SunCast

What do you do when your entire market disappears?
That’s not a thought experiment for Michael Bergey. It’s the story of his career.
Long before solar dominated rooftops, distributed wind was solving real problems across rural America — lowering energy costs for customers who didn’t care about climate narratives, only outcomes. Then policy support vanished. Oil prices collapsed. And later, cheap solar took over.
Most companies didn’t survive.
Bergey Windpower did.
In this conversation, Michael walks through what it actually takes to stay in the game when incentives disappear, competitors pivot, and the market moves faster than your business model.
But there’s a deeper takeaway here.
The customers driving distributed energy today don’t all look the same — and they don’t all think the same either. Wind and solar, once seen as separate paths, are now serving the same need: control, resilience, and economics that work.
Expect to learn:
⚡ What really happened to small wind after the 1980s policy collapse
⚡ How solar’s cost curve forced a complete reset of the business
⚡ The engineering decisions that made small wind viable again
⚡ Why farmers — not homeowners — are driving adoption today
If you’re building in clean energy right now, this may give you a new perspective on staying power and resilience.
👉 Press play to see what happens when the market turns against you.
Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?
Hit us up - [email protected] with your feedback & recommendations.
Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolar
If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.
Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!
SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!
You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.
Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.
Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/
You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:
Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

The residential solar playbook did not just change. It got torn up.
If you are still operating like yesterday’s incentives, product assumptions, and sales motions will carry you forward, this episode is a reality Margins aren’t disappearing overnight. They’re leaking — in places most contractors don’t even notice.
In this live conversation from IESNA 2026, Nico Johnson sits down with Rob Smith and Eric Cieslak of ABC Supply to break down where solar contractors are quietly losing profit — and where the smartest operators are starting to take it back.
From jobsite efficiency and logistics to financing-driven product decisions, this episode connects the dots between day-to-day operations and long-term business survival. ABC Supply brings a unique vantage point, seeing how contractors across the country are adapting — or failing to — as the market shifts.
If you’re still running your business the way you did two years ago, this conversation will challenge you to rethink what’s actually driving your margins today.
Expect to learn:
🔹 Where contractors are losing margin in time, labor, and logistics
🔹 Why contractors need a new operating playbook in a finance-driven solar market
🔹 Why planning with your distributor can unlock real efficiency gains
🔹 How storage and product selection are impacting ROI
🔹 Why disciplined, regional contractors may have the advantage right now
The margin is still there — just not where it used to be.
Press play and find out where to look.
Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?
Hit us up - [email protected] with your feedback & recommendations.
Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolar
If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.
Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!
SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!
You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.
Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.
Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/
You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:
Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

Long duration energy storage has spent years sitting in the “we’ll need it someday” category. Not anymore. As grid strain grows, data center demand surges, and reliability becomes a boardroom issue, long duration storage is starting to move from interesting concept to urgent solution.
Recorded live at Intersolar and Energy Storage North America, this panel brings together Anna Siefken of the LDES Council, Aric Saunders of Noon Energy, Tristan Bannon of CellCube, and Andrew Friedenthal of E-Zinc. With Nico Johnson leading the conversation, the group digs into what is changing in the market and why more buyers are finally paying attention to long duration storage.
This episode is not just about technology. It is about what happens when the grid needs more than incumbent batteries can supply. The panel explores how vanadium flow, zinc-based systems, and other long duration approaches could support resilience, replace diesel, firm renewables, and help planners think beyond the standard four-hour battery playbook.
Expect to learn:
🔹 Why long duration storage is finally gaining real commercial momentum
🔹 How data centers, resilience needs, and grid volatility are accelerating demand
🔹 What makes zinc, vanadium, and other chemistries worth watching
🔹 Why procurement rules should focus on the problem to solve, not the technology to favor
If you want a clearer picture of where storage is headed after lithium-ion, this conversation is a strong place to start. It is practical, candid, and full of insight from leaders building the next layer of the grid.
Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?
Hit us up - [email protected] with your feedback & recommendations.
Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolar
If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.
Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!
SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!
You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.
Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.
Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/
You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:
Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

Most conversations about agrivoltaics stay at the surface.
Rebekah Pierce didn’t set out to become a voice for solar. She was trying to solve a much simpler problem:
How do you make a small farm financially viable… without giving it up?
What followed was a shift — from seeing solar as a “necessary evil” to recognizing it as a tool that might fundamentally reshape how farms survive.
In this conversation, we unpack what’s actually happening on the ground:
🔹 What exactly is the business of solar grazing
🔹 Where the economics work — and where they don’t
🔹 Why “prime farmland” is often misunderstood
🔹 The gap between developer intent and rural reality
🔹 What breaks when you try to scale this model
This is less about sheep under panels…
…and more about what new revenue models might actually keep farms alive.
_____________________________________________________
🎧 Guest: Rebekah Pierce
Author of Agri-Energy: Growing Power, Growing Food
_____________________________________________________
If you’re curious about agrivoltaics, this is a perspective you don’t usually hear.
Hit play to hear why Rebekah Pierce believes agrivoltaics is not a side strategy. It is a glimpse of what farming could become.
Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?
Hit us up - [email protected] with your feedback & recommendations.
Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolar
If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/.
Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!
SunCast is also sponsored by Nextpower!
You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors.
Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media.
Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/
You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:
Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

AI isn’t just increasing demand for electricity - it’s changing how power behaves.
In this Tactical Tuesday, Nico Johnson sits down with Jon Parrella of Terraflow Energy to break down a problem few people are talking about: modern AI data centers don’t draw power like traditional loads. They ramp rapidly, swing unpredictably, and introduce volatility that existing infrastructure wasn’t designed to handle.
That shift is putting real strain on generators, batteries, and the grid itself - accelerating wear, increasing complexity, and creating new risks for developers and investors alike.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
🔹 Why AI data centers behave differently from traditional power loads
🔹 How rapid load swings impact generators, lithium-ion batteries, and grid stability
🔹 What “controllable load” means - and why utilities and ISOs are prioritizing it
🔹 Where traditional power system design breaks down under AI-driven demand
🔹 Why being a responsive load could dramatically change interconnection timelines
Most importantly, you’ll understand what needs to change to make next-generation data center infrastructure reliable, scalable, and bankable.
If you’re developing, financing, or investing in data centers, energy infrastructure, or AI-driven growth, this episode will change how you think about the power system that it requires.
Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast?
Hit us up - [email protected] with your feedback & recommendations.
You'll find more resources and learn about SunCast's guest(s), recommendations, book links, and more than 850 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.
You can learn more about partnering with SunCast here: https://mysuncast.com/sponsors
You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:
Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
Subscribe to Valence, our weekly Linkedin Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/