SunCast
SunCast is a podcast hosted by Nico Johnson that explores the renewable energy industry through in-depth conversations with key players. It covers topics like solar power, wind energy, batteries, electric vehicles, carbon capture, and more. With over 800 episodes, the show features interviews with executives from Tesla, SolarCity, Trina Solar, and other major companies. The podcast aims to provide knowledge and insights to help listeners understand and stay ahead in the fast-growing renewable energy markets.
Episodes
975: Powerful Branding: How to Build a Brand Your Team Can Actually Use | Aimee Tuck
A strong brand should do more than make your company recognizable. It should help your people understand what the company stands for, who it serves, and how to make better decisions as the business grows.Aimee Tuck has spent more than 25 years helping clean energy companies do exactly that. She is the founder of Corbae Creative and author of Powerful Branding, a remarkably practical workb
974: How to Make the Case for Solar + Storage to People Who Don’t Speak Energy
What if the difference between winning support and losing your audience isn’t better data, but knowing how to tell the story?In this episode, the tables are turned once again. SunCast host Nico Johnson is the guest this time, joining as a featured communications expert alongside some of the industry’s most respected voices in policy and strategic communications.Recorded live at the CHESSA
973: 11 Years of SunCast: What Changed, What We Missed, What’s Next | Nico Johnson & Josh Beck
After more than two decades working in clean energy and 11 years behind the mic at SunCast, Nico Johnson has had a front-row seat to an industry that looks radically different from the one he entered.For this anniversary episode, Nico is joined by his business partner, Josh Beck, who shares the load in both questions and responses as they reflect on what changed, what surprised them, and
972: How Smart Solar Developers Treat Land as Growth Capital | Laura Pagliarulo
Could the land beneath your solar project help finance the next one, without giving up equity in your company?Laura Pagliarulo, CEO and co-founder of SolaREIT™, returns to SunCast to share what six years of financing solar and battery real estate have taught her about how developers grow without overextending themselves. Her company has financed real estate beneath projects representing n
971: The Hidden Bottleneck Slowing Solar Automation | Nick de Vries, Matt Campbell & Frédéric Laure
If robotic automation is becoming inevitable in utility-scale solar, where does that thesis run into the realities of actually building a power plant?That's the question behind today’s episode.We start with Nick de Vries, CTO of Silicon Ranch, to ask what an owner actually wants from automation. Nick's answer sets the standard: the technology matters only if it improves safety, quality, r
970: 11 Years, 3 Pivots, and a Successful Exit | Jason Kaminsky
What does it actually take to build a company someone else eventually wants to buy?For Jason Kaminsky and kWh Analytics, the answer was 11 years, three major pivots, a transition from COO to CEO, difficult layoffs, plenty of capital, and learning when to stop chasing good ideas so the company could execute on the right one.Jason returns to SunCast after kWh Analytics' acquisition by Beazl
969: Could Data Centers Pay for Your Rooftop Solar? | Barry Cinnamon
Data centers need enormous amounts of power, and apparently they need it fast. What if some of the outrageous sums of money they’re willing to spend to get that power went directly toward putting solar and batteries on homes and businesses?That’s the idea Barry Cinnamon wants to pressure-test in today’s Tactical Tuesday on SunCast.Last week, Barry compared the dramatically different costs
968: How to Make Better Building Technology Investable | Dermot & Aiden Sweeny
Buildings consume an enormous amount of energy. We have plenty of technologies that could make them perform better. So why is the real estate industry often so slow to adopt them?Dermot Sweeny has spent decades confronting that problem from the architect’s side. When he couldn’t convince clients to try a radically different approach to office design, he bought an older building and proved
967: Why U.S. Solar Costs 2–3x More Than Australia | Barry Cinnamon
In Australia, residential solar and storage can be installed for about $2 a watt. In the U.S., a comparable system can cost more than twice that.Why?Barry Cinnamon was curious enough to go to Australia and investigate. What he found challenges the simple explanation that America's solar price gap comes down to permitting, labor, and other “soft costs.”Australia offers a useful counterfact
966: When Solar Works But the Savings Don’t | Charlotte Meerstadt
When Charlotte Meerstadt put solar on her Amsterdam home, the numbers made sense.Then Charlotte moved to the U.S. and rented out the apartment. The solar panels kept doing exactly what they were supposed to do: producing cheap, clean power. But, while the tenant received the lower utility bill, Charlotte still owned the panels and had no clear way to capture the savings her asset was crea
965: 3 Lessons From Germany’s Plug-In Solar Boom | Stephan Scherer
Germany has turned plug-in solar from a fringe idea into a mainstream energy product found in millions of homes. And the biggest lessons for the U.S. aren't really about solar panels.They're about making solar easier.In this Tactical Tuesday, CraftStrom Co-Founder and CEO Stephan Scherer shares what nearly a decade in the European plug-in solar market taught him about how a new energy cat
964: Why the Best Energy Technology Doesn't Always Win | Sass Peress
The best technology does not always win.Sass Peress has spent nearly four decades learning why. Since entering solar in 1988, he has built companies, introduced new technologies, sold hundreds of thousands of solar products, backed ideas that worked, backed at least one that did not, and learned firsthand what separates an exciting invention from something customers will actually buy.One
963: How Exact Solar Keeps Growing in a Shrinking Market | Aaron Nichols
While many solar companies are fighting to stay afloat, Exact Solar is flying.After growing 23% and then 50% in the previous two years, the Pennsylvania installer says it's up another 73% so far this year. That kind of growth in this market raises an obvious question: what are they doing differently?Aaron Nichols joins Nico once more to unpack the answer, and it isn't just one clever mark
962: What If We Paid Households to Power the Grid? | Ari Matusiak
America needs more power. Data centers are accelerating demand, utilities are planning billions of dollars in new infrastructure, and households will ultimately help pay for much of it.But what if we invested some of that money in the households themselves?Ari Matusiak, co-founder and CEO of Rewiring America, makes the case that homes can become a meaningful part of America’s energy infra
961: Latinoamérica 2026: Dónde Poner Tiempo, Capital y Capacidad de Ejecución (Español)
En Latinoamérica, la oportunidad no siempre está donde se anuncia más capacidad, sino donde existe una combinación real de demanda, capital comprometido y capacidad de ejecución.Nico Johnson conversa con Juan Manuel Carbajosa, Director de Ventas para Latinoamérica de Shoals Technologies, y Mario Gomez, Presidente de TCI GECOMP. Juntos aportan dos perspectivas complementarias para entender
960: Why Good Companies Still Struggle to Get Noticed | Melissa Baldwin
Good companies don't automatically get noticed. And doing good work isn't enough to ensure that customers, investors, journalists, communities, or increasingly AI systems understand why your company matters.Melissa Baldwin has spent more than 20 years exclusively in energy and climate communications. As Senior Vice President at Tigercomm and host of the Scaling Clean podcast, she's had a
959: The Argument for Automation: Making Solar Construction More Predictable | Cody Houser, FTC Solar
Solar construction has always depended on experienced crews adapting to whatever the jobsite throws at them. But what happens when the industry needs to build more projects than its best crews can possibly cover?Cody Houser has spent much of his career on the other side of that problem. Before becoming Director of EPC and Constructability at FTC Solar, he spent eight years running his own
958: Australia’s Second Act: Building the Solar Service Economy | Daniel Lazarus, Industrias
Australia has spent years ahead of many markets on the distributed solar adoption curve. Now it is giving the rest of us an early look at what happens when millions of those systems move from installation into decades of ownership, maintenance, repair, replacement, and eventually recycling.Daniel Lazarus, co-founder and CEO of Industrias Services Group, has built his company around that s
957: How Do You Plan a Grid You Can’t Predict? | Xcel, ComEd & Ameren
Utilities used to plan around relatively predictable demand. That assumption is disappearing.In this opening keynote from Intersolar & Energy Storage North America Midwest, Nico Johnson sits down with 3 utility executives; Bria Shea of Xcel Energy, Andy Plenge of ComEd, and Brice Sheriff of Ameren Illinois to examine what happens when electricity demand can arrive faster than the infr
956: How Do You Prepare a Family Business for Its Next 100 Years? | Jake Pepper
Pepper Construction has survived the Great Depression, World War II, multiple recessions, and a global pandemic. As the family business approaches its 100th anniversary, its next challenge is not simply surviving another disruption. It is pursuing new opportunities without losing the culture, discipline, and sense of responsibility that carried it this far.Jake Pepper is part of the fourth generat
