Rescuing Orphaned Systems with Thomas Stubblefield

Scott Wharton, CEO of Tandem PV, discusses his company's tandem perovskite silicon solar panel technology, which recently achieved a record 30.4 percent efficiency. He explains how a thin perovskite layer boosts power output, lowers manufacturing costs, and supports domestic production. The conversation also covers utility scale deployment, rising demand from data centers, manufacturing tax credits, and the future of solar energy in the United States.   Topics Covered Tandem PV Origin Perovskite Technology Solar Panel Efficiency Silicon Cell Integration Company Board Members                                                                    Panel Degradation Testing Solar Manufacturing Timeline Utility-Scale Solar Silicon Valley Talent US Manufacturing Tax Credits Data Center Demand Solar Cost Reduction Bifacial Solar Panels Automated Factory Production Future Efficiency Roadmap PV = Photovoltaic IPP = Independent Power Producer SEIA = Solar Energy Industries Association IRA = Inflation Reduction Act Podcast with Dick Swanson Apple Podcast YouTube Spotify Pandora Podbean   Reach out to Scott Wharton here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/scottwharton/ Website: www.tandempv.com/ Email: [email protected]   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/esip

Scott Wharton, CEO of Tandem PV, discusses his company's tandem perovskite silicon solar panel technology, which recently achieved a record 30.4 percent efficiency. He explains how a thin perovskite layer boosts power output, lowers manufacturing costs, and supports domestic production. The conversation also covers utility scale deployment, rising demand from data centers, manufacturing tax credits, and the future of solar energy in the United States.   Topics Covered Tandem PV Origin Perovskite Technology Solar Panel Efficiency Silicon Cell Integration Company Board Members                                                                    Panel Degradation Testing Solar Manufacturing Timeline Utility-Scale Solar Silicon Valley Talent US Manufacturing Tax Credits Data Center Demand Solar Cost Reduction Bifacial Solar Panels Automated Factory Production Future Efficiency Roadmap PV = Photovoltaic IPP = Independent Power Producer SEIA = Solar Energy Industries Association IRA = Inflation Reduction Act Podcast with Dick Swanson Apple Podcast YouTube Spotify Pandora Podbean   Reach out to Scott Wharton here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/scottwharton/ Website: www.tandempv.com/ Email: [email protected]   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/esip

Thomas Stubblefield, a NABCEP-certified solar installer who travels across multiple states (Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Illinois) to rescue and repair failing solar systems. Thomas explained that he has handled over 300 service calls in the past year, with 100% resolution rate, helping homeowners whose systems were installed by now-bankrupt companies like Power Home Solar and Pink Energy. He described finding numerous installation issues including improper wiring, squirrel damage covered with electrical tape, and dangerous electrical conditions, with some systems sitting incomplete for up to five years. Thomas emphasized that homeowners should never sign job completion forms until systems are fully operational and producing power, and recommended checking NABCEP certification and local contractor licensing boards when selecting solar installers.   Topics Covered Orphan solar systems Company bankruptcies Job completion form scam Dangerous wiring hazards Homeowner financial ruin Contractor license verification Solar system rescues Yelp review trust Third-party ownership (TPO) Multi-state service coverage Roof damage issues Stolen SolarEdge home runs Unlicensed electrician errors Solar panel shading Design tools (Aurora/PVWatts) Koala Solar Pros branding   Reach out to Thomas Stubblefield here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/koalallc/ Website: www.koalasolarpros.com/ Email: [email protected] 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

Eric Woodruff, a PhD and CEM who served as past president of the Association of Energy Engineers. Eric explained the CEM (Certified Energy Manager) program, which has been around since 1981 and is recognized in 100 countries, serving as a foundational course covering energy management across buildings, industrial systems, and power systems. They discussed technical topics including power factor correction, the California duck curve showing 66% renewable grid power on many days, and the benefits of solar installations, with Eric sharing his experience getting 15% returns on solar investments. The conversation also covered Eric's international work training energy professionals in countries like Lebanon, Jordan, and the Philippines, and his belief that energy efficiency should be non-political and focused on financial benefits for everyone.   Topics Covered Keynote speaker interviews Sailing and pilots                                                    Power factor billing Variable frequency drives Harmonics and filters International energy training Clean energy politics Premier Program Solar investment returns Presidents and politics AEE = Association of Energy Engineers www.aeecenter.org/ CEM = Certified Energy Manager EV = Electric vehicle emissions kVA = Kilovolt-Amps apparent power Reach out to Eric Woodruff here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ericwoodroof/ Association of Energy Engineers: www.aeecenter.org/ Profitable Green Solutions: www.profitablegreensolutions.com/ Email: [email protected]   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/pvipexam

Bill Taylor, CEO of DCE Solar, DCE Services, and DCE Design, discusses building three complementary companies spanning solar structure manufacturing, installation, and electrical design. He explains his commitment to domestic steel sourcing, his people-first management philosophy, and hiring based on behavior rather than credentials.   Topics Covered DCE Company Overview Solar Structure Manufacturing Domestic Steel Sourcing Company Culture & Leadership Hiring Philosophy Employee Retention Solar Module Trends Battery Storage Tax Credits & Incentives AI Power Demand EPC = Engineering, Procurement, Construction IPP = Independent Power Producer Carport   Reach out to Bill Taylor here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/billetaylor/ Website: www.dcesolar.com Email: [email protected] 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/pvip

Stanislav Kvochak, a commercial project engineer at Exact Solar, about solar energy projects at nuclear power plants, particularly focusing on the Chernobyl site. Stanislav shared his experience visiting Chernobyl in 2016 as part of a company tour, describing the decommissioning process and the presence of a 1-megawatt solar installation that continues to operate there. They discussed how Ukraine's energy landscape has shifted due to the war, with increased focus on decentralized solar and energy storage systems, and Stanislav explained safety procedures for working in radioactive areas including dosimeter monitoring and security protocols during air raid alerts. The conversation also covered Ukraine's historical reliance on nuclear power, current solar installations across the country, and recent developments including Ukraine’s contract with Holtec International for small modular reactors. Topics Covered Solar Chernobyl Project Chernobyl Nuclear Plant History New Safe Confinement Chernobyl During the Russia-Ukraine War Ukraine's Grid Resilience Through Solar Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant                                                                  Solar at Nuclear Sites SMR = Small Modular Reactor   Reach out to Stanislav Kvochak here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stas-kvochak/ Website: www.linkedin.com/company/exactsolar/ Email: [email protected]   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/esip

Aaron Thurlow, Chief Commercial Officer at Caelux, about the company’s perovskite solar technology. Aaron shared his career journey from working at SunPower during its rise to market dominance to his current role at Caelux, where they are developing double-power-layer solar modules that can increase efficiency by 3% absolute (from 24% to 27%) while providing cost benefits including a 20% reduction in levelized cost of energy for utility-scale projects. They discussed the technical aspects of perovskite technology, including how it captures different parts of the solar spectrum that crystalline silicon cannot, and its potential applications in space, residential, and commercial markets. Aaron emphasized that efficiency remains the single biggest lever for driving down overall system costs and enabling 24/7 solar power through reduced storage requirements, positioning Caelux 's technology as a key enabler for the industry's continued growth and the transition to more distributed and localized manufacturing Topics Covered Caelux Commercial Readiness SunPower Market Launch Power Optimizer Origins Solar Efficiency History Solar Cost Reduction 24/7 Solar Future Localized Manufacturing Perovskite Dick Swanson Solar Glass Thin Film Space Based Solar Triple Junction Cells Silicon Efficiency Limits Energy Storage Integration CapEx = Capital Expenditure BIPV = Building-Integrated Photovoltaics HJT = Heterojunction Technology TopCon = Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact DC = Direct Current NREL = National Renewable Energy Laboratory EV = Electric Vehicle   Reach out to Aaron Thurlow here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/aaronthurlow Website: www.caelux.com Email: [email protected]   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/esip

