Sean White‘s Solar and Energy Storage Podcast

At Intersolar San Diego, Sean talks with Tim Bridgewater, CEO of ZEO Energy, about the company’s shift from 100% residential solar into behind-the-meter solar-and-storage solutions for large loads like data centers. Bridgewater shares ZEO Energy’s growth path (including acquiring Synergy Solar and Heliogen and going public in March 2024) and announces an MOU for a 280 MW solar farm with energy storage in central Utah to power a data center. They discuss surging U.S. data center demand, why on-site solar plus storage can be built faster than gas or nuclear, the industry move toward 800V DC power systems, and current tax-credit timelines and incentives affecting residential solar, large-scale projects, and standalone storage. 

 

Topics covered: 

ZEO = Greek word “Zeal” means energy 

Synergy Solar 

280-megawatt facility = large solar farm with data storage 

Behind the meter power solutions 

NEC Article 691 

Chip Technology 

800 volts DC 

Tax Credit 

NVIDIA 

Data centers 

Permitting process 

Nasdaq 

Heliogen 

Inflation Reduction Act 

Energy Communities 

 

Reach out with Tim Bridgewater here: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-a-bridgewater-347b062/  

Website: https://zeoenergy.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/ess

Explore the real-world transformation of America's energy landscape through candid conversations with solar industry insiders like Andrew Holmstrom of Arch Solar. From innovative vertical installations and Wisconsin's unique capacity credits to deep-fried cheese curds and maple syrup experiments, discover how rising electricity costs, AI-driven data center demands, and grid modernization are making renewables more competitive than ever. Get unfiltered perspectives on net metering policies, battery storage economics, and the practical realities of the clean energy revolution—complete with dad jokes and unexpected tangents about supply-side connections to maple trees.

 

Topics Covered:
NABCEP Conference
Lake Michigan = the 3rd Coast
PV Associate Class
NABCEP Milwaukee’s Party Theme
St. Patrick’s Day at Milwaukee
Beer breweries
Cheese curds
Solar in Milwaukee and Wisconsin
.77 Factor
Co-generation customer use
Capacity credit
Avoided capacity cost rate
PV Walls
PV Cladding
Mitrex Canada
Glass 
Rates (commercial and residential)
Maple syrup
Tree activist

 

Reach out to Andrew Holmstorm on:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-holmstrom  
Website: www.archsolar.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/10hress 

In this podcast episode, Sean interviewed Meghan Wood, CEO of Raya Power, about their innovative solar and storage system. Meghan explained how Raya Power's all-in-one appliance connects directly to home appliances and provides both energy savings and backup power during outages. They discussed the system's features, including its ability to handle both 120V and 240V loads, and its potential applications for electric vehicles and residential use. Meghan also touched on the growing interest in balcony solar and the regulatory challenges it faces. The conversation concluded with a brief discussion about upcoming events and potential future collaborations.

 

Topics Covered

Raya Power www.rayapower.com

Battery

Grid

Mini Split

Plug-in

Air Conditioner

EV = Electric Vehicle

EV Charger

Balcony Solar

Stove

UL

Code

Guerilla Solar

 

Reach out to Meghan Wood here:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/woodmeghan

Website: www.rayapower.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

The residential solar tax credit (25D) is gone, but commercial solar tax credits are still alive! In this podcast, we break down the critical deadlines and requirements for the 30% Investment Tax Credit (ITC) under the modified Inflation Reduction Act.

 

Topics Covered

IRA = Inflation Reduction Act

ITC = Investment Tax Credit

Commercial Tax Credit

Residential Tax Credit

Section 48E

TPO = Third Party Ownership

TPO = Thermoplastic Polyolefin

The 5% Rule

Bonus adders

Standalone Storage Tax Credit

Prevailing Wage & Apprenticeships

Physical Work Test

FEOC = Foreign Entity of Concern

OBBB = One Big Beautiful Act

 

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

www.solarsean.com/esip

Titan Containers has developed the Arctic Store Horizon, a solar-powered refrigerated container that reduces energy consumption by over 50% through integrated photovoltaic panels, vacuum insulation, and environmentally friendly refrigerant technology. This episode explores the engineering innovations behind sustainable cold storage, including applications in food preservation, pharmaceutical storage, and potential solutions for crop loss in developing regions. The discussion covers technical aspects of solar integration, mobile battery storage concepts, and the business case for reducing both operational costs and environmental impact in temperature-controlled logistics. Learn how container technology is evolving to address global sustainability challenges.

 

Topics Covered

Titan Containers www.titancontainers.com

Containers

ESS = Energy Storage System

Arctic Store Horizon

Refrigeration

Cold Storage and Hot Storage

Battery

Portable Energy

Solar on Container

Grid

 

Reach out to Søren Mogensen here:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/s%C3%B8ren-skov-mogensen

Website: www.titancontainers.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/sfev

Inspired by the Colbert Report, where Stephen pretends to be a right wing show host, in this podcast, Sean pretends to be an oil-loving, dinosaur-loving, coal-rolling podcaster and delivers some really stupidly funny and immature podcasting. He makes fun of people that might be even dumber than himself.

 

Topics Covered

Fossil Fuel

Dinosaurs

Oil

Global Cooling

Sea Level Rising

EV = Electric Vehicle

Privatizing Sunshine

 

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/pvip

www.solarsean.com/esip

Interconnection regulations are quietly blocking solar projects across America. Vaughan Woodruff, distributed energy resources consultant and former VP of Regulatory Reform at IREC, reveals why outdated utility rules are stalling clean energy adoption. Discover how Maine became #2 nationally for solar capacity per capita, why Delaware's community solar program failed spectacularly, and which technical solutions could unlock grid capacity without expensive upgrades. This conversation explores the regulatory maze where only 37 states have formal interconnection standards, each different, many decades old. Learn why smart policy matters as much as smart inverters for achieving our renewable energy future.

 

Topics Covered

DER = Distributed Energy Resources

Interconnection

ESS = Energy Storage System

EV = Electric Vehicle

Diablo Canyon

Inverter

Heatspring

Utility

Grid

ISO = Independent System Operator

SREC = Solar Renewable Energy Certificate

Renewable Energy Certificates

Market

EquinoxDG www.linkedin.com/company/equinoxdg

IREC = Interstate Renewable Energy Council

CCA = Community Choice Aggregiation

Paul Finn

Balcony Solar

Interconnection Agreement

Guerilla Solar

Home Power Magazine

Podcast with Alfred Ignacio (AI)

• Apple Podcast
• YouTube
• Spotify
• Pandora
• Podbean

 

Podcast with Khanti Munro

• Apple Podcast
• YouTube
• Spotify
• Pandora
• Podbean

 Podcast with Paul Fenn Part 1

• YouTube
• Podbean

 Podcast with Paul Fenn Part 2

• YouTube
• Podbean

 

Reach out to Vaughan Woodruff here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaughan-woodruff-9a7a0821/ 

EquinoxDG: www.linkedin.com/company/equinoxdg

 

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/pvip

www.solarsean.com/esip

Phil Horwitch of AMH Holdings discusses utility-scale solar engineering, covering their work on 1 gigawatt of projects in 2025. Topics include the dramatic shift toward standalone battery storage, the engineering trade-offs of large-format modules (up to 700 watts), tracker systems with bifacial panels, and grading challenges. Phil explains how bigger modules reduce earthwork costs, shares insights on hail protection strategies, and reflects on the solar industry's newfound resilience and maturity in the face of political and market pressures.

 

Topics Covered

AMH Holdings

Utility Scale Projects

Market

ESS = Energy Storage System

Tracker

Photovoltaic Module Size

Hailstorm

UL Testing

Golf Ball

String Inverters vs Central Inverters

 

Reach out to Phil Horwitch here:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/phil-horwitch

 

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/pvip

www.solarsean.com/esip

In this episode, Dr. Laura A. Ward, Ph.D. in electrical engineering, and Sean White explore the practical realities of grid-forming inverters and their role in modernizing power grids. Drawing from her experience in Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria and her work as a Ph.D. intern on the analysis and modeling team for the PR100 project, Dr. Ward discusses the technical and policy challenges of adopting IEEE 1547-2018 and integrating renewable energy at scale. The conversation covers grid resilience, the importance of updated standards, and the future of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). Listeners will gain insight into how the next-generation of power electronics technologies are being designed and implemented to create more reliable, sustainable, and resilient energy systems.

 

Topics Covered

- Grid-Forming Inverter Technology for enabling more integration of renewables
- Dr. Ward’s career and her Ph.D. in electrical engineering under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Bayne at Texas Tech University in Lubbock
- Experience as a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) intern
- Impact of Hurricane Maria
- Former University of Puerto Rico Teaching Assistant in Mayaguez Campus
- Former Arizona State University (ASU) Research Assistant in Tempe
- Resilience hubs, reliability, and stability studies

- EIF Fellow at DOEE adopting and implementing the IEEE Standard 1547-2018 for DC grid modernization

 

Dr. Ward is an evangelist, technology innovator, and application engineer. Regarding the adoption of standards, she notes that Washington, D.C. has one of the most complex secondary network grids in the country, making the implementation of IEEE 1547-2018 significantly harder than in a suburban radial grid. Dr. Ward provided the technical leadership and engineering solutions to adopt IEEE 1547-2018 in the District of Columbia, specifically overcoming the technical barriers of high-density secondary networks to enable 100% decarbonization goals by 2032 and 15% solar generation by 2041.

 

Technical Contribution Citation:
"For leadership in supporting the adoption and applying IEEE 1547-2018 to complex urban secondary networks, enabling the transition to high-penetration renewable energy systems." — Dr. Laura A. Ward

 

Reach out to Dr. Ward here:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drlaura-ward

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4550-1581

Instagram: stem.laurandre

 

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/pvip

www.solarsean.com/esip

 

Join Clean Counts’ leadership as they discuss the real-world impact of renewable energy certificates (RECs) on today’s energy markets. This episode explores how robust verification, evolving market demands, and new attributes like pollinator-friendly certifications are shaping the sector. The conversation details how Clean Counts’ systems operate, the economic and policy context, and the practical implications for renewable energy producers and buyers nationwide.

 

Topics Covered

Clean Counts www.cleancounts.org
REC = Renewable Energy Certificate
SREC = Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (Solar Energy Certificates Market)
Clean Energy Verification
Utility
Pollinator Friendly SREC
Agrivoltaic
IPA = Illinois Power Authority
Illinois Adjustable Block Program
Voluntary vs. Compliance Markets
Net Metering
Alternative Compliance Payment
Hourly Matching / Time-based RECs
Energy Storage and RECs
Co-benefits (Pollinator, Water Quality, Tribal Lands, Localized Benefits)
Market-based Mechanisms for Clean Energy
MISO = Midcontinent Independent System Operator
Nuclear Certificates / Alternative Energy Certificates
Greenhouse Gas Protocol (Annual vs. Hourly Accounting)
Software Development for Clean Energy Tracking
Third-party Certification and Attribute Tracking
Clean Energy Standards
PPA = Power Purchase Agreement
State-by-State REC/SREC Programs

 

Reach out to Ben Gerber & Rob Davis here:

Ben’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-gerber

Ben’s Email: ben@cleancounts.org

Rob’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/robdavis

Rob’s Email: rob@cleancounts.org

Website: www.cleancounts.org

 

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/pvip

www.solarsean.com/esip