Sean White‘s Solar and Energy Storage Podcast

At Intersolar San Diego, Tim Price (CRO) and Trace Jenkins (Senior Sales Engineer) of SOLO LLC discuss how modern solar software is transforming residential sales, from accurate system design and interactive proposals to integrated financing tools. They reflect on the evolution from early platforms like OnGrid to today’s AI-driven solutions, highlighting how increased transparency and consumer awareness are shaping more informed buyers. The conversation also covers key industry shifts, including upcoming tax credit changes, the growing adoption of leases and PPAs, evolving pricing and commission structures, and the importance of getting to permit and design right the first time—alongside the expanding role of battery storage in residential solar.   Topics Covered: SOLO = Speed of Light Operations Slack Mike Bishop OnGrid Pizza Bitcoin Solar Games EPC Installer TPO = Third Party Ownership Corporate Tax Credit TAM= Total Addressable Market Red line Flat Commission Rate .io = Indian Ocean Energy Storage   Reach out with Tim Price and Tracey Jenkins here: LinkedIn Tim Price: www.linkedin.com/in/timpricepdx/ Trace Jenkins: www.linkedin.com/in/trace-jenkins-27059629b/ Website: www.gosolo.io/     Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean www.solarsean.com/40hress

Rapid shutdown was designed to protect firefighters, but could simpler systems be the smarter path forward? A 10-year fire veteran turned solar installer shares hard-won lessons from the field, including why fewer electronics in the array might mean safer, more reliable solar for everyone. A bold conversation about building a better solar future.   Topics Covered Rapid Shutdown Firefighter Energy Wise Services www.energywiseservices.com Energy Wise Lighting Feed in Tariff Program in Oregon Solar Coaster Solar Games Boys and Girls Club at Corvallis Oregon Solar Fire MC4 Connector UL 3741 Tax Credit Corporate Tax Credit Corporate Personhood Tank Solar Hans Joseph Fell Apple Podcast YouTube Spotify Podbean Why Republicans Love Solar Apple Podcast YouTube Spotify Podbean   Reach out to Peter Greenberg here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/peter-greenberg Energy Wise: www.energywiseservices.com   Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean solarsean.com/pvtsexam

Energy industry veteran Sasson Peress examines why standard metrics like watts and kilowatt hours fail to capture real-world performance. From solar panel ratings under idealized test conditions to battery storage variables, including degradation, C-rates, temperature constraints, and cycle limitations, the gap between nameplate specifications and actual delivered value has significant implications for developers, financiers, and end users navigating today's energy landscape.   Topics Covered Mohawk Indigenous Land First Nations in Canada Currency in Energy Solar in 1989 STC = Standard Test Condition ESS = Energy Storage System Battery C-rate Degradation Depth of Discharge and State of Charge Energy Demand Data Center in Space Home Power Magazine ASES = American Solar Energy Society ISES = International Solar Energy Society NorCal Solar = Northern California Solar Energy Association EV = Electric Vehicle Market ICP = Intersolar Consumer Product Parasitic Load Solar Roots   Reach out to Sasson Peress here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sassperess   Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean solarsean.com/pvsiexam

What does it take to install solar in one of the most regulated cities in the country? From specialty flat-roof racking in Brooklyn and Queens to navigating NYC's newly adopted 2020 electrical code, this episode explores the technical and business realities of urban solar plus why younger designers see opportunity where others see complexity.   Topics Covered How to make solar more exciting Decreasing Pollution Coal Oil Heating New York City Solar Dubai Chiller Buildings Installation Racking Commercial and Residential System NEC = National Electrical Code Code Cycles   Reach out to Cameron Feary here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-fearey Indent Builders Website: www.indentbuilders.com   Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean solarsean.com/2hrbfc

At Intersolar San Diego, Sean sits down with Curtis Merring, Director of Product Marketing at Aurora Solar, about how Aurora and its C&I product HelioScope help installers design and sell solar remotely using aerial imagery, lidar, and accurate simulations, reducing soft costs and improving safety. Merring explains Aurora’s go-to-market marketing approach and notes the company has 7,000+ customers, with 70–80% of the industry touching its tools during a project lifecycle. They discuss why Aurora and HelioScope remain separate products, and how growing U.S. complexity—net metering shifting to net billing, rising electricity rates, grid uncertainty, and increased demand for storage and control—drives new needs like peak shaving and export decisions. He also describes Aurora’s AI-driven 3D modeling, trained on millions of projects, now generating models in under 10 seconds and increasingly used by both sales and designers.   Topics Covered: Ethos = Essence of the product creating Solar software Helioscope Lidar CNI Solar design Product marketing On Grid Excel spreadsheet Clean Power Finance Virtual power plants Bidirectional EVs Macrotrends Energy Management System Chris and Sam AI design   Reach out to Curtis Merring here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/curtismerring Email: c.merring@aurorasolar.com   Website: www.aurorasolar.com   Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean www.solarsean.com/pvds

Solar industry veteran Mike Bishop discusses two decades of photovoltaic market transformation on Sean White’s Solar and Energy Storage Podcast. From California's $4/watt rebates and OnGrid financial modeling software to current net metering policy, AI data center power demands, and Energy Net protocols, they analyze economic trends, regulatory impacts, and technological developments. The discussion examines distributed versus utility-scale generation, battery storage evolution, and whether rising fixed utility charges could make grid disconnection economically viable.   Topics Covered OnGrid www.ongrid.wtf Solar History Software NorCal Solar www.norcalsolar.org Market Battery Rebate Governator Expected Performance Based Buydown Tax Credit Net Metering Arnold Schwarzenegger Energy Net Broadband Internet Galvanic Isolation Slow Power www.slowpower.wtf Slow Power Blog www.slowpower.wtf/blog AI = Artificial Intelligence AI Utilizing Jobs Swanson’s Law Price of Solar Arco Solar Used Module Podcast with Alfredo Ignacio (AI) Apple Podcast YouTube Spotify Pandora Podbean NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners   Reach out to Mike Bishop here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/michael-c-bishop/   Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean solarsean.com/20hrpv17

At Intersolar San Diego, Sean meets again with Eric Holvik of EnergySage (which was acquired by Schneider Electric) about the shifting U.S. residential solar market. Holvik says residential solar is projected to contract by about 30% this year and notes the customer-owned residential tax credit has expired, swinging the market toward 80–90% third-party ownership after a recent 50/50 owned-versus-leased split. They discuss how rising utility rates, time-of-use pricing, batteries, and virtual power plants may create new value even as net metering and policy changes pressure demand. Holvik argues the industry harms itself through misleading sales tactics, especially the “red line” commission model that inflates prices and contributes to installer failures and explains how Energy Sage improves consumer choice and pricing transparency, typically saving customers about 20%. Topics Covered: Schneider Electric Energy Sage Solar Energy Tax credits Residential systems TPO = Third party ownership Bernadette Del Chiaro CALSSA = California Solar and Storage Association Environmental Working Group Red line model Polygraph Test 1099 salesperson Tony Diaz Schneider Electric PV Associate Class PV Technical Sales Class   Reach out with Erik Holvik here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/erik-holvik  Email: erik.holvik@energysag.com Website: https://www.energysage.com/   Podcast episode link for the previous episode: Erik Holvik: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/energy-saging-with-erik-holvik-of-energysage/id1441958371?i=1000705129177 Bernadette Del Chiaro: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bernadette-del-chiaro/id1441958371?i=1000741834340   Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean www.solarsean.com/pva http://www.solarsean.com/pvtsintesive</br />

