Clean Power Hour

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There are a few tools in the solar installer’s tool belt that are truly indispensable. Helioscope is one of those tools that are game changing especially for commercial solar installers and developers. Today on the Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague is joined by Paul Grana, co-founder and GM of Helioscope, to tell the story of Helioscope from inception to acquisition in 2019 by Aurora Solar.

Grana started his clean energy journey in hardware, working for startups like Tigo (see EP120 for more about Tigo). Seeing inefficiencies in solar design workflows inspired him to build Helioscope in 2015.

Helioscope provides solar installers an intuitive cloud-based design platform that reduces design costs by 90%. By streamlining solar design and sales, Helioscope cuts soft costs and accelerates project development. Grana explains how Helioscope optimizes the entire customer journey from proposal to permitting.

In 2019, Helioscope was acquired by Aurora Solar. This happened because Helioscope was being courted by another suitor and Grana noticed that Aurora did a big capital raise which inspired him to reach out and see if they could do a deal which then happened in a matter of weeks.

Now under Aurora, Helioscope continues innovating solar design through merged capabilities. Grana discusses the future integration of the platforms, while maintaining differences where needed. He emphasizes their focus on user needs to determine shared logins, billing and more.

Grana sees huge potential to further reduce costs through software innovation as solar scales exponentially. By making solar design accessible, collaborative and fast, Helioscope aims to deliver solar energy at the terawatt scale.

Key Takeaways

1. How did Paul Grana transition from solar hardware to realizing major software inefficiencies?
2. Why was Helioscope founded and how does it streamline solar design?
3. What are the unique benefits of Helioscope for commercial and residential solar?
4. How did Helioscope come to be acquired by Aurora Solar?
5. What is the future outlook for integration between Helioscope and Aurora while still meeting user needs?

Paul Grana
Helioscope
Helioscope on LinkedIn

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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:  [email protected]

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

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Today on the Clean Power Hour, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Tigercomm, a leading clean economy communications firm. Tim Montague is joined by Tigercomm founder Mike Casey, Senior Vice President, Melissa Baldwin, and Former Vice President, Mark Sokolove (now with Qcells North America) to reflect on the past two decades disrupting polluting industries and accelerating the clean economy.

In this episode, we learn how Mike started Tigercomm to fill gaps he saw while working in the environmental community: the need to advocate for sustainable solutions, deliver effective narratives, and apply professional communications best practices. The name Tigercomm captures their agile, urgent approach needed to drive change.

Melissa and Mark share how they were drawn to this mission-driven work early in their careers. We hear how Tigercomm became a true extension of clients’ teams, gathering insights across many accounts to develop strategic expertise. Highlights include an event with Governor Schwarzenegger and milestones advancing solar, storage, and manufacturing.

After 20 years, Tigercomm continues empowering talented, passionate teams to put polluters out of business. They strive to make clean economy jobs the best, where people can grow and work well for clients advancing solutions. Congratulations to Mike, Melissa, Mark, and the entire Tigercomm team on this impressive journey so far!

 Key Takeaways

1. How did Tigercomm get started and why was it named that?
2. Why do cleantech companies need PR and marketing partners?
3. What were some career highlights for Mike, Melissa, and Mark?
4. How has clean tech and clean economy communications evolved over 20 years?

Mike Casey
Melissa Baldwin
Mark Sokolove
Tigercomm
Tigercomm LinkedIn

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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:  [email protected]

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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

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Terabase Energy is revolutionizing large-scale solar construction with a combination of digital platforms and robotics to reduce costs and accelerate deployment. Today on the Clean Power Hour, Terabase Energy CEO Matt Campbell joins Tim Montague to discuss their groundbreaking construction automation system, featuring a unique blend of physical robots and digital technology.

Discover how Terabase's "pop-up factory" is transforming solar construction by eliminating heavy lifting and reducing worker injuries. Robots take charge of unloading and moving panels, while skilled workers focus on finer assembly tasks. The result? A remarkable 25-50% boost in productivity, with a recent pilot installing a staggering 1300 panels in just one day, all thanks to the power of automation.

But that's not all – Terabase's digital platform takes construction management to the next level. It tracks material flow, optimizes construction sequencing, and provides real-time progress updates, bringing unprecedented visibility to construction sites.

Join us as we explore how Terabase Energy is piloting and refining this cutting-edge system in collaboration with industry giants like First Solar. Their plan for large-scale deployment in 2023 promises not only quality and reliability but also a solution to address labor shortages and reduce costs.

In an era where sustainability is paramount, Terabase Energy's innovative construction automation system could be the game-changer the solar industry needs. Don't miss out on the future of solar construction – watch now! 🌞🤖

Key Takeaways

1. What is Terabase Energy's innovative construction automation system?
2. How does Terabase Energy's "pop-up factory" reduce worker injuries?
3. What benefits does the automation provide?
4. What does the digital tracking platform offer for construction management?
5. What are Terabase Energy's plans for the future, and how does their innovation impact the solar industry?

