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The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com

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Antonia Ginsberg-Klemmt, President of GismoPower | Mobile Solar Carports for Middle-Income Americans Ep.100 Aug 30, 2022

Show notes

Even if they want to go solar, most middle-income Americans can’t afford it. Or maybe they rent or move frequently and can’t take rooftop solar with them when they go.

And those who live in areas with frequent natural disasters worry about the cost of replacing solar panels that get damaged or destroyed.

But what if solar energy was both inexpensive and portable? What if you could fold up your system and either store it safely or take it with you during a hurricane or wildfire?

Antonia Ginsberg-Klemmt is Cofounder and President of GismoPower, a company building portable solar carports for lower- and moderate-income prosumers.

Antonia is a 23-year-old physics and environmental studies major at New College of Florida and OZY Genius award winner. And her startup’s first product, the mobile electricity-generating appliance or MEGA, won the 2022 American-Made Solar Prize and is an SBIR grant recipient.

On this episode of Clean Power Hour, Antonia joins Tim to discuss GismoPower’s mission to make solar mobile and more accessible to the general public, describing how the MEGA folds into a box that can be stored in your garage.

Antonia explains GismoPower’s partnership with Maxout Renewables, exploring how their Evergrid powers the MEGA in emergency situations—without a battery.

Listen in for insight around the permitting process for MEGA users and find out where to go to see a working prototype of Antonia’s innovative mobile solar carport.

Key Takeaways

How Antonia and her dad got the idea for a portable solar carport during the pandemic

GismoPower’s mission to make solar mobile and more accessible to the general public

Some of the awards Antonia has won for the MEGA (mobile electricity-generating appliance)

How the Evergrid powers the MEGA in emergency situations without a battery

The challenges of securing permitting for the MEGA from local governments and utilities

How the MEGA plugs into a 240-volt outlet and is being UL certified as an appliance

How the MEGA folds into a box and can be stored in a garage in high-wind events

The MEGA’s 1,000-pound weight and why it comes with optional ground mounts

The idea Antonia is developing for a mobile solar system that powers music festivals

How bifacial solar panels increase the efficiency of GismoPower’s portable carport by 10%

Where to go to see GismoPower’s working prototypes of its mobile solar carport

Connect with Antonia

GismoPower

Antonia on YouTube

Connect with Tim

Email tgmontague@gmail.com

American-Made Solar Prize

Resources

FREEDM Systems Center at NCSU

Bill Nussey on The Freeing Energy Podcast

Inflation Reduction Act

Sponsor

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The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com

Jay Caspary, VP of Grid Strategies | Building a Reliable, Clean Grid Ep.99 Aug 23, 2022

Show notes

The entire infrastructure of our economy depends on a reliable grid. And the work we are doing to decarbonize will only increase demands on the grid moving forward.

So, how do we look into the future? What are we doing to upgrade the grid? To make it stronger and more adaptable?

And most importantly, how do we get solar and wind energy facilities connected to the grid in a timely manner?

Jay Caspary serves as Vice President at Grid Strategies, a power sector consulting firm based in Washington, DC.

With 40 years’ experience in transmission planning and renewables integration, Jay provides policy makers, grid planners and utilities with the sound engineering analyses they need to transform our grid for the evolving resource mix.

On this episode of Clean Power Hour, Jay joins Tim to discuss his top three priorities for building a more robust but clean grid, describing his vision for a national macrogrid that makes use of existing infrastructure and grid-enhancing technologies.

Jay explains the benefits of high-voltage direct current systems, exploring why it makes sense to put HVDC infrastructure underground and why we’re slow to adopt the technology here in the US.

Listen in to understand what’s behind the moratorium on solar at PJM and learn what FERC is doing to reform the transmission planning process and accelerate the decarbonization of the grid.

