 710 Stand-Alone Systems, plaque or directory, manual load control, stand-alone mode, automatic controller, multiwire branch circuits, 690.10, 120/240V theory, direct PV systems, dc micrograms, functionally grounded, grounded, ungrounded, reference grounded, resistor grounded systems, positively grounded systems, nighttime depolarizer, impedance ground for ac (resistance ground for dc), electric vehicle power transfer system vs. electric vehicle charging system, sequencer, LG Chem vs. LG home battery prices, Fukushima, Nissan Leaf in Japan bidirectional charging, zero net export, overcurrent protection devices, fault currents, ampere interrupting capacity, kA, excel spreadsheet fault current calculator, microgrid interconnect device (MID), Article 702, automatic transfer equipment, load management, lighting controllers, backup power system, optional standby systems, generator systems, automatic transfer switch, manual transfer switch.
Links:
Bill Brooks, P.E.: www.brooksolar.com
www.solarSEAN.com
www.HeatSpring.com/SEAN
We have just released the long awaited 2023 NEC class on HeatSpring. We spent more time making this class than any other class, so I am sure you will love it. We have Sean White and Bill Brooks going over many of the fun details and Code changes in this course. You can learn more here and some of the lessons are free samples.
https://www.heatspring.com/courses/30-hour-2023-nec-pv-energy-storage-building-and-fire-codes/?aff_id=t3nlgw
690 Part VI is a shorter Part of Article 690 and the end of 690 was dramatically reduced and rearranged in the 2023 version of the NEC. Here are some of the topics covered: 690.56 Identification of Power Sources690.59 Connection to Other Sources690.72 Self-Regulated PV Charge Control (neat silicon science here) This podcast is mostly a reading from the 3rd Edition of PV and the NEC by Sean White and Bill Brooks. You can get this book here: www.amazon.com/PV-NEC-Sean-White-dp-1032019182/dp/1032019182/ref=dp_ob_image_bk Also in this chapter we have consolidated all of the renewable energy labeling requirements. We have a page with all of the images of all of the relevant articles, so you should check it out. Thanks for listening! You can find out more at www.solarSEAN.com
OhmConnect is a virtual power plant (VPP) provider and helps balance the electricity grid. Will incentivize people to reduce usage at certain times.
VPP definition of OhmConnect“Collection of 100s or thousands of devices that they are controlling all independently, but coordinating in a fashion that the grid can see it.”
Topics covered:
SunPower relationship
Demand Response
Thermostat control
TV control
Fridge control
Looking at VPP as reducing demand rather than increasing supply
Getting paid to take stuff offline
Rewards
Virtual currency
Gift cards, prizes
Smart plug
Grid stability
NEM 3.0
Resource adequacy
CCAs (Community Choice Aggregation)
Blackouts
Negative energy
DSGS (demand side grid support)
Power and energy
kWh
705.13 Energy Management Systems
Power Control Systems
UL 916
FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) Baselines
Bitcoin Mining
Pacific Gas and Electric
Clean Power San Francisco
Deregulated Grid
ISO = Independent System Operator
Leveraging smart meter dataText messagesGoogle, Honeywell, SinseGrid stabilityLeveraging new asset (energy usage)
Moss Landing ESSDOE report need for 160 GW of storageCurtailing $1 Billion per year of solar energy in CA4 wheeled ESSValue of discharging devices back into grid
120V Lithium-ion battery assisted induction stove
Moduly small stand-alone battery unit
www.moduly.io
Smarter E
Intersolar
2024 Year of the VPP
Matt Dusterberg
www.OhmConnect.com
100% clean energy for everyone
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.HeatSpring.com/Sean
This podcast is a reading from Chapter 6 of PV and the NEC 3rd Edition based on the 2023 NEC by Sean White and Bill Brooks. You can buy the book on Amazon at: https://a.co/d/amFqNko Bonding and Grounding is something that causes a lot of arguments and this book will get to the bottom of it. Topics:690 Part V Bonding and Grounding690.41 PV System DC Circuit Grounding and Protection Grounding ElectrodeGrounding Electrode Conductor (GEC)Equipment Grounding Conductor (EGC)GroundGrounded ConductorSolidly GroundedFunctionally GroundedGround FaultGround Fault Detector-Interrupter (GFDI)Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) 690.42 Point of PV System DC Circuit Grounding Connection690.43 Equipment Grounding and Bonding UL 2703UL 3703 250.97 Bonding for Over 250V to GroundTable 250.122 EGC Based on OCPD690.45 Size of Equipment Grounding Conductors690.47 Grounding Electrode System Additional Electrodes vs. Auxiliary Electrodes To learn more and get all kinds of free information, go to www.solarSEAN.com
Sean White featured on the Clean Power Hour podcast with Tim Montague's co-host John Weaver on September 28, 2023. We are reposting this podcast, which you can also listen to on Tim Montague's awesome Clean Power Hour podcast, which you can find at www.cleanpowerhour.com
Sean White was at the University of Colorado in Denver during this podcast.
We had a great time chatting to one another and discussing:
1. The events at the just concluded 2023 RE+ Convection
2. White House launches clean energy youth workforce program amid labor shortage concerns
3. We talk about the Erthos technology and what it means to the clean energy revolution
4. Companies that were present at the RE+ and the new upcoming technology
Check out Tim Montague on:
Website: www.cleanpowerhour.com
Youtube: www.youtube.com/@cleanpowerhour123
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tgmontague
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/clean-power-hour?trk=public_post_follow-view-profile
Email: tim@cleanpowerhour.com
Tim Montague's co-host is: John Fitzgerald Weaver
Known online as “The Commercial Solar Guy,” Solar professional and project developer. John Fitzgerald Weaver works as the General Manager of CSG Developers LLC and a technical writer for pv magazine USA, where he covers solar industry data, equipment and manufacturers, trends, regulations and much more!
Reach John Fitzgerald Weaver here!
LinkedIn Account: www.linkedin.com/in/johnfitzgeraldweaver/
Company Website: www.commercialsolarguy.com/
RSS Feed: www.commercialsolarguy.com/news/ For more information on solar, storage and everything else, go to www.solarSEAN.com
If you were walking around RE+ in Vegas, you may have noticed a track and all of these remote control race cars and wondered what that was about. That was the Horizon Hydrogen Grand Prix Pro (H2GP Pro)! Here is what we talked about: Horizon Hydrogen Grand Prix Pro = H2GP ProSTEM kitsSTEAM Science Technology Engineering Art MathRE+ Las Vegas Remote Control Race CarsHydrogen ElementHydrogen FiresLead Acid Batteries making HydrogenFuel Cells vs. Internal Combustion Engines with HydrogenToyota Hydrogen Combustion EngineJTB Hydrogen EngineFuel Cells Need Clean AirCombustion of Hydrogen Makes WaterStoichiometry 2 H2 + O2 = H2OToyota MuraiElectrolysis is same StoichiometryCPAP Machine is Electrolyzer making Oxygen and Getting Rid of HydrogenHydrogen ColorsGreen Hydrogen = Electrolysis (electricity and water)Brown HydrogenGrey Hydrogen = Natural Gas Derived = 95% of H2 in the WorldSteam Reformation = Preexisting Hydrocarbons to make Hydrogen, Such as Municipal WasteBig Bang and Hydrogen AtomsLandfill Gas to Make HydrogenCarbon CaptureTurquoise Hydrogen = PyrolysesBlue Hydrogen = SMR Steam Methane Reformation and Carbon CaptureWorld Economy ForumRound Trip Efficiency of Hydrogen with Green Hydrogen 35%Hydrogen is Lighter than Lithium-IonHydrogen Electric AirplaneRocket EquationWorld’s Record for Lithium-Ion BatteryElectric TruckingAutonomous DrivingCheating with race cars designThe Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark TwainBulgaria Team UnderdogLos Angeles Team WinsTelemetry SystemsHacking other Team’s Telemetry SystemsAnti Hacking SoftwareDanika Patrick and NASCARFormula E with Lithium-Ion vs. Fuel CellsSymbio from France Fuel CellsHydrogen is the Future of RacingSustainable Diesel = Diesel Made From CornF1 to HydrogenExplosions with Storing any EnergyRecyclingCritical Mass Bike Riders Car ExplosionOne Less CarHorizon Educational Global Headquarters in Czech RepublicH2GP Foundation501c3GrantsSponsorshipSTEM Kits with Electrolyzer and Fuel CellRemote ControlWind Solar EthanolSolar Hydrogen Science KitsPinewood DerbyRubber Band Energy StorageFree Hydrogen CurriculumWind, Solar, Ethanol Science KitsFlinstone power You can find them at:www.horizoneducational.comInstagram: www.instagram.com/horizoneducational/Facebook: www.facebook.com/HorizonEducational/LinkedIn: cz.linkedin.com/in/max-accordinoYoutube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCYHcXEZdZp8Zw2kmr3_I2Fw To find out more and educate yourself, go to www.solarSEAN.com or www.HeatSpring.com/sean
Learn about bidirectional EV charging/discharging with former White House and EPA policy advisor Clinton Administration, former County Supervisor in Virginia, Faculty at University of Virginia 23 years, Commerce, Architecture, Engineering who has a Philosophy degree and is an entrepreneur who started multiple companies. David Slutzky started Fermata Energy in 2010. Here are some of the topics we covered:V2G Vehicle to GridV1G smart chargingV2X Vehicle to EverythingV2B Vehicle to Building V2L Vehicle to LoadBehind the meterLoad managementPower qualityVARsCAISOIndependent System OperatorGrid vs. Utility is differentISO is grid made up of different utilitiesVPPDuke and Ford F-150 LightningTEPCOFukushima brought on V2XCHAdeMO protocolNissan Leaf bidirectional in 2013Offboard DC chargerSoftware platformVehicle battery comes free with leather seats and air conditioningEV battery warranty with V2XAI softwareData scienceGrid facing market opportunitiesVehicle to grid services providerDefining 100% state of charge (SOC)2000 Ford Ranger EVSetting parameters of SOC to protect batteryLFP NCA NMC4.2 volts per cell (VPC) at full chargeChild labor in the Congo and cobaltClimateEarly adoptersStorage in EVs dwarfs stationary grid storageBeacon power flywheelsUniversity of Virginia vs. Virginia TechUL testing of bidirectional EV chargersUL 1741 SBUL 1741 SAUL 1741SiemensCCSNorth American Charging Standard = Tesla<5A continuous = 10,000kWh/yr at 240VCurtailing over $1B/yr of solar and wind in CaliforniaDischarge behind the meter to reduce demand charges$200-$300 per month with 15kW EV to grid with LeafUtility demand response programsNational Grid summer demand response programBidirectional Nissan Leaf makes in 57 hours in a summer for $4500 in the evenings (after work)Onboard and offboard inverter/chargersEV1Rav 4 EVChevy S-10 EVAvconGBT charging standard in ChinaChao G charging is CHAdeMO in ChinaVW DieselgateSelf certifyElectrify AmericaChademo 3.0Father of EVs in Japan99.3% uptime of EV chargers in JapanMuch worse uptime in USSGIP (Self Generation Incentive Program) subsidies in California should apply to EV to gridOver 90% of EV charging happens at homeInterconnection agreement of inverter is probably going to be a stationary inverter and not a roaming onboard inverterWeight of onboard inverterUsing big inverter that spins wheels to feed the gridRaising capital and talking to oil companiesPanasonicChevronOil companies future is renewables and are important sources of capitalYogavilleBuckingham CountyDominion Pipeline David Slutzky https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-slutzky-2a77875Fermata Energy https://fermataenergy.com/ To learn more, go to www.solarSEAN.com or www.HeatSpring.com/sean
This podcast is full of solar history, so we give a shout out to the solar historians 100 and 1000 years from now!! Hey people who have not been born yet! Check us out!! Terence and Johnny have been doing solar PV since the 1980s and have known each other since the early days. Terence tells the story how he was on a small airplane in the South Pacific in the 80s wearing a solar shirt and Ward Bower, the inventor of the grid-tied inverter, tapped him on the shoulder, which started his solar career full steam. Before that he was a marine biologist trying to figure out how to get electricity on a 12 acre island, so he could study oysters. The moral of this story is to always wear a solar T-shirt. Johnny Weiss is famous for starting Solar Energy International (SEI) in 1991 and has been working with PV modules since the mid 1980s. The story of how we decided to do this podcast goes... Johnny invited me to see the SEI campus a few weeks ago and I asked him to be on the podcast. I told him how Terence Parker was going to be on it, and he had great things to say about Terence, so we decided to make Johnny the surprise guest. Johnny was very helpful at helping me interview Terence, so he is probably going to help me interview more historical figures. Here are some of the names we dropped and things we talked about: Arco SolarMREASEIBob RamlowSolisSolar BridgeKen OlsenHome PowerRichard PerezBorneoSri LankaBrazilWorld BankSandiaUnisolarOut of the jungleWard BowerWalked the PCHDiving for oystersRemote workSet Long Beach Convention Center on fire (need a follow up podcast on this one)VestasOffshore windSmall windMick SagrilloBob-O Schultze LinkedIn pages Terence Parker (not to be confused with Trey Parker of South Park)https://www.linkedin.com/in/terence-parker-2844a15/ Johnny Weiss (same last name as mine, but in a different language):https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnny-weiss-b025106/ To find out more, go to www.SolarSEAN.com and get NABCEP certified!
