Sean White‘s Solar and Energy Storage Podcast

Scott Wharton, CEO of Tandem PV, discusses his company's tandem perovskite silicon solar panel technology, which recently achieved a record 30.4 percent efficiency. He explains how a thin perovskite layer boosts power output, lowers manufacturing costs, and supports domestic production. The conversation also covers utility scale deployment, rising demand from data centers, manufacturing tax credits, and the future of solar energy in the United States.   Topics Covered Tandem PV Origin Perovskite Technology Solar Panel Efficiency Silicon Cell Integration Company Board Members                                                                    Panel Degradation Testing Solar Manufacturing Timeline Utility-Scale Solar Silicon Valley Talent US Manufacturing Tax Credits Data Center Demand Solar Cost Reduction Bifacial Solar Panels Automated Factory Production Future...

Scott Wharton, CEO of Tandem PV, discusses his company's tandem perovskite silicon solar panel technology, which recently achieved a record 30.4 percent efficiency. He explains how a thin perovskite layer boosts power output, lowers manufacturing costs, and supports domestic production. The conversation also covers utility scale deployment, rising demand from data centers, manufacturing tax credits, and the future of solar energy in the United States.   Topics Covered Tandem PV Origin Perovskite Technology Solar Panel Efficiency Silicon Cell Integration Company Board Members                                                                    Panel Degradation Testing Solar Manufacturing Timeline Utility-Scale Solar Silicon Valley Talent US Manufacturing Tax Credits Data Center Demand Solar Cost Reduction Bifacial Solar Panels Automated Factory Production Future...

Thomas Stubblefield, a NABCEP-certified solar installer who travels across multiple states (Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Illinois) to rescue and repair failing solar systems. Thomas explained that he has handled over 300 service calls in the past year, with 100% resolution rate, helping homeowners whose systems were installed by now-bankrupt companies like Power Home Solar and Pink Energy. He described finding numerous installation issues including improper wiring, squirrel damage covered with electrical tape, and dangerous electrical conditions, with some systems sitting incomplete for up to five years. Thomas emphasized that homeowners should never sign job completion forms until systems are fully operational...

Eric Woodruff, a PhD and CEM who served as past president of the Association of Energy Engineers. Eric explained the CEM (Certified Energy Manager) program, which has been around since 1981 and is recognized in 100 countries, serving as a foundational course covering energy management across buildings, industrial systems, and power systems. They discussed technical topics including power factor correction, the California duck curve showing 66% renewable grid power on many days, and the benefits of solar installations, with Eric sharing his experience getting 15% returns on solar investments. The conversation also covered Eric's international work training energy professionals in countries like Lebanon, Jordan...

Bill Taylor, CEO of DCE Solar, DCE Services, and DCE Design, discusses building three complementary companies spanning solar structure manufacturing, installation, and electrical design. He explains his commitment to domestic steel sourcing, his people-first management philosophy, and hiring based on behavior rather than credentials.   Topics Covered DCE Company Overview
Solar Structure Manufacturing
Domestic Steel Sourcing
Company Culture & Leadership
Hiring Philosophy
Employee Retention
Solar Module Trends
Battery Storage
Tax Credits & Incentives
AI Power Demand
EPC = Engineering, Procurement, Construction
IPP = Independent Power Producer Carport   Reach out to Bill Taylor here: LinkedIn: ww...

Stanislav Kvochak, a commercial project engineer at Exact Solar, about solar energy projects at nuclear power plants, particularly focusing on the Chernobyl site. Stanislav shared his experience visiting Chernobyl in 2016 as part of a company tour, describing the decommissioning process and the presence of a 1-megawatt solar installation that continues to operate there. They discussed how Ukraine's energy landscape has shifted due to the war, with increased focus on decentralized solar and energy storage systems, and Stanislav explained safety procedures for working in radioactive areas including dosimeter monitoring and security protocols during air raid alerts. The conversation also covered Ukraine's...