Key Takeaways

Jay’s career in transmission planning and wind integration

Jay’s top 3 priorities for building a more robust but clean grid

1. Shared vision of national macrogrid

2. Take advantage of aging infrastructure

3. Deploy grid-enhancing technologies

The goals of the DOE’s Building a Better Grid Initiative

The benefits of high-voltage direct current systems

Why we’re slow to adopt HVDC here in the US

What’s behind the moratorium on solar at PJM

How FERC is reforming the transmission planning process

Why it makes sense to put HVDC infrastructure underground

Connect with Jay

Grid Strategies

Email jcaspary@gridstrategiesllc.com

Connect with Tim

Email tgmontague@gmail.com

‘Advanced Conductors on Existing Transmission Corridors to Accelerate Low Cost Decarbonization’ by Jay Caspary and Jesse Schneider

Resources

PJM Solar Moratorium

FERC Order No. 888

FERC NOPR on Transmission Planning & Cost Allocation

Clean Disruption of Energy and Transportation by Tony Seba

DOE Building a Better Grid Initiative

SOO Green

Sponsor

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Connect with Tim

Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com

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The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com

Michael Burz, CEO of Enzinc | The Benefits of Zinc for Battery Storage Ep.98 Aug 16, 2022

Show notes

Lead-acid batteries are heavy and highly toxic. Lithium-ion is lighter but tends to catch fire and requires a thermal management system to regulate its temperature.

So, Michael Burz, President and CEO at Enzinc, is developing a next-generation rechargeable zinc battery that is safer for people and the planet.

With a background in aerospace engineering, Michael is on a mission to apply his expertise to the green tech revolution.

He was introduced to 3D zinc technology by the US Naval Research Laboratory and partnered with the NRL to design a high-performance alternative to lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries.

On this episode of Clean Power Hour, Michael joins Tim to discuss the advantages of zinc batteries over lead-acid and lithium-ion, describing how Enzinc technology can be deployed safely in very hot or cold climates without a thermal management system.

Michael explains how zinc technology applies in both mobile and stationary energy storage, exploring how its ebike batteries can be scaled for use in EVs and internal combustion engines as well as microgrids and data centers.

Listen in to understand how Enzinc’s batteries can be built in existing plants and learn how you can be part of the engineering team Michael is building to design, test and manufacture zinc battery anodes.

Key Takeaways

How Michael’s work with the NRL led him to develop a rechargeable zinc battery

The advantages of zinc battery technology over lead-acid and lithium-ion

How zinc battery technology is applicable to both mobile and stationary energy storage

The nickel-zinc and manganese-zinc products Enzinc is developing to replace lead-acid batteries

How Enzinc’s ebike batteries can be scaled for use in EVs and internal combustion engines

Why zinc battery technology is ideal for highly dense urban environments

How zinc batteries can be deployed in very hot or cold climates (without thermal management systems)

The extensive real-world testing Enzinc must do to bring its tech to market and why Michael’s team invited an industry advisory group to be part of its testing process early on

How Enzinc is developing its batteries to be built in existing plants and factories

Why Michael’s team is partnering with a recycling firm in the design process

Michael’s insight on how zinc-air battery technology will advance electric aircraft

Connect with Michael

Enzinc

Careers at Enzinc

Connect with Tim

Email tgmontague@gmail.com

California NanoSystems Institute

Resources

US Naval Research Laboratory

US Department of Energy ARPA-E

Global Automotive & Mobility Innovation Challenge

California Energy Commission BRIDGE Award

Sponsor

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Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com

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The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com

Nobel Chang, Cofounder and Managing Partner of Palladium Energy | A Deep Dive into the Ups & Downs of the Solarcoaster Ep.97 Aug 09, 2022

Show notes

Solar is an unpredictable industry.

Government incentives drive an uptick in the market for a few years. And then high-profile bankruptcies and severe tariffs put the brakes on development for a year or two.

But those of us committed to renewables for the long term keep moving forward, developing the grit it takes to navigate the ups and downs of what we call the solarcoaster.

Nobel Chang is Cofounder and Managing Partner at Palladium Energy, a utility-scale solar investor and developer headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, where he leads all things business development and commercial strategy.

A veteran of the renewables industry, Nobel got his start in 2009 with a semiconductor company building off-grid systems for rural applications in Africa and Asia before starting his own development shop in 2014 and building Palladium in 2019.

On this episode of Clean Power Hour, Nobel joins Tim to share his experiences in 13 years on the solarcoaster, explaining how his first major downturn was caused by the Solyndra bankruptcy in 2011.

He describes how tariffs on solar equipment and the SunEdison bankruptcy impacted the solar industry and discusses how to hedge against the volatility by working in multiple markets.

Listen in for insight around the current challenges associated with the antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) and find out why Nobel sees a bright future for the solar industry despite its ups and downs.

