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Clean Power Hour

Clean Power Hour

Di: Tim Montague John Weaver
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The Clean Power Hour podcast is speeding the clean energy transition. Tim Montague and John Weaver highlight clean energy innovations shaping the next generation of renewable energy sources. We discuss the latest solar PV, battery storage, wind, water, wave, and other low-carbon technologies. We answer the question: How can we decarbonize the economy? We promote the economic opportunity of electrifying everything - transportation, energy, industry, and the built environment. Let's speed up the clean energy transition together. Join the movement - www.CleanPowerHour.com

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Episodi
  • Swift Solar's Plan to Close the 10x U.S. Solar Cell Gap

    Swift Solar's Plan to Close the 10x U.S. Solar Cell Gap
    Jul 14 2026
    What does it take to turn next-generation solar technology into a bankable commercial product?Swift Solar is closing the U.S. heterojunction and perovskite tandem solar cell gap. Dr. Gunter Erfurt, managing director at Swift Solar and former Meyer Burger CEO, joins Tim Montague and John Weaver to explain why U.S. module capacity sits near 50 gigawatts while domestic cell capacity trails at 5 gigawatts.Following Swift Solar's acquisition of Meyer Burger's technology, intellectual property, manufacturing equipment, and engineering team, Dr. Erfurt shares how the company plans to accelerate U.S. solar manufacturing while preparing for the future of perovskite tandem solar cells. John Weaver presses Erfurt throughout on tariffs and real project pricing, drawing on his own current commercial bid.The conversation explores why heterojunction (HJT) technology is the ideal foundation for perovskites, why bankability matters as much as efficiency, and how domestic solar manufacturing can strengthen energy security and supply chain resilience.Whether you're a solar developer, EPC, utility professional, investor, policymaker, or clean energy enthusiast, this episode offers valuable insights into where the solar industry is heading over the next decade.In this episode, you'll learn:Why Swift Solar acquired Meyer Burger's manufacturing assets and IPHow heterojunction technology supports the future of perovskite tandem solar cellsWhy Swift Solar plans to commercialize HJT modules before launching tandem productsThe importance of reliability, bankability, and long-term module performanceWhy glass-glass solar modules outperform traditional glass-backsheet designsHow domestic U.S. solar manufacturing is evolving, and why module capacity still outpaces cell capacity by a factor of tenThe challenges of scaling advanced solar cell manufacturingWhy the utility scale market is Swift Solar's primary focusHow electrification is expected to triple or quadruple global electricity demand, and why Tim and Dr. Erfurt believe solar, wind, and batteries scale faster than nuclear to meet itJohn Weaver's pushback on tariffs, grounded in real project pricing, and Dr. Erfurt's counter on how the IRA tax credit shaped domestic manufacturing growthWhat the next five years could look like for solar manufacturing and clean energyAs electrification accelerates and global electricity demand climbs toward a projected tripling or quadrupling in the coming decades, the solar industry faces real pressure to build technology that is efficient, reliable, and ready to scale. This conversation with Dr. Gunter Erfurt, joined by Tim Montague and John Weaver, offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it actually takes to move breakthrough innovations from the research lab into commercial production. From heterojunction technology and perovskite tandem cells to domestic manufacturing, bankability, and long-term reliability, this episode provides valuable insight into the engineering and business decisions that will shape the next generation of solar. Connect with Dr. Gunter Erfurt on LinkedIn.https://www.linkedin.com/in/gunter-erfurt-55103850?originalSubdomain=de 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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    1 ora e 2 min
  • Lives Saved: The Case for Community Microgrids #358

    Lives Saved: The Case for Community Microgrids #358
    Jul 7 2026
    Community microgrids saved lives during a PG&E shutoff in Humboldt County. Lisa Cohn of Microgrid Knowledge has tracked every project getting built in America right now. She tells you what separates the ones that succeed from the ones that fail, and what you need to know before entering this market.Community microgrids are among the fastest-growing segments in solar and storage, and among the hardest to finance and build. Lisa Cohn is the co-founder of Microgrid Knowledge, a publication she has run for over a decade, covering every major microgrid deployment in the United States. In this episode, Lisa joins host Tim Montague to break down the funding models, utility partnerships, and regulatory frameworks that determine whether a community microgrid gets built or abandoned. The conversation covers California's shift from the restrictive CMEP program to the MIP, the rise of tribal microgrids, public power's structural advantage over investor-owned utilities, and the emerging model of networked microgrids that share power across adjacent communities. If you work in solar, storage, or clean energy development, this episode gives you a clear picture of where the community microgrid market stands today and where the openings are.Here is what you will learn from this conversation about community microgrids:You will hear why Blue Lake Rancheria became the defining case study for community microgrid resilience. When PG&E shut off power across Humboldt County during a wildfire event, Blue Lake's microgrid kept running and saved lives.Find out how the Redwood Coast Airport microgrid got funded. It secured $5 million from the California Energy Commission and $6.5 million in low-interest USDA loans, and Lisa explains why that funding combination is the model worth studying.Learn why California's CMEP program failed and how the MIP replaced it. CMEP gave utilities total control and restricted microgrids to outage-only operation. The MIP removed those restrictions, enabling 24/7 operation, grid services, and demand response.Understand what public power utilities do differently from IOUs when it comes to microgrids. Lisa explains the over-the-fence rule, why tribal land creates exceptions, and why the Portland General Electric model in Beaverton is worth watching.Find out why legislation comes before market growth, not after. Oregon passed two bills specifically for community microgrids in wildfire-prone areas before the market matured, and Lisa explains why that sequencing matters for every other state.State legislation in Oregon is already moving community microgrids forward in wildfire-prone areas, and California's MIP program is enabling Clean Coalition to deploy microgrids that run 24/7 and sell grid services. At the same time, the DOE tribal funding program is producing deployments in states like Wisconsin that would not otherwise have the capital to build. The window for solar and storage professionals to get ahead of this market is open right now.Connect with Lisa Cohn cleanenergywriters.comLisa Cohn | LinkedIn Home | Microgrid Knowledge 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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    27 min
  • Carport Solar Done Right: Engineering, Pricing, and Building for the Long Haul #357

    Carport Solar Done Right: Engineering, Pricing, and Building for the Long Haul #357
    Jul 2 2026

    Solar carport installation costs can swing by 12 cents per watt before a single panel goes up. Kyle Sinclair, CEO and co-founder of SDE (Sinclair Designs and Engineering), James Strizki, Project Manager and CFO of GenMounts and Renewable Energy Holdings, and Matt Boyce, a PE licensed in 27 states and Principal Engineer at Engineered Solutions, join Tim Montague to break down exactly how carport projects are won and lost. Between them, they have engineered, manufactured, reviewed, and installed hundreds of megawatts of solar structures. This webinar covers the full arc of a carport project from initial bid to commissioning, with a focus on where costs blow up and what to do before you break ground to prevent it.

    Here is what you will learn in this conversation about solar carport installation and commercial carport project execution:

    • Find out why experienced rooftop EPCs get surprised when they move into carports. Carport structures run 25 feet tall, require serious drilling and concrete work, and the average project size is around half a megawatt, with 100 cubic yards of concrete per site.
    • You will learn how to structure the due diligence process before a single hole is drilled. James Strizki walks through geotech reports, 811-dig calls, web soil GIS software, conversations with local drillers, and a field layout walk a week before mobilization.
    • Understand what ground conditions actually cost you on a carport bid. Kyle Sinclair gives real numbers: $800 per drilled hole in clean Michigan clay versus $2,500 per hole when you hit shale, a difference that adds $60,000 to a half-megawatt project and creates a 12-cent-per-watt cost swing.
    • Find out the three foundation types you will encounter on carport projects and when each one applies. James covers drilled shafts, spread footings, and hybrid helical pile systems, and explains why the wrong choice or a rushed choice can undermine a parking lot within a year or two of commissioning.
    • You will hear Matt Boyce explain why he will not stamp an existing carport structure for solar unless it was originally designed for the load, and what independent structural review actually protects in a project.

    With residential installers entering the commercial carport market in growing numbers, the gap between what a project looks like on paper and what crews find underground is widening. Kyle Sinclair notes that some EPCs entering this space are used to low-cost, high-volume, cookie-cutter projects and are now bidding work that is the complete opposite, large, expensive, heavily customized, and months in the making. If you are pricing carport work or planning to, the cost variability covered in this conversation is not theoretical.

    Connect with Guests

    Kyle Sinclair | LinkedIn

    James Strizki, P.E. | LinkedIn

    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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    57 min
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