SunCast

Today's featured clean energy entrepreneur is Ankit Sheoran, Founder at Wattmonk. I’ve been getting to know Ankit and his team at Wattmonk over the last few months, and it was delightful to meet him in person finally in Boston! Special thanks to our mutual friend Anthony Conklin for making the connection and for bringing Wattmonk to my attention. Ankit’s team is quite literally moving mountains for their clients as one of the fastest growing offshore system design & permitting companies in the industry. His success stems from more than a decade of global experience leveraging technology to accelerate the homeowner & installer timeline to solar project completion, and today you get to learn from his decade-plus of experience & insights.

Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?

Hit us up - [email protected] with your feedback & recommendations.

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.

Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!

You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.

Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 950 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.

We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: https://www.ratethispodcast.com/suncast

Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

I said it when we released the episode with Cary Hayes back in January (Ep 438 btw) that the REC Solar “mafia” has deep roots. Today’s guest, Catlin Mattheis, is proof as he and his co-founders are one of the many “alumni organizations”, as we might call them, from that long heritage REC has given us in California. When you hear the origin story of his company, Fracsun, you’ll get a sense of appreciation for the level of attention to detail, forward-thinking and courage Catlin and his team have embodied and how it carries through to their commitment now to ensure every PV plant out there is harvesting the maximum kWh possible!

Fracsun specializes in on-site soiling loss measurement using their patented ARES soiling management system. Want to eliminate uncertainty and enable your team to confidently monitor and manage soiling loss with ease? Listen in.

You’ll also get a healthy dose of humor as Catlin and I really had a great time in what was one of my first in-person interviews of the year! Grateful for Catlin who drove down several hours to meet me when I was last in SoCal, and excited to see the Fracsun team finally getting the recognition (and funding) they deserve!

Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?

Hit us up - [email protected] with your feedback & recommendations.

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.

Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!

You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.

Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 950 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.

We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: https://www.ratethispodcast.com/suncast

Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

Today's guest, John Chaimanis, is  CEO of Kendall Sustainable Infrastructure. John is a returning SunCast guest & you can hear his original executive profile back in episode 196 of SunCast when we discussed his approach to what we referred to then as “Value-added finance” for solar project development. John’s team and reputation have grown substantially in the sector since our chat back in 2019, so I was supremely grateful for some time with him face to face in Boston recently to see how 2022 is shaping up, what he’s excited about, and why these in-person meetings are still so critical to his success. 

You’ll also find out what that 5-letter word is that forms the cornerstone of John’s investment and partnership thesis. Read more about my thoughts on today’s interview over on the show notes page, where we also link to further resources. 

Thanks for taking the time to check out SunCast. I hope to hear from you soon.

If you want to connect with today's guest, check out his contact details as well in the show notes over on the blog.

Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?

Hit us up - [email protected] with your feedback & recommendations.

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.

Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!

You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.

Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 950 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.

We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: https://www.ratethispodcast.com/suncast

Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

I’ve gotta give NASA credit.  It turns out the space program has delivered many many more terrestrial benefits and innovations than might be assumed at first observation. There’ve been a few folks lately on the show who’s original pursuits & passions took them closer to the moon than the average person. Today’s guest is among that elite group, having spent time in deep research for NASA’s space-walking astronauts; his co-founder worked for SpaceX. You can say these guys are used to shooting for the stars.

Nikhil Vadhavkar is the CEO and co-founder of Raptor Maps, solar lifecycle management software that they refer to as “The Slack for Solar” where collaboration between asset owners & stakeholders has truly become a data and software-driven obsession.  

Today we cover:

• his “climate wakeup” moment, 
• parlaying a $100k investment from Y-Combinator 
• leveraging SpaceX, Gates Foundation, Accenture and NASA to build Raptor Maps
• what “System of Record” & “Digital Twin” mean & why it matters

 Lastly, along the lines of SpaceX founder, Elon Musk (and perhaps inspired by his philosophy), we get into their decision to open-source everything:

• All the data capture methodologies
• Aerial inspections & hosting data (including historical data from other vendors)
• Instructions on how to set up manned aerial vehicles, drones, etc 
• Data set for doing Machine Learning on imaging anomalies 

 Why did they choose this path? What could it mean for your company?

