863: Unlocking Tesla's Secrets to Battery Firefighting: An Insider's Story
Landfill explosions, lithium-ion firestorms, and CIA briefings—today’s guest has seen it all - or so she thought!Kathleen McCaffery’s illustrious firefighting career includes crawling through rubble in Haiti, leading battalions as one of the first female fire chiefs in North America, and even rewriting Tesla’s global fire safety strategy. This episode takes us into uncharted territory as Tesla recruits a retired firefighter to address global concerns over battery [fire] safety.Most solar companies are woefully underprepared to interact with firefighting agencies, and that’s increasingly going to create friction and unnecessary limitations. Kathleen spent her entire career breaking down barriers (when she wasn’t breaking down doors!) and has even been in the situation room of more than a few CIA operation briefs! To say she is battle-tested is putting it mildly. She answered the call to serve the country (CIA) and those in need (disaster relief), but could not have been prepared for the call she received post-retirement that pulled her back into active duty, this time taking her halfway ‘round the world to help solve battery fires in Australia! This is one of the most fun and wild conversations we’ve published all year.Expect to learn:🔹 The hidden dangers of damaged lithium-ion batteries (and why we don’t just bury them)🔹 Why the age-old truism “big fire, big water” doesn’t work for Batteries🔹 How Tesla created a new role just to fix their fire communication gap🔹 Why every developer needs to build relationships with local fire operators, not just permit officesFrom Pentagon rescue missions on 9/11 to training Tesla teams, Kathleen’s insights are not only fun and eye-opening—they’re critical for every solar professional adding batteries to their portfolio.Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolarIf 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!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 850 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/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
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862: Debunking Battery Myths: How Software-Driven Innovations Will Power the Future
More batter density = more value, right? Not so fast.In this episode, we challenge the hype around energy storage density—and reveal what really drives value for battery storage assets.At RE+ 2025, Nico Johnson got to connect with two powerhouse product leaders from Wärtsilä Energy Storage: Neha Sinha, Head of Hardware Portfolio, and Ruchira Shah, Lead for Software Product Management. Together, they’re crystal clear about how hardware and software integration impacts performance, revenue, and long-term viability in energy storage projects. And how that translates to strategic value for battery operators.If you think “more megawatt-hours per box” is the endgame, you might be oversizing your system—and leaving cash on the table. Neha and Ruchira explain why “usable energy,” not just nameplate capacity, is the real metric investors should care about. And why that’s not solely defined by the MWH you can stuff inside a container.Expect to learn:🔹 Why density ≠ value (and when high-density enclosures actually hurt your ROI)🔹 How software helps unlock stranded energy and accurate bidding🔹 The surprising role of chillers in degradation—and how to optimize them🔹 How to navigate site constraints, noise ordinances, and permitting barriersIf you're bidding into markets or scaling storage assets, this episode is your wake-up call: performance, not just packaging, determines profits.Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolarIf 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!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 850 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/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
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861: 1 in 5 Solar Panels Are Failing — Here’s Why
1 in 5 solar panels are failing—and it’s not because of hail. A quiet reliability crisis is cracking open across the industry, and it starts with glass.In this eye-opening conversation, Nico Johnson sits down with Tristan Erion-Lorico (Kiwa PVEL) and Dr. Teresa Barnes (NREL) to uncover why glass breakage has become the #1 cause of solar module failure. Backed by PVEL’s latest reliability data, they expose how design shortcuts, material stress, and quality-control lapses are pushing failure rates to an alarming 20%.You’ll learn: 🔹 Why “tempered” glass isn’t always truly tempered 🔹 How glass is allergic to metal, actually 🔹 Why thinner, lighter glass can mean bigger, costlier failures 🔹 What manufacturers, EPCs, and buyers must do now to prevent lossesIf you build, buy, or bank on solar panels, this episode could save your next project from shattering—literally.Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolarIf 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!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 850 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/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
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860: Why Natural Gas is Surging Again (and What It Means for Solar); Justin Locke | Global Energy Monitor
Is the world’s most powerful energy data set hiding in plain sight?Justin Locke, former RMI leader and now Executive Director of Global Energy Monitor, joins Nico to uncover how real data—not just rhetoric—is shaping the future of global energy. If you've ever looked at a chart on coal retirements, gas pipelines, or solar growth, chances are it came from GEM. Or at least, the person who created it was likely using this little-known FREE Open-source data set.In this episode, we go deep into the data warehouse purpose-built to help illuminate what’s really happening behind the curtain of the energy transition. We also spotlight a massive—but little discussed—spike in U.S. natural gas development. What’s behind it? AI-driven demand from hyperscale data centers. Why is this a warning sign? It’s quietly tipping the energy scales in ways we didn’t predict.You’ll hear why Justin left RMI to lead this critical watchdog organization, how GEM tracks infrastructure across 26 energy sectors, and why Southeast Asia and Africa are at a clean energy crossroads.Expect to Learn:🔹 Why the U.S. is now leading global gas plant development🔹 The off-grid data centers powering AI—and burning more gas🔹 How renewables are still growing fast… even amid fossil resurgence🔹 Why the Global South is the key to solving the climate crisisThe energy transition is messy—but the data doesn’t lie. Find out what’s really going on.Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolarIf 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!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 850 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/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
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859: Patrick Crane’s Plan to Cut Solar Costs in Half
The $2/Watt Challenge: Can We Get There?Is $2/watt solar a pipe dream—or a real target we can hit in the next few years?Patrick Crane, Global Head of Growth at OpenSolar (and solar pioneer since Sungevity), says not only is it possible, but we already know how to get there. In this conversation, Patrick breaks down the most bloated parts of the cost stack—from customer acquisition to permitting delays to clunky tech stacks—and lays out a clear path to radically cheaper solar installs.Drawing on two decades in solar and his time as CMO for LinkedIn, Patrick shares how smarter software, better referral systems, and AI-driven tools could change the economics of solar forever. If you’re serious about scaling solar and building a profitable, future-ready business, this one’s required listening.Expect to learn:🔹Why CAC is still solar’s biggest cost lever (and how to fix it)🔹How AI-powered design tools are slashing sales timelines🔹What SolarApp is doing to eliminate permitting bottlenecks🔹Why simplifying your tech stack could unlock 40+ cents/watt in savings🎧 Hit play to hear how Patrick and the OpenSolar team are helping the industry move from “solar sold” to “solar bought.”Not convinced we can get to $2/W for US Resi solar? Sound off - what are we missing?Check out OpenSolar OS 3.0 at: https://suncast.media/opensolarIf 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!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 850 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/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus
Nico Johnson takes you into conversations with those at the forefront of Renewable Energy.
SunCast gives an inside look into what is happening in renewable energy. From conversations with the biggest Solar Panel manufacturers in the world to the small startups creating the future of renewable energy, such as carbon capture and battery technology breakthroughs.
SunCast is dedicated to providing the knowledge, research, tools and expert guidance you need to understand, grow and be ahead of the curve in the fastest-growing markets in the world.
Featuring over 800 conversations, Nico has interviewed people from Tesla, SolarCity, Trina Solar, Meyer Burger, Conergy, SunEdison, Energy Vault and even the US Government... to name a few. Covering topics such as Solar Power, Wind Energy, Batteries, Electric Vehicles, Carbon Capture, Finance, Hydrogen, and more.
You can watch SunCast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SunCastMedia
...or view the full archive of SunCast episodes here: https://www.suncast.media/media/podcast
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