Clean Power Hour

Tim Montague, John Weaver

The Clean Power Hour podcast is speeding the clean energy transition. Tim Montague and John Weaver highlight clean energy innovations shaping the next generation of renewable energy sources. We discuss the latest solar PV, battery storage, wind, water, wave, and other low-carbon technologies. We answer the question: How can we decarbonize the economy? We promote the economic opportunity of electrifying everything - transportation, energy, industry, and the built environment. Let's speed up the clean energy transition together. Join the movement - www.CleanPowerHour.com

  1. SDE's Approach to Solar Racking: What DG Installers Need to Know #348

    1D AGO

    SDE's Approach to Solar Racking: What DG Installers Need to Know #348

    Solar racking is one of the lowest-cost line items on a DG project and one of the highest-risk failure points. Kyle Sinclair, Co-founder and CEO of SDE (Sinclair Designs and Engineering), joins Tim Montague to explain how USA-made steel and 4-day commercial engineering turnarounds are solving the lead time and logistics failures that slow commercial solar projects. SDE produces 3 megawatts of racking in a single 8-hour shift. On this episode of the Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague speaks with Kyle about the full arc of SDE's product line, from the Skyrack 2.0 fixed-tilt ground-mount system to a new I-beam solution designed for rocky soil conditions in Texas and on the West Coast. They also cover the realities of solar carport installation, including foundation risk, soil testing, and why carport projects require a fundamentally different approach than ground mount racking. Here is what you will learn in this conversation: Learn how SDE turns around residential stamped drawing packages in 2 days and commercial packages in 4 days, and why that speed has become the deciding factor for EPCs managing safe harbor deadlines.Understand the difference between C-channel and I-beam ground mount racking, including why high refusal rates in rocky soil conditions led SDE to develop a 6x9 and 6x15 I-beam solution that Kyle says is more cost-effective than most competitors' C-channel designs.Learn what every EPC should know before pricing a solar carport installation: how soil conditions drive foundation costs from $1,500 per hole to $2,800 per hole, and why planning for worst-case geotech results protects your margin.Find out how SDE holds a 95% delivery accuracy rating using ISO 9001 quality management and Keyence scanning technology integrated into their ERP system, and why that matters when your crew is at a remote site expecting a full kit.Any EPC designing projects in the Midwest or expanding into new geographies need to hear Kyle's approach to engineering for conditions that historical data no longer predicts accurately. Connect with Kyle Sinclair, SDE  Kyle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-sinclair-b9b60a62/ SDE Website: https://www.sinclair-designs.com/ Support the show Connect with Tim   Clean Power Hour  Clean Power Hour on YouTube Tim on Twitter Tim on LinkedIn  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

    45 min
  2. LG Energy Solution Targets 50 GWh With 5 US Battery Factories

    3D AGO

    LG Energy Solution Targets 50 GWh With 5 US Battery Factories

    LG Energy Solution plans to bring over 50 gigawatt hours of annual battery manufacturing capacity online in the US by the end of 2026 across five facilities (MI, IL, AZ, OH, GA). The company also projects a 15% cost reduction on its next-generation cells by 2028. Tim Montague and John Weaver dig into that story and more in this May 1, 2026, edition of Clean Power Hour Live. Tim and John cover five stories this week, drawn from industry publications and their own active projects in the field. LG Energy Solutions is building five battery factories with a combined capacity of 50+ GWh per year, targeting completion by the end of 2026. The company projects a 15% cell cost reduction by 2028. (Energy Storage News)Tandem PV began demonstration manufacturing of a perovskite-silicon module reaching 29.7% efficiency, backed by a warranty of less than 1% annual degradation over 25 years. (Solar Power World)On April 27, Trina Solar claimed the world record for silicon solar cell efficiency at 28%. Longi broke that record the very next day. (PV Magazine)The US Department of Commerce announced preliminary anti-dumping duties of 123% on solar modules from India, 35% from Indonesia, and 22% from Laos. (PV Magazine)Republican lawmakers introduced new legislation to extend the commercial solar ITC, which currently expires at the end of 2027. Safe-harboring by July 4, 2026, extends project runway to July 3, 2030. (Solar Power World)The battery capacity numbers, perovskite efficiency milestones, and tariff developments covered here carry direct implications for procurement and project planning decisions in 2026 and beyond. Support the show Connect with Tim   Clean Power Hour  Clean Power Hour on YouTube Tim on Twitter Tim on LinkedIn  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

