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/