Aaron Thurlow, Chief Commercial Officer at Caelux, about the company’s perovskite solar technology. Aaron shared his career journey from working at SunPower during its rise to market dominance to his current role at Caelux, where they are developing double-power-layer solar modules that can increase efficiency by 3% absolute (from 24% to 27%) while providing cost benefits including a 20% reduction in levelized cost of energy for utility-scale projects. They discussed the technical aspects of perovskite technology, including how it captures different parts of the solar spectrum that crystalline silicon cannot, and its potential applications in space, residential, and commercial markets. Aaron emphasized that ef...

In this episode we have Shawn Shaw, founder and CEO of Camelot Energy Group, discussing energy storage and renewable energy development. Shawn explained how Camelot helps investors, asset owners, and project developers build reliable clean energy projects, highlighting challenges with community resistance to renewable energy installations including over 200 energy storage moratoria across the United States. The conversation covered technical aspects of energy storage safety, with Shawn sharing that commercial and utility-scale batteries experience fires at approximately 0.3% per year, similar to residential house fires, and discussing how safety standards have improved significantly since incidents like the Moss Landing fire. They also...

This podcast interview featured Maxim Kosenko, CEO and founder of Axentum, discussing their innovative technology for autonomous solar installation for AI data centers. Maxim explained their system uses flat, zero-degree tilt solar panels with pre-assembled PV modules and battery packs (2- 3 kWh per module) connected in strings to create 0.9-megawatt DC clusters that can be installed by four-person teams in under two hours, enabling installation of a gigawatt-scale project within a month using approximately 12 teams. The system eliminates traditional tracking systems, uses ballasted mounting instead of piles, and includes integrated battery storage and power electronics, resulting in a levelized cost...

Arilla Barnes, founder and CEO of Energy IoT Open Source, discussing open-source energy solutions and microgrid technology. Arilla explained how her organization creates turnkey solutions for microgrids using open-source software, firmware, and hardware to enable energy access and control for communities, with a current demonstration lab at Informal Spaces in Oakland featuring a 5.8 kilowatt solar carport, battery storage, and hybrid inverter systems. They discussed challenges with electric vehicle bi-directional charging, regulatory barriers to energy sharing between homes, and the potential for distributed data centers using renewable energy. Arilla shared her work with Linux Foundation Energy projects including LF Hyphae and...

Victoria Stulgis, President of Black Bear Energy, discusses the complexities of deploying solar on commercial real estate portfolios. The conversation covers landlord-tenant split incentives, third-party ownership structures, hosted community solar models, and how policy shapes market opportunity across states like New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Illinois. Black Bear Energy's role as an owner's representative in helping institutional real estate investors navigate and scale renewable energy adoption is also examined.
 
Topics Covered
Black Bear Energy www.blackbearenergy.com
ESS = Energy Storage System
Battery Storage
ASES = American Solar Energy Society
Real Estate Solar
Commercial Solar

Sean Tygrett, Chief Operating Officer of Carbon Enfo, discusses how his company's platform Brytr aggregates Solar Renewable Energy Certificates from small-scale residential and commercial solar producers and tokenizes them on the Cardano blockchain. The conversation covers SREC market mechanics, the $1.4 billion in uncollected voluntary certificates, blockchain-based provenance verification, and an innovative eco-loyalty model that enables corporate buyers to purchase SRECs directly from their own customers.
 
Topics Covered
SREC = Solar Renewable Energy Certificate
SREC Mechanics
API = Application Programming Interface
Blockchain
Cardano
NFT = Non-Fungible Token
API Data Collection
Producer Aggregation
Voluntary S...

Dan Fletcher, Co-Founder and Head of Ecosystems at dcbel, joins Sean White to explore the technical and commercial realities of residential energy management - including what it means to run a true private grid at home. Topics include DC home charging, on-device energy optimization, vehicle-to-grid integration, UL 1741 SB certification, virtual power plants, compatible EV models, and California's Redwoods incentive program.

