Soliverse | The Future of Solar

Peter Pongracz

At Soliverse: The Future of Solar, we share powerful conversations shaping the future of solar energy and renewable innovation. Hosted by Peter Pongracz, a leading expert in solar technology, software, and clean energyThe Soliverse Podcast dives deep into the trends transforming the global solar industry. Each episode features deep-dive discussions with solar pioneers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and investors, uncovering the ideas, technologies, and strategies driving the solar revolution. From cutting-edge solar projects and AI-powered design tools to energy policy, finance, and sustainability insights, Soliverse brings clarity and inspiration to everyone passionate about the rise of solar power.

  1. How Romania is Beating Western Europe on Solar & Storage

    10/12/2025

    How Romania is Beating Western Europe on Solar & Storage

    Send us a text On this episode of the Soliverse Podcast, Peter sits down with Gijsbert Huijink, co-founder of SOL Romania, to unpack why Romania might just be Europe’s most underrated solar and battery market. Gijsbert shares hard-won lessons from developing 1 GW+ of projects—from grid hacks and battery-first strategies to why Romania is moving faster than Germany or the Netherlands on BESS deployment. They discuss: • Why Romania is a sleeper hit for hybrid projects • The “cooperative-to-gigawatt” journey behind SOL Romania • Grid access, flexibility, and why BESS is easier in Bucharest than Berlin • The downsides of poorly run CAPEX subsidies • How they permitted a 350 MWp hybrid plant in under 12 months • What other countries can learn from Romania’s pragmatism • Why their team will stop at 1 GW and go windsurfing ⚡ Guest & Soliverse Links: 🌐 SOL Renewables Romania: https://www.solrenewables.ro 🔗 Gijsbert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gijsberthuijink/ 🎧 Soliverse on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6C2HVmlEcsFXJqzxlfT9uA 🌐 Website: https://soliverse.energy 🔗 Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterpongraczsaas/ Support the show

    56 min
  2. David Spieldenner on PVsyst, 3D Modeling, and What It Really Takes to Scale Solar

    03/12/2025

    David Spieldenner on PVsyst, 3D Modeling, and What It Really Takes to Scale Solar

    Send us a text On this episode of the Soliverse Podcast, Peter sits down with David Spieldenner from Terabase Energy, to expose the massive bottlenecks holding solar back—and why smarter performance modeling might be the key to unlocking the next Terawatt. David doesn’t hold back as he makes the case for PlantPredict over legacy tools like PVsyst, and highlights why accuracy isn’t enough—realism is what developers, EPCs, and banks really need. They cover: ⚠️ Why PVsyst is holding the industry back 🧠 Why “realism” > “accuracy” in yield estimates 🔁 How sub-hourly and 3D modeling reshape performance forecasts 🔋 Why terrain-following trackers can actually boost energy yield 📈 How hybrid plants and dispatchable renewables will reshape grid planning 📊 What banks, IEs, and EPCs really need from energy modeling tools 🚀 Why Terabase is betting on AI, automation, and integrated design-to-SCADA workflows 🧩 What most solar designers miss when modeling plant performance David also shares an exclusive offer on PlantPredict + PV Radar bundles and reveals why data centers and the AI boom are pushing solar innovation into overdrive. Referenced Tools & Links 🌐 Terabase: https://www.terabase.energy 🔧 PlantPredict: https://www.plantpredict.com 🧩 Pricing: www.plantpredict.com/pricing 📊 PV Radar: https://www.pvradar.com Connect with David Spieldenner 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidspieldenner/ 📨 Email: support@plantpredict.com Connect with Soliverse 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6C2HVmlEcsFXJqzxlfT9uA 🌐 Website: https://soliverse.energy 🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/soliversepodcast 🔗 Peter Pongracz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterpongraczsaas/ Support the show

    56 min
  3. 15 Years in EPC: Andreas Bach on Solar Construction Mistakes, MC4 & Grid Bottlenecks...

    26/11/2025

    15 Years in EPC: Andreas Bach on Solar Construction Mistakes, MC4 & Grid Bottlenecks...

    Send us a text On this episode of the Soliverse Podcast, Peter sits down with Andreas Bach, a senior EPC executive and advisor with 15+ years of solar and storage experience, working across Europe, the Middle East, India, and Africa. From burned MC4 plugs and untrained labor to winter construction delays and 300,000 tons of PV waste on the horizon—Andreas shares hard-earned lessons on what goes wrong when projects are rushed, and how to build solar like you’ll actually own it. They discuss: 🔌 Why cheap MC4 connectors quietly kill performance (and insurance won’t cover it) 📉 1.7 TW of clean energy stuck in grid queue limbo 🛠️ 15 classic EPC mistakes—and how to fix them before they bankrupt your project 🧱 Why concrete foundations are the silent killers of solar ROI ♻️ What nobody’s budgeting for: the €2.7/panel recycling time bomb 📊 Why owner’s engineers and quality sign-offs are mission-critical 🇪🇺 How Europe can lead by example—if it learns from its early scars Connect with Andreas Bach: 🌐 Website: https://a-bach.com 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreas-bach-solar Connect with Soliverse: 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6C2HVmlEcsFXJqzxlfT9uA 📨 Email: peter@soliverse.energy 🔗 LinkedIn – Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterpongraczsaas/ 🔗 LinkedIn – Soliverse: https://www.linkedin.com/company/106534214/ 🌐 Website: https://soliverse.energy Support the show

    45 min
  4. Geospatial AI for Solar Developers: Planno.io's Blueprint for Smarter C&I Pipelines with Daniel Domingues

    20/11/2025

    Geospatial AI for Solar Developers: Planno.io's Blueprint for Smarter C&I Pipelines with Daniel Domingues

    Send us a text About This Episode On this episode of the Soliverse Podcast, Peter sits down with Daniel Domingues, Founder & CEO of Planno.io, the Geospatial AI platform that’s fixing one of distributed solar’s biggest bottlenecks: finding the right commercial and industrial rooftops. After years developing rooftop solar projects across the Middle East and Europe, Daniel saw firsthand how slow, manual, and incomplete the prospecting process really was. So he built Planno — combining satellite imagery, AI rooftop detection, business intelligence, and market insights into one platform that turns months of hunting into minutes of clarity. They discuss: 🏢 Why 90% of viable C&I rooftops are still being missed 🛰️ How AI + geospatial data can map entire regions overnight 🌍 Europe’s data-rich but fragmented rooftop landscape 🏭 Why the Middle East is an untapped goldmine for C&I solar 🎢 The “solar coaster” dynamics of the U.S. market 🔍 How property + business intelligence transforms pipeline quality ⚙️ Why better prospecting leads to better engineering & better returns 🧠 What solar prospecting will look like by 2030 If you work in BD, EPC, development, or distributed solar strategy — this episode will change the way you think about rooftop pipeline building. Connect with Daniel / Planno 🌐 Website: https://planno.io 🔗 LinkedIn – Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-domingues-a42a5b155/ Connect with Soliverse 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6C2HVmlEcsFXJqzxlfT9uA 📨 Email: peter@soliverse.energy 🔗 LinkedIn – Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterpongraczsaas/ 🔗 LinkedIn – Soliverse: https://www.linkedin.com/company/106534214/ 🌐 Website: https://soliverse.energy 🔗 Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/soliversepodcast Support the show

    39 min
  5. Joshua Feinberg on Sales, AI, Talent in Clean Infrastructure and Data Centers

    13/11/2025

    Joshua Feinberg on Sales, AI, Talent in Clean Infrastructure and Data Centers

    Send us a text On this episode of the Soliverse Podcast, Peter sits down with Joshua Feinberg, Founder of the Data Center Sales & Marketing Institute (DCSMI), to unpack the evolving sales landscape in energy, data centers, and clean tech. With 30 years in tech and energy marketing, Joshua shares hard-earned insights into how AI, buyer behavior, and workforce trends are forcing a full reset in how companies grow and scale. They discuss: 📉 Why B2B sales in energy and digital infrastructure is broken 🧠 How AI is reshaping buyer behavior—and what to do about it 🏢 Why most conferences deliver zero ROI, and what works instead 👩‍🏫 Why educational content and small events outperform outbound ⚡ How to retrain tech talent into high-performing sales teams 💼 The future of talent, thought leadership, and value-driven content 🧰 Tools and tactics for founders navigating new buyer journeys Connect with Joshua / DCSMI: 🌐 Website: https://www.dcsmi.com 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuafeinberg/ Connect with Soliverse: 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6C2HVmlEcsFXJqzxlfT9uA 📨 Email: peter@soliverse.energy 🔗 LinkedIn – Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterpongraczsaas/ 🔗 LinkedIn – Soliverse: https://www.linkedin.com/company/106534214/ 🌐 Website: https://soliverse.energy Support the show

    1h 10m
  6. Genna Boyle of Gridcog.com on Flexibility, Grid Chaos, and the Future of Energy Modeling

    30/10/2025

    Genna Boyle of Gridcog.com on Flexibility, Grid Chaos, and the Future of Energy Modeling

    Send us a text In this episode of the Soliverse Podcast, Peter sits down with Genna Boyle, CCO at Gridcog, to unpack one of the most important—and misunderstood—forces shaping energy today: flexibility. As the grid gets more complex and congested, batteries, flexible loads, and smarter software are becoming essential to how we plan, build, and operate energy systems. Genna explains why traditional “solar vs storage” thinking is outdated, and how modeling entire energy ecosystems—across markets, technologies, and commercial models—is the new gold standard. They discuss: ⚡ Why co-location and right-sizing are now non-negotiable 🔋 The role of batteries, EVs, and hybrid assets in flex 📉 Negative prices and what they really signal 📈 Why each site needs custom modeling (no more rule-of-thumb!) 🌍 Lessons from Australia, Germany, and the UK 📊 The future of energy software: deterministic, not guesswork 🧠 How Gridcog helps developers simulate 1,000+ site scenarios at once 📡 Why data visibility, not just data itself, is the next challenge Connect with Genna & Gridcog: 🌐 Website: https://www.gridcog.com 🔗 LinkedIn – Genna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gennaboyle/ Connect with Soliverse: 🎧 Spotify: Soliverse on Spotify 🌐 Website: https://soliverse.energy 🔗 LinkedIn – Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterpongraczsaas/ 🔗 LinkedIn – Soliverse: https://www.linkedin.com/company/106534214/ Support the show

    40 min
  7. Dr. Marek Kubik on BESS, AI, and Scaling a Billion-Dollar Energy Company

    22/10/2025

    Dr. Marek Kubik on BESS, AI, and Scaling a Billion-Dollar Energy Company

    Send us a text On this episode of the Soliverse Podcast, Peter sits down with Marek Kubik—battery expert, energy futurist, and co-founder of Fluence—to explore what’s next for battery energy storage systems (BESS), AI in energy, and the clean tech infrastructure that will shape our net-zero future. With over 16 years in the industry, Marek unpacks what it really takes to scale energy storage, navigate market shifts, and stay ahead of the innovation curve. They discuss: 🔋 BESS as the Swiss Army knife of energy systems ⚙️ Scaling a global battery company like Fluence 🧠 How AI is reshaping energy optimization and forecasting 🧪 Sodium-ion vs lithium-ion: which wins long-term? 🌍 Why Europe leads in deployment—and the Middle East in execution 📉 Battery cost drops, storage bottlenecks, and what developers miss 💡 What’s next in hydrogen, grid innovation, and clean infrastructure Connect with Marek Kubik: 🌐 Website: https://www.mkubik.com/ 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marekkubik 🌐 Fluence: https://www.fluenceenergy.com Connect with Soliverse: 🎧 Spotify: Soliverse on Spotify 🌐 Website: https://soliverse.energy 📨 Email: peter@soliverse.energy 🔗 LinkedIn – Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterpongraczsaas/ 🔗 LinkedIn – Soliverse: https://www.linkedin.com/company/106534214/ Support the show

    56 min
  8. Tim Montague on AI, Solar Economics, and Why Batteries Are Just the Beginning

    15/10/2025

    Tim Montague on AI, Solar Economics, and Why Batteries Are Just the Beginning

    Send us a text In this episode of the Soliverse Podcast, Peter sits down with Tim Montague, founder of Clean Power Hour and Clean Power Consulting, to unpack how AI, batteries, and grid modernization are reshaping the economics—and future—of solar. From LLMs and layoffs to data centers and microgrids, Tim explains why every solar company now needs an AI strategy—and why smart infrastructure beats hype every time. They discuss: 🤖 How AI is impacting jobs in solar (and beyond) 📉 Why solar permitting, finance, and design are ripe for automation 🔋 Why batteries—not just panels—are driving the 2025 energy conversation 🇨🇳 What China got right in manufacturing—and how the West can catch up ⚠️ Why U.S. residential solar is in contraction (and what to do about it) 🌍 Why solar needs systemic reform—not just more installs 📊 What Europe and the U.S. can learn from each other 🏗️ Why microgrids + hybrid systems are the path forward Connect with Tim Montague 🌐 Website: https://www.cleanpowerhour.com 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothymontague/ Connect with Soliverse 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6C2HVmlEcsFXJqzxlfT9uA 🌐 Website: https://soliverse.energy 🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/soliversepodcast 🔗 Peter Pongracz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterpongraczsaas/ Support the show

    50 min
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About

At Soliverse: The Future of Solar, we share powerful conversations shaping the future of solar energy and renewable innovation. Hosted by Peter Pongracz, a leading expert in solar technology, software, and clean energyThe Soliverse Podcast dives deep into the trends transforming the global solar industry. Each episode features deep-dive discussions with solar pioneers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and investors, uncovering the ideas, technologies, and strategies driving the solar revolution. From cutting-edge solar projects and AI-powered design tools to energy policy, finance, and sustainability insights, Soliverse brings clarity and inspiration to everyone passionate about the rise of solar power.

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  • Creator
    Peter Pongracz
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Soliverse | The Future of Solar
  • Show Website
    Soliverse | The Future of Solar
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