Clean Power Hour

On the weekly clean power news and views, we bring you the latest cleantech and clean energy news,  thought leaders, and innovators. Our motto is ‘Speeding the Energy Transition!’

This week John Weaver and I discuss,
1. What the IRA Means for Wind, Solar and Storage Manufacturing - WoodMac Horizons Report is AWESOME
2. CCA must procure 1,300 GWh of supply to meet last 37 GWh of demand
3. New Mexico 4 GW HVDC lights up the future grid 
4. Form Energy and their Iron Air Battery might mean 10x cheaper technology than Lithium Ion - Mark Jacobs of Stanford University says it’s a game changer.
5. Total Energies goes vertical 
6. Solar Farm Expo Chicago - Agrivoltaics Conference 
7. 100 GW solar wafer factory being developed - the whole world broke through 100 GW in 2017
8. Solar modules from 1981 - Beverly High School, Massachusetts - was taken down recently

Subscribe: https://bit.ly/cph-sub 

The podcast is available on YouTube and audio platforms like Spotify, Apple, Google, and Amazon. We bring you interviews with cleantech entrepreneurs, investors, manufacturers, and energy professionals weekly. 
What technologies are trending? 
Why are we excited about agrivoltaics or dual-use solar? 
What are the challenges and opportunities for renewable energy, electrification of transportation, and decarbonizing the economy? 

Listen, like, comment, and share! Get all our content at www.CleanPowerHour.com and reach out to Tim Montague @tgmontague on Twitter or Gmail. 

The Clean Power Hour hosts and cleantech professionals Tim Montague and John Weaver (the Commercial Solar Guy) bring you the latest solar, wind, and energy storage news.

Support the show

Connect with Tim  

Clean Power Hour 
Clean Power Hour on YouTube
Tim on Twitter
Tim on LinkedIn 

Email [email protected] 

Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

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

Welcome to The Clean Power Hour! On today's show, we are joined by Mukesh Chatter, CEO of Alsym Energy - a company dedicated to providing next-generation clean energy storage solutions. Mukesh holds a Masters in Engineering from RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) and is a serial tech entrepreneur and investor. His mission is to develop affordable, non-toxic, non-flammable BESS products for stationary and BEV storage industries. 

Mukesh and his co-founders from MIT and RPI are preparing to launch their first commercial products in stationary storage and quickly scaling to the mobile EV market, with the goal of bringing affordable electricity to the less developed world. Join Tim Montague as he interviews Mukesh about his journey in the energy storage space, his mission to make clean energy accessible to everyone, and his plans for the future. Tune in today to The Clean Power Hour!

Key Takeaways

1. What is Alsym Energy up to? 
2. Their alternative to Lithium Ion Battery
3. How Alsym Energy plans to make their alternative cheaper than Lithium Ion
4. How far in their development are Alsym Energy from developing a low-cost lithium-ion battery alternative

Connect with Mukesh Chatter

Alsym Energy

Connect with Alsym Energy

Support the show

Connect with Tim  

Clean Power Hour 
Clean Power Hour on YouTube
Tim on Twitter
Tim on LinkedIn 

Email [email protected] 

Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

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

On the weekly clean power news and views, we bring you the latest cleantech and clean energy news,  thought leaders, and innovators. Our motto is ‘Speeding the Energy Transition!’

This week John Weaver and I discuss,
1. Silicon cost per watt down 96% over the last two decades: Since 2004, the volume of polysilicon per watt is down by 87%, and the inflation adjusted price for polysilicon is also down by 76%.
2. The future of BIPV coming from Canada
3. Canary Media: We need a lot more electricians if we're going to electrify everything.
4. This Tesla Solar Roof looks like spaceship from above
5. Let’s talk about Florida solar rules

Subscribe: https://bit.ly/cph-sub 

The podcast is available on YouTube and audio platforms like Spotify, Apple, Google, and Amazon. We bring you interviews with cleantech entrepreneurs, investors, manufacturers, and energy professionals weekly. 
What technologies are trending? 
Why are we excited about agrivoltaics or dual-use solar? 
What are the challenges and opportunities for renewable energy, electrification of transportation, and decarbonizing the economy? 