In this episode we have Shawn Shaw, founder and CEO of Camelot Energy Group, discussing energy storage and renewable energy development. Shawn explained how Camelot helps investors, asset owners, and project developers build reliable clean energy projects, highlighting challenges with community resistance to renewable energy installations including over 200 energy storage moratoria across the United States. The conversation covered technical aspects of energy storage safety, with Shawn sharing that commercial and utility-scale batteries experience fires at approximately 0.3% per year, similar to residential house fires, and discussing how safety standards have improved significantly since incidents like the Moss Landing fire. They also explored historical perspectives on energy storage, from medieval mill ponds to modern battery technology, and discussed how energy storage benefits extend beyond renewable energy integration to improving grid reliability regardless of energy source. Shawn mentioned his recent book publication on energy storage systems by the International Code Council and his work training professionals through Heat Spring platform, while both participants agreed to potentially collaborate on future podcast episodes covering the history of energy storage Topics Covered Camelot Energy Group www.camelotenergygroup.com Moss Landing Incident Thermal Runaway History of Energy Camelot Name Origin King Arthur Inspiration Medieval Energy Storage Mill Pond History Genghis Khan Energy Firefighter Training Project Development Investor Decision-Making Clean Energy Mission Big Bang Philosophy Electricity Bill Costs Grid Infrastructure Overbuilding BESS = Battery Energy Storage System AHJ = Authority Having Jurisdiction UL 9540A Reach out to Shawn Shaw here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/shawnshawpe Website: www.camelotenergygroup.com Email: [email protected]   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/esip

This podcast interview featured Maxim Kosenko, CEO and founder of Axentum, discussing their innovative technology for autonomous solar installation for AI data centers. Maxim explained their system uses flat, zero-degree tilt solar panels with pre-assembled PV modules and battery packs (2- 3 kWh per module) connected in strings to create 0.9-megawatt DC clusters that can be installed by four-person teams in under two hours, enabling installation of a gigawatt-scale project within a month using approximately 12 teams. The system eliminates traditional tracking systems, uses ballasted mounting instead of piles, and includes integrated battery storage and power electronics, resulting in a levelized cost of electricity around $50 per megawatt hour (5 cents per kilowatt hour) and potentially dropping the cost five times lower than current solar options for data centers.   Topics Covered Axentum www.axentum.com Autonomous Solar Installation AI Data Centers Megawatts per hour Installation Robot ESS = Energy Storage System Flat Panel Design Integrated Battery Storage Robot Deployment Installation Speed Wind Resistance Design Vegetation Prevention Labor Reduction Gas Turbine Shortage Solar vs Turbines Gigawatt Scale Buildout Power Electronics Embedded   Reach out to Maxim Kosenko here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/maxkosenko Website: www.axentum.com Email: [email protected]   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/pvip

Arilla Barnes, founder and CEO of Energy IoT Open Source, discussing open-source energy solutions and microgrid technology. Arilla explained how her organization creates turnkey solutions for microgrids using open-source software, firmware, and hardware to enable energy access and control for communities, with a current demonstration lab at Informal Spaces in Oakland featuring a 5.8 kilowatt solar carport, battery storage, and hybrid inverter systems. They discussed challenges with electric vehicle bi-directional charging, regulatory barriers to energy sharing between homes, and the potential for distributed data centers using renewable energy. Arilla shared her work with Linux Foundation Energy projects including LF Hyphae and LF Open Leader, and expressed interest in collaborating on a demonstration project at Sean’s solar training center property   Topics Covered Energy IoT Open Source www.eiot.energy IOT = Internet of Things SunSpec Alliance Open Source Open Energy Lab EV = Electric Vehicle Micro-Grid Grid Net-Metering Utility Bidirectional EV Charging Market Open Source Computer Technology Data Center Hydro Pump ESS = Energy Storage System Biofuel Bidirectional EV Charging Linux Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading Virtual Power Plants Energy Asset Ownership   Reach out to Arila Barnes here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/arilabarnes Website: www.eiot.energy Email: [email protected]   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/esipexam