President of Blue Water Battery Logistics, LLC.They discussed the company's business of handling surplus and recycling batteries, solar panels, and other energy equipment. Steve explained how Blue Water handles various battery types including LFP (lithium iron phosphate) and NMC (lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide), with recycling values ranging from $2 per pound to 10-20 cents per pound depending on the material and volume. They covered the process of battery recycling, including refurbishing used EV batteries and the challenges with consumer electronic batteries ending up in landfills. Steve also discussed the company's expansion plans, hiring 20 additional employees, and their business model...

Plug-in solar legalization, large solar company closures, and the One Big Bogus Bill are examined in this episode. Aaron Nichols and Sean White bring decades of combined industry experience to each topic, covering state-level policy developments, market consolidation, and the potential impact of shifting federal tax credit structures on solar businesses and homeowners.
 
This podcast was stolen from Aaron Nichols. I dare you Aaron, sue me! It’s mine now. I am this week in solar!
 
Topics Covered
This week in Solar www.youtube.com/@ThisWeekInSolar
Plug-in Solar
BBB = Big Beautiful Bill
Tax...

This podcast episode featured Sean White's interview with Heather Newport, Director of Community Relations at Aileron, a Chicago-based community engagement and public affairs firm that works on renewable energy projects across the United States. Heather discussed the challenges of community opposition to renewable energy projects, particularly battery energy storage facilities, explaining that concerns often stem from misinformation, fear of the unknown technology, and distrust of developers rather than the actual safety of the technology. They explored how Aileron helps developers navigate community relations through early engagement, stakeholder outreach, and relationship building with local officials and residents, emphasizing the importance of...

Dan Fletcher, Co-Founder and Head of Ecosystems at dcbel, discusses Ara - the company's integrated home energy station combining solar, battery storage, bidirectional EV charging, and grid connectivity in a single device designed to give homeowners greater control over their own energy supply. The conversation covers how vehicle-to-home technology works, its role in reducing grid stress during peak hours, virtual power plant integration, and the California Redwoods program. dcbel's approach removes redundant power conversion hardware, improving efficiency and lowering the cost of achieving genuine residential energy independence.
 
Topics Covered
DCBEL www.dcbel.energy
Decibel
Home E...

Millions of solar systems installed between 2010 and 2018 are approaching inverter end-of-life, creating a $3 billion repowering market. GoodWe Sales Manager Manny Aponte breaks down what repowering actually involves, why functional panels rarely need replacing, how modern inverters improve system performance, and where energy storage fits into the upgrade conversation. Recorded at the 2026 NABCEP Conference in Milwaukee.
 
Topics Covered
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
Vanguard 1 satellite
GoodWe www.goodwe.com
Repowering
Inverter
GE = General Electric
White Labeling
OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer
VPP = Virtual Power Plant
ESS = Energy S...

Bruce Anderson, CEO of 247Solar, explains how concentrated solar power using air and ceramic pellets can deliver reliable electricity around the clock. Unlike photovoltaic systems, 247Solar heats air to 1,000 degrees Celsius, stores that energy in insulated ceramic pellet silos, and uses a modified turbine to generate power at night. The system pairs with daytime solar PV, requires no exotic materials, and eliminates the need for battery backup.
 
Topics Covered
247Solar www.247solar.com
24 Hours Solar Energy
Solar Hot Air
1,800°F/1000°C Air
Heat Transfer
Solar Thermal
 Molten Salt
ESS = Energy Stora...

Recorded at the NABCEP conference, solar educator Sean White and Rudy Saporite discuss the InterSolar Solar Games, a competitive installation event where certified teams race to complete a 4 kW rooftop system under timed, judged conditions. They also explore solar education strategies, the carbon lifecycle of renewable energy systems, and the importance of safety and code compliance in professional solar installation.

 
Topics Covered
Solar Nerds
Solar Education
Code
Trees
EV = Electric Vehicle
ICE = International Combustion Engines
Flat Earth
Solar Games
InterSolar
Rack Learning Curve
Battery
 
Re...