Tune–in to hear more. I promise you won’t be disappointed with today’s high-IQ episode!

Nikhil is an MIT engineer, and his graduate research was thermal control systems for next-generation spacesuits. He met his co-founder in graduate school, and took Raptor Maps through Y Combinator in 2016.  You’ll get a much better understanding of why when you dig in here today. Raptor Maps has delivered critical data analytics to over 45 GW of solar PV plants in 38 countries, and many of you probably consider that it’s a drone-enabled data gathering company. You’d be wrong, as was I, and Nikhil forgives you. 

 You can read more about their story & my thoughts on it, as well as links to articles, books etc we discuss over on the blog.

Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?

Hit us up - [email protected] with your feedback & recommendations.

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.

Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!

You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.

Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 950 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.

We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: https://www.ratethispodcast.com/suncast

Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

Jon Powers, is a true [Solar]Warrior. From serving the US Army in Iraq, to becoming the first-ever Chief Sustainability Officer under the Obama administration, Jon has demonstrated passion & leadership in renewables. He was able to parlay that expertise into a strong brand and portfolio in the clean economy vis a vis his company, Clean Capital. Since I first interviewed him way back in Episode 181, Jon and team have grown to become one of the largest C&I developers & asset owners in the US market. And during they pandemic they parlayed their operating asset experience downstream to provide greenfield development support to their partners. Hear how his development capital is perhaps different from what you’ve come to understand as dev capital.

In this Live interview at RE+ Northeast, Jon and I discuss the value of in-person events & meetings in this new landscape we find ourselves in. Jon also discusses how his team has brought technology to the market to enable partners like Blackrock to get comfortable entering into these C&I transactions and portfolios.  

What could hold us back? Hear Jon’s answer to that and more on this live interview direct from Boston.

As Jon says, “When you have business owners, job creators, telling their stories [in Washington] the impact is wildly greater…so we need all of our voices to tap into this debate because it’s gonna help push us forward.”

Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?

Hit us up - [email protected] with your feedback & recommendations.

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.

Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!

You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.

Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 950 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.

We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: https://www.ratethispodcast.com/suncast

Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

A year ago, the industry was mildly shocked to learn that Jigar Shah, Industry Icon, Entrepreneur, Investor & Visionary would be joining the US Department of Energy to head the infamous Loan Program office(LPO). The LPO is notably responsible for the Title XVII program that invested in companies like Tesla, Ford, Nissan and a large number of solar energy companies/projects. A year on, I wanted to check-in with Jigar to learn how his first year went, where he’s seeing the trends for 2022 & beyond, and how the solar industry would fare in the portfolio for the remainder of his tenure.

We touch on 3 key areas (and a few other 1st-heard-on-SunCast moments):

1. A Portfolio Summary Report 
2. Is there still a place for Solar at LPO?
3. Jigar’s Journey to Federal Service & what the job opportunities look like

You didn’t click on this episode to read a bunch, likely you need no convincing, so get to listening. ;-)

Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?

Hit us up - [email protected] with your feedback & recommendations.

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.

Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!

You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.

Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 950 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.

We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: https://www.ratethispodcast.com/suncast

Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

Piper Wilder has been working with electric cooperatives for decades and has keen insight into how to partner with (and sell to) them compared with the functional process with the more traditional utility structure. 

How many electric cooperatives there are in the United States? 

What percentage of the total (of electric utilities) that represents?

What differences exist between working with Cooperatives versus traditional Utilities? 

And how might you position yourself or identify how to work with Cooperative Electric Utilities based on what you learn today? 

Piper breaks down these 5 key areas that will help you better understand how to work with a rural electric cooperative:

• What are the 2 flavors of electric cooperative and how does each work? 
• What are the structural operational differences between electric cooperatives and traditional utilities?
• What if any Strategic and Planning differences exist that influence their decision-making?
• Who should a solar developer approach within a Cooperative?
• How do Cooperatives like to do business with power project developers?

Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?

