The Future of Solar Power Electronics with Bryan Wagner of CPS America | EP266

Today on the Clean Power Hour recorded at RE+ Northeast in Boston, Tim Montague sits down with Bryan Wagner, President of CPS America, to discuss the latest developments in solar power electronics and energy storage. Wagner shares insights from his recent overseas trip to China, where he explored Chint's global manufacturing capabilities and strategy for the North American market.

The conversation delves into Chint's impressive portfolio as a diversified global energy company, including their expansion into high-voltage transformers for solar substations, innovative inverter products with enhanced safety features like the 250 and 350 models, and their exciting new energy storage product called "Gonzo." Wagner explains how Chint's engineering expertise allows them to create complex power equipment designed to last through the 20-40 year lifespan of modern solar installations.

Wagner also reveals CPS America's launch of a new service brand called CSPs (Chint Smart Power Services), leveraging Chint's extensive experience in operating and maintaining 20 gigawatts of solar globally. The discussion highlights the importance of RE+ Northeast as a platform for industry growth and networking, with Wagner noting how electrification trends and AI-driven data centers are significantly increasing power demand—potentially doubling or tripling New York State's capacity needs in the next decade.

Bryan also mentions that their Innovation Day event is growing significantly, with attendance increasing from around 300 people last year to an expected 500 this year, and he invites listeners to connect with them via the Chint Power Systems website or by emailing events@ChintPower.com to learn more. Check out CPS Product Innovation Day 2025: https://loom.ly/Ll19EVk

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Bryan Wagner

CPS America

CPS America Innovation Day

Transcript

Bryan Wagner: 0:51

Be we're kind of more excited about the power side and more complex capital equipment. That is, you know, it's not a small commodity product. It takes real engineering. Know how it takes real dedicated teams. It takes service professionals to be able to warranty the product, keep things up and running. These are 2030, as you know, 40 year plants, and we have to be making products that can hopefully live on that long. And, you know, in one, one cycle, you know, if you end up having a couple warranty calls and things, and you gotta, you gotta put two or three products in a 4050, year life, I think people still be okay, as long as you get the energy yield,

intro: 1:33

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Tim Montague: 1:59

today on the Clean Power Hour. We're at Ori, Boston, and I'm with Brian Wagner, the president of CPS America, and we're going to talk about chintz global manufacturing capabilities and what's going on in the solar power electronics industry. Welcome to the show again. Brian,

Bryan Wagner: 2:16

thank you, Tim, great to be here. Great to see you being here in our CPS booth. Yeah, it's a lot of fun. You've become a staple with us. So thank you for everything you do. Well, thank

Tim Montague: 2:27

you. I couldn't do it without you, man, yeah, it's a great partnership. So Well, first, let's, let's talk about Boston. Since we're here, when you come to these shows, I know that sometimes you're rolling out new products and sometimes you're just strengthening, you know, relationships and building new relationships. But what's on your mind and what are you talking to the team about to be top of mind for Chint right now?

Bryan Wagner: 2:56

Well, yeah, that's, I think this time of year, I just got back from an overseas trip, and I think this time of year we're vetting the different facilities that we work with, the different product categories that we're entering or thinking about entering vetting, I should say. And so this time of year is really important for really honing in on your strategy, your plan, not getting too wide in your focus, and trying to get deep and narrow in what we want to focus on, on a show like this, but also this, this show has been tremendous. They've done a great job, even now in a bigger facility, to kind of set the tone for the year, especially in the Northeast. You're not building as much this time of year with the weather, but you know, everybody's here learning about all the technologies, all the all the development partnerships and things that happen in blossom from coming to here. So yeah, we're excited. I mean, the new technology and the new segments is kind of what we're here to talk about. I think this

Tim Montague: 3:56

is my fourth or fifth re Northeast, and it's great to just see how year after year it just grows right? And now we're in a bigger space, and there's obviously more people here, and it's just, you know, slowly but surely, we are growing the energy transition. And, you know, we used to say solar is small. I wouldn't refer to the solar industry as small anymore. We're a major industry. We're creating 1000s and 1000s of jobs, and it's a win win, right? We're cleaning the grid, we're cleaning the air. We're creating a healthier, safer future for our children and our children's children and and so it's a feel good. It's, it's technology for good. Yeah, that we're selling, right? So, tell us about your trip.

Bryan Wagner: 4:42

Yeah. So the trip was interesting in, in that, you know, electrification of everything that's happening, data center, all the, all the buzz words are out there, AI and, and it's very real. I mean, in fact, one of the talks today, I thought fascinating, the president of NYSERDA, was talking about how the capacity in New York State could double or triple in the next decade, for for load, for demand, so that load growth is tremendous for us as an industry. And if you think about what sia presents and what re plus has become, it's amazing. I mean, it's probably a decade for us coming to this as CPS and just grown. You couldn't even believe it. So overseas was about making sure we're ready for an event like today, and to inspire our customers to build more solar, more storage. You know, really that's our main focus, I'd say right now solar and storage segments, yeah. So we've launched new products in those categories.

