Sean White‘s Solar and Energy Storage Podcast

David Katz, founder and CEO of Do Good Energy, discusses the emerging market for acquiring and revitalizing aging commercial solar installations across New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. The conversation covers the challenges of decommissioning, renegotiating expiring power purchase agreements, navigating interconnection and permitting requirements, and the environmental case for keeping older solar systems operational rather than abandoning or recycling them. Topics include panel longevity, end-of-life solar strategy, and the business model behind sustaining existing solar infrastructure.   Topics Covered Do Good Energy www.dogood.energy Solar asset acquisition Aging solar systems PPA = Power Purchase Agreement End-of-life solar Solar panel longevity Solar repowering Solar decommissioning Interconnection requirements Permitting challenges SREC = Solar Renewable Energy Certificate Northeast solar market Solar recycling Inverter replacement ITC = Investment Tax Credit   Reach out to David Katz here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/david-katz/ Website: www.dogood.energy Email: [email protected]   Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean   solarsean.com/intro • solarsean.com/pvip • solarsean.com/pva • solarsean.com/pvds • solarsean.com/esip • solarsean.com/omat • solarsean.com/center • solarsean.com/sfev • solarsean.com/40hrpv • solarsean.com/pv2020nec • solarsean.com/18hrpv • solarsean.com/30hrpv • solarsean.com/ess • solarsean.com/10hress • solarsean.com/pvsiprep • solarsean.com/2hrbfc

Wattmore, founded by JW Postal, provides energy management software designed to support the evolving energy storage industry. JW discussed Wattmore's history, its focus on behind-the-meter projects, and its agnostic approach to hardware, allowing it to work with various battery chemistries and inverter companies. He explained the company's growth, its "rip and replace" services for stranded assets, and its partnership with EOS for zinc-based batteries. The conversation also covered the challenges of integrating different technologies, the importance of standards like IEC, and the future of energy systems, including the role of AI and the need for domestic manufacturing. JW shared his perspective on energy policy, advocating for clean, domestic energy solutions, and briefly mentioned his side project as an author of crime thrillers.   Topics Covered EMS = Energy Management System ESS = Energy Storage System Microgrids UL Listing IEC = International Electrotechnical Commission LFP = Lithium Iron Phosphate API = Application Programming Interface OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer FEOC = Foreign Entity of Concern BABA = Build America, Buy America Act Rip and Replace 100 Megawatts IPP =  Independent Power Producer VPP = Virtual Power Plant SaaS = Software as a Service Residential Projects Solar Monitoring Grid Cybersecurity Battery Optimization Domestic Battery EOS = Energy Operating System Military Microgrids National Lab of the Rockies Venture Capital Data Centers COSSA = Colorado Solar and Storage Association Good Energy Policy Diesel Fuel and Energy Fuel Renewable Solar Core EMS = Energy Management System Data Center Hardware Building AI = Artificial Intelligence Business Entrepreneur Author and Books   Reach out to JW Postal here: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jopostal Email: http://[email protected] Website: https://www.wattmore.com/   Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean   solarsean.com/intro • solarsean.com/pvip • solarsean.com/pva • solarsean.com/pvds • solarsean.com/esip • solarsean.com/omat • solarsean.com/center • solarsean.com/sfev • solarsean.com/40hrpv • solarsean.com/pv2020nec • solarsean.com/18hrpv • solarsean.com/30hrpv • solarsean.com/ess • solarsean.com/10hress • solarsean.com/pvsiprep • solarsean.com/2hrbfc

Rob Lamendola, Technical Business Manager at SMA, presents the Sunny Boy Smart Energy inverter and Backup Select system at a solar training center. The discussion covers SMA's 25-year history in the solar industry, string inverter technology, backup power solutions without batteries, grid-tied residential systems, equipment unboxing, installer training practices, and the rapid growth of solar energy adoption worldwide.   Topics Covered SMA = Solar Inverter Manufacturer  www.sma.de/ Solar Industry Growth String Inverters Backup Power Energy Storage Installer Training Net Metering Grid Reliability Sunny Boy Inverter Reliability Renewable Energy History Residential Solar Systems Equipment Unboxing Pumped Hydro Storage   Reach out to Rob Lamendola here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/robertlamendola Website: www.sma.de/ Email: [email protected]   Podcast with Apple Podcast YouTube Spotify Pandora Podbean   Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean   solarsean.com/intro • solarsean.com/pvip • solarsean.com/pva • solarsean.com/pvds • solarsean.com/esip • solarsean.com/omat • solarsean.com/center • solarsean.com/sfev • solarsean.com/40hrpv • solarsean.com/pv2020nec • solarsean.com/18hrpv • solarsean.com/30hrpv • solarsean.com/ess • solarsean.com/10hress • solarsean.com/pvsiprep • solarsean.com/2hrbfc

This podcast featured Daniel Freiberg, Director of Product Engineering at SunGrow, discussing the company's large-scale PV inverters, particularly the SG4400UD-MV-US model. Daniel explained the inverter's modular design, which allows for partial operation and easier maintenance, and described its function of converting DC power from solar arrays into AC power for the grid. He detailed the inverter's specifications, including its 4.4 megawatt capacity and containerized format for easy shipping and installation. The conversation also covered SunGrow's broad product range, from small to utility-scale inverters, and the company's significant global market presence. Sean and Daniel discussed the rapid growth of the solar industry and its evolution over the decades. At the end, Sean expressed interest in acquiring a large inverter for his solar training center, and Daniel mentioned SunGrow's own training facility in Houston.   Topics Covered Sungrow www.sungrowpower.com 4.4 Megawatts Inverters 36-kilowatt Inverter AC = Alternating Current DC = Direct Current SG4400UD-MV-US SG = Photovoltaic Inverter UD = Universally DC Coupled MV = Medium Voltage IGBTs = Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors MPPT = Maximum Power Point Tracking 1,500 Volts DC Systems 645 Volt AC Output Shipping Container–Sized Solar Industry Growth Data Center Renewable Energy NREL = National Renewable Energy Laboratory TÜV Rheinland = Technical Inspection Association (German: Technischer Überwachungsverein)   Podcast with Madeline Acri Apple Podcast YouTube Spotify Pandora Podbean   Reach out to Daniel Friberg here: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/daniel-friberg-0b66a313 Website: https://www.sungrowpower.com Email: [email protected]   Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean   solarsean.com/intro • solarsean.com/pvip • solarsean.com/pva • solarsean.com/pvds • solarsean.com/esip • solarsean.com/omat • solarsean.com/center • solarsean.com/sfev • solarsean.com/40hrpv • solarsean.com/pv2020nec • solarsean.com/18hrpv • solarsean.com/30hrpv • solarsean.com/ess • solarsean.com/10hress • solarsean.com/pvsiprep • solarsean.com/2hrbfc

In this episode, Michael Roche discusses the intersection of financial technology, AI, and the solar industry. Roche shared his background in fintech, particularly in stopping credit card fraud and the evolution of big data and machine learning into Al, including large language models like ChatGPT. They discussed the pervasiveness of Al, data privacy concerns, and the potential for Al to surpass human intelligence. The main topic was Roche's theory of the "energy ledger," a standardized financial record for a home's energy system, akin to a credit score, which he believes is crucial for banks to finance residential solar installations. Roche argued that the solar industry needs to cooperate and standardize, similar to how the financial industry did with credit cards, to enable widespread bank financing of solar systems. They proposed using the podcast as a platform to openly discuss and develop this concept, potentially involving banks, utilities, and inverter manufacturers.   Topics Covered Fintechnology Group www.fintechnologygroup.com Paypal Mafia AI = Artificial Inteligence LLM = Large Language Model Fraud Screening and Authentication Visa and Mastercard Bank AI Plagiarize Books AI Spy Quantum Computing Data Center HeatSpring Credit Score Tax Credit PPA = Power Purchase Agreement FICO Score BIPV = Building Integrated Photovoltaic AVM = Automated Valuation Model DMZ = Demilitarized Zone Everything can be Converted to Energy Energy Consumption of Banks   Reach out to Michael Roche here: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michael-f-roche-b5999a238 Website: www.fintechnologygroup.com Email: [email protected]   Previous Episode: From Fintech to Solar Energy with Michael Roche Link: www.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-fintech-to-solar-energy-with-michael-roche/id1441958371?i=1000790786948   Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean   solarsean.com/intro • solarsean.com/pvip • solarsean.com/pva • solarsean.com/pvds • solarsean.com/esip • solarsean.com/omat • solarsean.com/center • solarsean.com/sfev • solarsean.com/40hrpv • solarsean.com/pv2020nec • solarsean.com/18hrpv • solarsean.com/30hrpv • solarsean.com/ess • solarsean.com/10hress • solarsean.com/pvsiprep • solarsean.com/2hrbfc