Episodes

  • US Solar Has a Quality Problem: What Buyers Need to Know

    US Solar Has a Quality Problem: What Buyers Need to Know
    May 19 2026
    A new report from Clean Energy Associates found that some solar module factories in their first year of production are hitting yield rates as low as 30%. That means 70% of modules coming off certain lines require rework before they ship. The finding applies directly to US manufacturers, most of which are still in early ramp-up stages. In this week's Clean Power Hour Live, Tim Montague and John Weaver break down what the report means for solar developers sourcing modules right now, why newer factories in the US face the same challenges previously seen in India and Vietnam, and what due diligence steps developers should be taking before modules arrive on site. They also cover grid-forming battery validation, island microgrids, and a $14 billion Chinese renewable energy investment in Ethiopia.This episode covers battery storage technology, solar panel manufacturing quality, island microgrids, and large-scale renewable energy investment in Africa. These are the stories Tim and John break down this week:US solar panel manufacturers are struggling with soldering quality during factory ramp-up. A report from Clean Energy Associates (CEA) shows yield rates as low as 30% in early production years, meaning 70% of modules require rework. (PV Magazine)Sungrow completed what Renewable Energy Magazine calls the world's first large-scale grid-forming battery validation, passing 14 unique fault and blackout scenarios. (Renewable Energy Magazine)Sydney-based Smart Commercial Energy is developing an 18 MW solar and 40 MWh battery microgrid for Nauru, the smallest island nation in the world. The project replaces diesel generation in a location where microgrid electricity costs an estimated $0.40 per kilowatt hour. (PV Magazine)Africa's telecom sector is moving away from diesel at scale, with one company spending hundreds of millions in Kenya alone. Solar and battery payback periods for cell tower conversions run approximately two years. (My Panhandle)China's Ming Yang secured a $14.1 billion deal to develop 2.8 GW of solar and 5.5 GW of wind in Ethiopia, alongside wind turbine and transmission gear manufacturing and green ammonia production. (PV Tech)Gotion unveiled a 5 MW, 18.8 MWh enclosed battery energy storage system, first shown at SNEC 2025. John notes this is larger than any containerized battery he had tracked previously, with BYD previously holding the record at 16 to 18 MWh. (PV Magazine)John Weaver previewed his own 1.8 MW rooftop solar project in Massachusetts, structured as an alternative on-bill credit agreement with Eversource for a fixed 20-year contract. (BSKY)Solar professionals, project developers, and clean energy investors will find this episode directly useful. The topics Tim and John cover, from US manufacturing quality to grid-forming battery validation to Africa's energy buildout, reflect decisions the industry is making right now. The Strait of Hormuz situation adds urgency to the energy transition conversation, and this episode puts all of it in context. Support the showConnect with Tim Clean Power Hour Clean Power Hour on YouTubeTim on TwitterTim on LinkedIn Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com Review Clean Power Hour on Apple PodcastsThe Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.comCorporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com
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    46 mins
  • Why Community Microgrids Are Illegal in Most of the US #350

    Why Community Microgrids Are Illegal in Most of the US #350
    May 14 2026

    Community microgrids are functionally illegal in most of the United States, yet climate-driven outages are getting worse. Cameron Brooks of Think Microgrid explains why wires laws block resilient grid solutions and what it costs us to keep burying lines instead.

    Burying power lines costs $4 million per mile in Colorado and up to $9 million per mile in California. That means every 20 to 25 feet of buried line costs as much as it would take to equip a home with a full battery backup system capable of riding through a 48-hour outage. Cameron Brooks, founder of Think Microgrid and E9 Insights, joins host Tim Montague to explain why that staggering opportunity cost keeps getting overlooked.

    This episode tackles the regulatory barriers that keep community microgrids illegal in most US territories, the structural incentives inside the utility model that favor capital investment over cost-effective distributed solutions, and the specific state-level reforms beginning to create new openings.

    Here is what you will learn in this conversation:

    • You will understand why community microgrids are functionally illegal in most US states.
    • Find out why burying power lines is an incomplete strategy for wildfire risk.
    • You will learn how the utility cost-plus regulatory model actively works against distributed energy.
    • Find out what a microgrid actually is and why energy storage changes everything. Cameron defines the three qualities of a true microgrid.
    • Understand what early policy wins look like at the state level. From Ann Arbor's supplemental energy utility to Maine's wires law exemptions and Colorado becoming the fourth state to authorize plug-in solar.