    45 min
  3. This Microgrid Model Pays Businesses to Go Solar #347

    APR 28

    This Microgrid Model Pays Businesses to Go Solar #347

    San Diego pays the second-highest electricity rates in the United States, trailing only Hawaii, and peak-hour pricing from 4 pm to 9 pm runs up to triple morning rates. In this episode, Tim Montague sits down with Rod Matthews, President of Brevian Energy, a North County San Diego developer focused on solar, battery storage, and community microgrids. Brevian works with Community Choice Aggregators to deliver behind-the-meter solar and storage at no upfront cost to commercial property owners. Tim and Rod cover the Clean Energy Alliance Solar Plus Battery program, a 25-year power purchase agreement with a 1% annual escalator and lease payments to the host site.  Here's what you'll learn in this conversation about California microgrids and community solar: You'll learn how the Clean Energy Alliance Solar Plus Battery program gives commercial property owners with 15,000 square feet of rooftop or 25 carport spaces a 25-year power purchase agreement at a 1% annual escalator with no upfront cost. Property owners also receive lease payments escalating at 2% per year, outpacing energy cost increases.Learn about how California's 4 pm to 9 pm peak window changes the math on storage. Rates during those hours run up to triple morning rates, so dispatching from the battery during peak makes projects pencil out in SDG&E territory, the second most expensive utility market in the US behind Hawaii.Understand how a closed landfill in Chollas View, San Diego, will host 10 megawatts of solar and 40 megawatt hours of lithium iron phosphate storage to serve 25,000 homes with at least 20% utility bill savings. Local residents become co-owners through a Special Purpose Vehicle for as little as $100 per share.Learn why community buy-in determines whether brownfield and microgrid projects move forward.Energy prices are climbing as data center demand grows and natural gas prices spike on global tensions. California's duck curve makes evening storage the limiting factor for further solar adoption. This episode shows a working model for solving both problems at commercial scale and at the community level. Connect with Rod Matthews Rod Matthews: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodmatthews/ Brevian Energy: https://www.brevianenergy.com/ Support the show Connect with Tim   Clean Power Hour  Clean Power Hour on YouTube Tim on Twitter Tim on LinkedIn  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

    35 min
  4. Why Most Battery Developers Fail at Zoning? #346

    APR 23

    Why Most Battery Developers Fail at Zoning? #346

    Eighty-five towns across New York state sit under battery storage moratoriums right now, and two of three Westchester County towns where Joe Tassone Jr. built successful battery projects in 2020 have since banned the technology outright. In this episode, Tim Montague sits down with Joe Tassone Jr., partner at onCORE Origination, a site origination firm working in 25 states on solar, battery storage, data centers, and EV infrastructure.  This episode covers the top three issues blocking battery development at the community level, why fire safety fears around lithium-ion storage miss the wider context, and what separates developers who close projects from those who waste millions. Here's what you'll learn in this conversation about battery development and site origination: You'll hear the three biggest objections communities raise against battery storage projects.Find out why 85 New York towns currently sit under battery moratoriums, and how two of three Westchester County towns where Joe built projects in 2020 have since banned storage outright.Learn why Joe argues developers should never treat zoning as black and white, even in towns with outright bans, because public utility statutes and use variances open paths to approval through the judicial process.Understand how state-level programs in Illinois, Maryland, and Connecticut remove local NIMBY obstacles.You'll get Joe's three tenets of successful development: knowing where to go through parcel acumen, committing fully to a market with a clear pipeline vision, and persisting relentlessly through headwinds.Joe's 30 years of site origination experience surfaces one clear lesson: developers who treat zoning as static codes and give up at the first denial lose tens of millions in project value every year. The industry needs to move from reactive to proactive, meeting with town and county associations before moratoriums pass instead of reacting after. Connect with Joe Tassone Jr  Joe Tassone Jr. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-f-tassone-jr-a778a1190/ onCORE Origination Website: https://oncoreorig.com/ Support the show Connect with Tim   Clean Power Hour  Clean Power Hour on YouTube Tim on Twitter Tim on LinkedIn  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

