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: apps, agents, and automations. Josh has spent over three years helping companies turn AI from buzzword into working business infrastructure.

Key Discussion Points:

• Why AI is an accelerator for working workflows, not a fix for broken processes
• The three AI opportunity categories: apps (custom interfaces), agents (goal-driven LLMs with tool access), and automations (background workflows)
• How data ownership shifts when you build custom applications instead of relying on third-party tools
• Real-world example: proposal generation workflow reduced from hours to minutes using AI agents
• Pilot project framework: $15K-$25K investments targeting high-impact workflows with measurable ROI
• Cost structure for AI agents: service fees, token usage (as low as 2 cents per process), and platform licensing

This episode gives clean energy operators a practical framework for AI adoption. The message is clear: stop accumulating tools and start building strategic workflows. Josh and Tim walk through the entire process from identifying friction points to scaling successful pilots across your organization.

If you run a solar EPC, energy storage company, or any cleantech operation feeling pressure to "do something with AI," this conversation provides the roadmap. The approach is simple: find what works, accelerate it with AI, measure ROI, then expand intentionally.

Book a strategy call today: https://calendly.com/tim-montague/ai-consulting#/

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The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com

Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com

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 years in solar and storage and 1.2 GWh of projects commissioned in late 2025, Shaw brings practical insight into why storage matters for grid operators regardless of your views on renewables. China installed 65 GWh of storage in December 2025 alone. The US installed 40-50 GWh for the entire year. This conversation explains why that gap matters.

Key Discussion Points

• Why energy storage is a grid resource like transformers and substations, not just a companion to renewables. Loads are more dynamic than ever, and batteries provide the controllability grid operators need.
• How storage transforms predictable renewables into dispatchable assets. A 100kW solar project might earn only 10kW capacity credit alone, but pairing it with batteries captures significantly more value.
• The real data on battery safety: Commercial and utility-scale systems catch fire at 0.3% per year, the same rate as residential homes. NFPA 855 2026 now requires active ventilation and separate fire and explosion testing.
• Hot storage markets in 2026: Massachusetts 83E procurement, New York's index storage credit, Illinois CRGA legislation, and why Texas requires nodal-level analysis to avoid 50% revenue swings.
• Why utility interconnection delays are pushing developers toward microgrids. Google acquired Intersect Power for $4.75 billion to self-develop solar and storage near data centers.
• FEOC compliance economics: Chinese DC blocks at $100-125/kWh vs Tesla at $300-500/kWh. Developers may want FEOC free but the economics of built in America may drive business as usual for BESS procurement. The devil is in the details!

This episode offers a clear-eyed view of where the industry stands and what it takes to move faster.

Connect with Shawn Shaw

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnshawpe/

Website: https://www.camelotenergygroup.com/

Support the show

Connect with Tim

Clean Power Hour
Clean Power Hour on YouTube
Tim on Twitter
Tim on LinkedIn

Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com

Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com

Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com

#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 with bridge loans to keep these projects alive.

David Harper is a tribal member from the Colorado River Indian Tribes on the Arizona-California border. He started his solar career fighting developers who disturbed sacred artifacts and human remains on tribal lands. Today, he runs Huurav, a company providing bridge financing for the 575 federally recognized tribes across the United States. His sister company, 7 Skyline, provides electrical engineering consulting to 80-90 tribes nationwide.

Episode Highlights:

• The 2021 Infrastructure Bill allocated $10-15 billion for tribal energy projects. Much of that funding has been clawed back.
• Tribes that invested their own money now have stalled projects with no path to completion.
• Huurav provides 2-6 year bridge loans that allow tribes to continue construction while securing permanent financing.
• Capital stacking allows multiple funders (CDFIs, philanthropy, financial institutions, etc) to share risk on larger projects.
• Case study: Guidiville Rancheria in Mendocino County received a $1M bridge loan for a 500kW solar plus 1.5MW battery storage microgrid serving 44 homes.
• Huurav has 22 projects in its pipeline with more tribes requesting support.
• Tribal communities often suffer brownouts and blackouts because they sit at the end of utility lines. Microgrids offer energy independence.

David Harper's story captures what happens when federal promises disappear overnight. Tribes that did everything right, completed feasibility studies, hired workers, and approved scopes of work, are left holding the bill.

Huurav fills that gap with bridge loans sized to what tribes can pay back. This model builds credit history, creates jobs, and moves the 22 projects in their pipeline toward completion.

Connect with David Harper

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-harper-ab6b762b5/

Huurav: https://www.huurav.com/

7Skyline: https://www.7skyline.com/

Support the show

Connect with Tim

Clean Power Hour
Clean Power Hour on YouTube
Tim on Twitter
Tim on LinkedIn

Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com

Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com

Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com