Sean White‘s Solar and Energy Storage Podcast

Sustainable Solar Innovations with Paul Frischer: The Future of Organic Printed Semiconductors

In this episode, Sean White welcomes Paul Frischer, the president and head of technology at GO-OPV, for a thought-provoking discussion on the revolutionary technology of organic printed semiconductors. Paul delves into the origins, operation, and potential applications of this groundbreaking technology that promises zero-emission power generation from carbon-based materials. They explore topics such as the differences between printed semiconductors and traditional silicon-based solar cells, the intricacies of quantum mechanics in energy production, and the future potential for commercial deployment. Tune in to learn how this innovative approach could reshape the energy landscape and lead to more sustainable solutions.

 

Topics covered:

Printed Semiconductors

Fossil Fuel

Organic

Silicon Semiconductors

Carbon

Silicon

Zero Emission

Graphite

C₆₀ = Carbon 60

Buckminster Fuller

Fullerene

CH4 = Methane

OLED = Organic Light-Emitting Diode.

P3HT = Poly(3-hexylthiophene)

Konarka = www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konarka<

PET = Polyethylene Terephthalate

Printing

POE = Power over the Ethernet

GO-OPV

ORENgE

Mecho Shade www.mechoshade.com

Inverter

Organic Printed Film Window Shade

Passive Solar

Naphthalene

Petroleum

Quantum Mechanics

Quantum Space

Automated Printed Semiconductor Window Shade

Non-Silicon Photovoltaics Technology

Nanotechnology

Battery

Climate Chamber Test

 

 

Reach out Paul Frischer here:

ORENgE Power: www.orengepower.com

 

Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean

 

Sol-Ark Innovations with John-Ross Cromer

In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, Sean sits down with John-Ross Cromer, head of training at Sol-Ark, to dive deep into the world of solar inverters and battery storage solutions. They discuss the evolution of hybrid inverters, the significance of UL 9540 revisions, and the impact of the 2023 NEC on solar installations. John shares insights into Sol-Ark's all-in-one inverter technology, the importance of battery choice, and the exciting growth potential in the commercial solar market. They also touch on practical tips for solar project design, future trends in solar and battery integration, and the transformative potential of 100% daytime solar energy. Whether you're a seasoned solar professional or a newcomer, this episode is packed with valuable information and industry insights. Tune in to learn more!

 

Topics covered:

Sol-Ark www.sol-ark.com

Inverter

Fortress Power www.fortresspower.com

Hybrid Inverter

All in One Inverter

Schneider

Grid

Net Metering

Transformer

Tesla Powerwall

EV = Electric Vehicle

EV to Home

Bi-directional EV

EV Charging

Microinverter

ESS = Energy Storage System

NEC = National Electrical Code

DC ESS = Direct Current Energy Storage System

AC ESS = Alternating Current Energy Storage System

UL 9540

UL 9540 Revisions

Briggs and Stratton www.energy.briggsandstratton.com

Simpliphi

Microgrid

Utility

Battery

UL 1741

Converter

PCS = Power Control System

EMS = Energy Management System

Supply Side Connection

Load Side Connection

Off Grid System

High Voltage

Three-phase Inverter

MID Panels

Commercial Market

Lemon Battery

Lemonade Decommissioning plan

DC to DC Converters

DC to DC Conversion

Support Team

Battery Choice

Rapid Shutdown

Battery Heating System

Container Batteries

Inverter Based Country/Grid?

100% Solar

Solar Learning Curve

Fluor www.fluor.com

Utility Market

Demand Charges

PVBatts www.pvbatts.com

 

Reach out John-Ross Cromer  here:

Sol-Ark: www.sol-ark.com

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/john-cromer

Webinar: www.shop.sol-ark.com/webinars

 

Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean

Solar in Panama with Juan Andrés Navarro of NSolar

In this episode of Sean White's Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, Sean sits down with Juan Andrés Navarro, the CEO of N Solar, in sunny Panama City. Together, they discuss the growth of the solar industry in Panama, the impact of renewable energy policies, and the technical intricacies of solar installations and energy storage systems. They also touch on the significance of net metering, the benefits of B Corp certification, and innovative solutions for handling excess solar power. Join Sean and Juan for an enlightening conversation about the present and future of solar energy in Panama and beyond

 

Topics covered:

NSolar www.nsolar.net

Solar in Panama

Background of NSolar

Net Metering

Photovoltaics

Energy Storage

NEC = National Electrical Code

Deflation

Canal

B Corp

NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners www.nabcep.org

Climate Change

World’s Largest Microinverter

Darién Gap

Grid

Panama Canal Lock

Clipping

Transformers

Fossil Fuel

Anti Solar

Water Pumping

Panamax

Container Ships

Floating Solar Farm

Hydro Electric Storage

Stand-alone Inverter

Utility

Energy Independence

Panama’s Net Metering Law

Future of Renewable Energy

Closing the U.S Borders

 

Reach out Juan Andrés Navarro  here:

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/juan-andres-navarro

Nsolar: www.nsolar.net

 

Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean

NABCEP Energy Storage Installation Professional Lesson

NABCEP Energy Storage Installation Professional Lesson

 

This podcast is an assignment from Sean’s 40-hour NABCEP Advanced Energy Storage Certification Training class on HeatSpring!

 

It is recommended by anyone in the industry to get a NABCEP certification for job security and to grow! If you are not already in the industry, you can also learn a few things from this podcast, which is a lesson on how to communicate energy storage with customers.

 

Sean is known for making technical subjects fun and as simple as possible, so people can learn and pass exams while enjoying themselves.

 

Check out Sean’s HeatSpring classes at www.HeatSpring.com/sean or go to www.solarSEAN.com to find out about his online classes, in-person workshops and more!

 

Tim Montague of the Clean Power Hour Podcast

Sean has been on Tim’s podcast a number of times and it was time for Tim to be on Sean’s podcast!

 

Both Tim and Sean have classes on HeatSpring and see each other at all of the big and many smaller solar conferences in the US. In this podcast they talk about various topics including:

 

Topics covered:

History of Clean Power Hour

Solar Works For Illinois

PV Magazine

John Weaver

RE+

CPS America = Chint Power Systems Americas www.chintpowersystems.com

SUNVOY www.sunvoy.com

O&M = Operation and Management

ESS = Energy Storage Systems

Battery

Sean Whites Solar and Energy Podcast history

Sean’s Radio 690

AI = Artificial Intelligence

Google Notebook LM

Tesla Optimus

Going to Mars

Exploring Uncharted Lands

Fossil Fuel

The Manhattan Alien Abduction

Tim Montague’s Heatspring

NABCEP = North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners www.nabcep.org

Online Learning

ESIP = Energy Storage Installation Professional

Net Metering

Non Exporting

VPP = Virtual Power Plant

Schweitzer Relay

C&I Solar = Commercial and Industrial Solar

Elexity www.elexity.io

Goat Yoga

 

Reach out Tim Montague here:

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/cleanpowerhour

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@cleanpowerhour

HeatSpring: www.heatspring.com/courses

Clean Power Hour Website: www.cleanpowerhour.com

 

Tim Montague's Previous Podcasts with Sean White:

May 10, 2022: www.youtube.com

August 10, 2023: www.youtube.com

December 10, 2024: www.youtube.com

 

Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean

PV Recycling with Livia Keene and Joanne Brasch of California Product Stewardship Council

In this interview we talk about reusing and recycling solar PV modules (panels) and other products.

 

Topics Covered:

Net-metering Policy

Solar Map = map to find recyclers or reuse partners

RE-X = Reusing, repairing, refurbishing, remanufacturing, or repurposing

NorCal Solar

Arco Solar Modules

1954 Bell Labs PV Module

SNEC

Crystalline Silicon

Cadmium Telluride PV Modules

Perovskites

AB2 and AB1238

EPR = Extended Producer Responsibility Legislation for Solar Panel

Permanent Recycling Program

RE-X Prize = This three-phase competition is designed to develop innovative ways to extend the lifetimes of products or parts via reusing, repairing, refurbishing, remanufacturing, or repurposing (“Re-X”) before recycling

 

California Product Stewardship Council won during the Phase 1 of the project. The prize was used as funds to create solar map

 

Reach out Keene and Brasch here:

www.calpsc.org/cpsc-solarstewardship

info@calpsc.org

 

Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean 

Water - Based Flow Batteries with Quino's CEO Eugene Beh

In this episode Sean learns all about quinone flow batteries, ferrocyanide, and a lot more, including how desalination and air conditioning are related and can use the same membrane redox-flow technology.

 

It was a pleasure to have a very intelligent guest with degrees from Harvard and Stanford. We will learn what a flow battery is and its benefits and how they expect to be a greater part of the renewable mix in the future.

 

The water-based technology is different from the acid-based vanadium redox flow batteries, which require vanadium, and much of the vanadium comes from Russia, while quinone can easily be made anywhere, lessening dependence on faraway places, which fits with where our economy seems to be headed.

 

Here are some of the topics we cover:

 

What is a flow battery?

Thermal runaway

What is LDES? Your definition and benefits

Different types of LDES

Flow batteries benefits

Benefits vs Vanadium or Zinc Bromine or others

Full to no charge how many times

How long does the electrolyte and membrane last?