955: Why Some Companies Last and Others Don't | Marc Lopata
After building and selling multiple companies, Marc Lopata has learned that the decisions that shape a business are rarely the ones people celebrate. They're the small decisions, made consistently over time, that ultimately determine whether a company lasts.In this conversation, Marc shares the operating philosophy he's developed through decades of building companies, leading teams, and m
954: Can Clean Energy Build Mythic Power? | Tom Matzzie
We know how to build power. Every day, the clean energy industry builds more of it.But there's another kind of power that's far more difficult to generate—and arguably even more important.The kind that determines whether an industry continues to grow regardless of who's in office. The kind that shapes public opinion before a project is ever proposed. The kind that makes policymakers think
953: The Hardest Part of Solar Isn't What Most People Think | Jeff Spies
Few people have had a front-row seat to the evolution of the modern solar industry quite like Jeff Spies.Over four decades, Jeff has helped shape the industry as an engineer, educator, trainer, and founder of Planet Plan Sets, working alongside installers and EPCs to solve the technical and permitting challenges behind thousands of solar and storage projects. That perspective gives him a
952: Plug-In Solar Is About to Change Everything | Stephan Scherer
Plug-in solar has the potential to change far more than how or where we install solar panels. I believe it could fundamentally change who gets to participate in the energy transition.I recently sat down with Stephan Scherer, Co-Founder and CEO of CraftStrom, who's spent nearly a decade helping pioneer the plug-in solar market—first in Europe, and now here in the United States. Stephan did
951: Most Solar Problems Start Before the Install | Greg Smith
The most expensive mistakes on a solar project usually aren't made during the install. They're made long before anyone arrives on site.Greg Smith has spent nearly two decades helping installers avoid those mistakes. As one of the solar industry's most respected trainers and educators, and the author of a practical guide to energy storage, he's helped thousands of professionals understand
950: Dell's Big Bet on AI and the Future of Energy | with David Holmes
David Holmes has spent decades at the intersection of energy and technology, giving him a front-row seat to one of the biggest shifts our industry has ever faced.As Global Industries CTO at Dell Technologies, he works with utilities, hyperscalers, developers, and data center operators who are all asking the same question: how do we power the rapid growth of AI?But David argues that's only
949: The Missing Step in Battery Recycling | Sheeba Dawood
Battery recycling is about to become one of the most important pieces of the clean energy transition. But before we can build a true circular economy, there's a problem hiding in plain sight.Today's recycling process often starts by shredding batteries with different chemistries into the same stream, creating inconsistent feedstock that's harder to refine, harder to value, and harder to r
948: Why Solar’s Speed Is Winning Over Washington | Heather Reams
Heather Reams spends her days at the intersection of clean energy and public policy, helping shape conversations with lawmakers about how the U.S. meets rapidly growing electricity demand. As President and CEO of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES), she brings an insider's perspective on the political shifts redefining how Washington talks about solar—and why those shifts mat
947: The Leadership Habit Fighter Pilots Never Skip | Jason Knapp
One of the most common assumptions in business is that responsibility should be earned only after years of experience.After more than two decades as a Navy F/A-18 fighter pilot and instructor, Jason Knapp came to a different conclusion: capability often follows responsibility, provided organizations are willing to invest in training, honest feedback, and continuous learning.That philosoph
946: What Nobody Tells You About Operating Battery Storage | Ty Fenton
A single battery cell can shut down an entire storage plant.It's one of the many operational realities that make battery storage fundamentally different from solar, and one of the reasons software, analytics, and automation are becoming just as important as the batteries themselves.Ty Fenton, Director of Data Analytics at FlexGen, joins Nico Johnson to explore what really happens after a
945: We're Not Alternative Energy Anymore. It's Time to Lead. | Dan Shugar & Jigar Shah
Last year, solar and storage accounted for more than 80% of all new power generation capacity added in the United States.So why does our industry still behave like the underdog?In this special collaboration between SunCast and Energy Empire, Nico Johnson and Jigar Shah sit down with Dan Shugar, one of the most accomplished entrepreneurs in solar, to explore a question that reaches far bey
