Podcast
SunCast
Hosted by Nico Johnson · EN
Nico Johnson takes you into conversations with those at the forefront of Renewable Energy.
SunCast gives an inside look into what is happening in renewable energy. From conversations with the biggest Solar Panel manufacturers in the world to the small startups creating the future of renewable energy, such as carbon capture and battery technology breakthroughs.
SunCast is dedicated to providing the knowledge, research, tools and expert guidance you need to understand, grow and be ahead of the curve in the fastest-growing markets in the world.
Featuring over 800 conversations, Nico has interviewed people from Tesla, SolarCity, Trina Solar, Meyer Burger, Conergy, SunEdison, Energy Vault and even the US Government... to name a few. Covering topics such as Solar Power, Wind Energy, Batteries, Electric Vehicles, Carbon Capture, Finance, Hydrogen, and more.
You can watch SunCast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SunCastMedia
...or view the full archive of SunCast episodes here: https://www.suncast.media/media/podcast
34episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
937: What a 4-Star General Knows About Risk That Most Leaders Don't | Gen. Robert Neller
4d ago00:21:27Tap to summarizeRisk looks different depending on where you're standing.In Episode 936 (Jason Kaminsky & 2026 The Solar Risk Assessment), we explored risk through the lens of data, operations, and asset performance.Today’s episode looks at it through the eyes of someone who spent four decades preparing organizations for uncertainty, disruption, and worst-case scenarios.General Robert Neller served as the 37th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, leading one of the world's most respected organizations through an era of rapid technological change, evolving threats, and global instability.In this conversation, General Neller joins Nico to discuss how great leaders think about risk before it becomes a crisis, why resilience is more than a buzzword, and what the energy industry can learn from organizations that operate where failure is not an option.Along the way, the conversation explores cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, energy resilience, military innovation, entrepreneurship, and the leadership principles that matter when the stakes are high.Expect to learn:🔹 What a 4-star general sees differently about risk and preparedness🔹 Why resilience starts long before a disruption occurs🔹 How military thinking applies to energy infrastructure and cybersecurity🔹 Why veterans often make exceptional founders and business leaders🔹 The leadership traits that help organizations navigate uncertaintyWhether you're developing projects, leading teams, investing capital, or building companies, this episode offers a rare look inside the mindset of someone who spent a career preparing for challenges most people hope never arrive.Listen now to hear what a 4-star general knows about risk that most leaders don't.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 - team@suncast.me 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!SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!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 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.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/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
Transcribe →936: Which Solar Risks Actually Matter? | Jason Kaminsky, kWh Analytics
5d ago00:38:03Tap to summarizeSolar projects are increasingly being financed and operated as long-life infrastructure assets. That means the industry can no longer rely on assumptions about risk—we need evidence.In this episode, Jason Kaminsky, CEO of kWh Analytics, walks us through what the latest Solar Risk Assessment reveals, and answers a deceptively simple question: Which solar risks actually matter?Drawing on dozens of partners’ fleet-scale operational and underwriting data, Jason explains how the industry is moving beyond anecdotes to identify the risks that have a measurable impact on long-term performance, resilience, and project finance.Expect to learn:🔹 Why the solar industry finally has enough data to challenge long-held assumptions🔹 What recent findings say about fire risk, bio-soiling, tracker performance, and equipment failures🔹 How seemingly minor operational issues can become major financial variables at portfolio scale🔹 Why insurers, lenders, and asset owners are paying closer attention to resilience🔹 How the best operators are turning better data into stronger long-term outcomesIf you've seen the latest Solar Risk Assessment was released, but haven't had time to dig into it, this conversation is your guided tour through the findings that matter most.Listen now to learn how the industry is turning better data into more resilient power.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 - team@suncast.me 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!SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!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 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.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/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
Transcribe →935: How (and Why) Clean Energy Wins In Red States | Monika Gerhart
2w ago00:55:21Tap to summarizeA solar moratorium nearly shut down Alabama’s emerging solar market before most of the industry even saw it coming.For years, the prevailing assumption has been that clean energy growth would be concentrated in politically progressive states while places like Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi lagged behind.But that’s not what Monika Gerhart is seeing (and doing!) on the ground.As Executive Director of the Gulf States Renewable Energy Industries Association (GSREIA), Monika operates at the intersection of policy, infrastructure, resilience, and market development across some of the most politically and operationally complex energy markets in America. And increasingly, she says the future of clean energy growth is being shaped locally — through trust, coalition-building, reliability concerns, and resilience planning.In this conversation, Nico and Monika unpack the fight that nearly derailed Alabama’s solar market before most of the industry even noticed, how Hurricane Ida transformed the conversation around distributed energy and microgrids in Louisiana, and why resilience infrastructure is rapidly becoming a life-safety issue across the Gulf Coast.They also explore:why state-level advocacy increasingly determines whether markets survive long enough to maturehow local relationships shape energy policy more than national narrativesthe emerging role of neighborhood-scale resilience planning and community microgridswhy lawmakers are becoming more open to renewables as electricity demand acceleratesand what developers, manufacturers, investors, and operators should understand about building durable markets in politically complicated regionsThis is a conversation about far more than solar policy.It’s about how energy markets are actually built — and why some of the industry’s most important battles are happening far from the headlines.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 - team@suncast.me 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!SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!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 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.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/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