Key Takeaways

The volatility and unpredictability of the solar industry that fuels the solarcoaster

How Nobel experienced his first major downturn after the 2011 Solyndra bankruptcy

What happened in 2012 when the Obama administration put tariffs on equipment

How the 2016 SunEdison bankruptcy put a freeze on solar finance

How the 2016 downturn inspired Nobel to develop projects in markets abroad

How Trump era tariffs on imported solar panels dealt a major blow to renewables

The grit and creativity required to build a career as an entrepreneur in the renewables space

How the current antidumping and countervailing duties affect module pricing

How to hedge against the ups and downs in solar by working in multiple markets

Palladium’s role as a utility-scale solar and solar+storage investor and developer (and why storage is being tacked on to most solar projects now)

How the transition to wind, solar and storage signals a bright future for renewables

Connect with Nobel

Email nchang@pd46energy.com

Connect with Tim

Email tgmontague@gmail.com

Jigar Shah on Clean Power Hour EP083

Resources

Sponsor

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Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com

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The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com

Sharat Singh, CEO of Quadrical AI | Advanced Data Analytics for Solar Asset Management Ep.96 Aug 02, 2022

Show notes

Solar asset managers are dealing with a number of variables, among them soiling, shading, weather conditions and the degradation of equipment.

And while supervisory control and data acquisition or SCADA systems support the decision-making process, they can’t conduct the kind of advanced analytics asset managers need to significantly improve a plant’s performance.

Sharat Singh is Founder and CEO of Quadrical AI, a software solution that leverages artificial intelligence to help asset managers improve solar generation.

Sharat has an extensive background in building large enterprise solutions for eCommerce and served as Head of Engineering for Adobe’s Digital Marketing Cloud prior to Quadrical.

On this episode of Clean Power Hour, Sharat joins Tim to share the Quadrical origin story and explain why his team decided to focus on building AI for the solar industry.

Sharat walks us through the five key components of the Quadrical solution, describing how its software creates a digital twin of a solar plant and uses that data to prioritize tickets for solar asset managers.

Listen in for Sharat’s insight on applying digital twin technology to battery storage and learn how Quadrical works with the SCADA monitoring systems you already use to perform advanced analytics across your solar portfolio.

Key Takeaways

The Quadrical origin story and why Sharat’s team decided to focus on the solar industry

How Sharat’s role supporting Adobe’s digital marketing cloud informs his work at Quadrical

Quadrical’s portfolio of 2.5 gigawatts in the solar IPP and O&M space

The 5 key components of the Quadrical AI software solution

How Quadrical software works to create a digital twin of a solar plant and facilitate condition-based maintenance

How Quadrical leverages data to provide solar asset managers with a prioritized list of tickets

Quadrical’s capacity for anomaly and pattern recognition and how its AI learns over time

What Sharat’s team is doing to get to customers and do deployments faster

The progress Quadrical has made in applying digital twin technology to battery storage

The challenges and opportunities for Quadrical in serving hybrid solar and storage plants

How Quadrical works with the SCADA monitoring systems you already use

Connect with Sharat

Quadrical AI

Email cvj@quadrical.ai

Connect with Tim

Email tgmontague@gmail.com

Solar Asset Management North America 2022

Resources

Sponsor

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Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com

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The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com

Clean Energy Transition Experts - Podcaster's Roundtable | Special Edition! Jul 26, 2022

Show notes

6 Powerful Cleantech Podcasters On Biden, Ukraine and the Energy Transition

Today we're sharing our fifth quarterly podcaster's roundtable, which offers a rich, one-hour discussion of energy trends, developments, challenges and opportunities. We’re joined by some impressive industry voices. These roundtables are organized and produced by my friends Mike Casey and Nico Johnson. Mike is the president and founder of Tigercomm, a cleantech public relations, marketing communications and public affairs firm, and host of ScalingClean, a podcast and blog that aim to advance the clean economy. Nico Johnson is the CEO of Suncast Media and host of Suncast podcast.