At Intersolar San Diego, Sean White meets Michael Schwarz, General Manager for growth at Arch O&M, about operations and maintenance for solar projects. Schwarz describes O&M as the “service shop” for PV systems, with days driven by shifting schedules, customer and technician calls, and occasional field work. Arch focuses mainly on commercial/industrial and ground-mount systems roughly 400 kW to 20 MW, with maintenance needs increasing around years 7–9. They handle preventive work such as IV curve testing (often with Fluke), drone flights, insulation resistance (“megger”) testing, and troubleshooting, and they increasingly specialize in wind and storm damage remediation. They discuss challenges of sourcing matching replacement modules for older arrays, Arch’s emphasis on training and growing talent, NABCEP’s PV Commissioning and Maintenance Specialist certification and upcoming O&M associate credential, and the NABCEP conference in Milwaukee.   Topics Covered: O&M = Operations and Maintenance CapEx = Capital Expenditure OpEx = Operational Expenditure PV Maintenance           NABCEP PVCMS Certification NABCEP Conference Milwaukee, Wisconsin Harley Davidson Museum Electric cruiser bike Electric adventure bike IV curve testing Insulation resistance training Megometer Arch O&M training programs OMAT = O&M Associate Technician   Reach out to Michael Schwarz here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/michael-schwarz-ms-lod-lean123 Website: www.archsolar.com   Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at: www.heatspring.com/sean www.solarsean.com/pvcms

Solar Steve Sherman highlights his solar energy projects and shares updates from Aruba on Sean White’s podcast. They talked about Steve's musical project using AI to create solar-themed songs, his recent completion of the ESIP exam, and his installation of solar systems in Michigan before the tax credit expired. Steve shared his experiences working on rooftops in snowy conditions to meet the deadline, emphasizing the importance of safety and careful planning. They also discussed the potential for solar energy in Aruba, including the island's current renewable energy goals and the challenges of net metering policies. The conversation touched on the broader implications of energy policy changes and their impact on installers and consumers.   Topics Covered Steve’s AI Generated Solar Song – Solar Trillions AI = Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence VS Humans Utility Net Metering Tax Credit Osha Safety Rules Sigenergy ESIP = Energy Storage Installation Professional Codes ESS = Energy Storage System Steve’s Project in Aruba   Reach out to Steve Sherman here: Email: szsherman@gmail.com Website: www.superiorenergysolar.com   Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean solarsean.com/pvipexam

Shawn O’Brien, president and CEO of NABCEP, previews the NABCEP 2026 conference in Milwaukee, describing it as a high-training, high-networking event with Irish-themed festivities because St. Patrick’s Day falls during the conference. He outlines the nightly schedule—Monday sports-themed reception after the keynote, Tuesday St. Patrick’s Day dinner with karaoke and an Irish pub after-party, and Wednesday awards night—plus meals, open bar, and extensive networking. The conference is the third largest to date and draws many non-certified attendees seeking up to 24 hours of training across 3.5 days, with 82 total sessions spanning residential through utility-scale work. O’Brien also announces upcoming credential launches and updates, including an Operations & Maintenance Associate Technician and a new PV Associate exam, and highlights the event app and venue details at Milwaukee’s Baird Center connected to the Hilton.   Topics Covered: Irish theme NABCEP Conference NABCEP PV Associate Class St. Patrick’s Day Sports night Milwaukee Brewers Orlando Solar Bears NABCEP Event app Cvent NABCEP Conference night activities Ignite sessions SunCast podcast booth Heatspring podcast booth Trainings OMAT = O&M Maintenance Associate Technician New PVA Exam Party night during conferences Cvent App NABCEP Conference Event ID = UrZbinabcep26   Enroll to Sean White’s PVA Class on the NABCEP CE Conference here: Heatspring: www.heatspring.com/courses/nabcep-pv-associate-training-live-from-the-2026-nabcep-ce-conference   Register to NABCEP CE Conference here: https://web.cvent.com/event/6fb58a2d-8582-490a-beb1-2b1b9dad4e51/summary   Reach out to Shawn O’Brien here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/shawnwobrien/ Website: www.nabcep.org   NABCEP CE Conference venue: The Baird Convention Center: www.bairdcenter.com   NABCEP Conference Night happenings Monday: Sports theme Night Tuesday: St. Patrick’s theme Night & Karaoke Night Wednesday: Awards Night   Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at: www.heatspring.com/sean www.solarsean.com/pva