Toxicity

Power block cost

DOE 250/kW

40/kWh

What did you do with that $100

Can you theoretically use electrolyte for an EV?

How did you get DOE funding?

What is quinone

Pioneered at Harvard

Energy density and specific energy?

R/T efficiency

Ferrocyanide and quinone

Temperatures

Xerox Parc = Palo Alto Research Center

Redox Flow Desalination for Xerox

Beh invented and commercialized a redox flow desalination technology as a researcher at Xerox PARC

Majove Energy Systems

Reverse Electrodialysis

Supply Chain

Liquid Desiccant Airconditioning

Water harvesting

 

Reach Eugene Beh here:

Company website: www.quinoenergy.com

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/eugbeh

 

Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean

Perovskite Solar Glass with Scott Graybeal CEO Caelux

In this podcast we talk about a type of solar glass that contains a semitransparent layer of perovskite thin film solar tech that you are encouraged to put on top of your crystalline silicon modules to make a hybrid multijunction solar sandwich. The perovskite catches more of the blue side of the light spectrum and lets the red side of the spectrum that crystalline silicon likes through to get the best of both worlds.

 

This tech is made in Southern California with real rocket scientists.

 

Scott has a history with Flex, Nextracker and a lot or important companies in the industry.

 

Topics covered:

Perovskites

ABX3

Multijunction

Monolithic Tandem

Active Glass

Crystalline Silicon

Thin Film Solar

Sanyo

Panasonic

Hetero Junction Technology

Bifacial Solar

TopCon  PERC = Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact

Mono PERC

PERC = Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact

IBC = Interdigitated Back Contact

Caelux Industry

Bandgap perovskite in the future

Vacuum Technology

JPL = NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

NexTracker

South East Asian operations

Tariffs

IRA = Inflation Reduction Act

Perovskite’s Technology advancements at Caelux

Caelux customers

Larger modules

Flex Company

Scott’s career at Flex

Triple and Quadruple Junction

Founder of Caleux - John Iannelli

Comparison of Perovskites Initiatives of US vs China

RE+

SNEC

 

Reach out Scott Graybeal here:

Website: www.caelux.com

Caelux Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/caelux-corporation

News: www.caelux.com/news

Blog:  www.caelux.com/blog/

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/scottgraybeal

 

Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean

Mike Moran, Executive Director of Florida PACE

PACE was first developed to creatively “finance” solar installations via property taxes, which has evolved over the years. Listen to Sean and Mike talk about the PACE program in Florida.

 

Be sure to see if there is a PACE program in your area and you can see all the renewable energy incentives at www.dsireusa.org

 

Topics Discussed:

PACE = Property Accessed Clean Energy

Financing

Property Tax Bill

Hurricane Hardening

Renewable Energy

Loan

Credit Score

Solicitation

PACE Eligibility in Florida

PACE into Commercial and Residential

Florida PACE www.floridapace.gov

Tax

PACE in other states

PPE = Power Purchase Agreement

Mortgage

 

Reach out Mike Moran here:

Website: www.floridapace.gov

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmoranflorida

 

Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean

 

Sequoya Cross: DC only Energy Storage System from Briggs and Stratton

An energy storage system (ESS) was always something that included an inverter…. Until now. Tune in and listen to this fun conversation with Sequoya and Sean as they shoot the breeze about how cool this new UL 9540 Edition 3 standard is and how it saves money by not having to get tested with every individual inverter.

Sequoya is also on the California Solar and Storage Association Board of Directors, so send them all your money! They are very important!!

 

Topics Discussed:

Briggs & Stratton Energy Solutions www.energy.briggsandstratton.com

DC only ESS = Direct Current only Energy Storage Systems

NorCal Solar = Northern California Solar Energy Association www.norcalsolar.org

CALSSA = California Solar and Storage Association www.calssa.org

UL 9540 A

UL 9540

LFP = Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery

NMC = Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Battery

Lead Acid Battery

SOC = State of Charge

AEE Solar

Backwoods Solar

48-volt Lithium-Ion Phosphate Battery

Cylindrical Primary Cell Factor

UL 1741

SimpliPHI 6.6 Battery System

Sol-Ark

Off-Grid Solar

Propagation

Stand Alone Battery under UL 9540

IFC = International Fire Code

IRC = International Residential Code

NEC = National Electrical Code

NFPA 855 = National Fire Protection Association (Standard for the Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems)

UL 9540 edition 3

Electromagnetic Pulse

SEIA = Solar Energy Industries Association

Distributed Energy

D Grid

 

Reach out Sequoya here:

Website: www.energy.briggsandstratton.com

Email: sales@briggsandstratton.com 

 

Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean