Factor This! is a weekly podcast designed for the solar energy industry. Every Monday, Factor This! takes on solar’s top stories with industry leaders who actually move the needle.
The podcast debuted with a four-part, deep-dive series on the Auxin Solar tariff petition, which brought the industry to a complete halt over the threat of retroactive tariffs on modules imported from Southeast Asia. The series is available wherever you get your podcasts.
Factor This! is hosted by Renewable Energy World’s John Engel. Connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Below is a list of episodes and links to individual show notes.
Factor This! episode list
Episode 31: Toledo Solar’s founder on the ‘untruths’ of American solar manufacturing
Episode 31 of the Factor This! podcast features Aaron Bates, the CEO and founder of Toledo Solar, a manufacturer of cadmium telluride thin-film solar modules.
Bates cares deeply about who is making solar modules and, just as importantly, where. And he has strong opinions about the direction the solar industry is heading.
In response to the Inflation Reduction Act, Toledo Solar is scaling its production capacity to 2.3 gigawatts by 2027. It’s bringing the technology that made First Solar a household name to the commercial and residential sectors, and doing it right down the street from First Solar’s factory in Ohio.
Bates discusses Toledo Solar and its ties to Ohio’s rich history of manufacturing, silicon vs. CadTe modules, tariffs, and what he calls the “untruths” behind Made in America solar.
Episode 30: Why 2023 is about to be the biggest year yet for C&I clean energy
Aired Jan. 9, 2023
Corporate demand for clean energy couldn’t be hotter. And it’s not just for far-away solar and wind farms anymore.
In a year plagued by trade disputes, supply chain constraints, and missed targets, onsite commercial and industrial deployment of solar, batteries and EV charging grew in 2022 when other areas sank.
Leaders in the C&I space say it’s about to explode. That growth doesn’t come without its own challenges for grid reliability.
Episode 30 of the Factor This! podcast features Raphael Declercq, CEO of the C&I solar, storage, and EV charging developer PowerFlex.
Owned by EDF Renewables, PowerFlex is a leader in the C&I space, recently raising $100 million to expand its onsite energy management hardware and software offering.
Declercq weighed in on the impact of the California net metering decision, intelligent EV charging, and the outlook for an often overlooked segment of the industry.
Episode 29: Will solar energy’s challenges finally ease in ’23?
Aired Dec. 19, 2022
It was a best-of-times, worst-of-times sort of year for solar: long-awaited federal policy support tempered by ongoing trade disputes involving some of the industry’s biggest suppliers.
As the year closes, giving new meaning to the term ‘solar coaster,’ we invited Paula Mints, who has been tracking the industry for more than two decades, to shed some light on what 2022 means to the solar industry and what to watch out for in the new year.
She joined Episode 29 of the Factor This! podcast to break down everything from the Auxin Solar petition to the Inflation Reduction Act and to discuss the industry’s path forward amid mounting headwinds.
Episode 28: Europe wants its own Inflation Reduction Act moment
Aired Dec. 12, 2022
When the American clean energy industry met at RE+ in September, seemingly every conversation exuded an optimistic tone about the future.
Historic incentives for clean energy in the Inflation Reduction Act, paired with a generational industrial policy, brought U.S. climate goals within reach at a point when their prospects appeared bleak at best. Now, billions of dollars of investment is flowing into American clean energy manufacturing.
The outlook couldn’t be more different in Europe, where industry leaders recently came together at Enlit Europe in Frankfurt, Germany. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated an already dire energy crisis, and the continent that once led the energy transition is watching its influence slip.
Two of Europe’s clean energy leaders joined Episode 28 of the Factor This! podcast from Frankfurt to discuss Europe’s path forward and the prospect for transformational industrial policy.
Guests:
Axel Thiemann, CEO, Sonnedix
Jochen Hauff, Director Corporate Strategy, Energy Policy & Sustainability, BayWa r.e.
Episode 27: Climate tech takes on clean energy’s biggest headaches
Aired Nov. 28, 2022
Clean energy is in broad agreement: the Inflation Reduction Act is a game-changer for the industry and our goals of staving off the worst effects of climate change.
But underneath the optimism is a shared anxiety that significant headwinds still plague the industry. Costly and time-consuming permitting and interconnection processes remain poison pills for projects.
On Episode 27 of the Factor This! podcast, we introduce you to two climate tech entrepreneurs who are taking on these challenges.
Robin Laine, CEO and co-founder of Transect, used her background as an environmental engineer to shrink the environmental assessment process down from weeks or months to just minutes.
James McWalter, CEO of Paces, is developing what he calls the “Google for site selection,” that allows developers to start with a set of criteria, like distance to an interconnection point, to find available parcels for development in just minutes. The platform also tracks ever-changing policies that could impact projects all the way down to the local level.
Episode 26: California NEM 3.0: Unpacking rooftop solar’s fate
Aired Nov. 21, 2022
After a series of starts, stops, and outright confusion over the future of rooftop solar, California regulators have released their latest proposal to reform the state’s net metering program.
The process known as NEM 3.0 has pitted advocates against investor-owned utilities over how customers should be paid for sending excess solar power to the grid. And since it involves the country’s largest solar market, the entire industry is paying attention.
Vote Solar’s executive director, Sachu Constantine, returns to the Factor This! podcast to break down the latest proposal, which is drawing fire from both sides. Check out Constantine’s analysis of the original NEM 3.0 proposal in Episode 6 of the Factor This! podcast.
Episode 25: Women in renewables: 3 female execs share their stories and recruitment strategies
Aired Nov. 14, 2022
A look around one of clean energy’s largest events offered a common sight: There were a lot of men.
The challenge is well-known in renewables. Women make up only about a third of the workforce. And they hold an even smaller share of executive positions.
On Episode 25 of the Factor This! podcast, three senior female executives weigh in on how to effectively recruit women to clean energy.
Guests:
Julia Bell, Chief Commercial Officer, CleanCapital
Carey Kling, Director, BQ Energy Development
Jenn Miller, CEO, Renewable IPP
Episode 24: Texas grid braces for winter. What’s changed since Uri?
Aired Nov. 7, 2022
It’s been more than 600 days since the lights went out for millions of Texans during Winter Storm Uri.
The near-total collapse of the Texas grid can be attributed to a number of culprits— and there has been no shortage of finger-pointing.
Promises were made that what happened in February 2021 would never happen again. And a market redesign that’s underway is supposed to be the solution.
To better understand what’s happening, and what’s to come, Episode 24 of the Factor This! podcast features Texas Capitol mainstays Caitlin Smith of Jupiter Power, Mark Stover of Apex Clean Energy, and Doug Lewin, host of Renewable Energy World‘s Texas Power Podcast.
Episode 23: Interconnection woes make strange bedfellows
Aired Oct. 31, 2022
Bringing new distributed energy resources to the grid often comes with delays and costly upgrades. Interconnection woes create a contentious relationship between utilities and developers.
That’s why Clarion Energy is launching the GridTECH Connect Forum— a regional event designed to break down industry silos by bringing together DER developers and utilities to find common ground to improve the interconnection process.
Registration is now open for the inaugural GridTECH Connect Forum in San Diego, California on Feb. 6, 2023.
To learn more, be sure to download Episode 23 of Factor This! featuring GridTECH Connect Forum advisory board members Laurence Abcede, manager of distributed energy resources at San Diego Gas & Electric, and CJ Colavito, the vice president of engineering at Standard Solar.
Episode 22: A bright future for brownfield solar development
Aired Oct. 24, 2022
More than a decade ago, the proverbial lightbulb glowed over Chad Farrell’s head.
Trained as a brownfield remediation engineer, he decided to develop solar projects on otherwise unusable land. His company, Encore Renewable Energy, became a first-mover on brownfield solar development, boosted by federal incentives.
Fast forward to today, and Farrell sees an even brighter future for brownfield solar project development due to another big chunk of federal help: the Inflation Reduction Act.
On Episode 22 of the Factor This! podcast, Farrell shares how the IRA is impacting brownfield and energy community project bankability, and lays out the challenges that still remain.
Episode 21: The climate law is having an impact on PPAs. What’s in store for 2023?
Aired Oct. 17, 2022
The market for procuring clean energy is enduring one of the most tumultuous stretches in history.
A global pandemic, trade disputes, and federal policy near-misses over the past two years contributed to fears that either side of a power purchase agreement was getting a raw deal. That volatility added pressure on developers, investors, and corporations pursuing net-zero goals.
But historic incentives for clean energy baked into the Inflation Reduction Act have shifted the industry’s trajectory, backed by the certainty of 10-year tax credits.
What impact is the IRA already having, and what’s in store for 2023?
Gia Clark, senior director of developer services for LevelTen Energy, joins Episode 21 of the Factor This! podcast to provide a first look at her company’s Q3 PPA Price Index report and insights from their asset marketplace.
Episode 20: Clean energy is popular but NIMBYism remains potent. What gives?
Aired Oct. 10, 2022
Solar and wind enjoy broad public support, but the fight in Congress over the Inflation Reduction Act showed that the industry can be held hostage by a single vote, as proven by Sen. Joe Manchin’s nail-bite tactics.
And for all the IRA promises to do to fuel clean energy deployment, the law doesn’t cure the industry’s persistent NIMBY problem.
On Episode 20 of the Factor This! podcast, veteran clean tech communicator Mike Casey shares his vision for establishing long-term political power to prevent the next Manchin-like holdout.
We’re also joined by SOLV Energy CEO George Herschman, whose company is developing the largest solar project in the US, to share strategies that clean energy developers can use to overcome NIMBY opposition.
Episode 19: The race is on to meet demand with made-in-America solar modules
Aired Oct. 3, 2022
In June, President Joe Biden announced a two-year pause on new tariffs on solar modules imported from Southeast Asia – much-needed relief for the industry that was brought to a standstill.
Weeks later, though, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act took effect and has resulted in the detention of modules believed to have been manufactured in the Xinjiang region of China using forced labor.
Vulnerabilities in the solar supply chain have been magnified over the past year. With historic incentives for domestic solar production secured by the Inflation Reduction Act, can the US ramp up manufacturing capacity before new tariffs are potentially imposed as a result of the Auxin Solar petition?
On Episode 19 of the Factor This! podcast, leaders from Cypress Creek Renewables, Lightsource bp, and Qcells took on this all-important question live from RE+ in Anaheim.
Episode 18: Celebrating clean energy risk takers
Aired Sep. 26, 2022
Before the Inflation Reduction Act, working and succeeding in clean energy came with quite a bit of risk. Now with historic legislation in place, it’s time to honor those risk takers for laying the groundwork for the new level of certainty not seen before in the industry.
Tom Weirich, who leads marketing efforts in North America for EDP Renewables, chronicles the stories of those clean energy visionaries in his forthcoming book,We Took the Risk.
Weirich joins Episode 18 of the Factor This! podcast to share some highlights from the book before it’s released on October 1.
Episode 17: Solar’s report card is coming. And a reckoning could follow
Aired Sep. 19. 2022
Over the past year, DroneBase, a company that conducts aerial assessments of utility-scale solar projects, drove up and down the western and eastern seaboards of North America to develop what it hopes will become a comprehensive database of every major solar project.
A resource like this would give DroneBase the ability to rate developers, EPCs, and asset owners, as well as the manufacturers of modules, trackers, and inverters, based on performance.
That report card could bring a new level of transparency, and a reckoning, to the solar industry.
Mark Culpepper, the general manager of DroneBase’s solar division, joins Episode 17 of the Factor This!™ podcast to discuss the new platform and the implications for the industry.
Episode 16: FERC Commissioner Allison Clements on record heat, resiliency, and smart grids
Aired Sept. 12, 2022
As Labor Day weekend came to a close, a sense of dread settled in at the home of Allison Clements, who was appointed to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 2020.
On the cusp of entering fifth grade, Clements’ daughter was tasked with completing a homework assignment over the summer break. And of course, it wasn’t done.
Upgrading the U.S. electric grid is akin to the nation’s own summer homework, Clements said on Episode 16 of the Factor This!. And Labor Day weekend has long since passed as an opportunity to complete catch-up work.
Clements discussed record heat in the West, resiliency, and FERC’s effort to reform transmission planning and interconnection rules.
Episode 15: Beware of the clean energy gold rush
Aired Sep. 5, 2022
Factor This! recently featured Pine Gate Renewable CEO Ben Catt, a developer of utility-scale solar and storage projects, who discussed the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on clean energy capital markets from the perspective of a project owner and developer.
Now, in Episode 15, Factor This! flips the script with Leyline Renewable Capital’s CEO Erik Lensch, who shares how the legislation will impact the availability and deployment of capital for clean energy projects.
Tune in for insights on changes to growth equity, tax equity, and project debt markets as the clean energy industry sprints to realize the benefits of the landmark law.
Episode 14: Building the next-generation solar farm
Aired Aug. 29, 2022
With the Inflation Reduction Act’s historic investments in clean energy and climate change in place, U.S. solar power development is expected to explode over the next decade.
But meeting lofty decarbonization goals won’t be easy— siting challenges, interconnection delays, and supply chain constraints all stand in the way.
In Episode 14 of the Factor This! podcast, Terabase co-founder and CEO Matt Campbell shares how his company is using software and automation to redefine how gigantic solar farms get built and are managed.
Episode 13: Going beyond the PPA with Clearloop CEO Laura Zapata
Aired Aug. 22, 2022
The power purchase agreement has done wonders for the deployment of clean energy.
Corporations can offset their annual energy consumption with long-term offtake contracts for solar and wind farms.
But what if that financial model doesn’t work for every business—especially smaller ones that still want to make an impact? And does traditional clean energy procurement offset as much carbon as possible?
There’s a new player solar that thinks they can address both of those challenges. In Episode 12 of Factor This!, Laura Zapata explains the mission behind Clearloop.
Episode 12: Green hydrogen: What’s next for the energy transition’s secret weapon?
Aired Aug. 19, 2022
In this bonus episode of Factor This!™, we introduce you to the RENWABLE+ Series™from Renewable Energy World®. Don’t worry, we’ll get back to tackling solar’s biggest stories on Monday.
In this +Series discussion, panelists from EDP Renewables, Generate Capital, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory break down what’s next for green hydrogen— the energy transition’s secret weapon.
- Bryan Pivovar, Senior Research Fellow I-Materials Science, NREL
- Ana Quelhas, Managing Director for Hydrogen, EDP Renewables (EDPR)
- Brandon Moffatt, VP, Generate Capital
While green hydrogen’s versatility offers potential answers to some of the energy transition’s most challenging questions, factors such as scale, scope, and affordability remain daunting challenges.
Tune into Episode 12 of the Factor This!™ now and check out the RENEWABLE+ Series™ archive here as well as the other RENEWABLE+ Series™️ archives.
Episode 11: Taking on solar’s recycling imperative
Airing Aug. 15, 2022
Around 70% of solar systems in the U.S. are less than five years old, and with a lifespan of 30 years or more, recycling may not seem urgent.
But multi-gigawatt demand for solar recycling awaits the industry in the decades to come. The International Renewable Energy Agency estimates global solar PV waste will reach 78 million tonnes by 2050—with those raw materials worth $15 billion.
How do we scale solar recycling to meet the need, and who’s going to capture that market?
On Episode 11 of the Factor This! podcast, Suvi Sharma – the solar veteran who co-founded Solaria and Nextracker – shares how his latest startup, SOLARCYCLE, is taking on solar’s recycling imperative.
Episode 10: What’s going on in clean energy capital markets? (Pt. 1)
Aired Aug. 8, 2022
Think back to June. President Biden had just paused new tariffs on solar modules imported from Southeast Asia—a lifeline for the solar industry after months of tumult caused by the Auxin Solar tariff petition.
Shipments resumed. Projects restarted. Stability returned.
Then came rising interest rates, record inflation, and recession anxiety, all complicating the buildout of clean energy infrastructure.
In Episode 10 of the Factor This! podcast, Pine Gate Renewables CEO Ben Catt breaks down what’s going on in clean energy capital markets, fresh off raising $500 million for his utility-scale solar and storage development company. Plus, Catt shares how clean energy business models are evolving.
Episode 9: Breaking down FERC’s interconnection reform plan
Aired Aug. 1, 2022
In June, FERC laid out a set of proposed rules to address possibly the biggest threat facing clean energy deployment goals in the US: interconnection delays.
The notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) identified ways to tackle widespread challenges that have led to years-long interconnection request backlogs across the country.
Jeff Dennis, managing director for the advocacy group Advanced Energy Economy, and a former FERC policy staffer, joins Episode 9 of Factor This! to break down what’s in the FERC interconnection NOPR and what comes next.
Episode 8: Manchin makes a deal
Aired July 28, 2022 (bonus episode)
In a shocking turn of events late on the afternoon of July 27th, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced that he had reached a deal with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on a budget reconciliation package that includes $369 billion.
Jose Zayas, EVP of Policy and Programs, American Council on Renewable Energy, joined Episode 8 of the Factor This! podcast for a rapid reaction to the reconciliation news.
Episode 7: Why ‘Made in America’ matters
Aired July 18, 2022
A global energy crisis, trade disputes, and shipping constraints have magnified the importance of secure supply chains. Maybe no industry has been more exposed to those headwinds over the past two years than solar.
Even before the Auxin Solar tariff petition threatened the U.S. solar industry’s survival, Nextracker founder and CEO Dan Shugar bet that ‘Made in America’ would soon matter more than ever.
Over the past four months, Nextracker, a leading manufacturer of trackers for utility-scale solar projects, has opened three steel production facilities in the U.S. in pursuit of ramping up 10 GW of domestic capacity.
In Episode 7 of the Factor This! podcast, Shugar explains the decision and predicts how the U.S. solar supply chain will continue to evolve. Plus, he gives a sneak peek at Nextracker’s next manufacturing announcement.
Episode 6: California NEM 3.0: Rooftop solar’s biggest fight is back on
Aired July 1, 2022
In Episode 6 of the Factor This! podcast, rooftop solar’s
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