Hit us up - [email protected] with your feedback & recommendations.

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.

Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!

You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.

Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 950 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.

We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: https://www.ratethispodcast.com/suncast

Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

Dana Clare Redden is the founder and CEO of Solar Stewards, a social enterprise connecting corporate social responsibility initiatives with schools and universities, affordable and senior housing, places of worship, and nonprofits in marginalized communities.

Today, Dana and Nico discuss: 

• What is energy burden? (And how might we best work towards alleviating it?) 
• The challenges of entrepreneurship as a female founder
• Solar Stewards’ role in bringing solar solutions and accessibility to historically excluded communities 
• Solar Stewards’ model for integrating Environmental Justice + Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) & how, precisely, they secure funding to support their mission

Join us as we dig into this incredibly engaging episode! Tune in now. 

Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?

Hit us up - [email protected] with your feedback & recommendations.

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.

Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!

You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.

Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 950 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.

We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: https://www.ratethispodcast.com/suncast

Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

Suncast is a decidedly better show because of today’s guest. I mean that in all sincerity. In 2018, sitting with Tara Doyle over a beer at SF’s Thirsty Bear brewery, I was challenged to diversify the then very-white-very-male interview guest roster of the fledgling show (still under 100 episodes!!). That day I pledged to get SunCast to at least a 30% representation of female guests (the % of female to male team members in the industry at the time). And, to kick off Women’s History Month in 2019, we did a 2-part interview with Tara (which I highly encourage you to listen to in its entirety) which has begun a tradition on SunCast of dedicating the podcast roster to an all-female lineup every March these last 4 yrs. 

In honor of that initial kick in the pants by Tara (and bc her episode was, in fact, amazing), I’m delighted to bring you this abridged version of that episode. For those unfamiliar, Tara Doyle is the Chief Commercial Officer at PV Evolution Labs (now officially “PVEL”) and has worked nearly every support role on her way to the C-suite during her more than 15 years of experience in the solar industry. 

In this episode we discussed: 

• The integral role of support/field staff in the success of an organization 
• The evolution of PVEL from a small start up to their impressive 10x growth and acquisition by DNV-GL(and key lessons, considerations, and business plays along the way)
• Her life as a busy executive while still prioritizing her “#1 customers” (i.e., her children, aka the next generation of solar enthusiasts.) 

All this and more, in under 30 minutes. Best trade you’ll find! Tune in now. 

Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?

Hit us up - [email protected] with your feedback & recommendations.

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.

Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!

You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.

Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 950 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.

We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: https://www.ratethispodcast.com/suncast

Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

Meghan Nutting's work speaks for itself; She has advocated for and contributed to numerous Solar policies and solutions over the past decade-plus. Additionally, she cut her teeth in public affairs, has worked as a Legislative Director for New York State Assembly member Linda Rosenthal, and as a Press Secretary for former U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe. She then served at SolarCity as the Director of Policy and Electricity Markets as the industry pulled out of the last recession way back in 2009. Presently, Meghan serves as the Executive Vice President of Government & Regulatory Affairs at Sunnova Energy Corporation (a leading U.S. residential solar and storage services provider.) Her background displays the considerable breadth of her experience, which lends her the unique lens to evaluate the Clean Energy industry and chart a way forward using policies that foster and secure a sustainable business environment for Solar electricity generation. It also makes for a particularly stellar episode as she is well-versed on the key issues facing this industry.

We discuss:

• her time in public service (including her thoughts on how to unify our lobbying efforts),
• regulatory bottlenecks preventing progression in key markets
• the NEM battle in Florida
• how to work towards a unified vision with those "across-the-aisle"

The list goes on, but I won’t drop anymore spoilers!

Honored to highlight the work of this longtime #SolarWarrior as another shining example of the phenomenal female leadership we have in the Solar industry as we continue to highlight Key Women in Tech this Women’s History Month. Enjoy!

Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?

Hit us up - [email protected] with your feedback & recommendations.

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.

Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!

You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.

Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 950 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.

We'd love if you'd leave us a 5 ⭐ rating & review and it's never been easier: https://www.ratethispodcast.com/suncast

Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus