The Renewable Energy Leadership Podcast

Michael Thornhill
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Management
  • Updated Biweekly

The Renewable Energy Leadership Podcast goes beyond the technology and the megawatts into the people, the decisions, and the culture behind the energy transition. Honest, unscripted conversations with the senior leaders driving the transition. Not just what they are building. How they lead. If you lead in this sector, or aspire to, this is the conversation you have been waiting for.

Episodes

  1. May 29

    The Grid Is Not Short on Generation, It's Short on Orchestration - with Mitch Berglund

    What does it actually take to lead distributed energy programmes when the grid is the deadline? Mitch Berglund is Vice President of Sales and Grid Programmes at Texas Solar, founder of iTrust Power, and a 17-year veteran of the US distributed energy industry. He has generated over $150 million in cumulative revenue including $67 million in a single year at Lumio, built and led teams of more than 50 people, and pioneered Virtual Power Plant programmes across ERCOT and CAISO. A Golden Door Award recipient recognised for top 1% national performance in sales leadership, he brings rare field-level execution experience to the VPP and storage space. In this conversation we get into what alignment really means when the grid is the deadline, how to build trust at scale across functional teams, why the leaders winning right now are operators first and talkers second, and what the arrival of AI and data centres means for distributed energy and VPPs. We also cover retention, the player-coach mentality, and why the grid is not short on generation, it is short on orchestration. In this episode we cover: Why Mitch's leadership shifted from performance-driven to execution-driven, and what that looks like in practiceWhat alignment actually means across sales, operations, financing, compliance, and market policyHow to build trust quickly inside high-growth teams and across functional boundariesWhy retention is the most underrated lever in the energy transitionVPP deployment in ERCOT: what field reality looks like versus the conceptual hypeWhy battery storage installations are fundamentally more complex than solarHow AI and data centres are creating a new class of grid customerWhy the next phase of the grid will be defined by who orchestrates the fleet, not who installs the most assetsIf you lead teams in distributed energy, storage, or grid programmes, or you are building the next chapter of your career in the energy transition, this conversation is for you. Connect with Mitch: linkedin.com/in/mitch-berglund-593389a4Connect with Michael: linkedin.com/in/michael-thornhill-b42603367 CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction and the orchestration era01:15 Mitch's background: from residential solar to grid programmes04:10 Leadership when the grid is the deadline08:10 Operators vs. talkers: what real leadership looks like09:05 What alignment actually means10:00 How to build trust at speed15:40 Advice to your younger self18:00 VPPs: hype vs. execution reality in ERCOT20:44 Why battery storage is harder than solar22:20 Retention: the most underrated lever in the energy transition27:30 The player-coach mentality and the abundant mindset34:00 Large companies vs. small teams: where people feel valued36:40 AI, data centres, and the new grid customer40:40 VPPs as the flex and shock absorber of the grid43:17 The new wave: leading in the orchestration era47:08 Wrap-up and how to connect with Mitch

    48 min

  2. May 6

    It Should Work Is Not Good Enough: Julija Kaladžinskaitė on Building a Specialist BESS Team in the Baltics

    Description: What does it take to build a specialist BESS team from scratch in a market where the margin for error is almost zero? Julija Kaladžinskaitė, CEO of Best Solutions, has done exactly that, assembling a seven-person expert team across commercial, industrial, and utility-scale BESS solutions in the Baltic States, one of Europe's fastest moving energy markets. In this conversation, we get into why she refuses to accept "it should work" as an answer, how she thinks about quality assurance in a way most companies in this space simply don't, and what transformative leadership actually looks like when you are running a startup in a complex technical market. We also cover when to walk away from a market niche, how Scandinavian business culture shaped the way she builds partnerships, and why she believes people, not technology, are the core asset of every energy company. In this episode we cover: Why "it should work" is never good enough and what she does insteadHow she brings all stakeholders, suppliers, aggregators, investors and policymakers into the same room and why it transforms client trustWhy she only hires experienced people and what she does to test BESS solutions before they ever reach a client siteThe cultural gap between European and Asian suppliers and how she bridges itWhat Solar Explain taught her about education, structured knowledge, and knowing when to walk away from a market nicheHow she balances giving people freedom to make mistakes with keeping projects on track and on deadlineWhy clarity of expectations before hiring makes every leadership decision easier afterwardsIf you work in BESS, lead a specialist team, or are building a business in a fast-moving technical market, this conversation is for you. Connect with Julija Kaladžinskaitė:linkedin.com/in/julija-kaladžinskaitė Julija Kaladžinskaitė is CEO of Best Solutions, where she built the company from the ground up in C&I and utility-scale energy storage, recruiting and shaping a top-performing team and leading the execution of its first key projects. Known for her ability to turn vision into reality, she has created new business lines in complex, fast-moving energy markets. With over a decade of experience in solar, BIPV, and renewable energy business development, Julija combines strategic thinking with hands-on execution to drive impact. She is also the founder of Solar Explain, a platform dedicated to simplifying renewable energy through education and consultancy, helping businesses and professionals confidently navigate the market. Connect with Michael Thornhill:I help renewable energy companies find exceptional talent and develop the leadership and culture that makes them stay.linkedin.com/in/michael-thornhill-b42603367

    47 min

  3. May 6

    From Siemens Director to Founder: Farshid Arman on Falling in Love With the Problem & Building Businesses That Last.

    What separates the leaders who build things that last from the ones who don't? Farshid Arman has lived that question across every stage of the energy industry: from a hydrogen storage startup with no roadmap, to 13 years commercialising energy technologies at Siemens, to VP of VPP Operations at AutoGrid, to founding FlexEnergi, a capacity-as-a-service business serving utilities across the US and Canada. In this conversation, we talk about the four questions he asks before committing to any new venture, why knowing when to walk away is the most underrated leadership skill, and how to fall in love with the problem rather than the solution. We also get into the remote work debate, what great hiring actually looks like at a startup, and why the climate problem has never been more urgent even when governments keep looking the other way. In this episode we cover: The four questions Farshid asks before committing to any new venture, and why vehicle-to-grid fails one of them right nowWhy making a hundred million dollars at Siemens felt like almost nothing, and what that taught him about impactThe difference between leading at a 500,000-person company and a ten-person startupWhy focusing on how much you have left to do matters more than how much you have already doneHow FlexEnergi is building differently from the competition, starting with the distribution grid rather than the thermostatThe Steve Jobs hiring philosophy Farshid subscribes to and how he applies itWhy mandatory office days are backwards thinking, and what a genuinely productive hybrid model looks likeStaying heads down on the climate problem when administrations keep undoing each other's workIf you work in energy technology, lead a team in the renewables space, or are weighing up a startup opportunity against a corporate role, this conversation will sharpen how you think. Connect with Farshid Arman:linkedin.com/in/farshid-arman Farshid Arman is President of FlexEnergi, where he leads the company's efforts in delivering advanced distributed energy and virtual power plant solutions. Prior to FlexEnergi, he served as Vice President of VPP Operations at AutoGrid, overseeing large-scale VPP deployments across utilities of varying sizes. Earlier in his career, Farshid worked at Siemens AG across wind power, gas power, smart grid, and energy storage. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and is the inventor on numerous patents. Connect with Michael Thornhill:I help renewable energy companies find exceptional talent and develop the leadership and culture that makes them stay.linkedin.com/in/michael-thornhill-b42603367

    46 min

  4. May 6

    100% Retention in Renewable Energy: How Weronika Nowak Builds Teams That Stay

    What does it actually take to build a renewable energy team where nobody leaves? Weronika Nowak, Country Manager for Green Volt USA and incoming CEO for Green Volt Power Poland, has done exactly that. Since launching the US business, not a single person has left and she hasn't had to let anyone go either. In this conversation, we go deep on the leadership and culture decisions behind that 100% retention record: the hiring philosophy that takes months rather than weeks, why she ignores standard interview questions, and how she led her team through 18 months of existential uncertainty in the US renewables market without losing a single person. We also cover the knowledge transfer gap threatening the energy transition, the cultural differences between US and European renewable energy markets, and why making yourself irreplaceable is actually the biggest leadership failure of all. In this episode we cover: Why Weronika's hiring process takes months, not weeks, and what she is actually looking for in those conversationsHow she brings candidates into the office to meet the whole team before any offer is madeWhat it tells her when a candidate leads with their title expectationsHow she led her team through 18 months of existential uncertainty without losing a single personWho thrives in utility-scale renewable energy development and who struggles, even when they are technically strongThe irreplaceability trap: why making yourself impossible to replace is a leadership failureThe knowledge transfer gap between senior and junior professionals in the energy transitionNavigating the cultural differences between US and European renewable energy marketsIf you work in renewable energy development, lead a team, or are thinking about your next career move in the energy sector, this conversation is for you. Connect with Weronika Nowak:linkedin.com/in/weronikanowak Connect with Michael Thornhill:I help renewable energy companies find exceptional talent and develop the leadership and culture that makes them stay.linkedin.com/in/michael-thornhill-b42603367

    53 min
  • 4 Episodes

About

The Renewable Energy Leadership Podcast goes beyond the technology and the megawatts into the people, the decisions, and the culture behind the energy transition. Honest, unscripted conversations with the senior leaders driving the transition. Not just what they are building. How they lead. If you lead in this sector, or aspire to, this is the conversation you have been waiting for.

Information