Clean Power Hour Tim Montague, John Weaver

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Stay up to date with the latest solar, wind, and energy storage news and analysis. Join co-hosts Tim Montague, solar & storage expert, and John Weaver, PV Magazine journalist, as they reflect on the latest tools, technologies, and trends driving the energy transition forward. With a strong commitment to decarbonizing the economy and building a safer, healthier future for humanity, this show is a must-watch for any energy professional looking to stay ahead of the game. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel, rate and review us on Apple or Spotify, and join us live every Thursday at 12 noon EST / 9 AM Pacific. Contact us at tim@cleanpowerhour.com or visit www.CleanPowerHour.com to learn more.

This week John Weaver and I were joined by Sean White and we discussed,
1. The events at the just concluded 2023 RE+ Convection
2. White House launches clean energy youth workforce program amid labor shortage concerns
3. We talk about the Erthos technology and what it means to the clean energy revolution
4. Companies that were present at the RE+ and the new upcoming technology


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The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com
Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com

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Sunrun is the largest residential solar company in the US and they pioneered ‘solar as a service.’ They are on pace to install 800 MW of solar in 2023. That’s an astounding 10 percent of the US residential solar market.

Today on the Clean Power Hour, solar policy, batteries, and grid flexibility with Amy Heart, Vice President of Policy at Sunrun. Amy Heart has been a pioneer in renewable energy for over 20 years. She got her start volunteering with the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) in the late 1990s, helping build the solar industry in the Midwest. After working with MREA and the City of Milwaukee on solar programs, Amy went to law school and 8 years ago joined Sunrun, the nation's largest residential solar and storage provider.
In this episode, Amy discusses Sunrun's mission to make solar energy accessible through financing options like leasing and loans. This allows more homeowners to go solar with little to no upfront costs. With over 800,000 customers (yes, 800,000), Sunrun has deployed a significant amount of the nation's residential solar. Now with the growth of energy storage, Sunrun is rapidly expanding into solar + storage installations.

Amy shares insights into emerging state solar markets like Illinois, Texas, and Florida. She discusses the importance of foundational policies like net metering to provide market stability. Amy also talks about the shift from net metering to the value of solar tariffs and how that impacts the value proposition of storage.

If you are interested in virtual power plants, residential solar, energy storage, or renewable energy policy, be sure to listen to this episode with Sunrun's Amy Heart!

Key Takeaways
What impact are changes to net metering policies having on the solar + storage market?Which states are emerging as hot new solar markets and why?How can virtual power plants leverage distributed solar + storage to benefit the grid?How did Sunrun become the leader in residential solar and what is their business model?Sunrun
Amy Heart
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The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com
Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com

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How can we build bridges of understanding to bring more people into the clean energy future? Today on the Clean Power Hour, communicating clean energy solutions through a conservative lens with Kayla Ventura, digital communications manager at the Conservative Energy Network.
Kayla Ventura has dedicated her career to clean energy communications. After working in political campaigns, she found her passion in advocating for the conservative approach to renewable energy. As Digital Communications Manager at the Conservative Energy Network, Kayla helps communicate the benefits of clean energy technologies through a conservative lens.

In this episode, Kayla shares insights from her background in speech training and communications. She discusses tailoring messages to different audiences, from energy professionals to local community members. Kayla stresses the importance of slowing down, minimizing filler words, making eye contact, and finding strength in pauses when speaking.

Kayla also provides an inside look into the Conservative Energy Network's mission and her role leading their podcast. The Conservative Energy Podcast tells stories of their state teams advancing renewable energy projects across America. Kayla spotlights leaders like Ed Rivet, a self-proclaimed "energy geek" passionate about Michigan's clean energy transition.

This conversation highlights practical tips to improve our communication and education around renewable energy.


Key Takeaways
How can clean energy advocates better tailor their messaging to connect with diverse audiences?What communication tips help eliminate filler words and improve public speaking skills?How is the Conservative Energy Network bringing conservative perspectives to the renewable energy transition?Why is it so important to urgently deploy renewable energy and storage technologies now?Kayla Ventura
Conservative Energy Network
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The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com
Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com

Solar module buyers now have a tool to rapidly assess the total financial impacts of their module selection. Anza’s engine calculates the Effective $/Watt for every PV panel option instantly so buyers can compare and select modules based on total value. Anza’s Effective $/W, combined with your risk and technical requirements, leads to the best module choice. Today on the Clean Power Hour, optimizing procurement in the solar and energy storage industry with Mike Hall, CEO of Anza Renewables.
Mike has a long history in the solar industry, starting Borrego Solar with his brother and friend in 2002 when the US solar market was just 1MW annually. He grew Borrego into an EPC and developer, eventually splitting into three businesses: Borrego, New Leaf Energy, and now Anza Renewables which he founded in 2020.