Matthew Kappers is the CEO of The Coretec Group. The Coretec Group is known for their expertise in silicon nanoparticles to push the boundaries of silicon engineering and battery development. They are using their main expertise to develop an anode with a high concentration of silicon that will significantly boost the performance of lithium-ion batteries.
In this podcast we are going to talk about anodes and how these anodes could potentially be used with other types of batteries and other types of electrolytes. Let us hear from Matthew Kappers on how he and his team work with anodes, which is what makes their company so special! Besides being an informative discussion, it was also a good conversation, which you can now join! Here is a list of the topics we cover:1. Coretec Group's Endurion battery technology 2. Silicon nanoparticles 3. Anodes 4. Solid Electrolyte Interface (SEI) layer 5. Increasing lithium ion battery capacity by 100% with 20% silicon 6. Most EV batteries have no silicon 7. 100% silicon anode would increase capacity 10x 8. Drop in solution 9. Partner with battery manufacturer 10. Patents 11. Silicon vs. silicone 12. Specific energy is per weight 13. Energy density is energy per volume 14. Most people say energy density when they mean specific energy 15. Lithium anode battery (not rechargeable) 16. Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) cobalt mining 17. Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) cathodes 18. Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC) cathodes 19. Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide (NCA) cathodes 20. CRTG stock ticker 21. Slurry technology 22. Driving an EV across the country with one charge 23. Rocket equation for Cannonball Run 24. Earth by weight there is more iron than anything else 25. Battery recycling 26. 2nd life batteries 27. Vehicle to grid (V2G) 28. EV less expensive per kWh than home battery 29. Lead toxicity 30. Lithium nontoxic
Visit The Coretec Group here:
Website: www.thecoretecgroup.com
Youtube: www.youtube.com/@thecoretecgroup7034
Twitter: www.twitter.com/CoretecGroupInc
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-coretec-group-inc
Find out more, educate yourself, go to www.solarSEAN.com Take Sean's Energy Storage Boot Camp and be in the know!
Learn how solar is manufactured right here in the USA with a long time CEO of a US (Minnesota) and Canada (Ontario) solar manufacturer. Heliene Solar started up in 2010 and is still growing, especially with the Inflation Reduction Act climate. In this podcast Martin Pochtaruk takes us down an assembly line so you can learn from start to finish how a modern solar module is made. Here are some of the terms we cover: EncapsulantAn encapsulated mosquito in a solar cell (a Jurassic Park event)ElectroluminescentMicrocracksBusbarsLaminationHalf-cellsJunction boxesPottingMulti-arm robotSilicon cementHigh voltage testing (1500V)Flash testingCurrent voltage curve1.5AMSTCFactory temperaturePID (Potential Induced Degradation)PERC (Passive Emitter Rear Contact)TOPCon = 3 processes on top of a PERC cellN-typeP-typeHeterojunctionPolysiliconIngotWaferCellChinaOntario Canada Feed-in-tariff (FIT)Sarnia OntarioSault Ste MarieSolar modules are like windows Check out: www.heliene.com To learn more about how solar is manufactured, and everything else about solar and storage, go to www.solarSEAN.com
In this podcast we have Bill Brooks talking energy storage system (ESS) Codes, with emphasis on the National Electrical Code (NEC).
Be sure to get Sean and Bill’s latest book, which is the 3rd edition of PV and the NEC, based on the 2023 NEC.
To find where to get different versions of the NEC including the 2023 NEC for free check out the NEC tab at solarSEAN.com.
Disclaimer: This podcast was recorded in 2021.
Keywords
NEC Article 706 for Energy Storage Systems, UL 9540, Article 480, nominal voltage, cycling batteries, UL 1973, residential code, UL 1989, AHJ, inspector advice, communications between battery and inverter, flywheels, flow batteries, UPS, Australia and Hawaii, NexTracker, inverter output circuit, nameplate on ESS, apparent power, fault currents limited, maximum output current definition, LG chem battery, power converter, OSHA NRTL, ETL, Intertech, UL, SMA, UL standards writing entity vs. UL testing entity, 2021 International Residential Code, Tesla Powerwall, storage inverter, Ginlong, 9540A, liquid cooled vs. air cooled, Enphase Barbecue, Enphase in boiled water, ESS disconnecting means, readily accessible, unbalanced interconnections, single-phase inverters on 3-phase services, voltage rise, 705.12 Load-Side Connections, 710 Stand Alone Systems, plaque or directory, wire sizing, ampacity, overcurrent protection device, rounding up wire size to common overcurrent protection device size, energy storage is a source and a load, using continuous current instead of surge current, inverter input circuit current, diversion loads, C40 charge controllers without maximum power point tracking and diversion loads, energy storage as a diversion load, hot water loads, pulse with modulation (PWM), 150% correction factors for diversion loads, dc-to-dc converters, required ampacity for continuous current vs. continuous current, commercial and industrial (C&I).
Links:
Bill Brooks, P.E.: www.brooksolar.com
www.solarSEAN.com
www.HeatSpring.com/SEAN
David Bliss is the CEO/Founder of Faraday Microgrids. Besides being a renewable energy CEO, David Bliss also has a medical degree and is a qualified General Surgeon and Licensed California Pediatric Surgeon. There are many people in the renewable industry with a wide variety of skills!
Faraday Microgrids is a licensed general contracting company. Some of their accomplishments pertain to pioneering systems for hospitals and healthcare institutions. Faraday Microgrids constructed the first renewable energy microgrid to interconnect to a vitally important power branch of a California hospital at the Kaiser Permanente site in Richmond. Faraday Microgrids is wide open to develop and design projects. They focus on essential sectors including healthcare, industrial, manufacturing, and community safety.
You may also contact David Bliss and his team by checking here!
Faraday Microgrids’ Website: www.faradaymicrogrids.com Faraday Microgrids’ Office: 949-305-7820
To find out more and educate yourself, go to www.solarSEAN.com
There are so many reasons to go solar and so many people with different opinions of why. Rather than arguing about why everyone needs to go solar, let's get together, as humans and install more solar and storage! Forgetting about our differences and working together on this project, is what will have the greatest effect. Instead of letting politics divide us, let's come together and Here are some of the reasons that people go solar: Saving money Climate change Green jobs Oil wars Giving our money to dictators Energy independence Neat technology Backup power Living off grid Disconnecting from utilities Prepping for the worst Going green Clean air Good health Personally, I like going solar for all of these reasons, but just because someone else is politically against some of these things, does not mean that we should alienate them from this great family of an industry! This podcast is being released during my RE+ NEC workshop with Bill Brooks. I have taught this workshop at every RE+/SPI since 2012! Celebrate! Good times! To learn more about solar and storage and to get NABCEP certified, go to www.solarSEAN.com
Sean White was the guest on the Clean Power Hour podcast at the American Solar Energy Society in Boulder Colorado on August 10, 2023. We are reposting this podcasst, which you can also listen to on Tim Montegue's awesome Clean Power Hour podcast, which you can find at www.cleanpowerhour.com
The main topic we discussed was, "Can renewables replace fossil fuels".
Tim Montegue's co-host is:
John Fitzgerald Weaver Known online as “The Commercial Solar Guy,” Solar professional and project developer. John Fitzgerald Weaver works as the General Manager of CSG Developers LLC and a technical writer for pv magazine USA, where he covers solar industry data, equipment and manufacturers, trends, regulations and much more!
Reach John Fitzgerald Weaver here! LinkedIn Account: www.linkedin.com/in/johnfitzgeraldweaver/ Company Website: www.commercialsolarguy.com/ RSS Feed: www.commercialsolarguy.com/news/
Clean Power Show Notes (directly pasted from the Clean Power Hour): Special guest Sean White, master PV trainer and host of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast is joining us LIVE from Boulder Colorado at the ASES Conference (American Solar Energy Society).
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Stay up to date with the latest solar, wind, and energy storage news and analysis. Join co-hosts Tim Montague, solar & storage expert, and John Weaver, PV Magazine journalist, as they reflect on the latest tools, technologies, and trends driving the energy transition forward. With a strong commitment to decarbonizing the economy and building a safer, healthier future for humanity, this show is a must-watch for any energy professional looking to stay ahead of the game. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel, rate and review us on Apple or Spotify, and join us live every Thursday at 12 noon EST / 9 AM Pacific. Contact us at tim@cleanpowerhour.com or visit www.CleanPowerHour.com to learn more.
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The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com
Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/
The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com
The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Please subscribe on your favorite audio platform and on Youtube: bit.ly/cph-sub | www.CleanPowerHour.com | contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com | Speeding the energy transition!
For more information on solar, storage and everything else, go to www.solarSEAN.com
Geoff Ferrell is the Senior Vice President of VPP and C&I Projects Business at Sonnen Inc. He also worked as a Chief Technology Officer in Mandalay Homes at Arizona.
As the former Chief Technology Officer of Mandalay Homes, Geoff Ferrell was a leader in the development of technology in the construction industry and a specialist in building science.
In 2017, Sonnen started working with Soleil Lofts, a multi-family community in Herriman, Utah, south of Salt Lake City, that has 600 units and is totally powered by electricity. It is a part of a project of Rocky Mountain Power.
This podcast was recorded in Jamestown Colorado
You can also reach Geoff Ferrell on his social accounts!
sonnen Website: www.sonnengroup.com Threads: www.threads.net/@geoffferrell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/geoff-ferrell-733466a8/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/ferrell_geoff?lang=en
Greg Smith on Sean's podcast in 2020 (when Greg was with sonnen):
Part 1:podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/greg-smith-of-sonnen-battery-and-formerly-of-sma-part-1/id1441958371?i=1000474026142
Part 2:podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/greg-smith-of-sonnen-battery-part-2/id1441958371?i=1000474817340
Part 3:podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/greg-smith-of-sonnen-battery-part-3/id1441958371?i=1000477208295
Part 4:podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/greg-smith-of-sonnen-battery-part-4-of-4/id1441958371?i=1000486509610
To find out more and educate yourself, go to www.solarSEAN.com
In this podcast we have Bill Brooks talking energy storage system (ESS) Codes, including the NEC, IFC, IBC, IRC, IEC, but mostly the NEC.
Be sure to get Sean and Bill’s latest book, which is the 3rd edition of PV and the NEC, based on the 2023 NEC.