Terabase Energy
Matt Campbell
Terabase Energy LinkedIn

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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:  [email protected]

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

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Today on the Clean Power Hour, inside CPS America's plans to lead the solar industry. The leadership of CPS America, President and GM Bryan Wagner, VP of Products Anton Patton, and Head of Energy Storage Zhehan Yi join Tim Montague to discuss how CPS America is disrupting the solar industry.

CPS provides string inverters, energy storage systems, and a balance of system components for commercial, industrial, and utility-scale solar projects. Their products enable faster project deployment, higher system performance, and increased reliability compared to central inverter solutions.

In this episode, we explore CPS America's latest achievements, a powerful 275kW inverter, a game-changing 350kW inverter, a 5 MWh battery container, and an 800V AC breaker box. Learn how these innovations are revolutionizing project timelines, reducing delivery times, and driving the adoption of utility-scale solar.

CPS' target audience is engineering, procurement, and construction firms (EPCs) as well as project developers and asset owners in the commercial, industrial, and utility solar markets.

One of CPS America's remarkable strengths is customer retention, boasting an impressive 95% repeat customer rate. Explore how their exceptional service team handles field issues with finesse, ensuring customers always have the support they need.

But that's not all! Stay tuned as we uncover CPS America's bold plans for the future, including a disruptive "whale" of a product aimed at displacing central inverters and their crucial role in the energy storage revolution.

Key Takeaways

1. How has CPS America maintained its position as the #1 market share leader in 3-phase string inverters in North America?
2. What new products has CPS America recently launched, and how are they impacting clean energy projects?
3. What is the potential for utility-scale solar, and how is CPS America positioned to address this opportunity?
4. What are CPS America's strengths in customer support?

CPS America
Bryan Wagner
Anton Patton
Zhehan Yi

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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:  [email protected]

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

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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 [email protected] or visit www.CleanPowerHour.com to learn more.

This week John Weaver and I were joined by Sean White and we discussed,
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

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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:  [email protected]

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

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Sunrun is the largest residential solar company in the US and they pioneered ‘solar as a service.’ They are on pace to install 800 MW of solar in 2023. That’s an astounding 10 percent of the US residential solar market.

Today on the Clean Power Hour, solar policy, batteries, and grid flexibility with Amy Heart, Vice President of Policy at Sunrun. Amy Heart has been a pioneer in renewable energy for over 20 years. She got her start volunteering with the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) in the late 1990s, helping build the solar industry in the Midwest. After working with MREA and the City of Milwaukee on solar programs, Amy went to law school and 8 years ago joined Sunrun, the nation's largest residential solar and storage provider.

In this episode, Amy discusses Sunrun's mission to make solar energy accessible through financing options like leasing and loans. This allows more homeowners to go solar with little to no upfront costs. With over 800,000 customers (yes, 800,000), Sunrun has deployed a significant amount of the nation's residential solar. Now with the growth of energy storage, Sunrun is rapidly expanding into solar + storage installations.

Amy shares insights into emerging state solar markets like Illinois, Texas, and Florida. She discusses the importance of foundational policies like net metering to provide market stability. Amy also talks about the shift from net metering to the value of solar tariffs and how that impacts the value proposition of storage.

If you are interested in virtual power plants, residential solar, energy storage, or renewable energy policy, be sure to listen to this episode with Sunrun's Amy Heart!

Key Takeaways

1. What impact are changes to net metering policies having on the solar + storage market?
2. Which states are emerging as hot new solar markets and why?
3. How can virtual power plants leverage distributed solar + storage to benefit the grid?
4. How did Sunrun become the leader in residential solar and what is their business model?

Sunrun
Amy Heart
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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:  [email protected]

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

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How can we build bridges of understanding to bring more people into the clean energy future? Today on the Clean Power Hour, communicating clean energy solutions through a conservative lens with Kayla Ventura, digital communications manager at the Conservative Energy Network.

Kayla Ventura has dedicated her career to clean energy communications. After working in political campaigns, she found her passion in advocating for the conservative approach to renewable energy. As Digital Communications Manager at the Conservative Energy Network, Kayla helps communicate the benefits of clean energy technologies through a conservative lens.

In this episode, Kayla shares insights from her background in speech training and communications. She discusses tailoring messages to different audiences, from energy professionals to local community members. Kayla stresses the importance of slowing down, minimizing filler words, making eye contact, and finding strength in pauses when speaking.

Kayla also provides an inside look into the Conservative Energy Network's mission and her role leading their podcast. The Conservative Energy Podcast tells stories of their state teams advancing renewable energy projects across America. Kayla spotlights leaders like Ed Rivet, a self-proclaimed "energy geek" passionate about Michigan's clean energy transition.

This conversation highlights practical tips to improve our communication and education around renewable energy.

Key Takeaways

1. How can clean energy advocates better tailor their messaging to connect with diverse audiences?
2. What communication tips help eliminate filler words and improve public speaking skills?
3. How is the Conservative Energy Network bringing conservative perspectives to the renewable energy transition?
4. Why is it so important to urgently deploy renewable energy and storage technologies now?