Transcribe →934: What Makes Companies Investable Now | David Kirkpatrick
2w ago00:20:16Tap to summarizeClimatetech is entering a different phase.The era of easy capital, oversized narratives, and growth-at-all-costs expectations is giving way to something more demanding: disciplined execution, durable business models, strong commercialization pathways, and teams that can scale proven solutions in real markets.In this live conversation, Nico Johnson sits down with longtime investor David Kirkpatrick, Managing Director at SJF Ventures, to unpack what experienced investors are actually paying attention to now and why the companies attracting long-term conviction may not be the ones making the loudest headlines.David has spent decades investing across renewable energy, efficiency, industrial innovation, resilience, and sustainability. He has watched the industry evolve from early-stage optimism into a global market measured in gigawatts, infrastructure, and real deployment. That long view makes this conversation especially timely for founders, operators, developers, policymakers, and anyone trying to understand how the market is maturing.This episode is less about chasing the next shiny technology and more about what it takes to build companies that can survive, scale, and create lasting value.Expect to learn:🔹 What experienced investors look for before backing a company🔹 Why capital discipline matters more than ever in today’s market🔹 How deployment and commercialization are reshaping investment priorities🔹 Why resilience, efficiency, and proven technologies are gaining momentum🔹 What founders often misunderstand about raising and scaling capitalIf you’re building in the energy transition or trying to understand where sophisticated capital is placing long-term conviction, this conversation is worth your attention.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 - team@suncast.me 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!SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!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 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.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/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
Transcribe →933: Why Facts Don’t Sell Clean Energy | Jessica Fishman
3w ago01:00:56Tap to summarizeClean energy has made tremendous progress on technology.Solar is cheaper. Batteries are scaling. Virtual power plants are becoming real grid assets. Electrification is accelerating.But many people still do not understand why these technologies matter to them personally — or whether they are actually worth the cost.So what’s missing?In this conversation, Nico sits down with Jessica Fishman to explore why the next phase of the energy transition may depend less on technical innovation and more on public understanding, trust, and emotional connection.Jessica shares lessons from nearly two decades working across solar, storage, policy, and communications, including what the industry can learn from the Inflation Reduction Act, why facts alone rarely change minds, and how clean energy companies can better connect their work to the things people already care about: affordability, resilience, independence, and economic opportunity.Expect to learn:🔹 Why facts alone rarely change minds🔹 How clean energy can evolve from a “push” industry into a “pull” industry🔹 What the IRA taught us about public awareness and policy durability🔹 Why emotional connection often matters more than technical precision🔹 How stronger public understanding could accelerate energy adoptionIf you’ve ever wondered why technically superior solutions still struggle to earn broad public trust, this conversation is worth your time.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 - team@suncast.me 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!SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!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 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.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/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
Transcribe →932: The Battery Storage Mistakes Installers Must Avoid | Sam Buffington
3w ago00:21:39Tap to summarizeBattery storage is becoming one of the most complicated sales conversations in residential solar.Installers are now navigating different sizing requirements, shifting homeowner expectations, changing utility rate structures, evolving battery chemistries, and a flood of new products entering the market at wildly different price points.And underneath all of it is a harder question:Who can you actually trust to still be standing behind these systems years from now?Sam Buffington, Business Development Manager at Pylontech, joins Nico Johnson for a deeply practical conversation about what installers should actually be paying attention to as batteries become a core part of the residential energy system.Sam has worked across modules, distribution, and storage, and he’s even built his own off-grid home by hand. That gives him a rare perspective on how solar-plus-storage systems behave in the real world and where installers most often create long-term problems for themselves.Expect to learn:🔹 Why rising peak demand is accelerating residential battery adoption🔹 What installers should look for in a reliable battery partner🔹 The wiring and system design mistakes that create long-term warranty issues🔹 How cold-weather performance affects real-world battery operation🔹 Why VPPs could reshape installer economics and customer paybackThis episode is not about battery hype.It’s about how installers make smarter decisions in a market that is getting more crowded, more technical, and more financially important every year.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 - team@suncast.me 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!SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!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 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.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/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
Transcribe →931: Inside New York's $150B Energy Bet — And It's Bigger Than Data Centers | Doreen Harris
