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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
33 minutes ago
33 minutes ago
32 min
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
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:
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
30 min
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/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
Jul 29, 2026
Jul 29, 2026
50 min
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
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
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: aaron.thurlow@caelux.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
Jul 26, 2026
Jul 26, 2026
28 min
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
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
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
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
Jul 22, 2026
Jul 22, 2026
28 min
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: m@axentum.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
Jul 19, 2026
Jul 19, 2026
40 min
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: arila@eiot.energy
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
Jul 15, 2026
Jul 15, 2026
25 min
Victoria Stulgis, President of Black Bear Energy, discusses the complexities of deploying solar on commercial real estate portfolios. The conversation covers landlord-tenant split incentives, third-party ownership structures, hosted community solar models, and how policy shapes market opportunity across states like New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Illinois. Black Bear Energy's role as an owner's representative in helping institutional real estate investors navigate and scale renewable energy adoption is also examined.
Topics Covered
Black Bear Energy www.blackbearenergy.com
ESS = Energy Storage System
Battery Storage
ASES = American Solar Energy Society
Real Estate Solar
Real Estate Solar
Commercial Solar
Landlord Tenant Incentives
Hosted Community Solar
Solar Policy Impact
Portfolio Scale
Portfolio Scale
Distributed Solar
Net-Metering
B-Corps
REC = Renewable Energy Certificate
SREC = Solar Renewable Energy Certificate
Reach out to Victoria Stulgis here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/victoriastulgis
Website: www.blackbearenergy.com
Email: vstulgis@blackbearenergy.com
Black Bear Email: info@blackbearenergy.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
Jul 12, 2026
Jul 12, 2026
24 min
Sean Tygrett, Chief Operating Officer of Carbon Enfo, discusses how his company's platform Brytr aggregates Solar Renewable Energy Certificates from small-scale residential and commercial solar producers and tokenizes them on the Cardano blockchain. The conversation covers SREC market mechanics, the $1.4 billion in uncollected voluntary certificates, blockchain-based provenance verification, and an innovative eco-loyalty model that enables corporate buyers to purchase SRECs directly from their own customers.
Topics Covered
SREC = Solar Renewable Energy Certificate
SREC Mechanics
API = Application Programming Interface
Blockchain
Cardano
NFT = Non-Fungible Token
API Data Collection
Producer Aggregation
Voluntary SREC Market
Corporate Carbon Reduction
Eco-Loyalty Model
Greenwashing Prevention
Brytr Platform
Inverter
Reach out to Sean Tygrett here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/seantygrett
Website: www.carbonenfo.io
Email: stygrett@carbonenfo.io
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
Jul 8, 2026
Jul 8, 2026
37 min
Dan Fletcher, Co-Founder and Head of Ecosystems at dcbel, joins Sean White to explore the technical and commercial realities of residential energy management - including what it means to run a true private grid at home. Topics include DC home charging, on-device energy optimization, vehicle-to-grid integration, UL 1741 SB certification, virtual power plants, compatible EV models, and California's Redwoods incentive program.
Topics Covered
DCBEL www.dcbel.energy
Home Energy Station
Solar Integration
EV = Electric Vehicle
Bidirectional EV Charging
EV Charging
Battery
Inverter
ESS = Energy Storage System
DC Home Charging
Energy optimization
Solar integration
Battery storage
Vehicle-to-grid
REDWDS program = Responsive, Easy Charging Products with Dynamic Signals Program
VGIC = Vehicle-Grid Integration Council
UL Listing
Utility
VPP = Virtual Power Plant
Code
Data Center
Distributed Energy
Bitcoin Mining
V2G = Vehicle to Grid
Podcast with Dan Fletcher | Part 1
Reach out to Dan Fletcher here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/fletcherdan
Website: www.dcbel.energy
Email: flora@ink-co.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
Jul 5, 2026
Jul 5, 2026
32 min
President of Blue Water Battery Logistics, LLC.They discussed the company's business of handling surplus and recycling batteries, solar panels, and other energy equipment. Steve explained how Blue Water handles various battery types including LFP (lithium iron phosphate) and NMC (lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide), with recycling values ranging from $2 per pound to 10-20 cents per pound depending on the material and volume. They covered the process of battery recycling, including refurbishing used EV batteries and the challenges with consumer electronic batteries ending up in landfills. Steve also discussed the company's expansion plans, hiring 20 additional employees, and their business model of finding reuse or recycling solutions for surplus energy equipment rather than sending it to landfills.
Topics Covered
Bluewater www.bluewaterbattery.com
Pirates
Battery
Market
Battery recycling, Reusing, Refurbishing, Repowering
EV = Electric Vehicle
Utility-scale storage
V2G = Vehicle to Grid
Battery management
Solar surplus
Transformer rehoming
Cost reduction
Second-life markets
Clean energy supply
170’ sailboat!
Reach out to Steve Feinberg here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/steve-feinberg
Website: www.bluewaterbattery.com/
Email: sfeinberg@bluewaterbattery.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at