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
  • 913: The Real Toll AI Data Centers Are Taking on the Grid (and how to fix it) | with Jon Parrella

    913: The Real Toll AI Data Centers Are Taking on the Grid (and how to fix it) | with Jon Parrella
    Mar 24 2026

    AI isn’t just increasing demand for electricity - it’s changing how power behaves.

    In this Tactical Tuesday, Nico Johnson sits down with Jon Parella of Terraflow Energy to break down a problem few people are talking about: modern AI data centers don’t draw power like traditional loads. They ramp rapidly, swing unpredictably, and introduce volatility that existing infrastructure wasn’t designed to handle.

    That shift is putting real strain on generators, batteries, and the grid itself - accelerating wear, increasing complexity, and creating new risks for developers and investors alike.

    In this episode, you’ll learn:

    🔹 Why AI data centers behave differently from traditional power loads

    🔹 How rapid load swings impact generators, lithium-ion batteries, and grid stability

    🔹 What “controllable load” means - and why utilities and ISOs are prioritizing it

    🔹 Where traditional power system design breaks down under AI-driven demand

    🔹 Why being a responsive load could dramatically change interconnection timelines

    Most importantly, you’ll understand what needs to change to make next-generation data center infrastructure reliable, scalable, and bankable.

    If you’re developing, financing, or investing in data centers, energy infrastructure, or AI-driven growth, this episode will change how you think about the power system that it requires.

    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.

    You'll find more resources and learn about SunCast's guest(s), recommendations, book links, and more than 850 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.

    You can learn more about partnering with SunCast here: https://mysuncast.com/sponsors

    You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:

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

    LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

    Subscribe to Valence, our weekly Linkedin Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • 912: How Energy Narratives Shape Capital -A Former WSJ Reporter’s Perspective | Russell Gold

    912: How Energy Narratives Shape Capital -A Former WSJ Reporter’s Perspective | Russell Gold
    Mar 21 2026
    Russell Gold has spent years explaining the energy transition from the outside. First as one of The Wall Street Journal’s leading energy reporters, and now from inside one of clean energy’s fastest-growing new entrants, T1 Energy.At The Wall Street Journal, his award-winning work covered the fracking boom, Deepwater Horizon, and the investigation into the Camp Fire in California. He also wrote The Boom and Superpower, digging into the people, decisions, and forces shaping modern energy.Now, he’s on the other side of the table.As EVP of Strategic Communications at T1 Energy, Russell is helping shape how a new U.S. solar manufacturer shows up to the market—and how that story connects to capital.In this conversation, we explore what that shift in perspective reveals. Where the industry is actually making progress. Where the bottlenecks persist. And why clean energy still struggles to tell a clear reliability story, even as deployment continues at record pace.We also dig into something most people underestimate: how much narrative influences where capital flows—and what leaders in this industry should be doing about it.Expect to learn:🔹 How behind-the-meter deployment is helping bypass transmission delays🔹 Why the reliability story is still one of clean energy’s biggest messaging gaps🔹 What it will take for domestic solar manufacturing to compete globallyThis is a fascinating look at how Gold’s perspective changed once he got a chance to see what’s really happening from inside the clean energy sector, and what we all can learn and apply to our own businesses.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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    27 mins
  • 911: Why Most C&I Solar Projects Don’t Succeed (It’s Not the Solar) | Aaron Wilson, Solar One

    911: Why Most C&I Solar Projects Don’t Succeed (It’s Not the Solar) | Aaron Wilson, Solar One
    Mar 19 2026
    Most C&I solar projects don’t fall short because of the solar itself.They struggle because deals aren’t structured correctly, markets are misunderstood, or developers take on opportunities that were never a fit to begin with.In this episode of SunCast, Nico Johnson sits down with Aaron Wilson, co-founder and CEO of Solar One, to unpack what actually separates projects that get built and deliver long-term value - from the ones that stall, get delayed, or fail to meet expectations.Aaron didn’t come up through traditional solar channels. He started in commodities - trading steel and silicon across Europe and China - before moving into development and building Solar One into a vertically integrated C&I solar company operating in markets like Long Island and Texas.Along the way, he’s:Built projects in markets most developers overlookedHelped stand up hundreds of megawatts in Texas - before the market was readyMade deliberate decisions to walk away from residential solarAnd developed a disciplined approach to choosing markets, customers, and dealsIn this conversation, we explore:🔹 Why Solar One chose C&I over the residential gold rush🔹 What business owners actually need from a solar partner in an era of rising electricity costs🔹 Why great entrepreneurs are driven by purpose, not ruled by fear🔹 How to evaluate whether a market is actually viable (vs just “hot”)🎧 Listen now to learn how to build C&I solar projects that actually deliver.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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    1 hr and 26 mins
  • 910: Clean Energy Is Winning on Cost — So Why Is It Losing the Narrative? | Sammy Roth

    910: Clean Energy Is Winning on Cost — So Why Is It Losing the Narrative? | Sammy Roth
    Mar 17 2026
    Clean energy is winning on cost.Solar and storage are cheaper than ever. Deployment is accelerating. The economics are undeniable.So why does it still feel like the industry is losing the broader public narrative?In this live conversation, Nico Johnson sits down with journalist Sammy Roth to explore the gap between technical success and cultural influence. After more than a decade covering energy and climate for the Los Angeles Times, Sammy now writes the independent newsletter Climate-Colored Goggles, where he examines how media, identity, and storytelling shape the energy transition.Sammy argues that the challenge isn’t just policy or technology — it’s narrative. While clean energy has focused on cost curves and deployment, it has often underinvested in the cultural work required to build public trust, identity, and long-term support.This conversation digs into what the industry gets wrong about communication, why reacting to politics is a losing strategy, and what it would actually take to win the long-term cultural battle.And asking a bigger question: what if the clean energy industry is fighting the wrong battle?Expect to learn:🔹 Why Sammy believes clean energy is losing a cultural battle, not just a political one🔹 What the industry got wrong in communicating the Inflation Reduction Act🔹 Why facts, economics, and climate science are not enough to win public support🔹 How entertainment, sports, media, and advertising shape energy narratives over timeThis is a conversation about branding, belief, and what it will really take to make clean energy feel as essential and American as the incumbents it is trying to replace.Listen in.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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    24 mins
  • 909: The Energy Signals the Industry Is Missing | with Darrell Proctor, Julian Spector & Sammy Roth

    909: The Energy Signals the Industry Is Missing | with Darrell Proctor, Julian Spector & Sammy Roth
    Mar 14 2026

    If you want to understand where the energy industry is heading, pay attention to the journalists tracking it every day.

    Thankfully, we get to sit down with three of the most plugged-in reporters covering the energy transition: Sammy Roth of Climate-Colored Goggles (formerly w/ LA Times), Julian Spector of Canary Media, and Darrell Proctor of POWER Magazine.

    What signals are shaping the market right now — from capital flowing into new energy projects to grid bottlenecks, AI-driven electricity demand, and the evolving narrative around fossil fuels and nuclear?

    These are the conversations happening inside the clean energy newsroom.

    Topics covered:

    🔹 Why AI and hyperscale data centers are suddenly driving massive clean energy investment

    🔹 The surprising rise of domestic solar manufacturing in the United States

    🔹 Why grid interconnection queues remain one of the biggest barriers to new projects

    🔹 How journalists are thinking about climate targets in a world already at 1.5°C

    If you’re not already following Darrell Proctor, Julian Spector, and Sammy Roth then you’re missing the conversations and stories shaping the clean energy transition.

    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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    30 mins