To find where to get different versions of the NEC including the 2023 NEC for free check out the NEC tab at solarSEAN.com.
Disclaimer: This podcast was recorded in 2021.
Keywords/topics covered:
Self-consumption, EVs, frequency regulation, voltage regulation, energy storage systems, ac-coupled, dc-coupled, SolarEdge, Generac, Powerwall, Enphase, ac-modules, Outback Power, multimode inverter, Sunny Island, Sunny Boy, Article 702, 705, 710, isolation device vs. transfer switch, microgrid mode, interactive inverters, reverse dc-coupled, 400V bus voltage, dc converters, 690.71, Article 480, electric supply and distribution network, NEC Handbook Commentary, UL9540, UL 1973, LG Chem, nominal voltages, lead-acid 2V, alkali, lithium iron phosphate 3.2V, cobalt type of lithium-ion 3.6V, LiFePo4, nickel, charging ranges, batteries are not constant voltage, dc-converters required, storage battery, telecoms industry battery systems not regulated by NEC, NEC 90.2, equalization, sulfation, Trojan L16, lead-acid battery IRC UL 9540 requirements, no UL 9540 listed lead-acid batteries and IRC requires UL 9540 for residential (in dwellings), off-gassing, stratification, emergency disconnects, Hawaii systems, energy storage system labeling, rules for protection of battery terminals for wiring, Article 110, spaces between batteries on NABCEP PVIP exam, ground fault protection.
Links:
Bill Brooks, P.E.: www.brooksolar.com
www.solarSEAN.com
www.HeatSpring.com/SEAN
Buy this book here: https://www.amazon.com/PV-NEC-Sean-White/dp/100318099X
This long podcast is a reading of chapter 5 of the book, which covers NEC Article 690 Part IV of the 2023 NEC.
Every 3 years when the NEC comes out, it is a tradition for me to read and post a poetry reading of Article 690 Photovoltaic Systems. I have already posted parts I through III on this podcast, which you can go back and listen to.
Sean White and Bill Brooks will be presenting this material at RE+ in Vegas in September and at Intersolar in San Diego in January, so be sure to check out their live workshops in person. The 2023 NEC material will be posted on HeatSpring soon, as it is in production now, so keep an eye out!
The NEC can be dry, and we do our best to make it exciting!!
Don't get shocked, unless you are shocked about how we present ourselves!!
Rod Matthews specializes in commercial and industrial (C&I) scale micro-grids and we get into the details of what a microgrid is and how they can benefit customers.
Some of the topics we cover include:
- Microgrid definitions (NREL and NEC, which are different).
- Minigrid definition (never connected to the grid)
- Time-of-Use (TOU) Rates up to $0.74/kWh (or 1 Euro per kWh in Germany)
- NABCEP PV Technical Sales (PVTS)
- Lithium Ferrous Phosphate, aka LFP, Lithium Iron Phosphate
- Dendrites with lithium-metal batteries
- Silicon anodes
- Virtual Power Plant (VPP) design
- Distributed Power Energy Resource Management System Service
- Artificial Intelligence and Microgrids
- Internet of Things (IOT) sensors
- Operation and Maintenance (O&M) contracts
- Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs)
- Capital Expenditures (CapEx)
- Grid controller systems
- Microgrid Equipment
- Demand Charges vs. Energy Charges
- Expensive electricity is good for the industry
- Living without electricity
- Intersolar in San Diego in January
- RE+ in Vegas in September
- The renewable energy family at the conferences
- Sailor of the year
- Doing good for the planet while making money
- Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA)
Check out Rod's Brevian Energy website:
www.brevianenergy.com
To learn more about solar, storage and the solution to all of your and everyone else's troubles, go to www.solarSEAN.com or www.HeatSpring.com/Sean
There are many ways to define the largest BESS and since the industry is growing so excitingly fast, it is difficult to explain exactly which is the largest. We are going to talk about 7 big ones here: 1. Vistra: Moss Landing California US 2021 400MW/1600MWh 2. Crimson Storage: Blythe California US 2022 350MW/1400MWh 3. Manatee: Florida US 2021 (largest with PV) 409MW/900MWh 4. Victorian Big Battery: NSW Australia 2021 300MW/450MWh 5. McCoy Solar / BESS: Blythe California US 2021 230MW/920MWh 6. Elkhorn Battery: Moss Landing California US 2022 182.5MW/730MWh Number 7 on this list is not the 7th largest battery today, but gets mentioned because it was once the largest in the world, first to reach 100MW way back in 2017 and was made because of a crazy social media bet. If you are listening to this podcast in 10 years, it will be funny to compare these largest systems to the new largest BESSs in the world. What will they be? 100GWhs? Crazy to imagine this kind of growth!! For more knowledge about energy storage systems, go to www.solarSEAN.com and take some energy storage classes!!
Sean is recording this podcast from Australia where he is about to teach a utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) course for CPD International. This is some of the material that will be included in the course. In this podcast, we will go over different battery chemistries, focusing on the three main types of lithium-ion batteries used these days, which include: 1. Lithium Iron Phosphate (aka LFP or LiFePo or LiFePo4)2. Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (aka NMC or NCM)3. Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide (aka NCA) We will talk about the availability of these elements on Earth, the toxicity of them, we will compare and contrast to lead-acid and nickel iron batteries and we will take a dive into the controversial Cobalt, which is said to have a supply chain where child labor is often used in the Congo. Australia does lithium and cobalt mining, which is part of the solution, however the use of cobalt free lithium-ion batteries, which means LFP seems to be the solution, however the batteries with cobalt do have a higher specific energy (not to be confused with energy density). Specific energy = energy per weight (most important for EVs)Energy density = energy per volume For more go to www.solarSEAN.com or take an energy storage class at www.heatspring.com/sean Thanks for listening!!
Jeffrey Max is the CEO of Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. otherwise known on the stock market ticker as ASTI. Jeff is a turnaround CEO and we're going to find out what that means, Serial tech entrepreneur and investor. In over 30 years he has founded, built and incubated different global companies with multiple exits in financial services, payments, mobile commerce, adtech and aerospace. Jeff is driving the company's global positioning as a leader in flexible thin-film solar technologies. In addition to several Board positions, Jeff advises and mentors a select group of portfolio companies and founding executives in aerospace, biomed and adtech. Jeff Max has been the Chief Executive Officer of Ascent Solar Technologies since October.
"Microgrid" is a term that is thrown around a lot and a lot of people using this term are not using it as it is defined in the NEC. The 2023 NEC has a few new microgrid terms. Additionally the 2023 NEC has renamed AC Coupling and DC Coupling to be AC Interconnected and DC Interconnected. Have fun and listen and by the way, go to www.solarSEAN.com and become certifiably NABCEPed!
Herve Billiet is an electro-mechanical engineer who co-designed the first Belgian solar car way back when he was 21 years old. Soon after, he was invited by MIT in Boston to advance its sustainable transportation initiatives. He went on to design his first residential solar PV system in 2009 using the 2008 National Electrical Code. Herve is from Europe but he knows the National Electrical Code he's not an expert over there designing solar systems in Europe. And another thing is he worked for a few consulting firms, Accenture among them, and the US Department of Energy as a Strategy Consultant working on some of the largest renewable energy projects in the world. I bet that's getting bigger every day. He's a business partner with Joe Marhamati whom he met at the Department of Energy’s Headquarters to establish Ipsun Solar. Herve and Joe grew Ipsun Solar from a small local installer to a prominent installer in the Northern Virginia Washington DC area doing both residential and commercial solar and advocacy for solar. Herve and Joe were seen roaming the NABCEP conference. Cool dudes! While they were running a solar business Herve saw the need for better software and co-founded Ipsun Sunvoy and we're going to get into what they do but they make tools and things coordinating different types of software and communications together. It’s awesome! He’s a proud father of three boys, a CEO and he is fighting climate change.
At the COP 27 conference there was a lot of talk about other issues besides climate change, which I thought was interesting. Here were my notes: I find it interesting at COP27 that there are a lot of other issues that are not directly about solving the CO2 crisis. Human rights, sexual rights, indigenous rights and economic injustice are all very important and all can be indirectly linked to climate change problems, but we need to get the jerks that are against justice on the side of reducing CO2 growth fast in order to move forward fast. There are many jerks, especially in Florida (that’s a joke), that see human rights as something called “woke” and then when you combine it with CO2 problems, they are automatically against both at once. We need to fix the emergency, make the race to lower the CO2 rate an economic issue that even greedy selfish people can stand behind. Greedy selfish people can stand behind energy security, energy independence, ramping up the cheapest form of energy production, factories in America, good paying jobs, making it a made locally issue. We are not going to get there without the greedy selfish people on our side. We must get along! We are at a time when doing the right thing is also doing the greedy thing, since renewable energy is the future and will make the next wave of millionaires and billionaires. This podcast was originally written at the UN COP27 conference in Egypt in November 2022 and then tied up back at home. To learn about the technical aspects of solar go to www.solarSEAN.com and become certifiably NABCEP.
In this podcast Bill gets down to the basics talking about PV IV curves, Short Circuit Current (Isc), Maximum Power Current (Imp), Open Circuit Voltage (Voc), Maximum Power Voltage (Vmp), Maximum Power Point (MPP), Light Emitting Diodes (LED) in reverse is a solar cell or aka photo diode and if you put power into a solar cell it makes invisible light (infrared). To learn more go to www.solarSEAN.com and get NABCEP certified while you are at it!
We take something that can be boring and run it through the Sean White "boring-to-exciting converter" and out comes something sounding fun! In this podcast we go over different ways of disconnecting solar circuits. To learn more, go to www.solarSEAN.com or www.HeatSpring.com/sean Sean White teaches in-person and on-demand online solar and storage courses everywhere. He is currently writing a book on the 2023 NEC with Bill Brooks.
This podcast was recorded at the COP27 climate conference in Sharm El Sheikh Egypt on November 16 2022.
COP stands for something boring, Conference of the Parties, which means that countries and other organizations are the parties. Sometimes I look at what our countries are doing and it is like we are having a big fossil fuel party! It is literally powering parties like Burning Man with flames of fuel! Anyway, this is the 27th year of COP, so it is called COP 27 and the more famous one was in Paris, when they made the Paris Accord or Paris Agreement, back when we had a very famous and likable Kenyan President at COP 21. This is where the US, China and all of the other big CO2 emitters made an agreement to do things to limit temperature rises to 1.5C over preindustrial levels. Being an American, I do not like the 1.5C number, since we use F for Fahrenheit and a change of 1C is the same as a change of 1.8F, so 1.5C x 1.8 = 2.7F. Anyone that uses F for the temperature of their house or the beach should not use C only when they are talking about climate temperatures, unless they are trying to downplay the emergency. Not since the rock that took out the dinosaurs (except for the birds, which are dinosaurs) has the climate changed so fast. Humans are extremely smart and can tell the temperature of the earth throughout the ages and the CO2 in the atmosphere. There have always been slow gradual changes, but nothing like this without an asteroid. We humans are so smart, that we can also fix this emergency very fast.
The big topic in the news this year is about having the rich countries that have contributed the most to CO2 in the atmosphere to help pay for the other countries that are too poor to do much about it. They have high interest rates, to the point where it is like financing things on a high interest credit card, which is financially impossible to make and investment world form.
The problem I see is that in the biggest polluting country of them all, my country, the USA, we have something called politics and there are enough people against paying for our original sin (we are in a biblical place here), that it is not going to happen on a big scale, no matter how bad the US President wants it.
So what is going to make this happen?
Here is my solution…
I see that humans and other organisms can grow like a virus (go viral). You see doubling rates and as many of you may know, of you double a dollar for a month, you have over a billion dollars. In fact if the month has 31 days, you get 2x more than a 30 day month.
