Clean Power Hour
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
Episodes
408 episodes
Women in Solar Construction: Why the Industry Is Failing Them? #345
One large solar company reported less than 1% of its field employees were women. The solar industry overall sits at 25 to 30% women across all roles, but the construction side drops to an estimated 1 to 3%. Riley Neugebauer, founder of Solar fo...
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41:26
Why is USA Residential Solar So Expensive? The Real Reason U.S. Solar Is So Expensive #344
Solar modules once cost $8 per watt. Geoff Greenfield bought his first panels from a classified ad in Home Power magazine. Twenty-six years later, he leads an EPC division building 67 MW projects and negotiating 100 MW contracts.In this ...
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44:37
How AI Agents Are Reshaping the Solar Industry Right Now? #343
A 10-person, three-month estimating process. Compressed into 12 hours by a single AI agent. That is what Jesse Anglen, co-founder of Ruh AI, is building for construction and solar companies right now. In this episode of The Clean Power Hour, ho...
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46:47
The $65/kWh Incentive Making US Batteries Compete with China
US battery manufacturing capacity is set to hit 145 gigawatt hours by the end of 2026, enough to cover 100% of domestic grid storage demand. Tim Montague and John Weaver break down this milestone and seven more stories on this Clean Power Hour ...
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55:25
Community Microgrids Are Proven. So Why Aren’t They Everywhere? #342
Billion-dollar weather emergencies hit the United States every 19 days. In the 1980s, they came every 90 days. The grid is still running, but communities are paying the price when it fails. Elisa Wood, founder of Energy Changemakers and host of...
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44:45
Old Solar Panels Are a Gold Mine (Here's the Math) #341
Revenue from aging solar assets can now more than double through redevelopment. Matt Murphy, CEO of Flux Energy, joins Tim Montague on the Clean Power Hour to explain how. Murphy, a 20-year solar industry veteran and former Greenbacker executiv...
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40:07
LG Ditches EV Batteries for Grid Storage. Big Signal.
LG Energy Solution and GM are converting their Tennessee EV battery plant to LFP production for the US grid storage market. The $70 million retooling signals a broader industry shift as EV demand in the US slows and grid storage demand accelera...
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49:59
FEOC, ITC Phase-Out, and Storage: InterSolar 2026 Dispatch #340
FEOC compliance is the number one question solar buyers ask in 2026, and the answer determines which module manufacturers survive. In this episode, Tim Montague talks with Chris Lettman of Imperial Star, Benoy Thanjan of Reneu Energy, and the h...
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36:30
Iran War Sends Natural Gas Prices Soaring: What It Means for Solar
Natural gas prices in Europe surged roughly 80% after the Iran war disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off 20% of the world's oil supply. On this episode of The Clean Power Hour Live, Tim Montague and John Weaver break down...
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52:42
Luminous Robotics Lumi 4: Faster Solar at 30% Lower Cost #339
Third-party testing shows robotic solar panel installation reduces micro cracks and defects by 16 to 20%. In this episode, Tim Montague sits down with Jay Wong, CEO of Luminous Robotics, and Andy Klump, longtime solar industry advisor, at RE+ B...
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16:29
Scattered Solar Monitoring Is Costing You Thousands #338
Every disconnected monitoring platform in your stack is a blind spot. And every blind spot is lost revenue. On this episode of The Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague sits down with Hervé Billiet, CEO of Sunvoy and co-host of What Solar Install...
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40:58
I Asked 6 CPS America Insiders What's Changing in Solar #337
Energy bills have jumped as much as 30% in the last year, and data center demand is outpacing grid growth. CPS America, with over 10 gigawatts of string inverters shipped in the US, is responding with a wave of new products: skidded string solu...
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31:17
Why the Middle Market Is Storage's Biggest Battleground
LFP battery storage pricing dropped from over $1,000 per kilowatt hour to under $100 per kilowatt hour in a few short years. That single shift is reshaping project economics across the solar and storage industry. In this episode of The Clean Po...
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47:12
Batteries Now #1 Morning Power Source in California
For the first time, batteries and solar powered California around the clock, with batteries running as the number one morning electricity source at nearly 6,000 megawatts. Tim Montague and John Weaver break down this milestone and a packed week...
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44:33
Your Solar Asset Is Underperforming. Here's Why. #335
Most solar asset owners still manage performance data the same way they did 10 years ago. Dan Leary, founder of Denowatts, says that needs to change. In this episode, recorded live at RE+ Northeast in Boston, Tim Montague sits down with Leary a...
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19:53
The ITC Is Ending. Here Is How Solar Adapts #334
The 30% investment tax credit is going away. The safe harbor window closes July 3, 2026. After that, commercial solar stands on its own. So what separates the companies that thrive from the ones that disappear? Costa Nicolaou, found...
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23:46
4 Storytelling Rules Solar Pros Need Right Now #333
One LinkedIn post. Almost 400,000 impressions. Aaron Nichols has earned 1.8 million impressions on LinkedIn in one year, and he did it by breaking every rule the clean energy industry follows. His message is blunt: solar companies insist on bei...
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49:12
Wind Farms Beat Trump 5-0: Offshore Construction Resumes
Wind farms are defeating the Trump administration's stop-work orders 5-0 as federal judges allow offshore construction to resume, while data centers drive consumer power bills up 30-50% across the country. Tim Montague and John Weav...
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49:06
Every Blackout in America Traces Back to This One Problem #332
Storm Fern just knocked out power for nearly a million Americans. But here's what the media won't tell you: this wasn't a freak accident—it's the new normal.New research from the Union of Concerned Scientists reveals that 100% of the wor...
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44:49
Missouri Wants to Ban All Solar Construction for Two Years
A Missouri state senator wants to ban all solar construction for two years, threatening a 430 MW project already under construction. On the Clean Power Hour Live, Tim Montague and John Weaver cover the Missouri solar moratorium, the first UL st...
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49:57
What 16 Years of Solar Development Taught Me | Brad Stutzman #331
What separates solar projects that get built from those that die in development? Brad Stutzman has spent 16 years figuring out the answer.Brad is the Founder and CEO of O3 Energy, a Dallas-based solar development and construction company...
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43:11
How Clean Energy Companies Can Get Real ROI from AI #330
Most businesses are stuck in AI demo mode, watching impressive one-off showcases that never become daily operations. In this episode, Tim Montague welcomes Josh Huston from Agents Anywhere to break down the three categories of AI opportunity: a...
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35:48
Batteries: The Missing Piece of the Energy Transition Puzzle #329
Energy storage is not a green technology. It's grid infrastructure.That reframe from Shawn Shaw, CEO of Camelot Energy Group and author of "Energy Storage Systems," challenges how we talk about batteries in the energy transition. With 22...
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58:41
Bridge Loans Are Saving Tribal Clean Energy Projects #328
#EP328 Federal funding for tribal clean energy projects has been rescinded. Tribes that invested millions in solar and microgrid projects now face stalled construction, lost jobs, and broken promises. David Harper, CEO of Huurav, is stepping in...
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40:46
China Installed More Batteries in 1 Month Than the US Did All Year
In this week's Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague and co-host John Weaver examine the widening gap between China and the United States in clean energy deployment. The hosts analyze new data from Stanford Professor Mark Jacobson showing China is on ...
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51:08