Anza provides a procurement optimization platform using data and technology to help large-scale buyers of solar modules and energy storage maximize project value. The platform aggregates module and battery pricing and technical data to calculate total lifetime value and make optimal procurement decisions.

Tim Montague and Mike discuss how Anza's platform aggregates pricing, technical, and supply data to calculate total lifetime value. Mike explains how antiquated solar and storage procurement processes are and how Anza brings procurement into the 21st century by centralizing 90% of US supply information and providing actionable intelligence to reduce costs and increase profitability.

Early customers have seen significant value, with over 1GW procured through Anza in 2022. This episode gives great insights into the evolution of solar, the importance of procurement, and how Anza is leveraging data to drive the next phase of renewable energy growth.

Key Takeaways
How did the US solar market evolve from just 1 MW annually in 2002 to over 30 GW today?How can data and technology help optimize procurement for solar projects?What does Anza's platform do to improve procurement?What results have Anza's early customers seen so far?Mike Hall
Follow Anza Renewables
Anza Renewables


Support the showConnect with Tim
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Tim on Twitter
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Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com
Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com
Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com

Today on the Clean Power Hour, we’re joined by Craig Lewis, founder and executive director of the Clean Coalition, to discuss the advent of community-scale microgrids. These microgrids are a great way to provide resiliency to power outages at the scale of tens of thousands of users and typically provide off-grid operation for key infrastructure like hospitals, community centers, and schools.
The Clean Coalition was established in 2009 following the Enron scandal that rocked California grids. “The Clean Coalition has had a significant impact shaping policies and programs that enable the deployment of clean local energy to address climate change and secure economic, environmental, and resilience benefits for communities."
The Coalition has many accomplishments including:
Designed and implemented Feed-In Tariff (FIT) programs across the United States, from California to Indiana to Vermont, bringing hundreds of megawatts (MW) of local renewable energy online.Established precedent-setting interconnection policy in California, which was adopted by federal energy regulators as a new national standard, making it quicker and cheaper to connect clean local energy projects to the grid.Issued studies that influenced major decisions under California regulatory bodies to stall and stop construction in Southern California of gas plants in favor of solar+storage solutions.Led the creation of California’s innovative Distribution Resources Planning proceeding, which requires the state’s largest utilities to proactively plan for — and deploy — distributed energy resources (DER), such as local renewables and energy storage.Shaped New York’s Reforming the Energy Vision proceeding and received one of the first five NY Prize Community Microgrid Competition grants for our Long Island Community Microgrid Project.Craig provides unique insight into transitioning our energy system. He shares details on the Clean Coalition’s solar microgrid projects across the country.
Support the showConnect with Tim
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Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com
Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com
Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com

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Can we actually restore Earth's climate to safe pre-industrial conditions? According to scientist and entrepreneur Peter Fiekowsky, the answer is yes. 
Fiekowsky has developed a framework for vetting climate solutions. His meaningful solutions will be 1.Permanent 2.Scalable 3. Financeable and 4. Practical
Then he created a long list of possible solutions and ran them through his framework. What emerged, and is documented in his book Climate Restoration, are four remedies that will surprise and hopefully delight you.

In order to remove 1 trillion tons of pollution from the atmosphere… We need to do these 4 things:
 Synthetic limestone manufactureSeaweed permacultureOcean Iron Fertilization, OIFEnhanced Atmospheric  methane oxidation EAMOWhat's fascinating is that over the course of the past two years since he wrote the book he's whittled the list down to just two of these… can you guess which two? I couldn't.
In this episode, Peter Fiekowsky and I break down his framework and explore the four, now two critical solutions that we humans can apply today to remove excess carbon from the atmosphere. Note that his arrived upon solutions largely mimick natural processes, like the explosion of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 which pumped iron dust into the sky and then the ocean.

Fiekowsky argues that most current climate proposals are too incremental. Instead of just stabilizing today's unsafe CO2 levels, we should boldly aim to get back to under 300 ppm like in pre-industrial times. He makes an optimistic case that for around one billion dollars per year, we could launch natural carbon removal processes to hit that target by 2050.

Fiekowsky delves into how public pressure and endorsements from environmental organizations are key to convincing governments and philanthropists to fund climate restoration.

Key Takeaways
What are some key permanent, scalable, financeable methods for removing excess carbon from the atmosphere?How exactly does ocean iron fertilization work to draw down carbon?How can public pressure and endorsements help drive governments and philanthropists to fund climate restoration solutions?
Support the showConnect with Tim
Clean Power Hour
Clean Power Hour on YouTube
Tim on Twitter
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Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com
Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com
Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com