Eric Partyka, Director of Business Development at Standard Solar, explains how community solar works and why it matters. The conversation covers how renters, low-income households, and small businesses can subscribe to solar energy without rooftop panels, which states have adopted community solar programs and why others have not, and how utility deregulation shaped today's market. Standard Solar operates commercial projects ranging from one to five megawatts across more than twenty states.
 
Topics Covered
Standard Solar www.standardsolar.com
Standard Oil
Oil
Community Solar
Utility
DG = Distributed Generation
Fossil Fuel
 
Se...

Recorded live at the NABCEP 2026 conference, Sean White and Brian Hayden discuss the current state of NABCEP credentials, including updates to the PV Associate, the ESIP (Energy Storage Installation Professional), and the upcoming OMAT (Operation and Maintenance Associate Technician credential. They also cover Spanish language exam availability, the history and growth of HeatSpring as an online renewable energy education platform, and the expanding role of operations and maintenance in the solar industry as installed systems continue to age.
 
Topics Covered
HeatSpring www.heatspring.com
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners www.nabcep.org
S...

David Taylor, Solutions Expert at Anker Innovations, discusses the Anker Solix E10, a modular home energy storage system scalable from 6 to 90 kilowatt hours. The conversation covers solar compatibility, smart panel integration, generator pairing, and time-of-use optimization. Taylor also addresses installation options for both DIY homeowners and licensed electricians, portable power stations, and Anker's broader expansion from mobile charging into the residential energy storage market.
 
Topics Covered
Anker Solix www.ankersolix.com
Anker Solix E10
Anker Innovations
Battery
Solar DIY
Inverter
Off Grid & On Grid
EMS = Energy Management System
PCS = P...

Gwendoly Espe, Product Manager at Yaskawa Solectria Solar, discusses the technical and commercial advantages of DC-coupled solar-plus-storage systems at utility scale. The conversation covers DC versus AC coupling architecture, energy harvest optimization through clipping recovery, and Yaskawa’s American-manufactured PVS 500 inverter solution. Additional topics include NABCEP-accredited training programs, FEOC compliance, and the growing role of solar storage in powering data centers and supporting grid stability.
 
Topics Covered
Yaskawa Solectria Solar www.solectria.com
Inverter
Converter
DC Coupling
AC Coupling
Energy Yield
DC = Direct Current
AC = Alternating Current
Utility Scale Sol...

Dylan Rup, Director of Marketing at EG4 Electronics, discusses the company's acquisition of Outback Power and plans to continue manufacturing its legacy product line. The conversation also covers EG4's current battery pricing at $260 per kilowatt hour, the upcoming XR 60 all-in-one energy storage system, UL 9540A safety certification, and why technical knowledge matters in solar sales.
 
Topics Covered
EG4 www.eg4electronics.com
Outback www.outbackpower.com
ASES = American Solar Energy Society
Solar Marketing
Solar Salespeople
Inverter
Battery
ESS = Energy Storage System
XR60
UL 9540
UL 9540 A
U...

Arnold Andrade and Stephan Engel of Engel Electric, a San Antonio-based solar and electrical contracting company, sit down with Sean White at the 2026 NABCEP Conference to discuss microgrid design, energy storage, and hybrid inverter technology. The conversation also covers the rise of DIY solar in Texas and a large-scale off-grid ranch retrofit currently underway, featuring four hybrid inverters and 120 kWh of battery storage.
 
Topics Covered
Engel Electric www.engelelectrictx.com
Microgrid
Grid
Off-Grid
Utility
Candle Power
DIY Solar
Inverter
Tech Support
NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy P...

Professional engineer and sailor Marc Lopata discusses two decades of solar development across the Caribbean (which includes the Midwest), focusing on off-grid microgrid design for privately owned islands in The Bahamas. Topics include achieving 90% diesel offset, hurricane survivability engineering, utility-scale solar for small island communities, and the economic case for solar in markets independent of tax credits. Marc also covers his role on the NABCEP conference education committee and maintenance standards for commercial PV systems.

