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SunCast

SunCast

By: Nico Johnson
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Nico Johnson takes you into conversations with those at the forefront of Renewable Energy. SunCast gives an inside look into what is happening in renewable energy. From conversations with the biggest Solar Panel manufacturers in the world to the small startups creating the future of renewable energy, such as carbon capture and battery technology breakthroughs. SunCast is dedicated to providing the knowledge, research, tools and expert guidance you need to understand, grow and be ahead of the curve in the fastest-growing markets in the world. Featuring over 800 conversations, Nico has interviewed people from Tesla, SolarCity, Trina Solar, Meyer Burger, Conergy, SunEdison, Energy Vault and even the US Government... to name a few. Covering topics such as Solar Power, Wind Energy, Batteries, Electric Vehicles, Carbon Capture, Finance, Hydrogen, and more. You can watch SunCast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SunCastMedia ...or view the full archive of SunCast episodes here: https://www.suncast.media/media/podcastSunCast Media Natural History Nature & Ecology Science
Episodes
  • 916: Where Solar Contractors Are Losing (and Finding) Margin | ABC Supply

    916: Where Solar Contractors Are Losing (and Finding) Margin | ABC Supply
    Mar 31 2026
    The residential solar playbook did not just change. It got torn up.If you are still operating like yesterday’s incentives, product assumptions, and sales motions will carry you forward, this episode is a reality Margins aren’t disappearing overnight. They’re leaking — in places most contractors don’t even notice.In this live conversation from IESNA 2026, Nico Johnson sits down with Rob Smith and Eric Cieslak of ABC Supply to break down where solar contractors are quietly losing profit — and where the smartest operators are starting to take it back.From jobsite efficiency and logistics to financing-driven product decisions, this episode connects the dots between day-to-day operations and long-term business survival. ABC Supply brings a unique vantage point, seeing how contractors across the country are adapting — or failing to — as the market shifts.If you’re still running your business the way you did two years ago, this conversation will challenge you to rethink what’s actually driving your margins today.Expect to learn:🔹 Where contractors are losing margin in time, labor, and logistics🔹 Why contractors need a new operating playbook in a finance-driven solar market🔹 Why planning with your distributor can unlock real efficiency gains🔹 How storage and product selection are impacting ROI🔹 Why disciplined, regional contractors may have the advantage right nowThe margin is still there — just not where it used to be.Press play and find out where to look.Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?Hit us up - team@suncast.me with your feedback & recommendations.Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolarIf you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
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    41 mins
  • 915: 100-Hour Batteries, State of Flow, and the Future of Grid Resilience

    915: 100-Hour Batteries, State of Flow, and the Future of Grid Resilience
    Mar 28 2026
    Long duration energy storage has spent years sitting in the “we’ll need it someday” category. Not anymore. As grid strain grows, data center demand surges, and reliability becomes a boardroom issue, long duration storage is starting to move from interesting concept to urgent solution.Recorded live at Intersolar and Energy Storage North America, this panel brings together Anna Siefken of the LDES Council, Aric Saunders of Noon Energy, Tristan Bannon of CellCube, and Andrew Friedenthal of E-Zinc. With Nico Johnson leading the conversation, the group digs into what is changing in the market and why more buyers are finally paying attention to long duration storage.This episode is not just about technology. It is about what happens when the grid needs more than incumbent batteries can supply. The panel explores how vanadium flow, zinc-based systems, and other long duration approaches could support resilience, replace diesel, firm renewables, and help planners think beyond the standard four-hour battery playbook.Expect to learn:🔹 Why long duration storage is finally gaining real commercial momentum🔹 How data centers, resilience needs, and grid volatility are accelerating demand🔹 What makes zinc, vanadium, and other chemistries worth watching🔹 Why procurement rules should focus on the problem to solve, not the technology to favorIf you want a clearer picture of where storage is headed after lithium-ion, this conversation is a strong place to start. It is practical, candid, and full of insight from leaders building the next layer of the grid. Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?Hit us up - team@suncast.me with your feedback & recommendations.Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolarIf you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
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    28 mins
  • 914: The Real Reason Farmers Are Turning to Solar | Rebekah Pierce

    914: The Real Reason Farmers Are Turning to Solar | Rebekah Pierce
    Mar 26 2026

    Most conversations about agrivoltaics stay at the surface.

    Rebekah Pierce didn’t set out to become a voice for solar. She was trying to solve a much simpler problem:

    How do you make a small farm financially viable… without giving it up?

    What followed was a shift — from seeing solar as a “necessary evil” to recognizing it as a tool that might fundamentally reshape how farms survive.

    In this conversation, we unpack what’s actually happening on the ground:

    🔹 What exactly is the business of solar grazing

    🔹 Where the economics work — and where they don’t

    🔹 Why “prime farmland” is often misunderstood

    🔹 The gap between developer intent and rural reality

    🔹 What breaks when you try to scale this model

    This is less about sheep under panels…

    …and more about what new revenue models might actually keep farms alive.

    _____________________________________________________

    🎧 Guest: Rebekah Pierce

    Author of Agri-Energy: Growing Power, Growing Food

    _____________________________________________________

    If you’re curious about agrivoltaics, this is a perspective you don’t usually hear.

    Hit play to hear why Rebekah Pierce believes agrivoltaics is not a side strategy. It is a glimpse of what farming could become.

    Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?

    Hit us up - team@suncast.me with your feedback & recommendations.

    Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolar

    If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.

    Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!

    SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!

    You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.

    Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.

    Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/

    You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:

    Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo

    LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
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    1 hr and 2 mins
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