    45 min
  5. California Batteries Just Killed Negative Daytime Solar Prices

    APR 21

    California Batteries Just Killed Negative Daytime Solar Prices

    John Weaver calls California's daytime pricing shift the story of the year. Battery demand has pushed wholesale solar prices from negative five cents per kilowatt hour up by 4.2 cents, adding around $10,833 of revenue to solar asset owners in a single five-minute period. Tim Montague and John Weaver break down what this shift means for solar developers, plus community solar crossing 10 gigawatts, BYD's 14.5 megawatt-hour battery priced at 1.4 cents per kilowatt hour lifecycle cost, and Dean Solon's plan to build 50-year solar power plants in Tennessee. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS California batteries reverse the duck curve pricing. John Weaver's analysis shows wholesale daytime solar prices climbed from negative five cents per kilowatt hour to negative 0.8 cents, driven by battery demand absorbing midday generation. (PV Magazine)BYD reveals a 14.5 megawatt-hour DC energy storage system with a lifecycle cost of 1.4 cents per kilowatt hour (ESS News). India research indicates 90 percent grid coverage via solar plus storage at 5.6 cents per kilowatt hour. Four point nine gigawatts of solar paired with 13.5 gigawatt hours of battery delivers one gigawatt of 24/7 load. (PV Magazine)US community solar passes 10 gigawatts despite market contraction. (PV Magazine)California Public Utilities Commission seeks 6 gigawatts of new clean power capacity, with most expected to include paired battery storage. (PV Magazine)California is giving every solar market a preview of what saturated grids look like once batteries scale. The pricing data, BYD's 1.4 cent per kWh lifecycle cost, and India's 90% grid coverage research all point in the same direction: solar plus storage economics are entering a new phase. Support the show Connect with Tim   Clean Power Hour  Clean Power Hour on YouTube Tim on Twitter Tim on LinkedIn  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

    45 min
  6. Women in Solar Construction: Why the Industry Is Failing Them? #345

    APR 16

    Women in Solar Construction: Why the Industry Is Failing Them? #345

    One large solar company reported less than 1% of its field employees were women. The solar industry overall sits at 25 to 30% women across all roles, but the construction side drops to an estimated 1 to 3%. Riley Neugebauer, founder of Solar for Women, joins Tim Montague on the Clean Power Hour to talk about why women are missing from solar installation and what the industry needs to do about it. Riley Neugebauer is the founder of Solar for Women, a nonprofit building a network of women in the solar trades.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS You will learn why girls outperform boys in STEM subjects through middle school but drop off by high school, and how socialization pushes women away from trades careers before they ever consider them. You will hear Riley describe how one employer told her she had no natural ability after a year of work, while hiring men around her for the field roles she wanted. That experience led her to start the Facebook group that became Solar for Women. Riley explains that companies need to do specific work: put women in visible roles, show diversity in marketing materials, create employee resource groups, offer mentorship, and allow schedule flexibility for parents. You will hear about organizations already training women in solar, including Grid Alternatives, Remote Energy, and the Solar Energy International (SEI) women's lab programs. Riley credits Grid Alternatives with producing many of the women she knows in the solar construction workforce. Tim and Riley discuss the broader U.S. trades shortage. The country needs a million new electricians, many are aging out, and K-12 education still steers students toward college rather than skilled trades. This episode matters because the solar industry faces a labor shortage while half the population remains almost entirely absent from its construction workforce. Riley Neugebauer and Solar for Women are working to change that by building community, advocating for workplace culture shifts, and connecting women to training resources. The opportunity is large and the barriers are solvable. Connect with Riley Neugebauer, Solar for Women  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riley-neugebauer-5a534a5/ Website: https://www.solarforwomen.com/ Support the show Connect with Tim   Clean Power Hour  Clean Power Hour on YouTube Tim on Twitter Tim on LinkedIn  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

    41 min
  7. Why is USA Residential Solar So Expensive? The Real Reason U.S. Solar Is So Expensive #344

    APR 14

    Why is USA Residential Solar So Expensive? The Real Reason U.S. Solar Is So Expensive #344