    The combination of rising power prices, extreme weather, and growing electricity demand from data centers and transportation electrification is putting real pressure on the centralized grid model. States like Utah, Maine, and Colorado are already writing new rules.

    Connect with Cameron Brooks, Think Microgrid

    Cameron Brooks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-brooks-/

    Website: https://www.thinkmicrogrid.org/
    Tracker: tracker.thinkmicrogrid.org

    Support the show

    Connect with Tim

    Clean Power Hour
    Clean Power Hour on YouTube
    Tim on Twitter
    Tim on LinkedIn

    Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com

    Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

    The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com

    Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

    The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com
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    51 mins
  • Why Utility-Scale Solar Is Quietly Failing in 2026? #349

    Why Utility-Scale Solar Is Quietly Failing in 2026? #349
    May 12 2026

    American solar manufacturing is getting a reboot. Dean Solon, founder of Create Energy and formerly of Shoals Technologies, sold 1 GW of product in Q1 of this year alone. In this episode, he walks Tim Montague through his vertically integrated factory in Portland, Tennessee, and names exactly why utility-scale solar equipment is quietly failing at scale.

    American solar manufacturing has a reliability problem, and the utilities and independent power producers who own these fields for 30 to 50 years are the ones absorbing the cost. Dean Solon, founder of Create Energy and the man who built and took Shoals Technologies public on the NASDAQ in 2021, has spent three years building a vertically integrated solar manufacturing operation in Portland, Tennessee, to address this directly. Create sold 1 gigawatt of product in Q1 of this year, with Q2 expected to double that output. Host Tim Montague tours the Create Energy factory floor and draws out exactly what full-stack, American-made solar hardware looks like in practice.

    Here is what you will learn from this conversation:

    • You'll hear Dean Solon explain why module warranties are misleading and why EPC economics push toward equipment designed to last only past the two-year mark, leaving utilities and IPPs exposed for the decades of ownership ahead.
    • Find out how Create Energy's OnTrack system uses one common control board across trackers, E-boss units, weather stations, and inverters, giving asset owners a single view of every row in a solar field with no separate pony panel required.
    • Learn why Create offers a 10-year bumper-to-bumper warranty on its full product stack, and what Solon means when he says he eliminated failure modes rather than reduced them.
    • Understand how automated, electric vegetation control cuts solar O&M costs in half, and why long-term asset owners should treat this as a budget line item, not a feature.

    For any asset owner weighing supply chain decisions in 2025, this conversation is a direct look at what the American manufacturing alternative looks like on the ground.

    Connect with Dean Solon and Create

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-solon-b8876649/

    Website: https://www.create.energy/

    Support the show

    Connect with Tim

    Clean Power Hour
    Clean Power Hour on YouTube
    Tim on Twitter
    Tim on LinkedIn

    Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com

    Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

    The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com

    Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

    The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com
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    27 mins
  • SDE's Approach to Solar Racking: What DG Installers Need to Know #348

    SDE's Approach to Solar Racking: What DG Installers Need to Know #348
    May 7 2026

    Solar racking is one of the lowest-cost line items on a DG project and one of the highest-risk failure points. Kyle Sinclair, Co-founder and CEO of SDE (Sinclair Designs and Engineering), joins Tim Montague to explain how USA-made steel and 4-day commercial engineering turnarounds are solving the lead time and logistics failures that slow commercial solar projects. SDE produces 3 megawatts of racking in a single 8-hour shift.

    On this episode of the Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague speaks with Kyle about the full arc of SDE's product line, from the Skyrack 2.0 fixed-tilt ground-mount system to a new I-beam solution designed for rocky soil conditions in Texas and on the West Coast. They also cover the realities of solar carport installation, including foundation risk, soil testing, and why carport projects require a fundamentally different approach than ground mount racking.

    Here is what you will learn in this conversation:

    • Learn how SDE turns around residential stamped drawing packages in 2 days and commercial packages in 4 days, and why that speed has become the deciding factor for EPCs managing safe harbor deadlines.
    • Understand the difference between C-channel and I-beam ground mount racking, including why high refusal rates in rocky soil conditions led SDE to develop a 6x9 and 6x15 I-beam solution that Kyle says is more cost-effective than most competitors' C-channel designs.
    • Learn what every EPC should know before pricing a solar carport installation: how soil conditions drive foundation costs from $1,500 per hole to $2,800 per hole, and why planning for worst-case geotech results protects your margin.
    • Find out how SDE holds a 95% delivery accuracy rating using ISO 9001 quality management and Keyence scanning technology integrated into their ERP system, and why that matters when your crew is at a remote site expecting a full kit.

    Any EPC designing projects in the Midwest or expanding into new geographies need to hear Kyle's approach to engineering for conditions that historical data no longer predicts accurately.

    Connect with Kyle Sinclair, SDE

    Kyle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-sinclair-b9b60a62/

    SDE Website: https://www.sinclair-designs.com/

    Support the show

    Connect with Tim

    Clean Power Hour
    Clean Power Hour on YouTube
    Tim on Twitter
    Tim on LinkedIn

    Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com

    Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

    The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com

    Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

    The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com
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    45 mins
  • LG Energy Solution Targets 50 GWh With 5 US Battery Factories

    LG Energy Solution Targets 50 GWh With 5 US Battery Factories
    May 5 2026

    LG Energy Solution plans to bring over 50 gigawatt hours of annual battery manufacturing capacity online in the US by the end of 2026 across five facilities (MI, IL, AZ, OH, GA). The company also projects a 15% cost reduction on its next-generation cells by 2028. Tim Montague and John Weaver dig into that story and more in this May 1, 2026, edition of Clean Power Hour Live.

    Tim and John cover five stories this week, drawn from industry publications and their own active projects in the field.

    • LG Energy Solutions is building five battery factories with a combined capacity of 50+ GWh per year, targeting completion by the end of 2026. The company projects a 15% cell cost reduction by 2028. (Energy Storage News)
    • Tandem PV began demonstration manufacturing of a perovskite-silicon module reaching 29.7% efficiency, backed by a warranty of less than 1% annual degradation over 25 years. (Solar Power World)
    • On April 27, Trina Solar claimed the world record for silicon solar cell efficiency at 28%. Longi broke that record the very next day. (PV Magazine)
    • The US Department of Commerce announced preliminary anti-dumping duties of 123% on solar modules from India, 35% from Indonesia, and 22% from Laos. (PV Magazine)
    • Republican lawmakers introduced new legislation to extend the commercial solar ITC, which currently expires at the end of 2027. Safe-harboring by July 4, 2026, extends project runway to July 3, 2030. (Solar Power World)

    The battery capacity numbers, perovskite efficiency milestones, and tariff developments covered here carry direct implications for procurement and project planning decisions in 2026 and beyond.

    Support the show

    Connect with Tim

    Clean Power Hour
    Clean Power Hour on YouTube
    Tim on Twitter
    Tim on LinkedIn

    Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com

    Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

    The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com

    Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

    The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com
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    45 mins
  • This Microgrid Model Pays Businesses to Go Solar #347

    This Microgrid Model Pays Businesses to Go Solar #347
    Apr 28 2026

    San Diego pays the second-highest electricity rates in the United States, trailing only Hawaii, and peak-hour pricing from 4 pm to 9 pm runs up to triple morning rates. In this episode, Tim Montague sits down with Rod Matthews, President of Brevian Energy, a North County San Diego developer focused on solar, battery storage, and community microgrids. Brevian works with Community Choice Aggregators to deliver behind-the-meter solar and storage at no upfront cost to commercial property owners. Tim and Rod cover the Clean Energy Alliance Solar Plus Battery program, a 25-year power purchase agreement with a 1% annual escalator and lease payments to the host site.

    Here's what you'll learn in this conversation about California microgrids and community solar:

    • You'll learn how the Clean Energy Alliance Solar Plus Battery program gives commercial property owners with 15,000 square feet of rooftop or 25 carport spaces a 25-year power purchase agreement at a 1% annual escalator with no upfront cost. Property owners also receive lease payments escalating at 2% per year, outpacing energy cost increases.
    • Learn about how California's 4 pm to 9 pm peak window changes the math on storage. Rates during those hours run up to triple morning rates, so dispatching from the battery during peak makes projects pencil out in SDG&E territory, the second most expensive utility market in the US behind Hawaii.
    • Understand how a closed landfill in Chollas View, San Diego, will host 10 megawatts of solar and 40 megawatt hours of lithium iron phosphate storage to serve 25,000 homes with at least 20% utility bill savings. Local residents become co-owners through a Special Purpose Vehicle for as little as $100 per share.
    • Learn why community buy-in determines whether brownfield and microgrid projects move forward.

    Energy prices are climbing as data center demand grows and natural gas prices spike on global tensions. California's duck curve makes evening storage the limiting factor for further solar adoption. This episode shows a working model for solving both problems at commercial scale and at the community level.

    Connect with Rod Matthews

    Rod Matthews: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodmatthews/

    Brevian Energy: https://www.brevianenergy.com/

    Support the show

    Connect with Tim

    Clean Power Hour
    Clean Power Hour on YouTube
    Tim on Twitter
    Tim on LinkedIn

    Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com

    Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

    The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com

    Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

    The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com
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    35 mins
  • Why Most Battery Developers Fail at Zoning? #346

    Why Most Battery Developers Fail at Zoning? #346
    Apr 23 2026

    Eighty-five towns across New York state sit under battery storage moratoriums right now, and two of three Westchester County towns where Joe Tassone Jr. built successful battery projects in 2020 have since banned the technology outright. In this episode, Tim Montague sits down with Joe Tassone Jr., partner at onCORE Origination, a site origination firm working in 25 states on solar, battery storage, data centers, and EV infrastructure.

    This episode covers the top three issues blocking battery development at the community level, why fire safety fears around lithium-ion storage miss the wider context, and what separates developers who close projects from those who waste millions.

    Here's what you'll learn in this conversation about battery development and site origination:

    • You'll hear the three biggest objections communities raise against battery storage projects.
    • Find out why 85 New York towns currently sit under battery moratoriums, and how two of three Westchester County towns where Joe built projects in 2020 have since banned storage outright.
    • Learn why Joe argues developers should never treat zoning as black and white, even in towns with outright bans, because public utility statutes and use variances open paths to approval through the judicial process.
    • Understand how state-level programs in Illinois, Maryland, and Connecticut remove local NIMBY obstacles.
    • You'll get Joe's three tenets of successful development: knowing where to go through parcel acumen, committing fully to a market with a clear pipeline vision, and persisting relentlessly through headwinds.

    Joe's 30 years of site origination experience surfaces one clear lesson: developers who treat zoning as static codes and give up at the first denial lose tens of millions in project value every year. The industry needs to move from reactive to proactive, meeting with town and county associations before moratoriums pass instead of reacting after.

    Connect with Joe Tassone Jr

    Joe Tassone Jr. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-f-tassone-jr-a778a1190/

    onCORE Origination Website: https://oncoreorig.com/

    Support the show

    Connect with Tim

    Clean Power Hour
    Clean Power Hour on YouTube
    Tim on Twitter
    Tim on LinkedIn

    Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com

    Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

    The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com

    Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

    The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com
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    45 mins
  • California Batteries Just Killed Negative Daytime Solar Prices

    California Batteries Just Killed Negative Daytime Solar Prices
    Apr 21 2026

    John Weaver calls California's daytime pricing shift the story of the year. Battery demand has pushed wholesale solar prices from negative five cents per kilowatt hour up by 4.2 cents, adding around $10,833 of revenue to solar asset owners in a single five-minute period. Tim Montague and John Weaver break down what this shift means for solar developers, plus community solar crossing 10 gigawatts, BYD's 14.5 megawatt-hour battery priced at 1.4 cents per kilowatt hour lifecycle cost, and Dean Solon's plan to build 50-year solar power plants in Tennessee.

    EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

    • California batteries reverse the duck curve pricing. John Weaver's analysis shows wholesale daytime solar prices climbed from negative five cents per kilowatt hour to negative 0.8 cents, driven by battery demand absorbing midday generation. (PV Magazine)
    • BYD reveals a 14.5 megawatt-hour DC energy storage system with a lifecycle cost of 1.4 cents per kilowatt hour (ESS News).
    • India research indicates 90 percent grid coverage via solar plus storage at 5.6 cents per kilowatt hour. Four point nine gigawatts of solar paired with 13.5 gigawatt hours of battery delivers one gigawatt of 24/7 load. (PV Magazine)
    • US community solar passes 10 gigawatts despite market contraction. (PV Magazine)
    • California Public Utilities Commission seeks 6 gigawatts of new clean power capacity, with most expected to include paired battery storage. (PV Magazine)

    California is giving every solar market a preview of what saturated grids look like once batteries scale. The pricing data, BYD's 1.4 cent per kWh lifecycle cost, and India's 90% grid coverage research all point in the same direction: solar plus storage economics are entering a new phase.

    Support the show

    Connect with Tim

    Clean Power Hour
    Clean Power Hour on YouTube
    Tim on Twitter
    Tim on LinkedIn

    Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com

    Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

    The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com

    Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

    The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com
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    45 mins