Now we can translate this to a disruptive technology, such as solar, wind and storage. We are getting doubling rates and the trick here is to speed up the doubling rate. Not to accept a 4 year doubling rate, to go for a 1 year doubling rate. Some pessimists will have plenty of reasons why this cannot happen, and the answer is that the reason that this cannot happen is if we listen to pessimists.
We have to scale like we are putting the effort of a world war into it and the big thing here is instead of having a war and having a lot of people die, we have seen that wars can be good for the economy, so we can have a huge economic boom, without the war deaths.
It is inevitable that we will scale up solar, wind and storage, the question is how slow (or fast) are we going to go? If we go fast, there are many benefits, plus we are going to do it anyway, so let’s get it done.
Solar and Wind are already the cheapest forms of energy in the world. Energy storage is getting less expensive and in a few years, it will economically stupid to buy a new car that is not an EV and these EVs can easily be plugged in and wired for grid support, which will happen. The question is, are we going to sit around and whine, or are we humans going go get it done!
We are humans. We are the smartest thing in the universe. We can easily figure this out. If we put in an effort, we can pick a temperature and dial it in. We can put CO2 from the atmosphere back underground where it came from and set a thermostat. We are humans. We can do anything we set our minds too. It will happen, the question is when. Waiting is stupid. Getting it done now is smart and makes big money.
If the poor countries want a strategy, they can align themselves with the counties that help them set up solar, wind and storage. If the US wants to set up a base on some island, then it needs to come with solar, wind and storage. Perhaps if the island nation has a low credit rating, the US (or other country) can bring their credit rating to the base.
There are other low CO2 solutions, but we see right now that solar and wind are the least expensive, so it is a scaling solution. We need factories, good labor, robots making robots that make PV, wind and solar.
If we distract ourselves with excuses, neat ideas that do not come to fruition and blame for what someone did 50 years ago, then we will keep walking in circles. The solution is here. The solution will bring us out of any recession. The solution will create jobs, the solution will help children breathe clean air. The solution is scaling up big time solar, wind and storage. No excuses. All positive. Let’s get going.
For classes and everything controlled by the Sun God Ra, go to www.solarSEAN.com
2021 IRC requirements for ESS units to be less than 20kWh, 3-foot separation between ESS units, exceptions due to large-scale fire testing (UL 9540A), distance of ESS from garage window vs. window of living space, SolSmart.org PV, Future SolSmart ESS material Bill is developing, 2024 IRC Proposals, lithium-ion not good on the outside of a house in cold places and NFPA 855 Standard for ESS.
This video is based on the 2018 IFC and there are many places that are using the 2018 IFC, in fact I just taught an ESS class to inspectors based on the 2015 IFC. You will have to check your own state to see which version is adopted. At the time I am writing this, the 2018 IFC is the most widely used version, although the 2021 IFC has already been released. Additionally, most of the language between different versions is the same, so understanding one version means you mostly understand the other. Don’t be one of those people that overly worries about studying a different version of a Code.
Topics we cover include: Large-scale fire testing (UL 9540A), FMEA, container batteries/ESS, Lead-acid, NiCad, Lithium-ion, maximum sizes, maximum allowable battery quantities, UL 9540, UL 1973, EMS energy management systems, BMS battery management systems
The 2023 NEC has been released and it is time to see how voltage, current and rapid shutdown look in the future! 2023 690 Part 2 includes: 690.7 Voltage 690.8 Current 690.9 OCPD 690.11 DC Arc Fault Protection 690.12 Rapid Shutdown Reading the NEC can be heavy stuff, so if you do not get it the first time around, try listening to it backwards synced with Dark Side of the Moon. Then you will get the secret meaning. Learn more and take happy classes on deciphering the Code at www.solarSEAN.com or www.HeatSpring.com/sean
Rapid Shutdown has traditionally meant putting module level power electronics in the array for PV systems on buildings. There has always been this part of the NEC 690.12(B)(2)(1) that gave you an option to comply with rapid shutdown inside the array with a listed hazard control system. Surprisingly, we can now go back to having something to what rapid shutdown used to be in the 2014 NEC, which we called array level rapid shutdown. Let’s see if someone gets something like this listed for a residential roof.
Links:
https://www.sma-america.com/newsroom/current-news/news-details/news/5123-sma-america-and-sollega-partner-to-debut-the-first-ul-3741-pvhcs-certified-commercial-and-indus.html
https://files.ironridge.com/flat-roof-mounting/resources/brochures/IronRidge_BX_System_UL3741_Installation_Addendum.pdf
https://solarbuildermag.com/featured/ul-3741-rooftop-pv-system-complies-with-nec-690-12-without-mlpe/
To see a visual version, take these classes at www.HeatSpring.com/sean
40-Hour NABCEP Advanced PV Certification Training and CEUS
30-Hour NABCEP Advanced PV Certification Training and CEUS
2020 NEC PV, Energy Storage, Building and Fire Codes for PV System Inspectors
Every time the NEC comes out, I do a reading of my favorite NEC articles. I like to think of it as sort of a poetry reading, since I will try to make it as least dry (wet) as possible. This time I am going to give some commentary, so it is up to you to figure out what is Code and what is me interpreting and making Code fun by understanding the tone of my voice. Here is where you can get free access to the 2023 NEC from the NFPA website: https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/all-codes-and-standards/list-of-codes-and-standards/detail?code=70 This podcast is 690 Part 1 General, so stay tuned for more 690 Parts and more 2023 NEC articles, such as 2023 NEC 706 and more!! Here are a few of the new things happening here in 2023 NEC 690 Part 1:
- We can now say string! Before it was a PV source circuit (and it still is).
- Floatovoltaics: Yes we have mention of special requirements for floating PV, which sort of reminds me of my and Bill's Sailboat. Now you can put boating on your PV resume.
- I describe some images so you can get the audio version of the visual, which is good brain exercise and prevents alzheimers
This is a re-posting of a podcast where Sean White is interviewed by Tim Montegue on the Clean Power Hour Podcast.
If you have not already, be sure to save the Clean Power Hour podcast to your favorites. Tim is very active and has all kinds of experts on his podcast, including Jigar Shaw of the Department of Energy (Episode 83). I was honored to be interviewed on the Clean Power Hour and listen to the Clean Power Hour religiously.
Tim took my NABCEP PV Technical Sales Course at HeatSpring, so if it is good enough for Tim, it is good enough for you!
Show Notes From Clean Power Hour:
Get a 15% discount to attend Midwest Solar Expo with discount code: CPH15. www.MidwestSolarExpo.com/, the premier B2B solar and clean energy event in the region.
As innovation in solar chugs along and consumer perception climbs and falls, one thing is true. New terminology – with accompanying acronyms – appears almost daily right now in solar industry. From “solar economics” to “virtual power plants (VPP) ” to “frequency regulation” and “vehicle to grid (V2G),” these terms are the future of solar. And solar is climbing high.
Sean White is an award-winning solar photovoltaic (PV) professor, master trainer, solar contractor and author of several books, including Solar Photovoltaic Basics, Solar PV Engineering and Installation, PV Technical Sales, PV and the NEC and Energy Storage Basics.
On this episode of Clean Power Hour, Sean joins Tim to talk about important milestones in the history of solar technology from its inception in the 1950’s to its maturity today. They discuss solar energy storage, bidirectional car batteries, self-consumption systems, V2G, VPPs, getting to cash positive, plus details on important upcoming industry conferences.
Listen in to bring that expertise to the forefront to tackle any business challenge, hire new talent, acquire new business and so much more.
Key Takeaways
Milestones in PV cell development from its invention in 1954 to one gigawatt installed worldwide in 2000 to one terawatt installed worldwide in 2022
How the price adoption curve has played a major role in the solar industry
How battery size and availability introduce the new frontier of solar: “solar plus storage”
Why California has half of solar energy production and its likely status-change to a “self-consumption system” in the very near future
Sean’s predicted boom of self-consumption systems and how the “price is right” for bidirectional batteries in electric vehicles
The essential missing piece that is the main barrier to V2G technology
Which mainstream car company is actively working on a V2G-ready car
How solar energy will become economical in 5-10 years
Why energy storage can assist with “frequency regulation” (injecting extra power into the grid or holding back when necessary)
How the “solar coaster” came to be and why solar could be the next massive money-maker
How utilities pushing back sends consumers migrating off grid
Connect with Sean
SolarSEAN.com
Sean on LinkedIn
Books by Sean
White House Solar
Connect with Tim
Clean Power Hour
Clean Power Hour on YouTube
Tim on Twitter
Tim on LinkedIn
Email tgmontague@gmail.com
Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts
Resources
HeatSpring.com
Grid Alternatives
RE+ Southeast Conference, May 11-12, 2022
Re+ Conference, September 19-22, 2022
InterSolar North America Conference, February 14-16, 2023
RE+ Northeast Confe
The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Please subscribe on your favorite audio platform and on Youtube: bit.ly/cph-sub | www.CleanPowerHour.com | contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com | Speeding the energy transition!
Some of the areas of the NEC that we cover in this podcast are:
NEC Article 702 Optional Standby Systems, Load Control, Disconnecting Means, UL 1741 for Power Control Systems, 706.15 Location Control for 1 and 2-family Dwellings
Quotes: Bill Brooks (soon to be famous quotes).
“Tesla, Enphase, SolarEdge, are all getting listed as energy management systems.”
“You will damage most generators if you run out of fuel under load.”
“Hey Siri, turn off my ESS.”
“Here’s what happened in the 2023 Code.”
“706.15 Location Control for 1- and 2-Family Dwellings, an ESS shall include an emergency shutdown function to cease the export of power from the ESS to the premises wiring of other systems.”
“You could have a device that could have rapid shutdown and ESS emergency shutdown” “you could use the same switch”
This is a recording of part of an NEC workshop at the Intersolar 2022 conference at the Long Beach California Convention Center in January 2022.
The workshop was titled: Energy Storage, PV and the NEC.
Bill Brooks is instrumental in the process of coming up with material for the NEC for renewable energy systems, especially for solar, energy storage and interconnections. Although the 2023 NEC has not been finalized or published, this is as good of a preview as you can get for knowing what the future will bring. Many manufacturers, engineers, CEOs and other decisionmakers can make better informed decisions about the future, knowing what will be in the National Electrical Code.
Bill Brooks is on NEC Code Making Panel 4 (the alternative energy panel) and has been perhaps the most active member of the PV Industry Forum, which is where new material for the NEC for Solar PV, Energy Storage and Interconnections are made. Bill has been working on Codes and Standards for 34 years. Bill Brooks and Sean White also published the book PV and the NEC.
Note: This podcast was recorded on an iPhone 13 and to my surprise the recording quality was way better than expected, so we decided to podcast it!
WARNING: Bill Brooks and Sean White sometimes think they are funny. If you disagree with this and do not like dad jokes, do not listen to this podcast.
Some of the areas of the NEC that we cover in this podcast are:
Ground Fault Protection, Ground Fault Detection and interruption (GFDI) term clarified (not to be confused with GFCI), 690.45 Equipment Grounding Conductors (EGC) includes DC and AC not having to increase size of EGC when upsizing current carrying conductor for voltage drop (now also applies to AC PV and modifies NEC 250.122), 250.122 EGC sized based on OCPD, Microgrid Interconnect Device (MID), Interactive Mode vs. Voltage Mode, putting multiple inverters prior to the first OCPD, 705.13 Power Control Systems (PCS) was changed to Energy Management Systems (EMS), EMS was previously just for loads, Tesla Powerwall, PCS is not the part of the EMS that is controlling sources, Batteries as Source and Load, EVs Article 625, and more!
Quotes: Bill Brooks (soon to be famous quotes).
“Changes in size for voltage drop do not have to increase the size of the equipment grounding conductor”
“It’s penalizing you for doing the right thing” Bill on 250.122 upsizing the EGC for voltage drop.
