Suncast

Happy Earth Day! I'm excited about all the wonderful events and activities that are going on today on Earth Day as we celebrate another year of work towards taking massive climate action. Today we are going to learn a lot about how the solar industry has evolved. The protagonist of the story is one of the guys I've watched grow in his career for more than 15 years. Robb Jetty and I have seen each other in the industry, and today we're going to dive into how he arrived at the company that he helped launch spin out of GE. If you are a longtime listener, you'll recognize the name of the company Robb works for: Distributed Solar Development, mainly because we just had Meghan Gainer on not too long ago. I hope that you are ready to learn all about how a career is built around execution and curiosity, because that is Robb’s story. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 360 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.c

This is Tactical Tuesday, a short-form conversation with subject matter experts designed to give you the practical tools, tips and advice for building your solar business or career. Today, we're gonna be chatting with the two people who run a program I didn’t even know existed until January, Stanford's Lawyers for Sustainable Economy (LSE) Initiative, managed by Molly Melius, the Director of LS, and Jesse Lazarus, Senior Associate of LS, and a second-year law student. The Lawyers for a Sustainable Economy Initiative, or the LSE initiative for short, is a law firm-led and Stanford-supported initiative that provides free legal assistance to sustainability focused entrepreneurs and nonprofits. And in particular, the initiative aims to support promising green entrepreneurs and nonprofits who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford legal services. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 360 other founder stories and startup advice at 

Today's guest is a change maker named “The Green Mark Zuckerberg” by France TV's. I’m referring to Ingmar Rentzhog, The CEO and Founder of We Don't Have Time, the world's largest social network for climate action. We'll hear more about what that means and how the idea was formed. By teaming up with Twitter and the U.N We Don't Have Time is reaching millions around the globe. Ingmar will share how you can invest in We Don't Have Time and be a part of solving the climate crisis and getting good returns on your investment. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 360 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https://www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/361 (Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here) You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email Thanks a ton to our podcast sponsor for continuing to help make this content FREE to You! Please check them out and le

Today’s guest is someone who I've been working with and who several of your colleagues have been working with behind the scenes to help clarify thoughts, especially around the topic of growth. Today's topic is specifically focused on whether or not you are ready for growth. Do you know what it looks like? Are you prepared for the way that you need to orient your team, your vision, and your mission? We’re talking about Robert W. Cross, the Founder & CEO of Cross Consulting Services. He helps cleantech and renewable energy CEOs address challenges in their business model so they may scale. His professional background includes experience in finance, economic development, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean technologies. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 350 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https://www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/360 (Gain access to all the show notes & resources fr

Have you ever wondered why your cell phone gets hot when it's charging? Few folks realize the electromagnetism that's picked up as dirty electricity and moves through the circuit, making the charging process less efficient, and it not only increases your phone's heat, but your energy bills, and it shortens the life of all of the devices and appliances around us. Well, today’s interview is with my friend B.D. Erickson who knows a thing or two about how to address that issue. His company, Satic USA has been building clean electricity products to address this issue since 2008. And more and more solar installers are beginning to install Satic products alongside their inverters to ensure a clean operating system inside your home. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 350 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https://www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/359 (Gain access to all the show notes & resources from

What you are about to hear is content from our Career Summit, a fantastic series of conversations all about not only how to find your dream job, the perfect opportunity to transition into clean energy as a career but also how as an industry we can improve the concepts of hiring with justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. Today you will hear from clean energy executives Matt Hankey and Michael Healy as they’re taking the charge in ensuring their organization and the industry as a whole represents a diverse and inclusive workforce. How are we approaching hiring and access to opportunities in one of the biggest job-creating industries in America? Related to the conversation that we're having today is our Dream Job Coaching Program, which we call Mission-Minded. You can learn more about that at events.mysuncast.com/dreamjob. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 350 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.co

Thank you so much for lending me your ears and the only non-renewable resource that you have: your time! Today's entrepreneur is my friend Scott Nguyen, CEO of 17 TeraWatts. If you are in the broader energy business and you’re looking for an opportunity to get into climate tech and clean energy, you might want to take a listen for today's episode. Scott has 15 years of energy industry experience, 18 USPTO patents, and a Ph.D. in Physics from Harvard University. He is now working on specific technology to solve problems for the homeowners and residential solar space. We're going to talk a bit more about that and how Scott found his way into that area of expertise. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 350 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https://www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/357 (Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here) You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on

What you are about to hear is content from our Career Summit, a fantastic series of conversations all about not only how to find your dream job, the perfect opportunity to transition into clean energy as a career but also how as an industry we can improve the concepts of hiring with justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. Do you get nervous when you have to engage in conversations to negotiate your salary? You’re not alone. In today’s episode, we have Karima Ladhani, Suparna Kadam, Tara Doyle, and Glenda Johnson sharing and discussing experiences of asking and getting their value in the workplace. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 350 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https://www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/356 (Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here) You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email Thanks a ton to our podcast sponsor f

Michael Parr is the Executive Director of the Ultra Low Carbon Solar Alliance, a coalition of global solar companies using market forces to decarbonize the solar supply chain, making clean energy even cleaner. Following a 30 year career with DuPont Michael established The Parr Policy Group in 2015 to provide policy and political consulting services to businesses, with an emphasis on sustainability. For almost 20 years Michael lead DuPont’s federal government affairs efforts on the environment, energy, technology, manufacturing and sustainability-related topics, engaging with Congress, the White House, Administrative agencies and private sector stakeholders. He has successfully created advocacy coalitions to achieve major legislative changes related to chemicals regulation (TSCA), renewable energy and natural gas, tax policy for sustainable manufacturing, R&D and STEM education. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 350 other

As we celebrate the impact of women in our culture, the way that women increasingly are being recognized as better leaders as better and more empathic executives in businesses, it's been a real privilege and honor to be able to have some of my friends and folks that inspire me on the show. This week on SunCast, as we wrap up Women's History Month, I am so excited to be able to bring to you a fearless leader. Today's entrepreneur is someone that I genuinely appreciate in the world and in the solar industry. Andrea Luecke is an entrepreneurial leader with a diverse international background. Over the course of a decade, she took an organization you may be familiar with, The Solar Foundation, from idea to globally renowned organization that's responsible for some of the industry's most trusted and valuable research and education. As a means for creating more efficiencies and impact, Andrea led The Solar Foundation through a strategic merger with the Interstate Renewable Energy Council and made a voluntary commi

What you are about to hear is content from our Career Summit, a fantastic series of conversations all about not only how to find your dream job, the perfect opportunity to transition into clean energy as a career but also how as an industry we can improve the concepts of hiring with justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. What do you need to start implementing a D&I Strategy in your organization? Should you be focusing on the talent management side? Join our fireside chat with the President and Founder of Black Women in Science and Engineering (BWISE), Erika Jefferson as we discuss the first steps when looking at your organization's D&I efforts. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 350 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https://www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/353 (Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here) You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedI

Thank you so much for lending me your ears and the only non-renewable resource that you've got: your time. Today's guest, Anna Siefken has spent her career making the business case for energy efficiency, cleantech innovation, and building performance as a means to address the world’s energy challenges and the global urgency of climate change. She is the inaugural Executive Director of The Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University. http://www.cmu.edu/energy (www.cmu.edu/energy). Through programming, targeted outreach, and partnerships, she guides the Institute’s efforts to optimize energy resources, reduce the environmental impacts of energy production and use, and develop breakthrough technologies that will have meaningful impact and accelerate the transition to a sustainable, low carbon energy future. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 350 other founder stories and startup advice at ww

What you are about to hear is content from our Career Summit, a fantastic series of conversations all about not only how to find your dream job, the perfect opportunity to transition into clean energy as a career but also how as an industry we can improve the concepts of hiring with justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. How are managers creating a diverse and inclusive work environment? You’re going to hear from a panel of hiring professionals and D&I experts as they dispense practical advice, best practices, and processes to efficiently implement D&I strategies to your hiring procedures. You’ll hear Catherine McLean, Paige Rutten, Melanie Santiago-Mosier, and Lindsay Reichert as they describe the D&I initiatives implemented by some of the most leading companies in the clean energy sector, their importance, and strategies to attract a more diverse workforce. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 350 other founder storie

Today's guest is our friend Heidi Lim of Opus 12. While I hope that we can do more on Opus 12, we actually don't talk a ton about Opus 12. Today we talk about her process of finding what she calls a “career on purpose and meaning”. Opus 12 happens to be now the vessel through which she pours that energy. I'm excited to bring that conversation to you, so I encourage you not just to listen in to this conversation, but also to go take the time to read the tome that she created, which was the genesis of this episode and this interview. I found Heidi by reading on my own around what is it like to get a job in the clean energy space and trying to really understand the journey that you all are on, and nobody that I've read in the last year has put it more succinctly and more action-oriented than Heidi. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 350 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https://www.mysuncast.com

This is 2Fer Tuesdays. Whether that's a Tactical Tuesday or just content from one of our many live events like SPI Podcast Lounge, this is going to be a short form conversation, typically with subject matter experts designed to give you the practical tools, tips and advice for building your solar business or career and grow with us here on SunCast. What you are about to hear is content from our Career Summit, a fantastic series of conversations all about not only how to find your dream job, the perfect opportunity to transition into clean energy as a career but also how as an industry we can improve the concepts of hiring with justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. With a goal of taking candidates from being an outside observer to HIRED by a cleantech/clean energy firm in 60 days or less, I launched my Clean Energy Dream Job Case Study group in August. Hear from candidates from the program as they share their experiences. Related to the conversation that we're having today is our Dream Job Coaching Prog

This is 2Fer Tuesdays. Whether that's a Tactical Tuesday or just content from one of our many live events like SPI Podcast Lounge, this is going to be a short form conversation, typically with subject matter experts designed to give you the practical tools, tips and advice for building your solar business or career and grow with us here on SunCast. What you are about to hear is content from our Career Summit, a fantastic series of conversations all about not only how to find your dream job, the perfect opportunity to transition into clean energy as a career but also how as an industry we can improve the concepts of hiring with justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. Hear from a panel of industry professionals who have landed their dream job (or internship). Take a look at their journey and get a few tips in helping you take on that next step. Related to the conversation that we're having today is our Dream Job Coaching Program, which we call Mission-Minded. You can learn more about that at events.mysunca

As you probably already know, it is Women's History Month, and here at SunCast we have very intentional programming for the month of March. 3 years ago Miss Tara Doyle, a good friend of our show insisted that we do more for not just the gender diversity, but the equity across the board. We’re doing our best to keep that habit and intention here in March, promoting female voices and increasingly more equity generally, throughout our show. We want to nod here to all of the fantastic leadership that is coming into the solar industry that just continues to blow our minds away. It’s well documented that companies with female leadership excel across many different metrics, not the least of which is profitability. And leadership skill is something that I personally learned more from my female bosses than my male bosses. Today, we have someone that I'm really honored and proud to have on the show, Miss Anne Choate, and she’s been such an instrumental figure for so many organizations, public and private, across gove

Welcome to another Tactical Tuesday, a short-form conversation with subject matter experts designed to give you the practical tips, tools, and advice for building your solar business or career. If you’re outside of the clean energy or solar industry and you’re trying to transition from another energy sector, this episode will give you great insight into what steps you should take. Today we are going to feature Dr. Amanda Rico, an expert in the field of technical writing and resume writing. She runs Rico Editorial Services and specializes in helping folks in the energy sector level up and find the career they love. She’s also a mentor in our own Coaching Program, helping applicants achieve exactly that. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 340 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https://www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/346 (Gain access to all the show notes & resources from this episode here) Y

This is financial Thursday and we're going to help you put your money where your heart is. There are some secrets out there about how your money is being invested against your better interests. Today's entrepreneur is my good friend Ravi Mikkelsen, and if you tuned in back in October 1st, 2019, you might remember that we did the episode with Samuel Adeyemo of Aurora Solar organized through ClimateLink, one of the organizations that this multifaceted entrepreneur has put together. Ravi is someone I've come to respect and admire, and today we're going to dig into his latest brainchild that is gathering traction. Certainly several of you have no doubt heard Jigar Shah and others mentioned it from the stages of Energy Gang and other platforms recently, it’s called Atmos Financial. We're going to learn all about that today and why in the world he would be trying to take on big banks. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 340 othe

Today's entrepreneur is no stranger to the wild and crazy ride we call the solar coaster. He cut his teeth in the industry more than a decade ago and has worked at companies you'd recognize like Tesla. He got the entrepreneurial bug several years back, in this case, seeing before many others the coming wave and rise of energy storage and the need for a slightly different format and a form factor in the market that was underserving almost entirely unserved at that time in history. We'll hear more about that and how Omeed Badkoobeh and Yotta Energy have sought to address a little addressed market that is actually a huge total addressable market. We'll dig into energy storage for commercial and industrial as well as the journey of this young entrepreneur today on SunCast. Remember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links and more than 340 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com. https://www.mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/344 (Gain