Recorded at the NABCEP Conference, this episode features a conversation between Sean White and Marlene Brown, a solar energy educator and advocate with over three decades of experience. Topics include the grassroots origins of the photovoltaic industry, early off-grid solar installations, international solar development work in Vietnam and the Solomon Islands, and Marlene's ongoing efforts to increase women's technical participation in the renewable energy sector.
 
Topics Covered
ASES = American Solar Energy Society
Breaking Bad
Johnny Weiss
Colorado Mountain College
Solar back in the days
DIY Solar
Passive Tracker
Steve Baer

Turning lemons into lemonade after a plane full of solar professionals was diverted to Chicago due to a blizzard, Travis and Sean podcasted the entire Lyft ride to the NABCEP conference in Milwaukee. Montana Solar founder Travis Jordan breaks down the company's patented high-clearance ground-mount racking system. Topics include the chain-hoist lifting mechanism, agrivoltaic applications, installation methods across remote and extreme terrain, and a lifelong background in off-grid solar dating back to the 1970s.
 
Topics Covered
Montana Solar www.mtsolar.us
Montana
Evel Knievel
Robbie Knievel
Chain-Hoist Lifting System
Off-Grid Solar
R...

Bruce Anderson, CEO of 247 Solar, details his company's concentrated solar technology that delivers round-the-clock clean electricity without combustion or emissions. The system uses heliostats to heat air to 1,800°F, stores that thermal energy in ceramic pellets, and converts it to electricity via a modified turbine. Paired with solar PV during daylight hours, the solution addresses intermittency at a commercial scale, with the first deployment underway in India.
 
Topics Covered
247 Solar www.247solar.com
24 Hours Solar Energy
1,800°F / 1000°C Air
Solar Thermal
Air Pressure
Compressed Air
ESS = Energy Storage System
Natural Gas<...

Jason Sharp, CEO of Namaste Solar, discusses the company's worker-owned cooperative model, where employees hold equal ownership and elect the board of directors. The conversation covers solar installation practices in Colorado, electrical apprenticeship programs, the evolving role of energy management systems and meter collars, distributed energy policy, and the future of bidirectional EV charging and balcony solar. Sharp also addresses how cooperative ownership fosters safety, accountability, and fair compensation across the solar industry.
 
Topics Covered
Namaste Solar www.namastesolar.com
Worker-owned Company
Flashing
Snow
Tax Credit
Snowy Roof Installation Safety
Home P...

From Intersolar San Diego, this conference-end wrap-up takes a tour through the world's solar and energy conferences — from SNEC in Shanghai to ASES in Austin, Texas. Learn which events are worth your time, how the solar industry has shifted from Germany to China, and why building a global network matter. Whether you're chasing NABCEP credits or your first industry connection, conferences might be the most underrated career move in solar.
 
Topics Covered:
Intersolar San Diego
Intersolar Munich, Germany
SNEC PV Power and ES Expo
ASES Conference in Texas
NorCal Solar Party
German Fee...

Sungrow's Power Stack 2.0 represents a shift in commercial and industrial energy storage, from backup power to a scalable, revenue-generating financial asset. This episode explores the system's specifications, deployment flexibility, and real-world applications including demand charge reduction, EV charging support, and grid resilience. Topics also include market trends across key U.S. states, the investment tax credit, and the emerging role of grid-forming inverters.
 
Topics Covered
Sungrow www.sungrowpower.com
Inverter
Battery Storage
ESS = Energy Storage System
SLAC = Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
C&I = Commercial and Industrial
Grid
Market
Sungrow P...

Utility-scale batteries are far more complex than they appear. Ty Fenton, Director of Data Analytics at FlexGen, breaks down how software keeps massive battery systems running — from detecting a single failing cell among thousands to predictive diagnostics powered by machine learning. The episode dives into real-world degradation versus lab data, operators who intentionally voided warranties for short-term profit, and why AI training loads create extreme power spikes that only batteries can absorb. Recorded live at Intersolar San Diego.
 