“All we’ve done is we’ve taken the microgrid interconnect device and stuck it inside the inverter” Bill on multimode inverter with 2 AC outputs.
“We could have a system that was 50kW going into a 100A service.” [South: at about 49 min, so let’s put in intro.]
“We have large systems right now, that have a 5MW interconnection that have a 30 PV array on them.”
“You can run a 400A feed to a large EV charging area, you can put 20 cars on it.” “The controller would never allow you to draw more than 400A.”
“You have a controller that prevents the conductors from receiving too much current.”
“At the end of the day, the NEC is all about safety. It’s all about, we do not burn buildings down with correctly installed electrical equipment.”
This is a recording of part of an NEC workshop at the Intersolar 2022 conference at the Long Beach California Convention Center in January 2022.
The workshop was titled:
Energy Storage, PV and the NEC.
Bill Brooks is instrumental in the process of coming up with material for the NEC for renewable energy systems, especially for solar, energy storage and interconnections. Although the 2023 NEC has not been finalized or published, this is as good of a preview as you can get for knowing what the future will bring. Many manufacturers, engineers, CEOs and other decisionmakers can make better informed decisions about the future, knowing what will be in the National Electrical Code.
Bill Brooks is on NEC Code Making Panel 4 (the alternative energy panel) and has been perhaps the most active member of the PV Industry Forum, which is where new material for the NEC for Solar PV, Energy Storage and Interconnections are made. Bill has been working on Codes and Standards for 34 years. Bill Brooks and Sean White also published the book PV and the NEC.
Note: This podcast was recorded on an iPhone 13 and to my surprise the recording quality was way better than expected, so we decided to podcast it!
WARNING: Bill Brooks and Sean White sometimes think they are funny. If you disagree with this and do not like dad jokes, do not listen to this podcast.
Bill Brooks is instrumental in the process of coming up with material for the NEC for renewable energy systems, especially for solar, energy storage and interconnections. Although the 2023 NEC has not been finalized or published, this is as good of a preview as you can get for knowing what the future will bring. Many manufacturers, engineers, CEOs and other decisionmakers can make better informed decisions about the future, knowing what will be in the National Electrical Code.
Bill Brooks is on NEC Code Making Panel 4 (the alternative energy panel) and has been perhaps the most active member of the PV Industry Forum, which is where new material for the NEC for Solar PV, Energy Storage and Interconnections are made. Bill has been working on Codes and Standards for 34 years. Bill Brooks and Sean White also published the book PV and the NEC.
Some of the areas of the NEC that we cover in this podcast are:
NEC Article 100 Definitions. All definitions moving to article 100 (no more 690.2 definitions), Electronic Power Converter, Electronic Transformer, Inverter Definition, PV Hazard Control UL 3741, Rapid Shutdown, 690.4, 690.12, NEC 750 Energy Management Systems (EMS), NEC 705.13 Power Control Systems (PCS), Net-Metering 3.0 Protest, NEC 712 DC Microgrids removed from the NEC and you use 705, PV String Circuits (strings now in NEC for first time), PV Output Circuit removed, PV System Output Circuit, Recombiner (Bill is not fond of this term), Paralleling Circuits in Harnesses, First Solar Modules, 2023 NEC PV Source Circuits go into and out of DC Combiner, String Circuit is series only (not parallel), DC-to-DC Converter Circuit, Wild PV, PV System Disconnect, 690.15 reorganized, Locking Requirements, Ground Fault Protection, Ground Fault Detection and interruption (GFDI) term clarified (not to be confused with GFCI), 690.45 Equipment Grounding Conductors (EGC) includes DC and AC not having to increase size of EGC when upsizing current carrying conductor for voltage drop (now also applies to AC).
Quotes: Bill Brooks (soon to be famous quotes).
“When you see a change in the Code, it does not mean that the requirements change.”
“90% of changes in the Code are not changes in requirements”
“We will never make a Code that will be clear to everyone”
“Codes are using text to convey fairly complex concepts to the public”
“Energy Management Systems (EMS) was unified with other parts of the Code”
“NEC Code Making Panel 4 is referred to now as the alternative energy panel”
“They’re putting maintenance requirements into a construction code”
“We got PV string circuits into the NEC”
“SolarEdge can put 100 PV modules on a Circuit”
This is a recording of part of an NEC workshop at the Intersolar 2022 conference at the Long Beach California Convention Center in January 2022.
The workshop was titled:
Energy Storage, PV and the NEC.
Note: This podcast was recorded on an iPhone 13 and to my surprise the recording quality was way better than expected, so we decided to podcast it!
WARNING: Bill Brooks and Sean White sometimes think they are funny. If you disagree with this and do not like dad jokes, do not listen to this podcast.
Keith Cronin: Solar MBA instructor on HeatSpring!
Keith sold his Hawaii solar company Island Energy Solutions to Jigar Shaw of SunEdison in 2007 after knowing Jigar since 2002.
Keith has been teaching his Solar MBA class for just over a decade with co-instructor and attorney Chris Lord. They have taught many students, including oil and gas refugees.
Keith Cronin does consulting via his company Sun Hedge with clients all over the world, including the Department of Defense. He has lived in many different countries throughout his solar career.
Listening to this podcast will give you insight into the process for developing large solar projects and systems to run your growing business.
Final wise words from Keith Cronin:
- Fail more quickly
- Stumble ahead
- Don’t be afraid
- Ask questions
- Learn from others and you’ll be glad you did!
Click here to find out more about Keith Cronin’s classes!
Make sure to stop by www.SolarSEAN.com for a life altering experience! Knowledge is power and power times time is energy!
Thanks,
Sean
Welcome to 2022, the year of the Terawatt! That's right, this year will cross the trillion watt mark! 2022 will be remembered as the year that humanity reached the magic number of 1 trillion watts, aka 1 terawatt or 1TW of solar installed since the beginning of time. We do not have to take into consideration the amount of solar taken out of service, since that is so low, it probably will be replaced in less than a month, so that means we will hit the milestone of installed 1TW since 1 million BC and we will also have 1TW that is installed and working every day. 1TW = 1000GW = a million megawatts! According to a July 2021 article titles "Solar continues to break installation records, on track for Terawatt scale by 2022" by Solar Power Europe, Earth will hit 900 GW in 2021, 1.1 TW in 2022, 1.3 TW in 2023, 1.6 TW in 2023, and 1.8 TW in 2025. At a world population of 7.9 Billion, we are close to hitting another milestone too. To put a trillion watts into context, the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl was 1GW, so the power output of 1000 Chernobyls is about equal to the power output of solar on Earth sometime in 2022. There are a little over 2TW of coal plants operating in the world right now, so we are not there yet. I also do not want to fool you and have to mention that coal and nuclear do work at night, so we need more solar to make up for that, along with energy storage and high voltage DC lines across time zones, which is more easily engineered physically than politically. Can you imagine Middle America allowing the East and West Coasts sharing daylight electricity via power lines through their states? Perhaps we will have to stick to energy storage right now. I once saw a presentation by Dr. Shi who was the founder of Suntech in China, where he pointed out that we could have high voltage dc (HVDC) power lines that circle the globe. The pathway would be from South Africa, up to Eurasia and then across the Bering Straits to Alaska and down to Argentina. Once climate change hits, perhaps we can also have an HVDC extension to the green pastures of Antartica! To put HVDC into context and using 1 million volts as an example, we would be able to carry a MW with 1 Amp! We would be able to carry a GW, which is all of the power that Chernobyl could produce with 1000A. There are many homes that are wired for 100A and many buildings that are wired for well over 1000A. Depending on your source, the largest PV project in the world is about 1GW, so now putting that into wire sizing terms, you can easily transport a GW using wire tables in the NEC (utilities do not have to follow the NEC and can size their wires smaller). The reason that HVDC is the perfect way to carry large amounts of power over long distances, is because Voltage x Current = Power, so with high voltage, you need much less current for the same amount of power and current is what heats up a wire, not voltage. The reason that we do not use high voltage in our houses is because high voltage is sparky. Go to www.SolarSEAN.com to find out more!
In this question we have the following questions and answers: 1. Net metering: Why it is different in different places whether or not you can and should feed energy back to the grid when you have an excess. 2. How bypass diodes work and also with half-cell PV modules. 3. Why solar goes so well with energy storage systems (ESS). 4. National Electrical Code (NEC) articles 480 Storage Batteries vs. 706 Energy Storage Systems and why you should use 706 For more info, go to www.solarSEAN.com
Sean White (solarSEAN.com) is interviewed on his former student Cory Vanderpool's podcast.
The talk about various subjects including:
Solar and wind are finally cheapest forms of electricity
EVs bringing down the cost of lithium-ion Energy Storage Systems (ESS)
Battery benefits including being a load, besides being a source of power
Wind power’s cubed relationship to wind speed
Frequency regulation is the biggest use for energy storage right now
Negative energy pricing in Germany
Ramp rates of energy storage beating all other forms of energy by a long shot, especially underground mined resources (fossil fuels and nuclear)
EV to grid future
LG Batteries in cars vs. home ESS price being the same
Lithium-ion graphite anodes, silicon anodes, lithium metal anode, specific energy (energy per weight), dendrites, energy density (energy per volume)
Sean’s $0.20 to $0.40 per kWh battery price prediction in 10-years
Soldering home-made lithium-ion battery packs
Battery cells, battery modules, battery packs definition
Buying houses with pre-existing solar, real estate with solar, and knowing how to value them, solar valuation, solar asset value, solar offset value (offsetting electricity)
You can see Cory’s podcast home page at: https://sparkcertified.mykajabi.com/podcasts/solar-broadcast
Cory’s webpage: www.SparkPros.com
Twitter www.twitter.com/acoryvanderpool
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/cory-vanderpool-85bb764a/
Michael Ginsburg’s book: https://www.amazon.com/Solar-Photovoltaic-Power-Optimization-Verification-ebook/dp/B07YQ9D7V2
Sean White's classes, books and everything else: www.solarSEAN.com
In this podcast we answer 2 questions:
1) Grounding is important and can be confusing with many different theories of how and why it should be done. Here we are going to talk about the basics, including the neutral (grounded conductor), the equipment grounding conductor (EGC) and the grounding electrode conductor (GEC). We will even make a mention of SWER (single wire earth return), which means using 1 wire for transmission and using the Earth as a conductor! Here is a link about that last part, so you don’t think I am making it up: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-wire_earth_return
2) Batteries were once always included with PV systems and not as the grid has more intermittent renewables, batteries are making a comeback. We will discuss energy storage, off grid PV systems in Haines Alaska’s Mud Bay and microhydro for generating electricity.
3) Monocrystalline PV has taken over the number 1 spot from polycrystalline silicon solar cells in the last few years. We will discuss the differences of how these solar cells are made and how they look.
To find out more about solar and storage, go to www.solarSEAN.com
This podcast answers 3 questions on solar and storage.
1) EV to home can mean EV to grid and EV to backup. Ford has announced that their F-150 Lightning Electric Pickup will be released next year and will have the ability to backup a house. What does that mean? Will it be able to work with a PV system and keep the battery charged or will it only work as long as the battery is charged? Will it be able to send electricity to the grid?
2) Now that there are a tremendous amount of lithium-ion batteries being manufactured, what will happen at the end of their lives? Fortunately, lithium-ion battery materials are not very toxic, unlike lead-acid batteries. Just like with solar modules, if we accidentally throw the materials in the trash, it will not be a toxicity issue, just a waste issue. Lithium-ion batteries will get recycled and the most important aspect of this is the need for cobalt, since much of the cobalt comes from the Congo, where child labor is often used.
3) The average efficiency of PV being installed these days hovers somewhere under 20% and the super high efficiency that people buy for some rich people's homes can be 22% efficient. It is interesting that for space applications, you can see up to 40% efficient PV, which has to be super-efficient! Even the richest guy in the world (Elon Musk) thinks gallium arsenide PV is expensive for space and has mentioned that he is using some crystalline silicon PV on some satellites. To find out more about gallium arsenide space solar cells, go to https://www.spectrolab.com/photovoltaics.html and make sure you have a few million bitcoin on your credit card (joke).
To find out more about solar and storage, go to www.solarSEAN.com
This is an audio version of the workshop that Sean White taught at the ASES conference at the University of Colorado Boulder on August 6, 2021. To see a video version, go to www.solarSEAN.com for a link to Sean's YouTube channel or find some of this material in Sean's classes at www.HeatSpring.com/sean
You can also find most of the material form Sean's Intensive PV workshop at the ASES conference, which was covered in the last podcast listed on HeatSpring for 2 hours of free NABCEP CE credit at https://www.heatspring.com/courses/introduction-to-solar-pv-design-installation-and-code?aff_id=t3nlgw
Here is the description of the workshop straight from the ASES.org website:
This workshop will be jam-packed with NEC insight and interpretation. Sean White teaches PV courses around the world and has authored many technical PV books. Solar Photovoltaic Basics 2nd Ed., Energy Storage Basics, Solar PV Engineering and Installation 2nd Ed., Solar PV Technical Sales and PV and the NEC 2nd Ed. Sean will fill you up with as much information as possible in the time given, while entertaining you. This year Sean will focus more on Energy Storage Systems (ESS) than he has in the past.
Did you know that the NEC allows us to backfeed your house with electric vehicles (EVs) and that it is just the EV manufacturers holding us back? Be ready for when EV manufacturers let us do what they already should have.
This course will count for NABCEP continuing education requirements in every category and will also count for prerequisites for NABCEP Certification.
This course will also include a $200 discount for Sean’s advanced online PV classes.
A printable color digital certificate included with course, along with .pdf files of the presentation.
Your instructor is based in the US and teaches classes internationally. His resume can be seen here www.maximumpowerpointtraining.com
Be sure to check out next year's ASES conference in Albuquerque New Mexico on June 20-24 ases.org/conference see you there!
go to www.solarSEAN.com
This podcast is a recording of a workshop Sean taught at the ASES Solar 2021 Conference at the University of Colorado Boulder on August 6, 2021.
This Solar PV Intensive Workshop was fast paced and covered a lot of information. This workshop was in a way covering the same material Sean covers in his Solar PV Boot Camps, which are often 40 hours long in a quick 1.5 hours. There are slides and if you want to see the video version, you will be able to see it at Sean's Youtube channel. Here is the Youtube link for this video. Topics covered include, Energy Storage Systems (ESS), PV Markets To find out more about solar and energy storage or classes with Sean White and Bill Brooks, go to www.solarSEAN.com
Hawaii has more solar PV per capita than any other state. Since PV is the least expensive energy in the world now, this concentration of PV will soon hit other states and Hawaii is paving the way with new policies that will be able to deal with this abundance of noontime energy. California, which has a lot more people and by for more solar than any other state is also dealing with this abundance.
In this podcast, we will discuss one of Hawaii’s policies put in place to deal with the possibility of producing more energy than the grid needs, but still letting people export to the grid. The policy we are covering is called Customer Grid Supply Plus (CGS+). Get ready for these new types of policies to come to you.
We will also discuss energy storage, and a student review of one of our free classes for 2 hours of NABCEP credit that I do with Bill Brooks where we sadly get accused of being "too funny".
To find out more and to take some of my not-boring classes, go to www.solarSEAN.com
In this podcast, Sean answers 3 questions and then we finish it off with some wise words from Bill Brooks where Bill and Sean discus the purpose of NFPA 855 Standard For The Installation Of Stationary Energy Storage Systems.
To find out more about solar and energy storage or classes with Sean White and Bill Brooks, go to www.solarSEAN.com
In this podcast, Sean answers questions about net-metering sustainability, with examples from the most mature PV markets in the US, Hawaii and California and how energy storage solves problems when intermittent renewables are on the grid. There were some changes in the 2017 NEC, where the requirement to have a temperature adder with conduit in sunlight over a roof were removed, making wire sizing simpler, although wire sizing is arguably the most difficult part of designing a PV system. Our last topic here has to do with the optimal way to face your PV, given the restrictions of having an east-west facing rooftop. As Jim Morrisoin says, "West is the best!" To find out more, go to solarSEAN.com
In this podcast we once again cover questions from you and those like you by popular demand. We will get into the different terminology and how it changed in different versions of the NEC, when we talk about ungrounded, grounded and functionally grounded inverters. We talk about the correct terminology for combining batteries in parallel and differentiate between community solar and community choice aggregation among other things. To find out more about renewable energy, go to solarSEAN.com
In this episode, we cover tilting PV modules, and seasonal tilting, why most PV modules at 60 cell and 72 cell modules, net-metering and energy storage.
To find out more about solar and energy storage or to ace any NABCEP exam, go to solarSEAN.com
In this podcast, we are going answer questions related to solar and energy storage. The first question is about NABCEP and how they are going about adopting the latest version of the NEC. The next question is about higher power PV modules and are they bigger and more dangerous to install. The last question is about how to deal with and what to do about the possibility of manufacturers going out of business. To find out more about Solar and Energy Storage Systems (ESS) go to solarSEAN.com
In this podcast we talk about the new UL standard for PV, which replaces UL 1703 for PV with UL 61730, which took place in December of 2020. You can still use UL 1703, just if you come out with a new module design, it needs to comply with UL 61730, which makes things easier, since it is the same test around the world, instead of having a different test for the US and Europe for instance. We also talk about the new UL 3741 PV Hazard Control Standard, aka the Rapid Shutdown standard, which is another way of complying with 690.12 in the 2020 NEC, so you can perhaps have up to 3 modules in series after shutdown now. Mid Circuit Interrupters (MCI) on every third module maybe all you need for rapid shutdown as long as it is a UL 3741 listed solution. This is big news and a new way to deal with rapid shutdown. An MCI is likely to be a switch that does not do maximum power point tracking (MPPT), or you can have a dc-to-dc converter (optimizer) that does MPPT on a group of 3 PV modules. To learn more about energy storage, solar, the building codes, the NEC and everything else, go to www.solarsean.com
In this podcast we cover the requirements of the International Fire Code and Energy Storage Systems and sizes of these Energy Storage Systems in the International Fire Code. There are special size requirements as we will learn soon. We were primarily covering the 2018 IFC, the 2021 IFC does not come out yet as of this podcast and even when it does come out it doesn't mean that it’s get adopted right away in your state and so the different sizes of the Energy Storage Systems that we're going to talk about cover from larger than one- and two-family dwellings up to large utility scale systems. Can you get bigger than the utility scale not that I know about, but I'd be interested in your crazy comments? Did you know that ventilation is not required for valve regulated lead acid batteries? That's right ventilation is not required for valve regulated lead acid batteries and you know that now. And also, did you know that the International Fire Code does not apply when you were applying the IRC that's the International Residential Code? And that's for one- and two-family dwellings so the International Fire Code is not supposed to be implemented for one- and two-family dwellings! Look at all this learning that we can do.
To learn more about energy storage, solar, the building codes, the NEC and everything else, go to www.solarsean.com
In this podcast we cover the 2021 IRC has not been published yet and which Bill is helping write. We also discuss the relationship with the International Fire Code (IFC) and the International Building Code (IBC). The IRC, IBC and IFC are published by the International Code Council (ICC). Some of the subjects we cover are vehicle impact protection for Energy Storage Systems (ESS), parking bollards, parking curbs, installation locations, not installed in habitable rooms, habitable room definitions, sheet rock (5/8" gypsum requirements) in relation to ESS which are non-combustible wall requirements, ESS in relationship to garage windows vs. bedroom windows, kWh maximum size per area, 80kWh house maximum, Section 1206.1-1206.9 of IFC, Fire detection, Smoke alarms, California Residential Code (CRC), which copies the IRC, stand-by power, and more! To learn more about energy storage, solar, the building codes, the NEC and everything else, go to www.solarsean.com
In this podcast Bill Brooks covers the International Residential Code from the International Code Council (ICC), which are rules in addition to the NEC for installing ESSs in 1- and 2-family dwellings. Bill Brooks is instrumental in writing the material that we cover and sits on many different panels, such as the UL 9540 standards technical panel, and comes up with the rules. Stay tuned for another podcast where we will cover the International Building Code (IBC) and the International Fire Code (IFC), which are used for other than 1- and 2-family dwellings. We cover here: UL 9540 (umbrella standard), UL 1973, UL 1741, 2018 IRC, 2021 IRC, 2024 IRC insight, LG Chem Battery, Tesla Powerwall, SolarEdge, SMA, BYD, Enphase, Sonnen, Inverters and sub-assemblies, lithium-ion and lead-acid battery preferred applications, using retired EVs to power your house according to the 2018 IRC, NEC 625 Bidirectional EV charging/discharging, battery locations, habitable locations, ventilation, hydrogen and flammable gasses, protection from impact, vehicle approved barriers, parking bollards, parking curbs, and more! Although this podcast's focus is on residential ESS, we do mention some Utility-Scale ESS relationships with UL 9540. To learn more about solar and energy storage, go to www.solarSEAN.com where we have NABCEP classes and all kinds of learning materials.
Building Integrated PV (BIPV) has been around forever as far as the solar industry is concerned (4 or 5 decades). It has never taken off like people think. There has always been a lot of hype around BIPV, especially amongst laypeople. Will Tesla change BIPV forever? I would think not, except I will never underestimate a guy that turned a small EV company into the world's most valuable automaker, lands reusable rockets routinely, and can make non-human primates play video games with their thoughts, all things which were considered impossible. For more information and education on solar and storage, go to www.solarSEAN.com !
In this podcast we are going to go over NEC 706 with Bill Brooks, thy guy who wrote a lot of this material and was there every step of the way. Sometimes Bill does not agree with what ends up in the NEC and he will let you know it here first on this podcast.
To have fun and learn more about solar and storage, go to SolarSEAN.com
We are going to cover short circuit current rating of equipment with Bill Brooks. Bill Brooks has been in the solar industry for many decades and knows everything about solar and energy storage. He writes the codes, he does consulting, he's a busy guy and here he is on this podcast. To have fun and learn more about solar and storage, go to SolarSEAN.com
In this episode, we are going to present a particular rumoured certification exam question and then get into the details of how you may install large central inverters with grounding electrode conductors. This is an advanced topic, but if you are a beginner, you can still be amazed at how these huge multi-million dollar PV systems are put together.
To have fun and to learn more about solar and storage, go to SolarSEAN.com
Solar PV shading can be worse than you think, since solar cells are connected in series. We will cover the Solmetric Suneye shading device, (note that Vivant Solar was bought by Sunrun since the recording of this podcast), we will cover some software that can digest shading information, such as Aurora Solar, Helioscope, Energy Toolbase, PVsyst, Albedo, Sketchup, Skelion, PVCAD, AutoCAD, and more. Then we talk about single-axis trackers, concentrated PV, seasonal tilting, concentrating PV, seasonal tilt and many more angles.
In this episode, we are going to cover, air mass, global solar radiation, direct solar radiation, albedo solar radiation, diffuse solar radiation, bifacial solar, pyranometers, pyrheliometers and the solar constant.
To have fun and to learn more about solar and storage, go to SolarSEAN.com
This podcast covers the effects of temperature and irradiance on PV voltage and current and all different kinds of azimuth, which is what a compass reads. Did you know that the magnetic North Pole is moving from Canada to Russia?
To have fun and to learn more about solar and storage, go to SolarSEAN.com
When light comes from the closest star (the sun), it will give us solar power and solar energy. We are going to talk about the difference and how to quantify irradiance and irradiation. We also get into solar insolation, tilt angles, peak sun hours in different locations including Germany, the home of Hermann Scheer who kicked off the solar revolution!
To have fun and to learn more about solar and storage, go to SolarSEAN.com
Energy comes in many forms. From kWhs, to Joules, to cheeseburgers, to a gallon of gas, see how you can convert these different energy containing forms.
We also will get into the speed of electricity, Ohm’s law, Horsepower, the NABCEP PVA exam and PV module level rapid shutdown for PV systems on buildings.
To have fun and to learn more about solar and storage, go to SolarSEAN.com
Many people in the solar and storage industry do not know much about electricity and now is the time to have fun and learn. In this episode, we will introduce you to people with names like Volta, Ampere and Ohm, get ready to power your brain cells with all of that stored energy from last nights tacos.
This podcast includes both basic and advanced material and this episode is on the basic side. If you are advanced, you still can learn something, such as how to explain things to normal people.
To have fun and to learn more about solar and storage, go to SolarSEAN.com
One of the most difficult things to do with the NEC, is to understand how to use it to properly size wires. You can get 10 of the top experts in the world in a room and if you talk about how to properly size a wire, you can be sure there will be exciting conversations (disagreements). The best article I ever read on the subject was in the now retired SolarPro Magazine, where you can still access old articles at www.solarprofessional.com. May SolarPro someday be resurrected! Wire sizing is very uniform throughout the NEC, so if you truly understand this article, you will be able to wire size about anything, including an energy storage system or a circuit to an air conditioner on the roof. As I read this article that is based on the 2011 NEC, I make comments and update how to comply with the 2020 NEC. A few differences are that we no longer have 1A fuse increments below 15A (we skip from 10A to 15A now) and we no longer derate for conduit in sunlight on a rooftop. Warning: This information is difficult, so do not expect to understand it in a day. You are welcome to skip this podcast, or you can do what I did when I first read NEC Article 690. I did not understand it, but got familiar with it and the terminology and after reading it 1000 times or so, I wrote some books on it. To find out more about solar and storage, checkout www.SolarSEAN.com !
The most misunderstood PV label (“terminals on line and load side may be energized in the open position”), DC and AC disconnects, Capacitors, PV is on when the Sun is up, Pocket Voltage Indicator, Hot Stick Voltage Detectors (only work with alternating current), Lockout Tagout (LOTO), Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), 6-feet = Fall Protection, Guardrail Fall Protection, Safety Net Fall Protection, Personal Fall Arrest Systems (PFAS), Anchor, Harness, Lifeline, Shock Absorbing Lanyard, Ladders Safety, Fiberglass vs. Aluminum Ladders, Working Around Power Lines, 3 points of contact, Tool Backpack, Yoyo (self-retracting lifeline) and Sun Exposure!
NEC, too much current on a wire, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) for employees, NFPA, Battery Bank Locations, AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction), NABCEP, Hydrogen and Ventilation with Lead-Acid Batteries, Guarding Live Parts, Working Spaces NEC 110.26, Panelboards, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Fall Protection, Arc-Flash Protection, Skylights, Ergonomics, Staging, Preventing Lumbar Disc Injuries, Volt Meter Testing, First Aid Kits and Eye Wash Stations.
AC-Modules, Direct PV Systems, Water Pumping with PV, Self-Regulating PV, Hybrid PV Systems vs. Hybrid Inverters, Solar Living Institute (RIP), Pumped Hydro Storage, Utility Scale Solar Farms, Large Scale PV Electric Supply Stations (NEC 691), PV Feed-in-Tariff’s, NexTracker Single Axis Trackers, Distributed Generation (DG), NABCEP, Community Solar, Community Choice Aggregation (CCAs), SEIA Houses per MW, 6kW per house average, Energy Efficiency, Resistance Heater 100% efficiency vs. Heat Pumps that are 3x better than 100%, Spectrolab Space Solar.
Utility Interactive PV Systems, Direct Current, Alternating Current, 5-minute UL 1741 anti-islanding requirements, PV the anti-load, net-metering, residential and commercial voltages, 120/240V, 120/208V, 277/480V, Delta, Stinger, Medium Voltage, High Voltage and Ultra High Voltage Connections, Nikola Tesla, Utility Scale PV, NEC Article 691, Charge Controllers, Stand-alone (off-grid), Rectifier (ac-to-dc), Tesla Powerwall, AC-Coupled PV, DC-Coupled PV and SolarEdge.
Stay tuned for Part 3 of PV Markets and Applications Next Week!
PV Markets and Applications, Grid-Tied PV with and without Batteries, Voltage Sags and Peaks, California Rule 21, Energy Storage, Smart Electronics, Bidirectional EVs, UL 1741, UL 1703, CE, NEC, Anti-islanding, Stand-alone, Multimode Inverters, Microgrid Interconnect Device (MID), Interactive Inverter, Solar in Space, Space Based Solar Power (SBSP), Portable Solar Power, Hybrid, Utility Scale PV, Distributed Generation (DG), Concentrated PV, Concentrated Solar Thermal, Solar Thermal vs. Solar PV. Stay tuned for Markets and Applications Part 2 of 3 next week!
PV Markets and Applications, NABCEP Exam, Edmund Becquerel, Photovoltaic Effect, Einstein’s Photoelectric Effect, PV Flash Testing, Bell Labs, Vanguard 1 Satellite, World Installed Capacity of PV, 1 TW of PV Installed, Hockey Stick PV Growth, Space Based Solar Power (SBSP), Dyson Sphere, Swanson’s Law, PV $77/watt in 1977, Solar PV and Eclipses, Guerrilla Solar and Perpetual Solar Flight with the Solar Impulse.
What makes different battery technologies better for different applications, primary and secondary batteries, state of charge (SOC) vs. depth of discharge (DOD), voltage vs. charge, battery open circuit voltage, battery internal resistance, lithium vs. lead acid, battery nominal voltage, 3.6V, 3.2V and 2V, cycle life factors, energy per weight, energy per volume, power per weight vs. energy, arbitrage, self consumption, max discharge current vs. continuous current, charge voltage vs. nominal voltage vs. float voltage, BMS, algorithms, NiMH, NiCad, recycling batteries.
To find out more about everything solar and storage, go to solarSEAN.com
Article 705 applies to PV and ESS. Everything we say here is going to apply to anything backfeeding the grid or a microgrid, however we will use ESS examples. We cover anti-islanding, Microgrid Interconnect Devices (MID), IEEE, Microgrid System definition, 705.11 Supply-Side Connections, 705.12 Load-Side Connections, 705.13 Power Control Systems (PCS), Article 705 Part 2 AC Microgrids.
To find out more about everything solar and storage, go to solarSEAN.com
In this podcast we cover material in Chapters 6 & 7 in the NEC (not including 706 ESS in detail, which we covered in a previous podcast) from an ESS point of view, including 625 EV Power Transfer Systems, EVSE=EV supply equipment, 692 Fuel Cells, 702 Standby Systems, ATS (automatic transfer switch), MID (microgrid interconnect device), 705 Interconnected Power Production Sources, 706 Energy Storage Systems (ESS), 710 Stand-Alone Systems, 712 DC Microgrids, 750 Energy Management Systems, Power Control Systems, Chapter 8 Communication Systems, Chapter 9 Tables, Conduit Fill Tables, Voltage Drop Tables.
To find out more about everything solar and storage, go to solarSEAN.com
Article 90 Introduction, Art. 100 Definitions, Art. 110 Requirements for Electrical Installations, Art. 200 Use and Identification of Grounded Conductors, Art. 240 Overcurrent Protection, Article 250 Grounding and Bonding (& Soares book), Art. 310 Conductors for General Wiring, Art. 358 EMT, Art. 480 Storage Batteries and Chapter 5 Special Occupancies, including aircraft hangers!
To learn more about energy storage, go to www.solarSEAN.com
In this podcast we will go over and explain NEC Article 706 Energy Storage Systems Part III “Installation Requirements”, Part IV “Circuit Requirements”, Part V “Flow Battery Energy Storage Systems” and Part VI “Other Energy Storage Technologies”.
To learn more about energy storage, go to www.solarSEAN.com
In this podcast we go over: ESS and the NEC, 2020, 2017 and 2014 NEC, 706 ESS, 710 Stand-Alone Systems, 712 DC Microgrids, 690 PV, NABCEP, 1897 NEC, 1984 NEC, Statistics, NEC Chapters 1-4, 5, 6, 7, Article 705 Interconnected Power Production Sources, Chapter 8 Communications, Chapter 9 Tables, NFPA 855 Standard for the Installation of Energy Storage Systems, 2020 NEC pdf, Article 480 Storage Batteries, NECA, UL 1973, UL 1989, UL 9540, UL 2436, Flywheels, Inverters, Converters, Gravity ESS, UPS, Flow Battery, AHJ, Qualified Person, Details of Sections 706.2 through 706.16 (Parts I and II of 706). Part I of Article 706 is “General” and Part II is “Disconnecting Means”.
To learn more about energy storage, go to www.solarSEAN.com
In this podcast, we will cover: Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Bloom Energy, Bloom Box, Hydrogen from Natural Gas, Server Module, Ethanol, Lithium vs. Lead-Acid, Solar Family Reunion, Nameplate Capacity vs. Usable Capacity, Round Trip Efficiency, Cobalt, Graphite Anode, NMC, LFP, LifePo, NCA, Reactive Power (Q), Black Start, VRLA, AGM, NiMH, Silicon Graphite Anode, Tesla batteries, Sodium Sulfur, UL 9540, UL 1973, LG and more
To learn more about energy storage, go to www.solarSEAN.com
In this podcast, we will cover Energy Storage Systems (ESS) growth rates, Lithium and other markets, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), Molten Salt Storage, Fly Wheel Storage, Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES), Ternary Batteries (NMC or NCA vs. LFP), Energy Density vs. Specific Energy, Battery Memory Myths, Protection Circuits, Lead-Acid Deep Cycle Batteries, Maintenance, Equalization, NiMH, NiCad, Lithium vs. Lithium-Ion Batteries, Lithium Air Battery, Lithium Polymer, Microporous Electrolyte vs. Porous Separator, Tesla battery cost advantage rumors, Vanadium Redox Flow Battery, Anolyte, Catholyte, Oxidation, Zinc Bromine Flow Batteries, NEC and more!
To learn more about energy storage, go to www.solarSEAN.com
In this podcast, we will focus on the following manufacturers: Samsung, LG, Mitsubishi and Sungrow.
(In another podcast we will cover other manufacturers)
Some of the topics included here are:
Diversified manufacturers and bankruptcy risks, warranty insurance, distributed energy storage, UPS, residential and telecom smaller scale comparisons, virtual power plants (VPP), cells, racks, containers, peak shifting, smoothing, power vs. energy applications, frequency regulation, pouch, prismatic and cylinder cells, capacity, specific energy, energy density, software, PLC, state of charge, power control systems (PCS NEC 705.13), artificial intelligence (AI), grid stabilization, voltage control, monitoring, voltage drop (rise), UL 1741, C-rate, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), lithium vs. sodium sulfur battery, and energy management systems (EMS).
To learn more, go to www.solarSEAN.com where you can find classes, flashcards, consulting and everything under the sun.
In this podcast, we will cover: battery charging and discharging, voltage levels, coulomb counting, data, temperatures, loads, warranties, battery management systems (BMS), smart batteries, dumb batteries, self discharge, rubber band effect, button battery dangers, FAA battery rules.
To learn more about batteries go to www.solarSEAN.com
Topics covered: Transportation of batteries, lithium metal dendrites, lithium ion, International Air Transportation Association (IATA), surprise thermal events, recycling lithium batteries, battery aging, rock content, cutoff voltage, battery sweet zone, stratification, faded, 2nd hand EV batteries used for stationary ESS and data science.