Kayla Ventura
Conservative Energy Network
Follow the Conservative Energy Network

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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:  [email protected]

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

Solar module buyers now have a tool to rapidly assess the total financial impacts of their module selection. Anza’s engine calculates the Effective $/Watt for every PV panel option instantly so buyers can compare and select modules based on total value. Anza’s Effective $/W, combined with your risk and technical requirements, leads to the best module choice. Today on the Clean Power Hour, optimizing procurement in the solar and energy storage industry with Mike Hall, CEO of Anza Renewables.

Mike has a long history in the solar industry, starting Borrego Solar with his brother and friend in 2002 when the US solar market was just 1MW annually. He grew Borrego into an EPC and developer, eventually splitting into three businesses: Borrego, New Leaf Energy, and now Anza Renewables which he founded in 2020.

Anza provides a procurement optimization platform using data and technology to help large-scale buyers of solar modules and energy storage maximize project value. The platform aggregates module and battery pricing and technical data to calculate total lifetime value and make optimal procurement decisions.

Tim Montague and Mike discuss how Anza's platform aggregates pricing, technical, and supply data to calculate total lifetime value. Mike explains how antiquated solar and storage procurement processes are and how Anza brings procurement into the 21st century by centralizing 90% of US supply information and providing actionable intelligence to reduce costs and increase profitability.

Early customers have seen significant value, with over 1GW procured through Anza in 2022. This episode gives great insights into the evolution of solar, the importance of procurement, and how Anza is leveraging data to drive the next phase of renewable energy growth.

Key Takeaways

1. How did the US solar market evolve from just 1 MW annually in 2002 to over 30 GW today?
2. How can data and technology help optimize procurement for solar projects?
3. What does Anza's platform do to improve procurement?
4. What results have Anza's early customers seen so far?

Mike Hall
Follow Anza Renewables
Anza Renewables

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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:  [email protected]

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

Today on the Clean Power Hour, we’re joined by Craig Lewis, founder and executive director of the Clean Coalition, to discuss the advent of community-scale microgrids. These microgrids are a great way to provide resiliency to power outages at the scale of tens of thousands of users and typically provide off-grid operation for key infrastructure like hospitals, community centers, and schools.

The Clean Coalition was established in 2009 following the Enron scandal that rocked California grids. “The Clean Coalition has had a significant impact shaping policies and programs that enable the deployment of clean local energy to address climate change and secure economic, environmental, and resilience benefits for communities."

The Coalition has many accomplishments including:

• Designed and implemented Feed-In Tariff (FIT) programs across the United States, from California to Indiana to Vermont, bringing hundreds of megawatts (MW) of local renewable energy online.
• Established precedent-setting interconnection policy in California, which was adopted by federal energy regulators as a new national standard, making it quicker and cheaper to connect clean local energy projects to the grid.
• Issued studies that influenced major decisions under California regulatory bodies to stall and stop construction in Southern California of gas plants in favor of solar+storage solutions.
• Led the creation of California’s innovative Distribution Resources Planning proceeding, which requires the state’s largest utilities to proactively plan for — and deploy — distributed energy resources (DER), such as local renewables and energy storage.
• Shaped New York’s Reforming the Energy Vision proceeding and received one of the first five NY Prize Community Microgrid Competition grants for our Long Island Community Microgrid Project.

Craig provides unique insight into transitioning our energy system. He shares details on the Clean Coalition’s solar microgrid projects across the country.

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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:  [email protected]

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

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Can we actually restore Earth's climate to safe pre-industrial conditions? According to scientist and entrepreneur Peter Fiekowsky, the answer is yes. 

Fiekowsky has developed a framework for vetting climate solutions. His meaningful solutions will be 1.Permanent 2.Scalable 3. Financeable and 4. Practical

Then he created a long list of possible solutions and ran them through his framework. What emerged, and is documented in his book Climate Restoration, are four remedies that will surprise and hopefully delight you.

In order to remove 1 trillion tons of pollution from the atmosphere… We need to do these 4 things:

1.  Synthetic limestone manufacture
2. Seaweed permaculture
3. Ocean Iron Fertilization, OIF
4. Enhanced Atmospheric  methane oxidation EAMO

What's fascinating is that over the course of the past two years since he wrote the book he's whittled the list down to just two of these… can you guess which two? I couldn't.

In this episode, Peter Fiekowsky and I break down his framework and explore the four, now two critical solutions that we humans can apply today to remove excess carbon from the atmosphere. Note that his arrived upon solutions largely mimick natural processes, like the explosion of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 which pumped iron dust into the sky and then the ocean.

Fiekowsky argues that most current climate proposals are too incremental. Instead of just stabilizing today's unsafe CO2 levels, we should boldly aim to get back to under 300 ppm like in pre-industrial times. He makes an optimistic case that for around one billion dollars per year, we could launch natural carbon removal processes to hit that target by 2050.

Fiekowsky delves into how public pressure and endorsements from environmental organizations are key to convincing governments and philanthropists to fund climate restoration.

Key Takeaways

1. What are some key permanent, scalable, financeable methods for removing excess carbon from the atmosphere?
2. How exactly does ocean iron fertilization work to draw down carbon?
3. How can public pressure and endorsements help drive governments and philanthropists to fund climate restoration solutions?

Connect with Peter Fiekowsky
Climate Restoration

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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:  [email protected]

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