Emily Chasan, director of communications at Generate Capital, a San Francisco-based diversified, sustainable infrastructure company. She's also a co-host on Wood Mackenzie's Energy Gang podcast, a bi-weekly digest on energy, cleantech and the environment.
Gil Jenkins, vice president of corporate communications and public affairs at Hannon Armstrong. He's co-host of its Climate Positive podcast, which features conversations with people driving our climate-positive future.
Tim Montague, host of the Clean Power Hour, interviews the latest tools and technology executives in wind, solar and energy storage, plus weekly news roundup of the latest solar, wind, storage and energy transition news.
Bill Nussey, CEO and founder of the Freeing Energy Project, which aims to accelerate the shift to cleaner, cheaper energy through books, articles and a top 10 energy podcast, also called Freeing Energy.
Josh Porter, an arborist turned renewable energies enthusiast. He's the principal consultant at SolarCoaster Consulting and co-host of The Solar Coaster, a renewable energy-themed talk show broadcast every Friday from Maui, Hawaii.

We cover a lot of ground in the episode, from thoughts on the ongoing war in Ukraine and escalating attacks by pro-fossil fuel pundits. But we start with our views on the possible direction of the Biden Administration's imperiled climate agenda.

Connect with Mike Casey on LinkedIn

Connect with Emily Chasan on LinkedIn

Connect with Gil Jenkins on LinkedIn

Connect with Nico Johnson on LinkedIn

Connect with Tim Montague on LinkedIn

Connect with Bill Nussey on LinkedIn

Connect with Josh Porter on LinkedIn

Clean Power Hour
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Tim on Twitter
Tim on LinkedIn

Connect with Tim

Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com

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: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com

McKenna Dunbar, Building Electrification Lead at Sierra Club|Promoting Environmental Justice with Gen Z Ep.95 Jul 26, 2022

Show notes

The communities that contribute the least to climate change are impacted by it the most. And that’s a disheartening thing for Gen Zers to discover.

But the antidote to anxiety is action.

So, what can young people do to advocate for environmental justice? How can we all work together for an equitable transition to the net-zero carbon economy?

McKenna Dunbar serves as Building Electrification Lead and Community and Engagement Coordinator at Sierra Club. She is also Founder of the Environmental Justice Initiative and CEO of MOCOKONO, a company working to disrupt ESG markets and build an equitable energy system for all.

On this episode of Clean Power Hour, McKenna joins Tim to describe the eco-anxiety that inspired her work in renewable energy and discuss her role in the Sierra Club’s Building Electrification Program.

McKenna explains why she founded the environmental advocacy-based nonprofit Ecological Justice Initiative and explores how we might address the mega-landfills located in marginalized communities.

Listen in for McKenna’s call-to-action for corporate leaders and learn how young people can get involved in advancing the clean energy transition!

Key Takeaways

How learning about environmental racism inspired McKenna’s work in renewable energy

How promoting environmental education and connecting with others in the climate change movement gives McKenna hope for the future

McKenna’s role in the Sierra Club’s Building Electrification Program

Why McKenna sees building electrification as the answer to the energy crisis we face

What success looks like for McKenna’s campaign with the Sierra Club

Why McKenna founded the environmental advocacy-based nonprofit Ecological Justice Initiative

How McKenna thinks about addressing the mega-landfills located in marginalized communities

MOCOKONO’s goals to disrupt outdated forms of CSR in ESG markets

McKenna’s call for corporate leaders to reformulate their business plans around environmental justice frameworks and the needs of the communities they serve

The importance of involving Gen Z in the conversation re: the clean energy transition and how young people can get involved in climate change mitigation right now

Connect with McKenna

McKenna on LinkedIn

Email mckenna.dunbar@sierraclub.org

Email mocokono@gmail.com

Connect with Tim

Email tgmontague@gmail.com

The Ecological Justice Initiative

Resources

Sierra Club

Bridging the Gap in Virginia

Concerned Citizens of Charles City County

McKenna’s $10,000 Davis Projects for Peace Grant

Sponsor

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Connect with Tim

Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com

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: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com

Etienne Lecompte, CEO of PowerHub | Asset Management Software for Renewables Ep.94 Jul 12, 2022

Show notes

It’s awe-inspiring to consider that renewable energy transforms weather into electrons and then into dollars. And yet, many asset managers are still operating with spreadsheets, notebooks and post-its.

So, how do we encourage the adoption of digital tools in the renewable energy space? And how can solar, wind and hydro operators benefit from technology like asset management software?