For more excitement and to grow your brain and to increase your value as a human being, go to www.solarSEAN.com
In this episode Sean talks about virtual power plants, which is the aggregation of many small energy storage systems together to end up with the energy storage capacity of a large utility scale energy storage facility. This distributed energy storage, working in harmony with each other can provide many benefits to the grid and to consumers.
To find out more about energy storage, PV and everything else, go to solarSEAN.com.
In this podcast, we will cover, C-rates, hour rates, E-rates, comparing lithium to lead-acid batteries, DOD, battery cells, modules and packs, series and parallel connections, cylindrical, prismatic and pouch batteries, cathodes, anodes, electron flow vs. conventional current direction, electrolytes and the graphite anode.
To learn more, go to solarSEAN.com
This is the fourth and final part of an interview with Greg Smith of Sonnen Battery. In this podcast we cover Greg’s opinion against rapid shutdown (RSD) requirements of the NEC, a book he is writing, whole house backup and how fast a Sonnen can react to a grid outage, which is 100 milliseconds. To find out more about everything solar and storage, go to solarSEAN.com
When you connect PV to Energy Storage, you have to decide if you are going to have them connected together via ac or dc electricity. There are benefits to each for different applications. We will talk about the nuances of ac coupling and dc coupling and give you the benefits and drawbacks of each. To find out more and expand your knowledge, go to solarsean.com
In this podcast, we will learn about the basics of electricity, from voltage to the speed of electricity. We will even get inside of the heads of Charles Coulomb and Henry Ampere. Did you know that 1A is about 6 x 10^18 electrons passing by in a second? And that that many electrons, besides being a lot is also called a coulomb and some batteries do charging by coulomb counting. How can anyone count that high? For more interesting facts, listen to Sean's podcasts, go to solarsean.com and sign up for Sean's HeatSpring classes or hire him live!
In this series of Podcasts we are going to take an unbiased look at different popular Energy System Components. In this podcast we will cover Solar Generac/Pika, Sonnen, Solis, Sol-Ark, Fortress, KiloVault, Trojan Trillium, Rolls, Sunverge, Schneider, SimpliPhi, SMA, BYD and Victron.
To find out more about Sean White, solar and energy storage classes, NABCEP exam Prep, books and customized projects, or even solar installations, go to solarsean.com
In this series of Podcasts we are going to take an unbiased look at different popular Energy System Components. In this podcast we will cover Solar Edge StorEdge, LG Chem RESU, Enphase and Tesla. In upcoming podcasts in this series, we will cover Generac/Pika, Sonnen, Solis, Sol-Ark, Fortress, KiloVault, Trojan Trillium, Rolls, Sunverge, Schneider, SimpliPhi, SMA, BYD and Victron.
To find out more about Sean White, solar and energy storage classes, NABCEP exam Prep, books and customized projects, or even solar installations, go to solarsean.com
Upon finishing this podcast, you will forever remember the top three lithium-ion battery chemistries, which are LFP, NMC and NCA, also known as Lithium Iron Phosphate, Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide and Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide. We will cover more about lithium batteries, such as including the definition of specific energy, which is energy per weight, rather than energy density, which is energy per volume.
To learn more about solar and energy storage, classes and Sean White, go to solarSEAN.com!
Greg used to be the face of SMA America training and now is the face of Sonnen battery education in the US.
This episode, we talk about energy storage self-consumption, energy storage without backup being common in Germany, PG&E public safety power shutoffs and demand for backup in the us, autonomy, ac-coupling, frequency control, module level power electronics, and some companies overestimating the shading losses with string inverters, which Greg is passionate about.
To find out more about solar education and the easiest way to pass NABCEP exams, go to solarSEAN.com
In this part of my interview with Brian Hayden, we discuss drones, space, making online class content, how COVID effects the solar industry, a view of the solar industry stepping back and blurring out the ups and downs and what does good online training look like. To find out more about this podcast or HeatSpring online training, where Sean has now had 15k students sign up for his online classes, go to solarsean.com
This is a reading from the 2020 NEC of Article 705 Interconnected Power Production Sources, which features 705.11 Supply-Side Source Connections, 705.12 Load-Side Source Connections and the new in 2020 705.13 Power Control Systems (PCS). 705.13 is new and will be very useful for making interconnections, so that we are not limited by the options in 705.11 and 705.12. When we have very smart electronics coordinating the currents, such as with smart load centers, CTs and smart inverters, PCSs can make sure our busbars do not melt. Artificial Intelligence anyone?
For someone who is just learning about PV or energy storage and has no idea about the NEC, this might be overwhelming, or at least a way to get familiar with the terminology while falling to sleep. For those of you that are familiar with the NEC, dive into island mode!
For more information about Sean White, Solar and Energy Storage, such as online classes or hiring Sean to teach at your company for NABCEP credit, go to solarsean.com.
This week, we discuss the importance of software, artificial intelligence, controllable breakers, 2020 NEC 690.13 Power Control Systems, home automation platforms, blockchain, benefits to ac coupling, a 10,000 cycle warranty, Shell’s purchase of Sonnen and Shell’s renewable energy history.
To find out more about Sean White’s, online classes or to hire Sean for live trainings for NABCEP credit go to www.solarsean.com.
Greg Smith is a micro-Celebrity in the Solar and Storage industry. He has been the top US technical training manager at two of the top German renewable energy companies. Sonnen is perhaps the most mature lithium ion company in the world that has just celebrated its 10th birthday. If you have been to a big solar show in the US in the last 10 years, you have passed Greg, probably with a crowd around him, as he is excited about the technology he espouses.
This is part 1 of a series of podcasts with Greg. In this episode we cover Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) Lithium-ion batteries, UL 9540 listing of complete Energy Storage Systems and what the inspectors sometimes look for.
To find out more about Sean White, go to solarsean.com
This week we learn how HeatSpring came to be by two MBA candidates from Boston based Babson College’s entrepreneur program. Their recipe is to find the best instructors, who are SMEs that like to teach and many often write books. HeatSpring has been a success story.
We also discuss Grid Alternatives, which is an organization that compliments online solar training very well and is often described as the Habitat for Humanity for solar, where people, including our students get free hands-on experience installing solar on real houses, and at the same time getting that feel good feeling for helping people in need get away from under their monthly electricity bills.
To learn more about Sean White or his classes, go to solarsean.com
Brian Hayden discusses how HeatSpring started as an offshoot of two HS co-founders trying to get educated in renewable energy with the idea of becoming integrators. They were unsuccessful at finding the education they wanted, so they started HeatSpring, with the idea that they would get the best instructors in the world who are often authors. They would let the instructors use their own material and split the revenue rather than getting cheap instructors to make curriculum, teach classes and taking most of the profits for their organizations, google add-words and high pressure sales people, which is what they found in the industry.
Sean learns in this podcast how HeatSpring started out with live trainings in Boston and evolved to go at your own pace 100% online education.
Find out more about the “most excellent” free and not free HeatSpring classes at solarsean.com
Sean White gets interviewed as he was getting ready to interview Brian Hayden. They were having a conversation which fortunately was recorded where Brian Hayden, a podcaster himself seemed to be interviewing the interviewer. This part 1 of a multiple part series of conversations with Brian Hayden. Brian has a podcast of his own, which goes well with his Entrepreneurship course at the world renowned University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship. Brian's podcast is called Finding Your Venture and can be found at FindingYourVenture.com. To find out more about Sean, to sign up for his courses or to hire him, go to solarsean.com. Stay safe!
In this podcast, we go off on the EV manufacturers for not having a good enough excuse to let us connect our cars up for bidirectional purposes. Rather than blaming it on the warranty only being for 100,000 miles or 10 years, why not add 33,000kWh to the mix and then if you overused your battery powering your house, that could be another way for your battery warranty to expire. Bill picked 33MWh and if it is good enough for Bill, it is good enough for the EV industry. Let's start a movement and agree to buy the first EV that offers this technology. We know they can all easily do it and it is not an engineering problem. Perhaps the battery industry is more interested in selling batteries for your car and your home separately. EV to grid is also known as V2G. This podcast is part of a free class titled "Solar Building Codes, Fire Codes, EVs, Rapid Shutdown and Energy Storage Systems", which you can find the link to by going to www.solarsean.com
In this episode, we talk about 2020 NEC Article 625 Electric Vehicle Power Transfer System. It is ok with the NEC that we can use our cars to feed the grid and power our homes, so what is the hold up with the EV manufacturers? We will cover more of this answer in our next episode, but this time we will get into the details, and focus on 625.42 Rating, which will allow us to 4000A of EV chargers (and bidirectional EV Power Transfer Systems) on a 1000A feeder as long as we have the load management to make everything safe. 625.42 was the inspiration for 2020 NEC 705.13 Power Control Systems! You can also learn more about these topics in our online Heatspring classes, some of them free. Find your way there and to many good places at the address of solarsean.com!
The 2018 International Residential Code (IRC) now allows for 18 inches from the ridge instead of 3 feet. Bill was involved in the process of making these rules and explains how the 2018 IRC works. This is very important for those of you involved in rooftop solar markets in the US. In some states you can go all the way up to the ridge, other states you can go up to 18 inches from the ridge and yet in others it is 3 feet. With the price of solar PV so low, people are wanting to put as much PV as they can on their roofs, including on the north side. This podcast contains material from a recently released Heatspring free online class entitled: Solar Building Codes, Fire Codes, EVs, Rapid Shutdown and Energy Storage Systems. This free online course counts for 2 hours of NABCEP continuing education credits and prerequisites. You can find out more by going to www.solarsean.com.
Bill Brooks has been in the solar industry for 32 years. He trains inspectors, consults with solar farm owners, is a licensed professional engineer, is on code making panel 4 and is in charge of writing much of the NEC as it pertains to solar energy. Brooks teaches and writes books with Sean White. This interview is part of the 40-hour Advanced PV and NABCEP Certification exam prep and CEU online class on Heatspring. They were both coronavirus free at the time of this interview.
NEC Article 710 Stand-Alone Systems is short and this reading will get you thinking about living off the grid or will get you ready for when the apocalypse comes and your prepper tendencies pay off!
Funny interview! Sean White interviews the worlds first solar installer Bob. Bob has been installing solar for longer than you can imagine! Bob sometimes works for the aliens on the History Channel.
2020 NEC article 706 Energy Storage Systems (ESS) is the latest in implementing storage technology into the grid and off grid. Lithium battery technology is decreasing in price as the price decreases and as intermittent renewables take over. This podcast is an energetic reading of article 706 and a way to catch up on the code as you drive, exercise or sleep through osmosis. NEC Article 706 is complimented by Article 690 PV Systems, Article 705 Interconnections and Article 480 batteries. Learn!
This podcast is a reading from NEC Article 690 PV systems [Skip to the next podcast if the NEC is not your cup of tea]. Every 3 years the NEC comes out and I choose to pod-post it for you and my Heatspring Online PV classes. If you are not a technical PV person, you will find listening to this podcast exceptional for insomnia and becoming familiar with solar lingo. When I first read the NEC, I had no idea what it meant, but it did become familiar and was a step towards enlightenment.
Paul Fenn of Local Power came up with the idea for the Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) law at the University of Chicago. The CCA law has been passed in over 1500 municipalities. Utilities spent millions trying to stop CCAs. Bloomberg Business Week said Paul is the "utility industry’s enemy number 1”. David does not kill Goliath here. His CCA law does not do away with utilities and still uses them for lines, poles and billing. This is part 1 of a 2 part series.
Rapid Shutdown of PV Systems on Buildings came into the US Codes in the 2014 version of the NEC and has been changing ever since. This provision was put in place so that firefighters will feel safe to save buildings with PV on them.
The solar industry has been growing at such a fast pace, that if it kept growing this fast, earth would be completely covered with PV and look like the Death Star in less than a century. This is driven by cheap PV and a need for cleaner and cheaper energy.
The National Electrical Code (NEC) is the most thoroughly detailed Code for installing PV systems in the world. Join us for a brief overview.