Tim Montague: 5:43

I like to and I think I I learned this from you. I refer to chintz as kind of the GE of China, like the. The stuff that Chint makes is is pretty incredible and vast. But as it relates to solar, can you tell us, what are the products that Chint makes globally? Yeah, so

Bryan Wagner: 6:04

we actually GE has been a customer. They once called us the baby GE, so we worked with them for many years, and I'd say we're very diversified global energy company, is how we phrase it. Now, the the categories being solar and storage, the breadth of which we're offering products into those two categories now continues to expand. So for example, if you ahead of us solar project, you could build a substation, right if there's an upgrade that's needed. We now, as Chint, manufacture high voltage transformers for that category. So when I was over there touring that factory, in that facility, it's just phenomenal, the breadth and the scope, and that's over a $1 million business for Chint. So something that we're really excited to be the, the group leading, you know, leading the future here in the US with that platform, billion dollars, yeah, yeah, over a billion dollar revenue a year. And for us in the US, obviously, that's a, that's a growth this year. We launched last year. It's a growth this year. We also have, as I said, energy storage products. We have a new product called Gonzo that is, yeah, it's, we think it's one that's going to fly off the shelves, similar to our 350 our 350 right now has design Winds North of 100 even 200 plus megawatt projects, and so that that product starting really take off. You know, we have the 250 600 volt with both the 250 and the and the 350 have the the enhanced safety features, meaning make, we want to make safer strings. So the enhanced part about creating something that can tech arc inside of the product and from the module side, is just really innovative. So the 250 600 and the 350 both come with this DC enhanced, as we call it, which makes safer string projects, and in turn, you know, overall, should build, you know, more and more solar projects safely. We're excited about that.

Tim Montague: 8:11

When you think about a utility solar plant, is there? Is there? So substation, transformers, inverters, the, I mean, that's, that's pretty much it, right? So, yeah,

Bryan Wagner: 8:26

exactly. So everything related to those manufacturer modules, we as CPS, don't really get involved too much. They want us to. We're kind of more excited about the power side and more complex capital equipment that is, you know, it's not a small commodity product. It takes real engineering. Know How? It takes real dedicated teams. It takes service professionals to be able to to warranty the product, keep things up and running. These are 2030, as you know, 40 year plants, and we have to be making products that can hopefully live on that long. And, you know, in one, one cycle, you know, if you end up having a couple warranty calls and things, and you gotta, you gotta put two or three products in a 4050, year life, I think people will still be okay, as long as you get the energy yield. Yeah.

Tim Montague: 9:17

So what? What other takeaways did you have from your trip to China?

Bryan Wagner: 9:21

Well, so we, we also, I would say, have launched a new service brand called CSPs. So Chint Smart Power Services. So there was strategy as relates to that. Chint actually has a 2020, gigawatt O and M business. So we're not like just starting from scratch. We have technology. We have all kinds of things we're going to be offering, and I think it'll be really innovative for our partners, it's all about, how do you enable your partners to to make more profitable solar projects, develop more profitable live live on in in the life cycle of the projects, which could be 20, 3040, years. And so for us, being able to create services long term for them, I think will be really cool.

Tim Montague: 10:10

So you mentioned Gonzo and this new CSPs. Are you Are these fully public or do people have to come to Innovation Day to learn more?

Bryan Wagner: 10:20

Yeah, true. I mean, some of them in more soft launch, yeah, some of them been more soft launch in terms of the timing of what you know, you cannot do everything well at the same time, but you're trying to make everything a priority. So it's more about, you know, how is some famous companies, if you think about, how do they launch all these things? Well, you got to have people, and you got to invest in your people. You got to you got to think through the systems of which you bring products through. And sometimes we move. Things up or back depending on importance. For example, our five megawatt hour battery container did not do that well last year in the market. We're not well known in that space. So instead, we invested in the CNI ESS in Gonzo, bringing that further, rather than extending some utility product. We know it's good enough, and we know it'll have wins this year in the market at scale, but we think the CNI product and our segment will be the scalable one first. So it's kind of like that, and then behind that you're you're chasing, say, existing projects with our services, or future projects that are getting built right now. It's just how fast and how many things can you do it once? That's the challenge? Yeah,

Tim Montague: 11:35

all right. Well, any takeaways from walking the show floor today?

Bryan Wagner: 11:40

Yeah, I'd say we have some definitely emerging competitors in storage, and so that has been a very competitive space. I think watching chintz commitment to energy storage, and hearing about New York today, Massachusetts, some of their programs. We have a ways to go to make sure we have, you know, something for everyone. You know. I think we're getting there. Yeah, cool.

Tim Montague: 12:07

Well, unless there's anything else you want to talk about, I think we're good.

Bryan Wagner: 12:13

Yeah, no, I, you know, appreciate everybody's tell our listeners. Tell

Tim Montague: 12:17

our listeners how they can what's the best way to connect with you and learn about Innovation Day? Oh,

Bryan Wagner: 12:24

yeah, good question. So chintpowersystems.com or is our website. You can also send us an email at events at Chint Power, you know, we have a whole team that can help set you up. Yeah, we're planning. Last year we probably had over 300 people. This year's probably closer to 500 we're hoping so it's starting to really build. And, you know, we're excited you're coming.

Tim Montague: 12:46

Yeah, I've had so many conversations, Brian, just today with engineers and EPCs, who I met last year at Innovation Day, and they're like, that event is my favorite event, yeah, and so it is on par with any other conference that you may have attended. Just know that and reach out to me on LinkedIn if you want to learn about Innovation Day. Obviously you can find Chint at Chint power systems. I'm Tim Montague, check out all of our content at cleanpowerhour.com. Please give us a rating and a review on Apple or Spotify, and let's grow solar and storage. Tim.