GTM: Take Five Podcast

In this special Solar Summit 2014 preview edition of the Greentech Media Podcast, Scott Clavenna, CEO of Greentech Media, talks with Paul Nahi, CEO of Enphase Energy, about the state of the market for solar inverters, balance of systems, and asset management and O&M in PV solar energy systems.

In this special Solar Summit 2014 preview edition of the Greentech Media Podcast, Scott Clavenna, CEO of Greentech Media, talks with members of the truSolar Working Group about their current work underway to establish uniform credit screening standards for commercial and industrial PV projects to help drive down the cost of capital.

The truSolar team will be taking part in our pre-conference seminar at the Solar Summit on The Future of U.S. Distributed Solar Project Finance in a special session titled C&I Project Screening Methodologies: How to Accurately Price Risk to Unlock Financing.

On the podcast representing truSolar are:

Chase Weir, CEO, Distributed Sun

Evelyn Butler, Global Director, Business Development, Energy & Industrial Systems, Underwriters Laboratories

Jamie Mandel, Manager Industry and Electricity at The Rocky Mountain Institute

In this special podcast from Greentech Media, we talk with GTM Research Analyst Adam James and Dr. Khaled of Knowledge Industry Co. in Saudi Arabia about the development of renewable energy in Saudi Arabia, and a particular project called Renewable TaQati for RTV, which will be deployed in two phases: a pilot project generating 300 kWh per day, and a second phase consisting of developing a large-scale renewable farm with 30 GWh annual output. Both projects will be sited throughout the King Saud University campus in Riyadh.The pilot phase will utilize a multi-technology approach by deploying photovoltaics (PV), concentrated solar photovoltaics (CPV), concentrated solar power (CSP), as well as vertical and horizontal wind turbines to assess what technologies should be scaled for the larger farm.

The transition to renewable energy in Saudi Arabia will face many of the challenges seen across global markets. When a nascent market implements policies intended to dramatically shift the electricity portfolio, it requires a workforce capable of implementing and maintaining the new system, an experiential learning curve with new technologies, and the influx of new investment. These challenges are most pronounced in the earliest stages of the renewable transition, which is why the strategies of the first developers to participate in the process are such a useful reference point in understanding the energy economy.

The Renewable TaQati for RTV project has the potential to both overcome these challenges and contribute to a valuable learning process for Saudi Arabia as a whole. The unique partnership with King Saud University represents an investment not just in the project, but in developing human capital in the Kingdom and training the next generation of technical experts in the renewable energy field. In addition, the multi-technology renewable energy farm will inform the process of managing a broad technology portfolio— lessons that Saudi Arabia will need to apply on a national scale as their generation mix becomes increasingly diversified.

The term "smart grid" is getting a bit outdated. So is there a more appropriate term that better defines the changes underway in the electricity system? We think so.

It's called "Grid Edge."

In this podcast, we'll talk with GTM Research Vice President Shayle Kann and Greentech Media CEO Scott Clavenna about the market forces behind the Grid Edge -- and also break down what it means for our coverage.

GTM Research’s latest update on the future of solar module manufacturing costs was released earlier this week, and there has been quite a bit of discussion around its findings on solar module cost declines and their ramifications. In this week's podcast, we attempt to clear the air around some key points of debate and dive into the details on how solar manufacturing costs continue to head down.

America is undergoing a seismic shift in energy. We are now producing more oil than at any time since the early 1990's; we are awash in natural gas, which is pushing coal out of the market; and we have doubled renewable electricity in the last four years.

Coupled with dire climate challenges and a shifting geopolitical landscape, there's a lot of change underway in energy. But this era isn't necessarily unique, explains energy expert Michael Levi. In this week's podcast, we'll explain the realities of America's current energy transition.

In this week's show, we'll talk with Dr. Dave Danielson, assistant secretary of the office of energy efficiency and renewable energy at the Department of Energy. He'll discuss the DOE's cleantech priorities, lessons learned from previous investments, and comment on the new energy secretary, Ernest Moniz.