Suncast

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 it.In this conversation, Abby reflects on the challenges she inherited, the progress the industry made, and the work that still lies ahead — from building political influence in Washington to strengthening credibility across the market.It’s a candid look at the decade that reshaped solar, and what comes next for the industry.Expect to learn:

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 stand?In this candid conversation recorded live at Intersolar & Energy Storage N.A., Darren shares why solar has already won the cost battle, why storage may be the most durable growth sector in energy, and what must happen politically for the industry to keep accelerating. There are some additional fun bits about the future of SEIA and his role in there as well. ;-)Expect to learn:

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 portion of U.S. solar projects, giving Brandon a rare vantage point into how projects are planned, where they slip, and what separates strong operators from the rest.We discuss:What the biggest EPCs are prioritizing right nowWhere early decisions create downstream riskWhy partnership is replacing transactional procurementHow labor constraints are shaping engineering and designWhat “bankable” and “buildable” really mean in today’s marketHow AI and load growth are changing the urgency around deliveryBrandon also reflects on the shift from private to public leadership, the responsibility that comes with scaling a business,

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.Inside:• Why 19 out of 20 decisions in your company are made without you• Why quality must be enforced, not admired• Why speed of correction matters more than avoiding mistakes• What “owner means 100% responsible” actually looks like• How written principles — enforced daily — shape cultureThis isn’t theory. It’s operational structure from someone who has spent decades building machines that work.If you lead people, run a company, or care about performance, this is worth 13 minutes.Press play; Listen in.Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we shou

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 batteries begin operating at scale.We discuss:Why state of charge (SOC) is foundational — but insufficientHow LFP chemistry complicates measurement more than most assumeWhat derating really does to revenue and dispatch confidenceWhy overbuild can mask deeper performance issuesWhat actually causes most battery fires (and what doesn’t)How data transparency reshapes warranty disputes and financial riskThis isn’t a founder story.It’s a practical conversation for asset owners, operators, and performance engineers who want fewer surprises over the life of their storage assets.If you operate or finance battery projects, this epi

“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 durable thesis that led here:The U.S. grid isn’t collapsing.It just can’t scale.Transmission is stalled.Business models are misaligned.Permitting reform won’t arrive in time.So instead of waiting for the grid to be fixed, Intersect built around it.Gigawatt-scale co-location.Wind, solar, batteries.Flexible gas.Control systems designed to act as one asset.The result? A hybrid solution that can deliver four-nines reliability - potentially more reliable than the grid itself.This isn’t about chasing incentives.It’s about building a better product.In this episode:

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:

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 Diego, whether this is your first Intersolar or your tenth.This is more than a show preview, it’s a snapshot of where the clean energy industry stands right now. From the rapid rise of energy storage and domestic manufacturing to the growing importance of grid flexibility, DERs, and ultra long duration batteries, Intersolar 2026 reflects an industry that is evolving fast and learning in real time.You will also hear how the show floor itself reflects the strategy. Solar Games installer competitions, virtual reality activations, mini golf networking, and the always buzzing Hub Stage are all designed to spark real conv

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 season of pause — stepping back from the CEO seat and reflecting on what actually mattered.Rather than revisiting the early days, Andy shares lessons from leading through change, protecting culture during uncertainty, and recalibrating his identity once the nonstop pace slowed. They discuss why communication cadence matters more than vision statements, how internal Net Promoter Score became a tool for listening, and what founders often underestimate about earn-outs and transitions.This episode is for founders and operators who are scaling fast — or quietly wondering what comes next.Press play. You don’t hear conversat

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 of aligning people and process.In this candid conversation, Adam breaks down his methodology for scaling fast-growing organizations. From audits and goal-setting to the surprisingly overlooked art of hiring with intentionality. He also shares why most business books are garbage (except one), and why being “like bamboo” might be your best leadership model.Expect to learn:

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 cases - they’re becoming core infrastructure challenges for the industry.This conversation goes beyond recycling. It’s about maturity. About what it means for solar to grow up as an industry, and how decisions made twenty years ago are shaping today’s constraints - from glass durability to supply chains to capital planning.Suvi shares why he came out of “retirement” to start another company, how he’s building a system designed for scale, and what developers, operators, and policymakers are still underestimating.If you work anywhere near solar deployment, ownership, or manufacturing, this episode may change how you t

What goes through Alex Honnold’s mind when he’s thousands of feet off the ground without a rope?After his first-ever Taipei 101 Live Broadcast ascent of one of the world’s tallest buildings, we thought it’d be useful to revisit what we learned from Alex about mental fortitude and his singular admonition to “do the thing”. Curious how Alex channels discomfort into growth? This episode explores the surprisingly grounded mental habits that drive one of the world’s most extreme athletes and how those same frameworks apply to business, energy, and impact.You’ll hear why Alex values silence over self-talk, how he trains for precision, and the personal philosophy that powers both record climbs and energy access projects. In addition, Nico reflects on the nature of preparation for such a mind-bending feat and how it extends to the world of business and clean energy.Expect to learn:

Clean energy should be easy to finance.The money exists.The technology works.The demand is real.And yet, projects stall. Deals drag. Capital gets stuck.And with the IRA crumbling under our feet, everyone is right to ask “how will these projects actually get funded?!”So what’s actually broken?In this episode of SunCast, I sit down with Alfred Johnson, CEO and co-founder of Crux, to unpack how clean-energy finance actually works once a project leaves the slide deck — how pricing gets discovered, how risk is evaluated, how trust is established between parties who’ve never worked together, and why so much of the process still depends on manual workflows and bespoke negotiation.Alfred left a senior role at the U.S. Treasury after reading the Inflation Reduction Act and realizing it didn’t just expand incentives - it forced the creation of a brand-new market. One where buyers and sellers had to find each other without reference prices, standardized terms, or a shared operating system to move capital at sca

Data centers aren’t the problem.They’re the stress test.As AI-driven demand surges, the grid is being pushed in ways it was never designed for. But instead of asking how to slow data centers down, today’s conversation asks a better question: Is the grid fit enough to handle what’s coming next?In this Tactical Tuesday episode, recorded live with the Smart Electric Power Alliance, we explore grid fitness — a new way of thinking about flexibility, planning, and speed to power.SEPA’s Ann Collier is joined by Tyler Norris and Nelson Abramson to break down what the data actually shows, what’s already working in the field, and what has to change upstream in planning and policy.Expect to learn:

What does a modern energy company actually look like?In this episode, Nick Chaset, CEO of Octopus Energy US, joins Nico Johnson to explore a question that sits at the center of Octopus’s strategy:Is it a utility with great technology—or a technology company operating inside energy?Nick’s career spans California energy policy, years running East Bay Community Energy, and now scaling Octopus in the U.S. He brings an operator’s perspective on what it really takes to build and run energy businesses inside complex regulatory systems.The conversation also digs into Kraken—the software platform Octopus built internally and later spun out into a standalone, highly successful energy tech company. Nick explains why Kraken’s separation clarified Octopus’s identity, unlocked new utility partnerships, and changed how the company thinks about scale.AI enters the conversation not as hype, but as one of several forces reshaping demand, operations, and expectations across the grid.Expect to learn:

Big things come in small packages. Could something smaller than a deck of cards be instrumental in our ability to meet the needs of the energy transition?In the ever-evolving landscape of power electronics, one material has been steadily gaining prominence due to its exceptional properties and transformative potential: Silicon Carbide (SiC). This remarkable semiconductor has revolutionized various industries, from automotive to aerospace, with its ability to operate at high temperatures, voltages and frequencies.As data centers and energy infrastructure increasingly need higher-voltage, higher-current devices to meet the demands for AI, this technology will enable the transition to a higher voltage platform while maintaining the high-efficiency requirements for continuously running, power-intensive systems.In today’s conversation, Josh Beck chats with Infineon Technologies’ Daniel Dalpiaz and Navid Riaz to explore the breakthrough hardware enabling the next generation of renewables, energy storage, E

The power grid isn’t just growing (at unprecedented rates!)It’s becoming more complex, more distributed, and harder to manage.In this episode, Marc Spieler, who leads NVIDIA’s global Energy business, explains how AI and accelerated computing already support grid operations, solar and storage forecasting, and infrastructure planning across the energy sector.Nico and Marc explore why electrification and data center growth are reshaping demand patterns, how software-defined infrastructure helps utilities avoid costly missteps, and where AI delivers practical value today. This conversation focuses on real workflows, real constraints, and what energy leaders need to understand as the grid evolves.If you work in solar, storage, utilities, or grid infrastructure, this episode will sharpen how you think about the role of software in clean energy. And regardless what sector, you’ll certainly learn more about how one of the most exciting companies on the planet is enabling a cleaner and more efficient energy f

The energy grid is facing a challenge unlike anything we’ve seen before.Think about this: one Virginia co-op has over 20 GW of demand in its queue. That’s more than the energy demand of New York City. As electrification and data center expansion accelerate, public power and electric co-ops are on the front lines of solving this surge.Electric cooperatives and public utilities are facing a wave of electrification, data center load, and manufacturing demand that rivals the size of major cities. That’s what major power providers are up against — but they’re not backing down.This Tactical Tuesday episode is your front-row seat to a high-stakes, high-impact conversation hosted by Sheri Givens, CEO of SEPA. She’s joined by two utility leaders tackling today’s fastest-growing energy challenges while maintaining reliability, affordability, and equity.They deliver on active solutions - from smart customer programs to creative tariff structures and innovative infrastructure partnerships.Expect to learn:

2025 was a year of hardship for many, yet it was also a crucible for entrepreneurs, developing grit, resilience and perspective. We were able to capture some phenomenal conversations on the SunCast Podcast, and wanted to highlight a few that stand out for their vision and which also got among the most downloads of the year. In 2025, the clean energy industry was finally thinking like Amazon, building like Ford, and investing like it’s personal. Today’s episode highlights some of the key moments in the SunCast Podcast that illustrated these points through conversations with a powerhouse lineup of leaders who have been influential in bringing attention to the sector in a year where “good news” was hard to come by.In a classic tell-all live interview, Dean Solon breaks down his revolutionary solar logistics model—equal parts fast food and supply chain genius. Jigar Shah returns with an urgent message: the energy transition will stall unless we, as an industry, stop underestimating the role of political

What do a struggling mom in Georgia and a solar installer named Jim have in common? Their stories can change elections and shape public perception of clean energy.In this final episode of 2025, Aaron Nichols returns to SunCast with a mission: rescue storytelling from corporate cliché and remind us why one emotional story is worth a thousand graphs. His viral LinkedIn article Four Rules for Storytelling Corporate America Desperately Needs takes aim at how we confuse content creation with actual narrative power.Aaron and Nico dissect why storytelling in our industry so often falls flat and how to fix it.You’ll walk away with a practical, human-centered playbook for narrative that converts.Expect to learn: