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Sean White teaches solar and storage classes and seminars around the world and inside your home (online). He is known for helping people get NABCEP certified. This podcast contains an assortment of topics, with an emphasis on solar and storage technical knowledge. Up your game! Catch a photon! Save the planet! Learn more and go to www.solarSEAN.com
Episodes
20 hours ago
20 hours ago
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
4 days ago
4 days ago
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)
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
6 days ago
6 days ago
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
Wednesday Mar 18, 2026
Wednesday Mar 18, 2026
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
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:
Sunday Mar 15, 2026
Sunday Mar 15, 2026
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
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
Friday Mar 13, 2026
Friday Mar 13, 2026
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:
Friday Mar 13, 2026
Friday Mar 13, 2026
Darren Tan, CEO of Unigrid Battery, discusses sodium-ion battery technology as a safer, temperature-resilient alternative to lithium-ion batteries. The conversation explores the chemistry differences, safety advantages, manufacturing approach, and emerging applications in residential energy storage, commercial buildings, data centers, and electric vehicles.
Topics Covered:
Sodium-ion vs. lithium-ion battery technology
Battery safety and fire risk comparisons
Temperature performance advantages
Material availability and supply chain benefits
Manufacturing model and contract production
Residential energy storage regulations and building codes
Commercial applications
Electric vehicle applications and range limitations
NMC = Nickel Manganese Cobalt
LFP = Lithium Iron Phosphate
Sodium-ion safety profiles
Thermal runaway and fire suppression protocols
Prismatic cell design and specifications
Cooling system requirements comparison
Cost trajectory and market adoption timeline
Virtual power plant concepts
UL 9540 certification and compliance testing
Reach out to Darren Tan here:
Website: www.unigridbattery.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
Wednesday Mar 11, 2026
Wednesday Mar 11, 2026
At Intersolar San Diego, Sean White and Bill Brooks discussed about the growing U.S. momentum for “plugin” or balcony solar, where small PV systems plug into a home branch circuit. Brooks explains that what happens with excess power depends on the utility meter: old spinning meters may run backward and credit you, some modern meters can charge you for exported power, and others ignore exports unless programmed for net metering, which typically requires an interconnection agreement. They discuss efforts to exempt very small systems from interconnection agreements and permitting, pending proposals for the 2029 NEC to address source connections to branch circuits and potential exemptions around 400 watts, plus the need for robust safety certification such as UL 3700. Brooks also recounts his historical role in net metering, IEEE 1547, and California Rule 21, and predicts tighter integration of solar, storage, EVs, and load control to enable self-consumption without exporting. Bill tells us how Jim Dunlop and Jerry Venture taught him about solar in the 1980s and how Ward Bower was one of the first solar people and is still working daily in the industry.
Topics Covered:
Balcony Solar
Plug-In Solar
Portable Solar
Net-Metering
Spinning Meter
Branch circuit
PCS = Power Control System
Interconnections
IEEE 929 = original IEEE
IEEE 1547
Jerry Venture
Florida Solar Energy Center
Ward Bower
Mike Russell
Utility pushback soft costs
Reach out to Bill Brooks here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bill-brooks-6782616
Website: www.brooksolar.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at:
Sunday Mar 08, 2026
Sunday Mar 08, 2026
A satirical look at how solar energy aligns with conservative values like energy independence, national security, and free-market competition. Sean White reframes renewable energy through a Republican lens, emphasizing self-reliance, lower costs, and freedom from utility monopolies rather than environmental concerns. The message: solar isn't partisan, and there's more common ground than you'd think.
Topics Covered
God bless America!
Independence
Grid is a commie
No shared electricity with democrats
Not depending on Gavin Newsom’s grid
Utilities are the Deep State
High voltage wires cause EMFs and mess with you (RFK)
Market Competition
Property Rights
National Security
Individual Liberty
Lower Electric Bills
ROI: It offers a predictable, solid return on investment.
Job Creation: The solar industry creates more jobs per unit of energy than fossil fuels.
Reduced Inflation: Solar acts as a hedge against rising utility rates.
Market Competition: It forces monopoly utilities to compete for customers.
Private Sector Innovation: The industry is driven by entrepreneurs, not government bureaucrats.
Lower Taxes: More efficient local energy production can lower the municipal tax burden for powering schools and public buildings.
Business Overhead: It helps small businesses reduce operating costs, improving margins.
Grid Efficiency: Distributed solar reduces the need for expensive transmission line upgrades that ratepayers cover.
Fixed Costs: Once installed, the "fuel" (sunlight) is free forever; no price shocks.
Land Lease Revenue: Farmers can lease unused land for solar farms, saving the family farm.
Reduced Grid Congestion: It produces power right where it's used, saving the system money.
Avoided Fuel Costs: It keeps money in the local economy rather than sending it to out-of-state fuel providers, like Saudi Arabia
No Foreign Oil: Sunlight is domestic; we don’t have to import it from hostile nations.
Military Readiness: Solar allows forward operating bases to function without dangerous fuel supply convoys.
Grid Resilience: Distributed solar makes the grid harder for terrorists or hackers to take down in one swoop.
Disaster Recovery: Solar + battery systems keep power on during hurricanes and storms.
Energy Dominance: Developing superior solar tech keeps the U.S. ahead of China.
Decentralization: A decentralized grid is a harder target than a centralized one.
Backup Power: It provides security for families during grid failures (like the Texas freeze).
Strategic Reserves: Using solar allows us to save oil and gas reserves for tactical military needs.
No Embargoes: You can’t embargo the sun.
No OPEC
Energy Freedom: The right to generate your own power is a fundamental property right.
Off-Grid Living: It enables the ultimate libertarian dream of living disconnected from the system.
Anti-Monopoly: It breaks the stranglehold of state-sanctioned utility monopolies.
Choice: It gives consumers a choice other than the single utility provider.
Self-Reliance: It encourages personal responsibility for one’s own needs.
Protection From Bureaucracy: You are less beholden to utility commission decisions.
No Eminent Domain: Rooftop solar doesn't require seizing private land for pipelines.
Privacy: Generating your own power reduces the data utilities collect on your usage habits.
Voluntary Association: Community solar allows people to voluntarily pool resources without government mandates. How about a Republican-only solar cooperative, no blue electrons
Individualism: My roof, my power, my rules.
Avoiding Rationing: Self-generation protects you from government-imposed rolling blackouts. (electrical bread line)
Stewardship: It aligns with the biblical mandate to be good stewards of the Earth.
Clean Air: It reduces smog and pollution, which is pro-life and pro-health.
Countering the Left: Embracing solar takes the issue away from Democrats.
Electric Fencing: Essential for ranchers managing livestock.
Water Pumping: Solar well pumps are a lifeline for cattle ranchers.
Silent Operation: Great for hunting cabins and retreats. (Sneak up on that deer meal)
Preppers: The ultimate survivalist energy source.
Libertarians: Decentralized and anti-state monopoly.
Fiscal Hawks: Lowest cost of energy in many markets.
Tech Conservatives: Represent innovation and modernization. (Winning the AI war)
Legacy: Leaving a self-sufficient home to your children.
Competition with China: We shouldn't let them own the future of energy.
Freedom: Ultimately, it gives you the power to tell the power company to shove it.
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
Sunday Mar 08, 2026
Sunday Mar 08, 2026
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
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