Listen, like, comment, and share! Get all our content at www.CleanPowerHour.com and reach out to Tim Montague @tgmontague on Twitter or Gmail. 

The Clean Power Hour hosts and cleantech professionals Tim Montague and John Weaver (the Commercial Solar Guy) bring you the latest solar, wind, and energy storage news.

Support the show

Connect with Tim  

Clean Power Hour 
Clean Power Hour on YouTube
Tim on Twitter
Tim on LinkedIn 

Email [email protected] 

Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

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

Welcome to the Clean Power Hour! Today we are joined by Alexis Pascaris, Founder and CEO of Agrisolar Consulting, a company on a mission to promote dual-use solar and agrivoltaics. 

Alexis has a Master of Science degree in Environmental & Energy Policy and a B.S. in Environmental Studies & Sustainability. She joins Tim Montague to talk about integrating solar PV with Agriculture. She discusses when and how she got interested in agrisolar, the difference between Agrisolar and Agrivoltaics, what crops can be integrated with Solar harvesting, the solution to the pushback against large-scale solar development, and much more. 

Don't miss this exciting episode of the Clean Power Hour, as Alexis Pascaris shares her knowledge and experience on advancing agrivoltaics and solar-agriculture integration. Together, we can learn more about the solutions and strategies to accelerate clean energy development and energy transition. 

Tune in to gain insights into how agrivoltaics can be integrated with solar harvesting to create a more sustainable, renewable energy future. 

Key Takeaways

1. When and how Alexis got interested in Agrisolar
2. The difference between Agrisolar and Agrivoltaics
3. What crops can be integrated with Large Scale Solar farming
4. The solution to the pushback against large-scale solar development 

Connect with Alexis Pascaris

Agrisolar Consulting

Support the show

Connect with Tim  

Clean Power Hour 
Clean Power Hour on YouTube
Tim on Twitter
Tim on LinkedIn 

Email [email protected] 

Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

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

On the weekly clean power news and views, we bring you the latest cleantech and clean energy news,  thought leaders, and innovators. Our motto is ‘Speeding the Energy Transition!’

This week John Weaver and I discuss,
1. Form Energy has a battery facility for construction coming to WV
2. Guy tried to kill his family by driving his Tesla over a 250-foot cliff - 100% lived
3. USPS to deploy 66,000 EVs by 2028 - moving toward 100% EVs
4. Cool installation of floating solar - look at thE rolling mechanisms
5. Two solar cell record efficiencies
6. Price of polysilicon down 54% since August
7. New York announces 4.7 GW of new energy storage, ~25 GWh worth, to be added by 2030 - would cover 18-25% peak demand in summer/winter
8. 8 TWh globally of battery gigafactory in the pipeline now
9. By 2030, 1 TWh of EV battery manufacturing capacity in the USA
10. DOE funds the hydrogen project

Subscribe: https://bit.ly/cph-sub 

The podcast is available on YouTube and audio platforms like Spotify, Apple, Google, and Amazon. We bring you interviews with cleantech entrepreneurs, investors, manufacturers, and energy professionals weekly. 
What technologies are trending? 
Why are we excited about agrivoltaics or dual-use solar? 
What are the challenges and opportunities for renewable energy, electrification of transportation, and decarbonizing the economy? 

Listen, like, comment, and share! Get all our content at www.CleanPowerHour.com and reach out to Tim Montague @tgmontague on Twitter or Gmail. 

The Clean Power Hour hosts and cleantech professionals Tim Montague and John Weaver (the Commercial Solar Guy) bring you the latest solar, wind, and energy storage news.

Support the show

Connect with Tim  

Clean Power Hour 
Clean Power Hour on YouTube
Tim on Twitter
Tim on LinkedIn 

Email [email protected] 

Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

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

Welcome to the Clean Power Hour! On today's show, we are joined by Yaron Ben-Nun, Founder and Chief Technology Officer for Nostromo Energy. Yaron shares his inspiring story of how he went from a jet fighter and a film director to founding Nostromo which turns commercial building cooling systems from grid burdens into clean, safe, and cost-effective energy storage assets. a renewable energy revolution with his sustainable water-based energy storage solution. 

We discuss Nostromo’s pilot project in Los Angeles, which harnesses the power of renewables and their thermal battery to attack demand charges, save money and reduce commercial-industrial carbon footprints. Yaron also shares his thoughts on how renewable energy solutions are impacting the current energy landscape, and how we can be more mindful of our energy consumption and create more efficient and sustainable solutions. 

We're excited to hear Yaron's insights on renewable energy solutions and to gain a better understanding of how Nostromo Energy is revolutionizing the energy landscape. Tune in to the Clean Power Hour to learn more about renewable energy solutions and to get the latest insights from Yaron Ben Nun.

Key Takeaways

1. The thinking behind starting Nostromo Energy
2. What Nostromo Energy is and what projects they are currently working on
3. Their proprietary technology and its anticipated lifetime

Connect with Nostromo Energy

Nostromo Energy

Connect with Yaron Ben-Nun

Support the show

Connect with Tim  

Clean Power Hour 
Clean Power Hour on YouTube
Tim on Twitter
Tim on LinkedIn 

Email [email protected] 

Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

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

Welcome to Clean Power Hour! Today we have a very special guest – James McWalter, CEO & Founder of Paces AI. 

James shares his vision for empowering green infrastructure development with AI-driven software. Paces is a software platform that aims to help solar, wind, and storage project developers manage their site selection more efficiently.

James and host Tim Montague discuss how the Paces platform can help energy professionals with their solar, wind, and battery storage projects. They explore how Paces enables green infrastructure and energy developers to succeed. And how Y Combinator has informed his journey to rapidly iterate the platform and give customers what they need.

Eager to learn more? 🤔 Tune in to Clean Power Hour to hear from James McWalter and join the conversation about how AI-driven software can help solar, wind, and energy storage projects succeed. 💻

Visit https://paces.com/ to learn more about Paces AI. 💻

Be sure to join us for this exciting episode as we uncover the secrets behind Paces AI and its potential for the green infrastructure industry!

Key Takeaways.

1. What is Paces AI, and how is Paces different than existing platforms? 

2. Why James is driven to innovate in the energy industry?

3. How does Paces AI go about Utility jurisdiction and discerning transmission vs distribution? 

4. What are the difficulties facing start-up solar software and data companies and how does Pces AI tackle them?

Connect with James McWalter

Connect with Paces AI

Paces AI

Support the show

Connect with Tim  

Clean Power Hour 
Clean Power Hour on YouTube
Tim on Twitter
Tim on LinkedIn 

Email [email protected] 

Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

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

On this episode of the Clean Power Hour join Kate Collardson of Solar Recycle to learn how solar panel recycling can help move us towards a more circular economy. Solar Recycle is a free, online platform that connects solar professionals, recyclers, and waste management companies to promote the safe, responsible, and efficient recycling of solar panels.

Through Kate's story, you'll learn about the importance of solar panel recycling in the energy transition, and how it can help us transition to a more sustainable and clean energy future. Solar panels contain valuable elements, so recycling them is a key part of creating a circular economy and avoiding potential harm to human health and the environment.

Kate explains the benefits of Solar Recycle including the ability to track solar panel recycling, keeping solar panels out of landfills, and reducing electronic waste. 

As Kate shares her expertise, we learn the importance of reusing solar panel materials to create a more sustainable energy system, and how this circular economy model can help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Join us on the Clean Power Hour with Tim Montague for this enlightening look at solar panel recycling and the energy transition, and learn how you can be part of the solution.

This video is a must-watch for anyone interested in the circular economy, cradle-to-cradle, solar panel recycling, energy transition, clean energy, landfills, and electronic waste. Don't miss out! Watch now to learn more about solar panel recycling with Kate Collardson of Solar Recycle.

