Sean White‘s Solar and Energy Storage Podcast

Michael Wise, Commercial Operations Manager at LS Energy Solutions, talks string inverter technology, battery-agnostic design, and how scalable 140 kW units’ power everything from 5 MW commercial systems to the 200 MW Big Rock installation at Intersolar San Diego. The conversation covers voltage flexibility, container configurations, safety considerations, and what's next for energy storage — including sodium-ion, flow batteries, and supercapacitors.   Topics Covered: Inverter Power Brick MSSP Gen 2 Battery racks Battery modules Battery cells Ion ESS DC Solutions Big Rock Sodium Ion Super capacitators  Flywheels   Reach out to Michael Wise here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/michael-wise-17929b56 Website: www.ls-es.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/30hr2023nec

Get an insider preview of Solar 2026, the American Solar Energy Society's 55th annual national solar conference, coming to Austin's Palmer Event Center October 19–21. Host Sean White and Conference Director Ella Nielsen cover keynote speakers, student programs, award nominations, technical divisions, and why this year's collaboration with the Texas Solar Energy Society makes it a can't-miss event.   Topics Covered ASES = American Solar Energy Society ISES = International Solar Energy Society NorCal Solar ASES 55th Annual National Solar Conference Texas Solar Energy Society EV = Electric Vehicle Formula 1 & Formula E Texas ASES Chapters   Reach out to Ella Nielsen here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ella-nielsen Email: conference@ases.org   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/pvcmsexam

SunPower co-founder Dick Swanson discusses his pioneering work developing Interdigitated Back Contact solar cells at Stanford and the industry's evolution from the 1973 energy crisis to today's cost-competitive technology. Topics include Bell Labs' accidental solar cell discovery, the learning curve predicting cost declines, critical partnerships with Cypress Semiconductor, major technical pivots from concentrating to flat-plate systems, and the fortuitous circumstances that transformed solar energy into the world's cheapest electricity source.   Topics Covered NorCal Solar = Northern California Solar ASES = American Solar Energy Society Gerald Pearson History of Solar Discovery of Solar Bell Labs John Perlin Selenium Solar Cell EPRI = Electric Power Research Institute Utility SunPower www.sunpower.com TPV = Thermal Photovoltaic Stanford Silicon Cell Semiconductor Dick Schwartz Thin Film Wafer Silicon Solar Cell IBC Cell = Interdigitated Back Contact Cell Germanium PVT = Photovoltaic Thermal Stirling Engine Concentrating PV System Swanson’s Law Learning Curve Elon Musk Cypress Semiconductor Sharp Silicon Valley James Gibbons Semiconductor Electronics Book Jeff Spies Solar Roots Hippies Grateful Dead Sailboat Tom Wylie   This podcast was recorded on a phone call.   Reach out to Dick Swanson here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dick-swanson Website: www.sunpower.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/pvdsexam

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 />