944: The Grid's Biggest Challenge Isn't More Power. It's Timing. | Sean Kelly
For decades, the energy industry has treated its biggest challenge as building more power.Sean Kelly thinks that's the wrong question.As CEO and co-founder of Amperon, Sean spends his days helping utilities, traders, generators, and some of the world's largest electricity users anticipate what's coming next. And what he's learned is surprisingly simple: the grid's biggest challenge isn't
943: The Data Center Deal That Could Transform Energy Affordability | Molly Bauch
Everyone agrees we need more distributed energy. The harder question is: who pays for it?That's the question Molly Bauch has been wrestling with.As North American Connected Energy Lead at Accenture, Molly helped develop a new model that connects one of the fastest-growing sources of electricity demand with one of the country's biggest energy challenges.The idea is surprisingly simple.Data
942: What Hundreds of Inspections Reveal About Battery Safety | Kathleen McCaffrey & Jeff Zwijack
What determines whether a battery project performs safely over its lifetime?According to Kathleen McCaffery and Jeff Zwijack, the answer has as much to do with process, preparation, and quality assurance as it does with the battery itself.In this special live SunCast broadcast, Nico Johnson sits down with Kathleen McCaffery, retired Battalion Chief and former Global Fire Liaison for Tesla
941: Why America Can't Build Big Things Anymore | Tom Fanning
There are 43 years of decisions compressed into this episode.And if you work in energy, utilities, infrastructure, manufacturing, or public policy, it's worth your attention.Tom Fanning spent four decades at Southern Company, including 13 years as CEO, helping guide one of the largest and most influential power companies in the United States through extraordinary change. Along the way, he
940: FTC Solar CEO Anthony Carroll on Scaling, Automation, and What's Next
Leadership transitions reveal what companies value most.When FTC Solar recently tapped Anthony Carroll as the new CEO, they chose someone who has spent more than two decades helping build some of clean energy's most recognizable companies. From helping scale Power Electronics from a small Spanish manufacturer into a global powerhouse, to leading Powin during a period of extraordinary grow
939: Former EPA Chief Michael Regan on Clean Energy and Public Health
What if the most compelling case for clean energy isn't climate change, economics, or energy independence?What if it's public health?Former EPA Administrator Michael Regan has spent his career connecting pollution, environmental protection, and energy policy to the everyday health of American communities. In this special collaboration between SunCast and Energy Empire, Nico Johnson and Ji
938: The Rare Earth Problem Nobody Talks About | Mark LaVerghetta
Rare earths are having a moment. And if you work anywhere near clean energy, batteries, EVs, data centers, defense, or domestic manufacturing, this conversation should be on your radar.And, when it comes to rare earths (aka critical minerals), it seems everyone talks about mining.But according to Mark LaVerghetta, that's not where the real critical minerals challenge lies.Nico got a chanc
937: What a 4-Star General Knows About Risk That Most Leaders Don't | Gen. Robert Neller
Risk 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
936: Which Solar Risks Actually Matter? | Jason Kaminsky, kWh Analytics
Solar 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 do
935: How (and Why) Clean Energy Wins In Red States | Monika Gerhart
A 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 Execut
934: What Makes Companies Investable Now | David Kirkpatrick
Climatetech 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 Ki
933: Why Facts Don’t Sell Clean Energy | Jessica Fishman
Clean 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
932: The Battery Storage Mistakes Installers Must Avoid | Sam Buffington
Battery 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 y
931: Inside New York's $150B Energy Bet — And It's Bigger Than Data Centers | Doreen Harris
Electricity 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 infra
930: Why AI Data Centers Demand a Responsive Grid | Jon Parrella & Anna Siefken
AI 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
929: How Kraken Is Turning Grid Chaos Into Coordination | Devrim Celal
The 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
928: Why U.S. Solar Costs 2–3x More Than Australia | Barry Cinnamon
Australia 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 th
927: Everyone Built Modules. He Built Cells. | Alex Zhu, ES Foundry
Rebuilding solar manufacturing in the U.S. is not just about capital or policy. It is about making the right bets at the right time.It comes down to timing, experience, and the critical decisions.Alex Zhu has spent nearly two decades inside the global solar manufacturing system—from the early rise of Chinese production to failed U.S. factory attempts, and now to building one of the few so
926: Are Data Centers Bypassing the Grid? | Michael Thomas, Cleanview
Are data centers starting to bypass the grid?A growing share of planned projects are pairing with behind-the-meter generation, and the shift has happened quickly. At the same time, there’s still real debate about how much of this will actually materialize.Michael Thomas, founder of Cleanview, tracks what moves through interconnection queues, permitting timelines, and development pipelines
925: Ahmad Chatila & Jigar Shah on Solar’s Capital Problem
Most people [who have been in the industry awhile] have opinions about SunEdison.This is one of the first times Ahmad Chatila and Jigar Shah have sat down together to compare notes on how it actually played out.Both were inside it.Both made the bets.Both saw things others didn’t.In this conversation, the two leaders who helped build one of solar’s most ambitious companies sit down to exam
924: From Parts to Platform: Building Solar Without Friction | Create Energy
Dean Solon has always been a pattern matcher.Across projects, conversations, and time in the field, he’s constantly picking up on what’s changing — where pressure is building, where systems start to strain, and where the next opportunity is taking shape.But seeing the pattern is only half the story.Joseph Fahrney is the one who has to turn those signals into real products, real partnershi
923: Plug-In Solar Is Moving Fast… But Who Sets the Rules? | Electrical Code Experts Weigh In - with Rebekah Hren & Patrick Barney
You can now plug solar panels into a wall outlet in some states.No permits. No installer or electrician even required?Just… plug it in.So who’s responsible when that system starts sending power back into your home, or the grid?Plug-in solar is moving faster than the standards designed to govern it. And right now, the rules are still being written.In this conversation, Nico Johnson sits do
922: From One Engineer to 1 in 6 Utility-Scale Projects | Tyler Nelson, Revamp
What does it actually take to earn trust at the highest levels of utility-scale solar?Tyler Nelson has a perspective few in the industry can claim. As founder of Revamp Engineering, his team has been embedded in the design and execution of a massive share of utility-scale solar and storage projects across the U.S. — working alongside the developers and EPCs shaping the grid in real time.B
921: Data Won’t Move Lawmakers—Stories Will | John Szoka & Jigar Shah
Most energy professionals believe the data will win.John Szoka did too.After a career in the military and time in the North Carolina legislature, Szoka followed the facts and became a clean energy advocate. But what he learned next is what matters.Data might change your mind.It doesn’t change most people’s.In this special conversation, **Jigar Shah and I co-host a discussion with Szoka on
920: Say Less. Close More. | Fixing Solar Messaging with Spenser Meeks
If it takes more than one meeting to explain what you do, you have a messaging problem.In this live conversation from Intersolar North America, Nico Johnson sits down with Spenser Meeks of Apex Presentations to unpack why so many clean energy teams struggle to clearly communicate their value—and how that confusion shows up as longer sales cycles, more meetings, and missed opportunities.Sp
919: Why Smart Developers Are Betting on Batteries | Emilie Flanagan
Nico had the chance to sit down in person with today’s guest — and as you’d expect, that face-to-face conversation brings a level of depth, candor, and nuance you don’t always get.Emilie Flanagan, Founder and CEO of Carson Power, has built her career across Southeast Asia, Europe, and the U.S. — from advising on energy markets at KPMG to working inside a European family office, and eventu
918: Is Storage The Catalyst That Finally Unlocks C&I Solar? 4 Expert Opinions
Every year, the industry says the same thing.“C&I solar is about to take off!”And yet, it never quite scales the way we expect.Could this year finally be the year?In this live panel from Intersolar, Nico Johnson sits down with Joe Ross (CPS America), Rob Smith (ABC Supply), Tim Montague (Clean Power Consulting), and Jim Wood (SEG Solar) to unpack what’s really happening in the commerc
917: What Happens When Your Market Disappears? (The Story of Small Wind) | Michael Bergey
What do you do when your entire market disappears?That’s not a thought experiment for Michael Bergey. It’s the story of his career.Long before solar dominated rooftops, distributed wind was solving real problems across rural America — lowering energy costs for customers who didn’t care about climate narratives, only outcomes. Then policy support vanished. Oil prices collapsed. And later,
916: Where Solar Contractors Are Losing (and Finding) Margin | ABC Supply
The residential solar playbook did not just change. It got torn up.If you are still operating like yesterday’s incentives, product assumptions, and sales motions will carry you forward, this episode is a reality Margins aren’t disappearing overnight. They’re leaking — in places most contractors don’t even notice.In this live conversation from IESNA 2026, Nico Johnson sits down with Rob Sm
915: 100-Hour Batteries, State of Flow, and the Future of Grid Resilience
Long duration energy storage has spent years sitting in the “we’ll need it someday” category. Not anymore. As grid strain grows, data center demand surges, and reliability becomes a boardroom issue, long duration storage is starting to move from interesting concept to urgent solution.Recorded live at Intersolar and Energy Storage North America, this panel brings together Anna Siefken of t
914: The Real Reason Farmers Are Turning to Solar | Rebekah Pierce
Most conversations about agrivoltaics stay at the surface.Rebekah Pierce didn’t set out to become a voice for solar. She was trying to solve a much simpler problem:How do you make a small farm financially viable… without giving it up?What followed was a shift — from seeing solar as a “necessary evil” to recognizing it as a tool that might fundamentally reshape how farms survive.In this co
913: The Real Toll AI Data Centers Are Taking on the Grid (and how to fix it) | with Jon Parrella
AI isn’t just increasing demand for electricity - it’s changing how power behaves.In this Tactical Tuesday, Nico Johnson sits down with Jon Parrella of Terraflow Energy to break down a problem few people are talking about: modern AI data centers don’t draw power like traditional loads. They ramp rapidly, swing unpredictably, and introduce volatility that existing infrastructure wasn’t des
912: How Energy Narratives Shape Capital -A Former WSJ Reporter’s Perspective | Russell Gold
Russell Gold has spent years explaining the energy transition from the outside. First as one of The Wall Street Journal’s leading energy reporters, and now from inside one of clean energy’s fastest-growing new entrants, T1 Energy.At The Wall Street Journal, his award-winning work covered the fracking boom, Deepwater Horizon, and the investigation into the Camp Fire in California. He also
911: Why Most C&I Solar Projects Don’t Succeed (It’s Not the Solar) | Aaron Wilson, Solar One
Most C&I solar projects don’t fall short because of the solar itself.They struggle because deals aren’t structured correctly, markets are misunderstood, or developers take on opportunities that were never a fit to begin with.In this episode of SunCast, Nico Johnson sits down with Aaron Wilson, co-founder and CEO of Solar One, to unpack what actually separates projects that get built a
910: Clean Energy Is Winning on Cost — So Why Is It Losing the Narrative? | Sammy Roth
Clean energy is winning on cost.Solar and storage are cheaper than ever. Deployment is accelerating. The economics are undeniable.So why does it still feel like the industry is losing the broader public narrative?In this live conversation, Nico Johnson sits down with journalist Sammy Roth to explore the gap between technical success and cultural influence. After more than a decade coverin
909: The Energy Signals the Industry Is Missing | with Darrell Proctor, Julian Spector & Sammy Roth
If you want to understand where the energy industry is heading, pay attention to the journalists tracking it every day.Thankfully, we get to sit down with three of the most plugged-in reporters covering the energy transition: Sammy Roth of Climate-Colored Goggles (formerly w/ LA Times), Julian Spector of Canary Media, and Darrell Proctor of POWER Magazine.What signals are shaping the mark
908: How Real Energy Investors Think About Risk, Capital, and Scale | with Brendan Bell, Aligned Climate Capital
What does serious capital actually look for in the energy transition?In this episode, Nico sits down with Brendan Bell, Co-Founder of Aligned Climate Capital and a former member of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, to discuss how experienced investors evaluate energy companies, infrastructure projects, and management teams.Brendan shares a practical look at:• why raisi
907: Amy Harder on the New Rules of Power
From Davos to data centers, Axios reporter explains the new rules of power.Amy Harder is one of the most widely read and respected reporters covering the intersection of energy, climate, and policy. As the national energy correspondent for Axios and author of the Harder Line newsletter, she helps industry leaders understand what’s actually happening inside the energy system.In this conver
906: Solar Revolution: Abby Hopper's Transformative Decade at SEIA
For nearly a decade, Abby Hopper served as President and CEO of SEIA, the Solar Energy Industries Association, representing the U.S. solar industry through one of its most transformative periods.From trade wars and policy battles to the rise of domestic manufacturing and record industry growth, Abby had a front-row seat as solar moved from the margins of the energy system to the center of
905: SEIA’s Next Chapter | Darren Van’t Hof on Solar, Storage and Focus for 2026
Every year, there is a new “crisis” in solar.And yet… the industry keeps growing.With leadership transition underway at the Solar Energy Industries Association, Darren Van’t Hof steps in as Interim President and CEO at a pivotal moment. Policy uncertainty. Permitting bottlenecks. Election year noise. And a projected $25 billion flowing into storage in 2026 alone.So where do we really stan
904: How the Biggest EPCs Keep Energy Projects on Track | Brandon Moss, Shoals
Most energy projects look solid on paper. Fewer stay on track in the field.Brandon Moss sees the difference every day.Energy demand is rising. Load growth is real. Timelines are tightening.So what actually keeps large energy projects on track?In this conversation, Brandon Moss, CEO of Shoals, shares what he sees from the center of utility-scale deployment. Shoals touches a significant por
903: T.J. Rodgers’ 13-Minute Management Masterclass
Listen to the full 2.5 hour episode here: https://suncast.media/episodes/900Most companies don’t fail because of strategy.They fail because standards slip.In this 13-minute vignette, T.J. Rodgers breaks down the management system he’s used across more than 25 acquisitions to build and scale billion-dollar companies — and why discipline, not charisma, determines whether a business survives
902: Why Most Grid-Scale Batteries (BESS) Underperform - And How to Fix It Before It Costs Millions
Battery storage is scaling fast.But scaling portfolios exposes weaknesses most owners never see coming.As projects move from single sites to gigawatt-hour fleets, many IPPs discover something uncomfortable: they have dashboards - but not decision-grade visibility.In this Episode, Lennart Hinrichs, EVP and General Manager of the Americas at TWAICE, explains what actually changes once batte
901: Google Didn’t Buy Intersect for Solar. Here’s Why. | Sheldon Kimber
“This is not an offensive play. It’s a defensive play. It’s a must win.”That’s how Sheldon Kimber describes AI for companies like Google.If your business depends on organizing and serving information, AI isn’t optional. It’s existential.And if AI is existential, power becomes strategic.In this conversation — recorded before Google’s acquisition of Intersect Power — Sheldon lays out the du
900: T.J. Rodgers’ Billion-Dollar Playbook | Building Companies That Last
T.J. Rodgers has built — and rebuilt — billion-dollar companies across semiconductors, energy, storage, and manufacturing.In this 2.5-hour Episode 900 deep dive, he walks through the operating principles behind that track record — in detail.This isn’t a surface-level conversation. It’s a masterclass in how durable companies are actually constructed.We unpack:🔹 The mental models he uses to
899: Everything You Need to Know Before Intersolar 2026
Conference season is back, and if you are heading to Intersolar and Energy Storage North America 2026, this episode is your unfair advantage.Nico Johnson sits down with the people who know the show better than anyone. Event Director Beckie Kier, Solar Games mastermind Shannon Twombly, and Conference Chair Gene Hunt. Together, they break down how to get the most value from your time in San
898: What Comes After the Acquisition | Andy Klump
Modern founders spend years building toward a hopeful exit or liquidity event. Almost no one talks about what comes after the acquisition.In this episode, Nico Johnson sits down with Andy Klump, founder of Clean Energy Associates (CEA), for a thoughtful conversation about leadership after transition. After fifteen years growing CEA and completing a multi-year earn-out, Andy is in a rare s
897: The Bamboo Strategy: Building Flexible, Scalable Teams in Clean Energy | Adam James, Energy Innovation Partners
Want to grow a billion-dollar business? You need better systems, not just better ideas.Adam James has had a front-row view as Energy Impact Partners has scaled from a $500M fund into a multi-billion-dollar force as a clean energy VC. But, as he shares, the secret to success isn’t capital or flashy pitch decks. It’s an obsession with infrastructure, team building, and doing the messy work
896: The Solar Industry’s Unfinished Business | with Suvi Sharma, SolarCycle
The solar industry scaled faster than almost anyone expected. But in the rush to deploy, one part of the system never fully got built.In this episode, Nico Johnson sits down with Suvi Sharma, founder of Solaria and now co-founder and CEO of SolarCycle, to talk about what happens after solar works. Suvi explains why end-of-life planning, repowering, and material recovery are no longer edge
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