What's Happening Inside the Electronics with Greg Smith

Jason Sharp, CEO of Namaste Solar, discusses the company's worker-owned cooperative model, where employees hold equal ownership and elect the board of directors. The conversation covers solar installation practices in Colorado, electrical apprenticeship programs, the evolving role of energy management systems and meter collars, distributed energy policy, and the future of bidirectional EV charging and balcony solar. Sharp also addresses how cooperative ownership fosters safety, accountability, and fair compensation across the solar industry.   Topics Covered Namaste Solar www.namastesolar.com Worker-owned Company Flashing Snow Tax Credit Snowy Roof Installation Safety Home Power Magazine Jason Sharpe’s Background EV = Electric Vehicle EV Charger Solar Universe NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners Apprenticeship Program IEC = Independent Electrical Contractors Electrical License IBEW = International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Prevailing Wage Amicus Solar Cooperative Business ESOP = Employee Stock Ownership Plan ASES = American Solar Energy Society Evolution of the Industry Bidirectional EV Politics Oil and Gas Utility ESS = Energy Storage System Grid California Fire Off Grid Market Fossil Fuel Distributed Energy Demand Charge Peak Demand Code Evolution EMS = Energy Management System PMS = Power Management System PCS = Power Control System UL 916 UL 3141 Meter Collar Balcony Solar Plugin Solar COSSA = Colorado Solar and Storage Association Why Republicans Love Solar Podcast Apple Podcast YouTube Spotify Podbean Podcast with Riley Neugebauer Apple Podcast YouTube Spotify Podbean   Reach out to Jason Sharpe here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jason-sharpe Namaste Solar: www.namastesolar.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/esipexam

From Intersolar San Diego, this conference-end wrap-up takes a tour through the world's solar and energy conferences — from SNEC in Shanghai to ASES in Austin, Texas. Learn which events are worth your time, how the solar industry has shifted from Germany to China, and why building a global network matter. Whether you're chasing NABCEP credits or your first industry connection, conferences might be the most underrated career move in solar.   Topics Covered: Intersolar San Diego Intersolar Munich, Germany SNEC PV Power and ES Expo ASES Conference in Texas NorCal Solar Party German Feed-in-Tariff Hans-Josef Fell RE+ Las Vegas RE+ North California Intersolar Middle East Intersolar India Intersolar Bangalore COP = Conference of Parties OSSIA = Oregon Solar + Storage Industries Association CALSSA = California Solar and Storage Association TenneSEIA Gil Hough   Hans-Josef Fell podcast: https://www.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hans-josef-fell-started-the-feed-in-tariff-the/id1441958371?i=1000715753971    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/pvace 

Sungrow's Power Stack 2.0 represents a shift in commercial and industrial energy storage, from backup power to a scalable, revenue-generating financial asset. This episode explores the system's specifications, deployment flexibility, and real-world applications including demand charge reduction, EV charging support, and grid resilience. Topics also include market trends across key U.S. states, the investment tax credit, and the emerging role of grid-forming inverters.   Topics Covered Sungrow www.sungrowpower.com Inverter Battery Storage ESS = Energy Storage System SLAC = Stanford Linear Accelerator Center C&I = Commercial and Industrial Grid Market Sungrow PowerStack Sungrow Power Titan EV = Electric Vehicle Incentives Solar Tax Credits UL 9540 UL 9540A Utility Scale ESS Liquid Cooling Demand Charge Grid Forming Inverter   Reach out to Kane Kuharik here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kane-kuharik Sungrow: www.sungrowpower.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/esipexam  

Utility-scale batteries are far more complex than they appear. Ty Fenton, Director of Data Analytics at FlexGen, breaks down how software keeps massive battery systems running — from detecting a single failing cell among thousands to predictive diagnostics powered by machine learning. The episode dives into real-world degradation versus lab data, operators who intentionally voided warranties for short-term profit, and why AI training loads create extreme power spikes that only batteries can absorb. Recorded live at Intersolar San Diego.   Topics Covered: FlexGen = Flexible Generation Battery Management Battery Technology Software Point of Interconnection Energy Storage Systems Warranty Terms Battery Manufacturer Lithium-Ion Batteries Data Centers Training Load Profile Machine Learning Accelerated Aging   Reach out to Ty Fenton here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ty-fenton-84782830/ Website: www.flexgen.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/pvace

Jack West has over 100 patents, including patents sold to Solar City (Tesla) and NextPower (NexTracker) and probably most importantly to Jack, guitar patents.    We hear about Elon’s personable and calm demeanor (joking) and Jack’s Steel Pulse solar roof invention, which Elon cancelled.    Jack started his solar career in 1993 with a $5/hr job in Concord, CA with a job where he alone sold, designed and installed PV systems, before PV was popular. This goes to prove that it is worth it to start your career with a low paying job to get experience.    Jack gives us advice on how to make an idea turn into reality and how a setback, such as a patent lawsuit, can end up making a patent strong and more valuable, thus turning lemons into lemonade.    Topics Covered ZEP Solar Ojjo Solar Solar City Tesla Jack West’s Career & Background Solar Battle of the Bands Humboldt Dr. Peter Lehman SERC = Schatz Energy Research Center Activism Earth First Solar Thermal Solar Hot Water Christina West Railless System Tony Fadell Vivint Solar Elon Musk Tesla Solar Roof Patent Tip Tonic www.tiptonic.com Gliss Guitar Guitar Music Canadian Solar www.canadiansolar.com Steel Pulse www.fastcompany.com 3rd Annual NorCal Solar Party www.luma.com   Reach out to Jack West here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jackwestzepsolar Website: www.jackwestguitar.com YouTube: www.youtube.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/jackwestguitar Facebook: www.facebook.com/p/Jack-West-Guitar   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

Ever wonder what's actually inside a DC-to-DC converter (optimizer) or inverter? Recorded live at InterSolar San Diego, this episode breaks down the inner workings of solar optimizers, from maximum power point tracking and energy recovery to the software that makes them last 20 years. The conversation also dives into how inverter IGBTs turn DC into clean AC power, how Tigo's approach differs from competitors like SolarEdge, and whether Tesla or Edison deserves the bigger crown.   Topics Covered: DC to DC Converter The Flinstones Optimizers MPPT = Maximum Power Point Tracker PV Watts IV Curve MLPE Tigo SMA Solar Edge TS4 IGBT = Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor Tesla Edison   Reach out to Greg Smith here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gregsmith007/   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/pvisexam

Enphase Energy has evolved from a microinverter company into a full energy systems platform enabling virtual power plants (VPP) nationwide. In this episode, CMO Marco Krapels explains how aggregated home batteries, AI-driven capacity forecasting, and a new bidirectional EV charger could reshape the grid, turning ordinary homes into small-scale power plants that generate income for homeowners while supplying utilities with the reliable, clean energy capacity they need.   Topics Covered Enphase www.enphase.com Solar Universe Net Metering AI = Artificial Intelligence Market VPP = Virtual Power Plant Data Center Utility Probability Forecasting API = Application Programming Interface Battery Fossil Fuel EV = Electric Vehicle EV Charger Grid Bidirectional EV Charger   Reach out to Marco Krapels here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/marcokrapels Enphase: www.enphase.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/30hrpv

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: [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 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