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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
Apr 16, 2026
Apr 16, 2026
57 min
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
Apr 15, 2026
Apr 15, 2026
20 min
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
Apr 12, 2026
Apr 12, 2026
31 min
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
Apr 10, 2026
Apr 10, 2026
18 min
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
Apr 8, 2026
Apr 8, 2026
17 min
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: conference@ases.org
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
Apr 7, 2026
Apr 7, 2026
1hr 31 min
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
Apr 3, 2026
Apr 3, 2026
24 min
At Intersolar San Diego, Tim Price (CRO) and Trace Jenkins (Senior Sales Engineer) of SOLO LLC discuss how modern solar software is transforming residential sales, from accurate system design and interactive proposals to integrated financing tools. They reflect on the evolution from early platforms like OnGrid to today’s AI-driven solutions, highlighting how increased transparency and consumer awareness are shaping more informed buyers. The conversation also covers key industry shifts, including upcoming tax credit changes, the growing adoption of leases and PPAs, evolving pricing and commission structures, and the importance of getting to permit and design right the first time—alongside the expanding role of battery storage in residential solar.
Topics Covered:
SOLO = Speed of Light Operations
Slack
Mike Bishop
OnGrid
Pizza
Bitcoin
Solar Games
EPC Installer
TPO = Third Party Ownership
Corporate Tax Credit
TAM= Total Addressable Market
Red line
Flat Commission Rate
.io = Indian Ocean
Energy Storage
Reach out with Tim Price and Tracey Jenkins here:
LinkedIn
Tim Price: www.linkedin.com/in/timpricepdx/
Trace Jenkins: www.linkedin.com/in/trace-jenkins-27059629b/
Website: www.gosolo.io/
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
Apr 1, 2026
Apr 1, 2026
30 min
Rapid shutdown was designed to protect firefighters, but could simpler systems be the smarter path forward? A 10-year fire veteran turned solar installer shares hard-won lessons from the field, including why fewer electronics in the array might mean safer, more reliable solar for everyone. A bold conversation about building a better solar future.
Topics Covered
Rapid Shutdown
Firefighter
Energy Wise Services www.energywiseservices.com
Energy Wise Lighting
Feed in Tariff Program in Oregon
Solar Coaster
Solar Games
Boys and Girls Club at Corvallis Oregon
Solar Fire
MC4 Connector
UL 3741
Tax Credit
Corporate Tax Credit
Corporate Personhood
Tank Solar
Hans Joseph Fell
Why Republicans Love Solar
Reach out to Peter Greenberg here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/peter-greenberg
Energy Wise: www.energywiseservices.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
Mar 29, 2026
Mar 29, 2026
33 min
Energy industry veteran Sasson Peress examines why standard metrics like watts and kilowatt hours fail to capture real-world performance. From solar panel ratings under idealized test conditions to battery storage variables, including degradation, C-rates, temperature constraints, and cycle limitations, the gap between nameplate specifications and actual delivered value has significant implications for developers, financiers, and end users navigating today's energy landscape.
Topics Covered
Mohawk Indigenous Land
First Nations in Canada
Currency in Energy
Solar in 1989
STC = Standard Test Condition
ESS = Energy Storage System
Battery
C-rate
Degradation
Depth of Discharge and State of Charge
Energy Demand
Data Center in Space
Home Power Magazine
ASES = American Solar Energy Society
ISES = International Solar Energy Society
NorCal Solar = Northern California Solar Energy Association
EV = Electric Vehicle
Market
ICP = Intersolar Consumer Product
Parasitic Load
Solar Roots
Reach out to Sasson Peress here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sassperess
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at
Mar 27, 2026
Mar 27, 2026
14 min
What does it take to install solar in one of the most regulated cities in the country? From specialty flat-roof racking in Brooklyn and Queens to navigating NYC's newly adopted 2020 electrical code, this episode explores the technical and business realities of urban solar plus why younger designers see opportunity where others see complexity.
Topics Covered
How to make solar more exciting
Decreasing Pollution
Coal
Oil
Heating
New York City Solar
Dubai Chiller Buildings
Installation
Racking
Commercial and Residential System
NEC = National Electrical Code
Code Cycles
Reach out to Cameron Feary here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-fearey
Indent Builders Website: www.indentbuilders.com
Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at