Julia Wu & Anuj Saigal (SparkHQ.ai) on AI, Permitting Bottlenecks, and the Next Wave of Solar Development
Description
In this episode of the Soliverse Podcast, Peter sits down with Julia Wu and Anuj Saigal—co-founders of SparkHQ.ai, the AI startup tackling one of clean energy’s biggest pain points: permitting.
With delays and cancellations killing up to 80% of solar projects, Spark is using large language models and real-world empathy to help developers build faster, smarter, and at scale.
They discuss:
🧠 Why AI is essential to energy infrastructure—not just a nice-to-have
📍 How Spark helps navigate 20,000+ local permitting jurisdictions
⚡ The real cost of zoning delays, moratoria, and sentiment blind spots
💻 Why legacy permitting tools can’t keep up—and Spark’s AI-first solution does
🌍 How battery storage and data centers are reshaping developer workflows
🧱 Lessons from Y Combinator and building in a high-stakes climate market
📊 Why the best developers are doubling down—despite market volatility
Connect with SparkHQ.ai:
🌐 Website: https://sparkhq.ai
📧 Email: julia@sparkhq.ai | anuj@sparkhq.ai
🔗 LinkedIn – Julia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliaxwu
🔗 LinkedIn – Anuj: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anujsaigal/
Referenced Resources:
📚 Inflation Reduction Act
📊 Berkeley Lab – Interconnection & permitting stats
🧱 Ezra Klein on “Abundance” and infrastructure bottlenecks
Connect with Soliverse:
🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6C2HVmlEcsFXJqzxlfT9uA?si=f7fe6e3ff9b441a5
🌐 Website: https://soliverse.energy
🔗 LinkedIn – Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterpongraczsaas
🔗 LinkedIn – Soliverse: https://www.linkedin.com/company/106534214/
United States