Topics Covered:
FlexGen = Flexible Generation Battery Management
Battery Technology
Software
Point of Interconnection
Energy Storage Sys...

Jack West has over 100 patents, including patents sold to Solar City (Tesla) and NextPower (NexTracker) and probably most importantly to Jack, guitar patents. 
 
We hear about Elon’s personable and calm demeanor (joking) and Jack’s Steel Pulse solar roof invention, which Elon cancelled. 
 
Jack started his solar career in 1993 with a $5/hr job in Concord, CA with a job where he alone sold, designed and installed PV systems, before PV was popular. This goes to prove that it is worth it to start your career with a low paying job to get experience. 
 
Jack gives...

Ever wonder what's actually inside a DC-to-DC converter (optimizer) or inverter? Recorded live at InterSolar San Diego, this episode breaks down the inner workings of solar optimizers, from maximum power point tracking and energy recovery to the software that makes them last 20 years. The conversation also dives into how inverter IGBTs turn DC into clean AC power, how Tigo's approach differs from competitors like SolarEdge, and whether Tesla or Edison deserves the bigger crown.
 
Topics Covered:
DC to DC Converter
The Flinstones
Optimizers
MPPT = Maximum Power Point Tracker
PV Watts
IV Curve

Enphase Energy has evolved from a microinverter company into a full energy systems platform enabling virtual power plants (VPP) nationwide. In this episode, CMO Marco Krapels explains how aggregated home batteries, AI-driven capacity forecasting, and a new bidirectional EV charger could reshape the grid, turning ordinary homes into small-scale power plants that generate income for homeowners while supplying utilities with the reliable, clean energy capacity they need.
 
Topics Covered
Enphase www.enphase.com
Solar Universe
Net Metering
AI = Artificial Intelligence
Market
VPP = Virtual Power Plant
Data Center
Utility
Probability F...

Michael Wise, Commercial Operations Manager at LS Energy Solutions, talks string inverter technology, battery-agnostic design, and how scalable 140 kW units’ power everything from 5 MW commercial systems to the 200 MW Big Rock installation at Intersolar San Diego. The conversation covers voltage flexibility, container configurations, safety considerations, and what's next for energy storage — including sodium-ion, flow batteries, and supercapacitors.
 
Topics Covered:
Inverter
Power Brick
MSSP Gen 2
Battery racks
Battery modules
Battery cells
Ion ESS
DC Solutions
Big Rock
Sodium Ion
Super capacitators
 Flywheels
 
Reach out to Michael...

Get an insider preview of Solar 2026, the American Solar Energy Society's 55th annual national solar conference, coming to Austin's Palmer Event Center October 19–21. Host Sean White and Conference Director Ella Nielsen cover keynote speakers, student programs, award nominations, technical divisions, and why this year's collaboration with the Texas Solar Energy Society makes it a can't-miss event.
 
Topics Covered
ASES = American Solar Energy Society
ISES = International Solar Energy Society
NorCal Solar
ASES 55th Annual National Solar Conference
Texas Solar Energy Society
EV = Electric Vehicle
Formula 1 & Formula E
Texas
ASES Chapters
...

SunPower co-founder Dick Swanson discusses his pioneering work developing Interdigitated Back Contact solar cells at Stanford and the industry's evolution from the 1973 energy crisis to today's cost-competitive technology. Topics include Bell Labs' accidental solar cell discovery, the learning curve predicting cost declines, critical partnerships with Cypress Semiconductor, major technical pivots from concentrating to flat-plate systems, and the fortuitous circumstances that transformed solar energy into the world's cheapest electricity source.
 
Topics Covered
NorCal Solar = Northern California Solar
ASES = American Solar Energy Society
Gerald Pearson
History of Solar
Discovery of Solar
Bell Labs
J...