Etienne Lecompte is Founder and CEO of PowerHub, a SaaS company building asset management software for the renewable energy industry, and Host of the Renewables: Unscripted podcast.

On this episode of Clean Power Hour, Etienne joins Tim from the Solarplaza Summit Asset Management North America 2022 Conference to discuss the evolution of PowerHub, explaining how he started the company as a consultancy but pivoted to asset management in 2013.

Etienne describes the billing and invoicing, reporting, and compliance tools in the PowerHub suite, and offers insight as to why BayWa acquired the business two years ago.

Listen in to understand what’s behind the boom-and-bust cycles of the Canadian solar industry and learn how digital tools like PowerHub can help asset managers lower cost and enhance the reliability of renewable energy.

Key Takeaways

How Etienne started PowerHub as a consultancy during the Ontario solar boom of 2011

The story behind the Canadian solar industry

Why the industry has a reputation for boom-and-bust cycles (and what we can do to fix that)

PowerHub’s pivot to asset management in 2013

Etienne’s approach to business development in the early days of PowerHub

The billing/invoicing, reporting and compliance tools that make up the PowerHub suite

How PowerHub serves clients in the solar, wind and hydro space

What differentiates technical from commercial asset management and PowerHub’s focus on the latter

The 4 major divisions at BayWa and why the company acquired PowerHub

The value of reconnecting with colleagues at conferences like SAMNA

How Etienne’s Renewables: Unscripted podcast explores the ‘messy middle’ of growing a startup

How digital tools can help the solar industry lower cost and enhance reliability

Connect with Etienne

PowerHub

Etienne on LinkedIn

Renewables: Unscripted

Connect with Tim

Email tgmontague@gmail.com

Solar Asset Management North America Conference

Resources

Sponsor

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Tim on Twitter
Tim on LinkedIn

Connect with Tim

Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com

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: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com

Alfonso Barrenechea of Solar Plaza | Asset Management Texas Ep.93 Jul 05, 2022

Show notes

Get a 10% discount to attend Solar Plaza Asset Management Texas with discount code: CPH22. https://www.solarplaza.com/event/solarplaza-summit-asset-management-texas-2022/

Bringing solar professionals together in-person is Solar Plaza’s specialty; they’ve organized over 150 solar events in 60 cities, in 41 countries and six continents. Since 2004, Solar Plaza has been inviting clean energy industry professionals from all aspects of a solar project together under one roof. From Madrid to Rome to Amsterdam to Copenhagen to Frankfurt to Lisbon to Austin, Solar Plaza is everywhere across the globe in 2022!

Alfonso Barrenechea is a Project Manager at the Netherlands-based company since 2019. Alfonso loves learning the technical side of solar and knows that the ideas generated at a Solar Plaza event make their way downstream into real solar projects unfolding across the globe.

Today on Clean Power Hour, Alfonso gives Tim a look into a unique business model in our quest as a species to detach from fossil fuels: an event planning company that specializes in the science of clean energy! Listen to Alfonso and Tim discuss why bringing a collective of the best minds in solar together can spur on ideas about efficiency, profitability and availability of the technology that spread fast. The resources offered by Solar Plaza don’t end at their events; check out their Resources page for webinars, seven-minute trend talks and interviews with important figureheads in the clean energy sphere.

Key Takeaways

Why Austin is a perfect location for a clean energy event

Which environmental factors dictate the need to differentiate markets within countries and, in the US, even within states

How Texas’ history as an energy state impacts its clean energy journey

Why California and Texas represent such a big share of the US’s transition to clean energy

What factors go into consideration in selecting a city to host a Solar Plaza conference

Why developers need to adopt zero waste manufacturing practices and recognize that repurposing or recycling is a critical part of the project lifecycle

How diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is growing in the mostly white, mostly male solar industry

How adoption of more DEI in solar reflects technology industry trends globally

Why seemingly unrelated companies joining together under one roof can initiate relationships and ultimately innovation in solar technology

Why economics is the biggest driver in popularity of solar, wind and storage

Connect with Alfonso

Solar Plaza

Email: alfonso@solarplaza.com

Solar Plaza on LinkedIn

Alfonso on LinkedIn

Connect with Tim

Email tgmontague@gmail.com

Solar Plaza Summit Asset Management Texas

Resource

10% Discount on Solar Plaza Asset Management Texas: Use Code CPH22