3w ago00:23:28Tap to summarizeElectricity demand is rising fast. But New York is asking a different question than most states:What kind of demand is actually worth building for?In this live conversation from IESNA 2026, Nico sits down with Doreen Harris, President of NYSERDA, to explore how one of the largest economies in the country is preparing for 20–25% electricity load growth over the next 15 years. From AI infrastructure and semiconductor manufacturing to distributed solar and storage, New York is making major investments while trying to ensure growth also creates long-term economic value.Doreen explains why durable policy signals matter, why transmission remains central to the next phase of grid buildout, and why "business as usual" already requires massive infrastructure investment.Expect to learn:🔹 Why New York is planning differently for large loads like AI and manufacturing🔹 How policy durability helps attract long-term capital🔹 Why storage is becoming a major bright spot for reliability and affordability🔹 How distributed solar is already reducing peak demand and consumer costsIf you want to understand where energy markets, infrastructure, and economic development are headed next, press play.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 - team@suncast.me 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!SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!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 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.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/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
Transcribe →930: Why AI Data Centers Demand a Responsive Grid | Jon Parrella & Anna Siefken
4w ago00:30:31Tap to summarizeAI data centers are changing more than electricity demand. They are changing how the grid itself has to operate.Legacy data centers behaved with relatively flat, predictable load profiles. But giga-scale AI campuses introduce rapid swings in demand that can stress substations, destabilize generation assets, and expose the limits of infrastructure designed for a very different era.In today’s episode, Nico Johnson sits down with Jon Parrella, CEO of Terraflow, and Anna Siefken, Director of Policy & Markets at the Long Duration Energy Storage Council (LDES), to explore what this shift means for storage, grid reliability, and the future of energy system design.Together, they unpack why batteries may need to evolve from simple energy storage assets into active infrastructure that stabilizes and buffers the grid itself.Expect to learn:🔹 Why giga-scale AI creates a fundamentally different kind of electrical load🔹 How storage can act as the “shock absorber” between data centers and the grid🔹 Why responsiveness may become more important than raw generation capacity🔹 Where lithium-ion architectures face constraints at giga-scale🔹 How hybrid systems, co-location, and responsive loads could reshape grid planningIf you work in clean energy, storage, infrastructure, utilities, or project development, this conversation offers an important glimpse into how AI may reshape the future grid.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 - team@suncast.me 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!SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!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 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.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/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
Transcribe →929: How Kraken Is Turning Grid Chaos Into Coordination | Devrim Celal
May 701:09:45Tap to summarizeThe grid is getting more crowded.EVs. Heat pumps. Batteries. Rooftop solar. Flexible demand.What used to be a system built around a few thousand centralized assets is rapidly becoming a network of millions of connected devices interacting with the grid in real time.That changes everything.In this episode, Nico sits down with Devrim Celal, Chief Flexibility Officer at Kraken, to unpack why the future grid is becoming a software coordination problem, and how Kraken is helping utilities orchestrate distributed energy at massive scale. But this conversation goes far beyond software.Devrim shares the entrepreneurial journey that led him from software engineering and consulting to ultra-distance running, real estate, reinsurance, and eventually Upside Energy, the company that evolved into Kraken through its acquisition by Octopus Energy.Expect to learn:🔹Why visibility into the low-voltage grid is one of electrification’s biggest hidden challenges🔹How utilities are turning EVs and batteries into flexible grid assets🔹Why consumer participation is defining feature of our future energy system🔹What entrepreneurs can learn from Upside Energy’s evolution into KrakenThis is a conversation about systems thinking, entrepreneurship, culture, and the increasingly important role software will play in the clean energy transition.Listen now to hear how Kraken is helping turn grid complexity into clean energy opportunity.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 - team@suncast.me 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!SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!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 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.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/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
Transcribe →928: Why U.S. Solar Costs 2–3x More Than Australia | Barry Cinnamon
May 500:29:08Tap to summarizeAustralia is installing solar and batteries for about $2 a watt.In the U.S., it’s closer to $5.50.So why do we still have this huge gap?Barry Cinnamon went to Australia to find out. What he discovered challenges one of the industry’s favorite explanations. Even if you remove permitting delays and other “soft costs,” the U.S. still doesn’t come close.Today’s Tactical Tuesday breaks down the real drivers behind [residential] solar pricing, from federal manufacturing policy and tariffs to financing structures and regulatory friction. Then we take it a step further, exploring a new hypothesis Barry has been modeling: using data center demand to help fund rooftop solar and storage.Expect to learn:🔹 Why U.S. solar costs 2–3x more than Australia🔹 What’s actually driving the cost gap beyond “soft costs”🔹 How policy and financing shape the price customers pay🔹 Why data centers could become unlikely allies for rooftop solar and storageThis is a practical, provocative look at the policies and business models that could make solar cheaper, faster, and more useful to the grid.Tune in to hear Barry Cinnamon’s roadmap for making distributed energy actually affordable.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 - team@suncast.me 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!SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!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 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.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/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
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