Watts Up Solar Podcast

Emmitt Muckles

Watts Up in Solar is your go-to weekly podcast for everything solar—from rooftop installs to remote troubleshooting and everything in between. Hosted by Emmitt Muckles—solar trainer, consultant, and all-around energy expert—this show breaks down the tech, talks real-world solar issues, and helps you stay plugged into what matters most in solar energy. Whether you’re a homeowner thinking about going solar or a solar pro looking to sharpen your skills, each episode delivers something for you: Plain-English breakdowns of solar tech, from inverters to batteriesReal talk on home energy efficiency and utility billsTips for avoiding solar scams and shady sales pitchesLive field stories, installer insights, and industry interviewsWeekly “Watt’s New” solar headlines and commentaryIt’s solar knowledge for the real world. No fluff. Just facts.

  1. Why Clean Energy Marketing Needs Community, Not Competition (with Jacob Yang)

    JAN 13

    Why Clean Energy Marketing Needs Community, Not Competition (with Jacob Yang)

    Send us a Text to Watts Up Solar Podcast! Clean energy marketing is tough—and it’s not because marketers lack skill.  It’s because they’re often alone, under-resourced, and expected to explain complex technology while justifying their own existence. In this episode of the Watts Up Solar Podcast, I’m joined by Jacob Yang, clean energy marketing strategist and founder of Amp Your Story, a global community created to connect and support marketers across solar, wind, nuclear, and climate tech. We talk about: Why clean energy marketers feel siloedThe rise of fractional marketing rolesHow storytelling drives trust and adoptionWhy marketers should be seen as revenue driversHow community helps professionals survive layoffs and industry swingsThis conversation is honest, strategic, and grounded in real experience—not LinkedIn hype. If you’re navigating marketing, communications, or growth in clean energy, this episode gives you perspective and practical insight you can use immediately. 🔗 Learn more: https://www.ampyourstory.marketing 🌞 More solar education: https://www.solarenergyforconsumers.com Our Sponsor for this Episode is S.E. Power Consulting S. E. Power Consulting offers Fractional Training Leadership—meaning you get expert-level training support when you need it, without the cost of a full-time hire.Whether you’re scaling up or just getting organized, we help you train smarter, not harder. Visit SEPowerConsulting.com to learn more. S.E. Power Consulting—Fractional training. Full-time results.

    23 min
  2. Wilson Matthew Betances: Trades Culture, Solar Truths, and Why License Comes First

    JAN 6

    Wilson Matthew Betances: Trades Culture, Solar Truths, and Why License Comes First

    Send us a Text to Watts Up Solar Podcast! In this episode of the Watts Up Solar Podcast, Emmitt sits down withWilson Matthew Betances — electrician, inspector, and trade-school builder — for a real talk on the trades, solar, and what it’s going to take to build a workforce that lasts. We get into: Why the “30 years in the trade” line isn’t proof you’re doing it rightHazing, gatekeeping, and toxic jobsite cultureLongevity: protecting your body and building a career, not just a paycheckWhy solar success depends on licensed electricians (certs are complements, not replacements)Inspectors/AHJs and how inconsistent solar inspections can be across the countryThe future wave: AI, data centers, EV charging, and the training shift coming fastBig takeaway: Own mistakes early — it saves projects, reputations, and customers. Follow / Subscribe for more conversations that make the solar industry smarter, safer, and more human. 🌐 SE Power Consulting: sepowerconsulting.com  📺 YouTube: @wattsuppod Our Sponsor for this Episode is S.E. Power Consulting S. E. Power Consulting offers Fractional Training Leadership—meaning you get expert-level training support when you need it, without the cost of a full-time hire.Whether you’re scaling up or just getting organized, we help you train smarter, not harder. Visit SEPowerConsulting.com to learn more. S.E. Power Consulting—Fractional training. Full-time results.

    36 min
  3. Eat4Life – Holistic Nutrition for Solar Workers with Katharina Burger-Holzer

    12/08/2025

    Eat4Life – Holistic Nutrition for Solar Workers with Katharina Burger-Holzer

    Send us a Text to Watts Up Solar Podcast! In this episode, I step slightly off the roof and into the kitchen. I’m joined by Katharina Burger-Holzer, a holistic nutrition coach based in Austria and founder of Eat4Life (eat4life.at). We talk about how food, sleep, stress and movement impact your ability to show up and do demanding work in the solar industry – and why the sun isn’t just hitting your panels, it’s also feeding your body. Conversation How Katharina’s journey started with yoga, Ayurveda, and her mother’s stage 4 cancer diagnosisWhy processed food in the U.S. wrecked her whole family’s gut in one tripThe brutal truth about “eat less, move more” – and why it fails after 40Why men are “easy mode” nutritionally and women 40+ need a very different approachSleep, stress, and the Chinese medicine clock (including why I kept waking up at 1 AM)The power of real food, sourdough, and traditional preparation vs. industrial breadHow to start with the basics: sleep, movement, cooking simple, real food, and chewing properlyIf you work in solar – climbing ladders, standing on pitched roofs, troubleshooting in the field, or grinding at a desk – your body is your primary asset. This conversation might be the nudge you need to stop living on junk and start treating yourself like a long-term project. Connect with Katharina Website: https://eat4life.at Instagram: @eatforlife_katharinaConnect with Emmitt / Watts Up Solar YouTube: @wattsuppodWebsite: https://sepowerconsulting.com LinkedIn: Emmitt Muckles👉 Support the show: Follow, rate, and share the Watts Up Solar Podcast with someone in the industry who needs to hear that health is part of the job, not an optional side quest. Our Sponsor for this Episode is S.E. Power Consulting S. E. Power Consulting offers Fractional Training Leadership—meaning you get expert-level training support when you need it, without the cost of a full-time hire.Whether you’re scaling up or just getting organized, we help you train smarter, not harder. Visit SEPowerConsulting.com to learn more. S.E. Power Consulting—Fractional training. Full-time results.

    34 min

  4. 11/25/2025

    From DIYer/RV solar to whole-home backup — EG4’s glow-up explained

    Send us a Text to Watts Up Solar Podcast! At InterSolar Texas 2025, I caught up with John Tostanoski from EG4, and we went deep on where the brand is headed next. EG4 built its name on making solar accessible – RVs, off-grid cabins, and DIY systems that regular people could actually understand and install. Now they’re stepping into a much bigger arena: FlexBoss 21 whole-home backup inverter (21 kW DC input, 16 kW continuous with PV)GridBoss microgrid interconnection device (MID) with smart load shedding and generator supportNew 16 kWh indoor wall-mount LFP battery with auto-addressing and active balancingLong-term roadmap to three-phase commercial productsA domestic content battery built with LG cells made in Michigan and assembled in Commerce, TexasFuture 100V architecture for better charge/discharge performance and smaller cablingWe talk about: How EG4 evolved from a house brand at Signature Solar to a full OEMWhy domestic content matters for third-party ownership and financingWhat pro installers need to know about EG4’s ecosystemHow you can scale FlexBoss, GridBoss, and multiple batteries within code limitsWhy 48V isn’t going away anytime soon, even as 100V systems emergeSuppose you’re a solar installer, designer, distributor, or advanced DIYer thinking about whole-home backup or domestic content requirements. In that case, this episode will give you a clear picture of where EG4 is heading. Connect with EG4: Website: eg4electronicsics.com YouTube: EG4 Electronics Connect with Emmitt: Watts Up Solar Podcast on YouTube: @wattsuppod Fractional Training & Field Enablement: sepowerconsulting.com Hit follow, rate the show, and share this episode with someone who’s speccing batteries and inverters all day. The more the industry understands the tech, the better the installs Our Sponsor for this Episode is S.E. Power Consulting S. E. Power Consulting offers Fractional Training Leadership—meaning you get expert-level training support when you need it, without the cost of a full-time hire.Whether you’re scaling up or just getting organized, we help you train smarter, not harder. Visit SEPowerConsulting.com to learn more. S.E. Power Consulting—Fractional training. Full-time results.

    15 min
  5. Wildfires, Microgrids & Troubleshooting the Grid – Piper Wilder of 60Hertz

    11/18/2025

    Wildfires, Microgrids & Troubleshooting the Grid – Piper Wilder of 60Hertz

    Send us a Text to Watts Up Solar Podcast! In this episode of the Watts Up Solar Podcast, Emmitt sits down with Piper Wilder, founder & CEO of 60Hertz, to talk about the messy, beautiful reality of keeping renewable assets alive and performing in the real world. The conversation starts with microgrids in remote Alaska, indigenous operators running million-dollar systems, and a legit grizzly bear outside the tent… and then climbs all the way up the stack to utility-scale asset management, wildfire smoke, aerosols, AI, and VPPs. Piper breaks down: How 60Hertz grew from a CMMS into a full O&M platformWhy Alaska was ground zero for seeing O&M failures up closeThe origin of Flare API – an algorithm/API that quantifies lost generation from wildfire smoke, ash, pollen, and dustHow aerosol optical depth, PM, and satellite data explain “mystery” underperformanceWhy asset owners need to stop treating wildfire impact as “bad luck” and start treating it as a measurable business variableWhere parametric insurance and revenue protection may be heading for large portfoliosThe idea behind Asset Watch Pro, a “meta” dashboard for what asset owners actually need to seeThe tension (and partnership) between service providers, asset managers, and asset ownersOn top of that, Emmitt and Piper go deep on: Troubleshooting as meditation, not tortureThinking down to the component level – from automotive ECUs to PV invertersWhy training is troubleshooting humans so they can troubleshoot systemsWhere AI can help O&M teams work faster… and where it falls flat (Example: hello, cold solder joints)The future of work in renewables, trades versus degrees, and what Austria/Germany get right about apprenticeshipsIdentity, nationalism, and what it means to be called “the American” for the first timeThe episode closes with Emmitt’s reminder:  Relationships are seasonal. The sun is permanent. And the sun will never send you a bill. 🔗 Links & Contact Guest – Piper Wilder / 60Hertz Website: https://60hertzenergy.com/   Host – Emmitt  Muckles S.E. Power Consulting: https://www.sepowerconsulting.com Solar Energy for Consumers: https://www.solarenergyforconsumers.com Subscribe & Follow YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wattsuppod Spotify / Apple / Google: Watts Up Solar Podcast Our Sponsor for this Episode is S.E. Power Consulting S. E. Power Consulting offers Fractional Training Leadership—meaning you get expert-level training support when you need it, without the cost of a full-time hire.Whether you’re scaling up or just getting organized, we help you train smarter, not harder. Visit SEPowerConsulting.com to learn more. S.E. Power Consulting—Fractional training. Full-time results.

    55 min
  6. OB3 Aftershock & the Solar Comeback: Service, VPPs, and Real Careers Beyond the Roof (w/ Kate Collardson

    11/04/2025

    OB3 Aftershock & the Solar Comeback: Service, VPPs, and Real Careers Beyond the Roof (w/ Kate Collardson

    Send us a Text to Watts Up Solar Podcast! Emmitt sits down with Kate Collardson, a 20-year PV pro from Denver, to unpack life after OB3: layoffs, the “overqualified” trap, and the massive opportunity in orphaned residential systems. They dig into why U.S. residential solar still carries heavy soft costs (dealer fees, sales stacks), how VPPs beat peaker plants on speed, and where the next wave of jobs lives—project management, design, interconnection, tech support, and O&M. Plus: why parking-lot carports solve heat islands and energy at the same time, and straight talk for women entering solar. Highlights OB3/IRA whiplash and hiring realityOrphaned-system O&M as a starter businessVPPs: fast response, real grid valueCarport PV > heat islandsSoft-cost bloat: how to trim the stackBreaking into solar today (training paths & local shops)Women in solar: confidence, competence, boundariesLinks & CTAs Watch the episode on YouTube: @wattsuppodConsumer education & webinars: solarenergyforconsumers.comFractional training & O&M consulting: sepowerconsulting.comFollow Emmitt on LinkedIn: Emmitt MucklesEpisode Tags / SEO Keywords Solar, Photovoltaics, Residential Solar, Virtual Power Plant, Energy Storage, O&M, Orphaned Systems, Women in Solar, Soft Costs, Dealer Fees, Interconnection, Project Management, Design, Carport Solar, Heat Island, Grid Services Suggested Buzzsprout Chapter Marks 00:00 Intro & why this conversation now 03:29 OB3 impacts & layoffs 10:57 Orphaned systems = service opportunity 15:04 Careers beyond the roof (PM, design, interconnection) 17:40 VPPs & fast grid response 21:26 Carports, cities, and heat islands 26:17 Why U.S. $/W is high 32:45 The 2026 reset 36:00 Breaking into solar today 37:59 Advice for women entering PV 40:30 Sign-off & next episode teaser Our Sponsor for this Episode is S.E. Power Consulting S. E. Power Consulting offers Fractional Training Leadership—meaning you get expert-level training support when you need it, without the cost of a full-time hire.Whether you’re scaling up or just getting organized, we help you train smarter, not harder. Visit SEPowerConsulting.com to learn more. S.E. Power Consulting—Fractional training. Full-time results.

    42 min
  7. Intentional Marketing, Real Impact: Brittany Boyette on Voice, Events & Community

    10/28/2025

    Intentional Marketing, Real Impact: Brittany Boyette on Voice, Events & Community

    Send us a Text to Watts Up Solar Podcast! Brittany Boyette Services LLC Brittany Boyette left corporate success to build a business around intentional, aligned marketing, the kind that sounds like you, serves your audience, and converts. We dig into her why (family, inclusion, and community), how to find your authentic voice, and the practical systems that make growth feel human: CRMs, onboarding, event planning, meeting-booking at conferences, and consistent follow-up. You’ll hear: How to spot misalignment fast—and what to do before burnout hitsTrade show and webinar planning that actually leads to dealsContent repurposing and measurement without losing your soulTool overload vs. AI as a voice amplifier, not a replacementWhy founders need a “safe place to land” (and how Brittany provides it)Connect with Brittany on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-boyette-203834267/  Learn more about Emmitt’s work at SEPowerConsulting.com and SolarEnergyForConsumers.com. Subscribe on YouTube: @wattsuppod Sign-off: The sun will never send you a bill. Our Sponsor for this Episode is S.E. Power Consulting S. E. Power Consulting offers Fractional Training Leadership—meaning you get expert-level training support when you need it, without the cost of a full-time hire.Whether you’re scaling up or just getting organized, we help you train smarter, not harder. Visit SEPowerConsulting.com to learn more. S.E. Power Consulting—Fractional training. Full-time results.

    42 min
  8. From East to Vienna to the USA: Lorrak Labbafi's Path in European Solar, Storage, O&M, and the Rise of VPPs

    10/21/2025

    From East to Vienna to the USA: Lorrak Labbafi's Path in European Solar, Storage, O&M, and the Rise of VPPs

    Send us a Text to Watts Up Solar Podcast! Emmitt visit Vienna Austria and has a laid back socail conersation with Laarak Labbafi a PV engineer who jumped from physics to hands-on and technical support in solar, launching her career in Iran before moving to Austria. They unpack: How gender dynamics can shape early career experiences, and how to push throughIran’s solar story: sunshine abundance vs. sanctions, FiTs, and ROI whiplashWhy Europe is all-in on batteries and self-consumptionWhat O&M looks like from a distributor’s troubleshooting desk (Energy3000 + Huawei fleets)The U.S. grid squeeze, EV loads, and how Virtual Power Plants actually workPractical advice for women and newcomers entering PV, plus networking tips (NABCEP, Women in Solar)Lori’s next chapter: mastering ESS and bringing PV access to underserved regions and AmericaLinks Watts Up Solar: https://www.solarenergyforconsumers.com S.E. Power Consulting: https://www.sepowerconsulting.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wattsuppod Orgs: NABCEP, Women in SolarChapter Marks (for players that support them) 00:00 Vienna intro  • 00:32 Why PV  • 02:28 Early career & barriers  • 06:24 Solar in Iran  • 07:55 Sanctions & ROI  • 10:01 Residential vs. utility  • 11:16 Batteries & self-consumption  • 12:58 Europe path  • 16:12 Energy3000/Huawei O&M  • 20:18 ESS goals  • 22:14 VPP explained  • 24:15 Career advice  • 25:44 California move  • 29:35 Networking Call to Action Subscribe, leave a rating, and share this episode with someone considering a PV career or an ESS upgrade at home. Episode Keywords NABCEP, solar, photovoltaics, energy storage, ESS, VPP, O&M, Austria, Iran, women in solar, NEM 3.0, Huawei, Energy3000, virtual power plant, career advice, troubleshooting Our Sponsor for this Episode is S.E. Power Consulting S. E. Power Consulting offers Fractional Training Leadership—meaning you get expert-level training support when you need it, without the cost of a full-time hire.Whether you’re scaling up or just getting organized, we help you train smarter, not harder. Visit SEPowerConsulting.com to learn more. S.E. Power Consulting—Fractional training. Full-time results.

    32 min
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About

Watts Up in Solar is your go-to weekly podcast for everything solar—from rooftop installs to remote troubleshooting and everything in between. Hosted by Emmitt Muckles—solar trainer, consultant, and all-around energy expert—this show breaks down the tech, talks real-world solar issues, and helps you stay plugged into what matters most in solar energy. Whether you’re a homeowner thinking about going solar or a solar pro looking to sharpen your skills, each episode delivers something for you: Plain-English breakdowns of solar tech, from inverters to batteriesReal talk on home energy efficiency and utility billsTips for avoiding solar scams and shady sales pitchesLive field stories, installer insights, and industry interviewsWeekly “Watt’s New” solar headlines and commentaryIt’s solar knowledge for the real world. No fluff. Just facts.

Information

  • Creator
    Emmitt Muckles
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    28
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Watts up in Solar 2025
  • Show Website
    Watts Up Solar Podcast