Key Takeaways

1. When and how Kate joined the solar industry?
2. What is the state of the United States when it comes to solar panel recycling and take-back policies?
3. What policies are different US states working on to promote solar recycling?
4. Kate’s thoughts on what is happening currently in regard to solar recycling?
5. How the industry can support solar recycling?

Connect with Kate Collardson

Solar Recycle

Support the show

Connect with Tim  

Clean Power Hour 
Clean Power Hour on YouTube
Tim on Twitter
Tim on LinkedIn 

Email [email protected] 

Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

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

On the weekly clean power news and views, we bring you the latest cleantech and clean energy news,  thought leaders, and innovators. Our motto is ‘Speeding the Energy Transition!’

This week John Weaver and I discuss,
1. 10 GW of solar wafer factory plans announced - no site yet, the company says they raised $26 million recently - CubicPV
2. Solar module part fell 10% over the last week - that’s a healthy chunk, 
3. Price of residential electricity going up in Massachusetts - not going to need incentives soon
4. California politician pushing for a solar tax carport credit 
5. Visuationzation of when batteries in California charge and discharge - notice a pattern?
6. Info link says the world could install 265-300 GW of solar,

Subscribe: https://bit.ly/cph-sub 

The podcast is available on YouTube and audio platforms like Spotify, Apple, Google, and Amazon. We bring you interviews with cleantech entrepreneurs, investors, manufacturers, and energy professionals weekly. 
What technologies are trending? 
Why are we excited about agrivoltaics or dual-use solar? 
What are the challenges and opportunities for renewable energy, electrification of transportation, and decarbonizing the economy? 

Listen, like, comment, and share! Get all our content at www.CleanPowerHour.com and reach out to Tim Montague @tgmontague on Twitter or Gmail. 

The Clean Power Hour hosts and cleantech professionals Tim Montague and John Weaver (the Commercial Solar Guy) bring you the latest solar, wind, and energy storage news.

Support the show

Connect with Tim  

Clean Power Hour 
Clean Power Hour on YouTube
Tim on Twitter
Tim on LinkedIn 

Email [email protected] 

Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

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

Nobody likes to talk about rooftop solar fires but solar safety is vital for the growth of our industry. In fact, the risk of an electrical fire from your solar array is very small - certainly a fraction of a percent. But more and better safety is always good which is why we are excited to bring you Jing Tian, Chief Growth Officer for Tigo Energy on today’s show. Rapid shutdown really came into force in the US in 2017 and this forced installers and developers to begin adopting module-level power electronics (MLPE) which are a safety shutoff for solar PV systems.

Rapid shutdown refers to the ability of the array to shut itself down and stop producing voltage when the grid goes down or there is some other warning signal from the array (perhaps a short, other hazardous triggers). This makes the solar facility safe for first responders who might be working on the grid and it can reduce small problems from becoming catastrophes. Tigo Energy is a power electronics company with innovative solutions to enhance safety via rapid shutdown devices.

Our guest today is Jing Tian, the Chief Growth Officer for Tigo Energy. She has over 20 years of technical and business experience working with companies like Credence, Solfocus, Shift Energy, and Trina Solar. Prior to joining Tigo Energy, she spent over a decade working with solar equipment manufacturers across the industry. On this episode of the Clean Power Hour Jing joins Tim Montague to discuss what rapid shutdown is, how it works, why it is important and much more. 

Key Takeaways

1. Why and how did she get into the solar industry?
2. Solar companies she has been part of and her experience there
3. What is rapid shutdown, how does it work and why is it important?
4. What triggers Rapid Shutdown and what is cross-talk?
5. Tigo Energy’s rapid shutdown solutions 

Tigo Energy
Connect with Tigo Energy
Connect with Jing Tian

Support the show

Connect with Tim  

Clean Power Hour 
Clean Power Hour on YouTube
Tim on Twitter
Tim on LinkedIn 

Email [email protected] 

Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

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