    Solar modules once cost $8 per watt. Geoff Greenfield bought his first panels from a classified ad in Home Power magazine. Twenty-six years later, he leads an EPC division building 67 MW projects and negotiating 100 MW contracts. In this episode of The Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague sits down with Greenfield to trace the full arc of the U.S. solar industry, from off-grid battery systems with lead-acid batteries to utility-scale construction backed by a multi-billion-dollar general contractor. They cover NABCEP's role in professional standards, why U.S. residential solar costs two to three times more than in Australia or Germany, and why the industry needs to prepare for a future without tax credits. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Starting a solar company in 2000 meant buying used 53-watt panels from classified ads at $6 per watt. Greenfield traces how the economics shifted from pure environmental motivation to grid parity and beyond.NABCEP credentials go beyond technical competence. Organizations have lost certification over ethical violations, and state attorneys general are now pursuing solar bad actors.Panel efficiency is approaching physical limits, but economic efficiency still has room.In PJM territory, commercial battery storage pays for itself through peaking value and ancillary services, sometimes faster than solar alone. Resilience sells in residential, but the commercial case depends on grid services math.The solar tax credit is likely not returning. Companies preparing for 2028 and beyond are cutting soft costs, joining procurement cooperatives like Amicus Solar, and building business models that work without incentives.This conversation provides a 26-year field perspective on what it took to grow from a one-person off-grid installer to a utility-scale EPC, and what comes next for companies facing the same transition. Connect with Geoff Greenfield, Kokosing  Geoff LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoff-greenfield-595a406/ Kokosing Website: https://kokosingsolar.com/ Support the show Connect with Tim   Clean Power Hour  Clean Power Hour on YouTube Tim on Twitter Tim on LinkedIn  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

    45 min
  8. How AI Agents Are Reshaping the Solar Industry Right Now? #343

    APR 9

    How AI Agents Are Reshaping the Solar Industry Right Now? #343

    A 10-person, three-month estimating process. Compressed into 12 hours by a single AI agent. That is what Jesse Anglen, co-founder of Ruh AI, is building for construction and solar companies right now. In this episode of The Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague sits down with Anglen to break down what a digital workforce actually looks like in practice, how solar contractors and EPCs can start using agentic AI today, and what it means when AI agents take over knowledge work at scale. Episode Highlights Anglen breaks down the three categories of AI agents and explains why most of what people call "agents" today are not actually agents at all.One construction firm with projects in the hundreds of millions of dollars had a core operational process that took 10 people three months to complete. Ruh AI turned that same process into an overnight task.Solar contractors are sitting on a lead generation opportunity that most have never considered. AI agents make it possible to act on it at scale, at almost no cost.The administrative burden of running a billion-dollar construction or solar company is staggering. Anglen explains exactly which back-office functions AI agents are already handling, and what that means for headcount.Anglen gives a clear breakdown of what it actually costs to build and run a custom AI agent, from the entry-level option any business owner can start today to the complex systems designed to replace entire departments.Anglen shares a number that reframes the entire AI conversation. It is not about chatbots or writing emails. It is about the total size of the knowledge economy and how much of it AI is already capable of doing without a human in the loop.Solar and EPC companies are already operating under margin pressure, competing on thin spreads while administrative overhead continues to grow. The tools Jesse Anglen describes are available today, at a price point that is lower than hiring a single full-time employee. The window to adopt these systems before competitors do is narrowing fast. Connect with Jesse Anglen Linked: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesseanglen/ Website: https://www.ruh.ai/ Support the show Connect with Tim   Clean Power Hour  Clean Power Hour on YouTube Tim on Twitter Tim on LinkedIn  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

    47 min
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4.6
out of 5
21 Ratings

About

The Clean Power Hour podcast is speeding the clean energy transition. Tim Montague and John Weaver highlight clean energy innovations shaping the next generation of renewable energy sources. We discuss the latest solar PV, battery storage, wind, water, wave, and other low-carbon technologies. We answer the question: How can we decarbonize the economy? We promote the economic opportunity of electrifying everything - transportation, energy, industry, and the built environment. Let's speed up the clean energy transition together. Join the movement - www.CleanPowerHour.com

Information

  • Creator
    Tim Montague, John Weaver
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    413
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Clean Power Hour
  • Show Website
    Clean Power Hour

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