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 the Energy Changemakers podcast, joins Tim Montague on The Clean Power Hour to explain why community microgrids are the missing layer in grid resilience, where they are actually working, and what is stopping most communities from building them.

In this Episode:

• You will learn exactly how a community microgrid differs from standard solar and storage, specifically the islanding capability that keeps critical services running when the main grid fails.
• You will understand why the "over the fence" rule blocks most community microgrid projects and how California is beginning to create exceptions that other states could follow.
• You will learn why resilience has no assigned dollar value in today's grid market, and why that missing valuation is the root cause of the community microgrid funding problem.
• You will hear which states are leading on community microgrid development right now and why federal funding cuts have made state and local action the only real path forward.
• You will learn why utilities have a structural reason to resist community microgrids and what financial incentive changes could shift that dynamic.
• You will take away a community engagement lesson from Cascadia Renewables in Washington State, showing that talking to residents before doing engineering studies is what determines whether a project wins local support or stalls.

With federal support retreating and extreme weather intensifying, the window for state-level action on community microgrids is narrow. The case studies in this episode show that community microgrids save lives, reduce economic losses from outages, and create local energy wealth. Clean energy professionals who want to move these projects forward need to understand the regulatory barriers, the funding gaps, and the community engagement strategies that separate successful projects from stalled ones.

Connect with Elisa Wood

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

Website: https://energychangemakers.com/

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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

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 executive, launched Flux Energy to focus on repowering and redeveloping existing solar farms, adding energy storage, renegotiating contracts, and replacing outdated panels with modern technology. His claim: deploying capital into operating assets delivers returns as good or better than building new projects from scratch.

With SREC 1 and SREC 2 programs expiring in Massachusetts and solar panels from the early 2010s producing a fraction of what today's 750-watt modules deliver, the opportunity for solar asset redevelopment is growing fast.

Here's what you'll learn in this conversation about repowering and redeveloping aging solar assets:

• Learn how Murphy's "redevelopment" strategy stacks new revenue streams on existing solar farms by adding battery storage, repowering with modern panels, and renegotiating offtake agreements.
• Understand the scale of the efficiency gap: panels installed a decade ago were 120-watt modules, while today's range from 600 to 800 watts. A repowered site on the same acreage produces up to four or five times the energy output.
• Find out why Flux Energy prefers DC-coupled battery storage.
• You'll hear how Murphy restores EBITDA to peak incentive levels, then connects sellers with IPP buyers in what he calls "solar house flipping."
• Learn why about 50% of the decommissioned panels Flux has evaluated so far have secondary market value at a few cents per watt.

As the ITC phases down and a rush to complete new projects dominates industry attention, a parallel opportunity is emerging in the existing fleet. With state incentive programs expiring and aging assets underperforming, companies like Flux Energy represent a new segment of the solar industry focused on extracting maximum value from what has already been built.

Connect with Matt Murphy, Flux Energy

Matt’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-murphy-b900877a/

Flux Energy Website: https://www.fluxenergy.com/

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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

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 accelerates. Tim Montague and John Weaver break down what this means for battery pricing, domestic manufacturing, and project developers on this week's Clean Power Hour Live.

They also cover the natural gas supply disruption that sent European energy prices up 27%, balcony solar legislation advancing in 24 states, and the debut of robotic solar construction from Terabase Energy.

Episode Highlights:

• Iran attacked a major gas facility in Qatar that produces roughly 17% of Qatar's output. John Weaver estimates this takes 3.5% of the global natural gas supply offline for at least a year. (Source)
• Illinois is among 24 states advancing balcony solar legislation. A Canary Media story reports that a balcony system at $3 per watt costs about $2,000 and saves consumers $400 per year. (Canary Media)
• LG Energy Solution and GM are converting their Ultium Cells joint venture in Tennessee from EV battery production to LFP batteries for the US grid storage market. (PV Magazine Energy Storage)
• Terabase, the automated solar construction platform, is ready for full market debut. The company assembles module tables on torque tubes in a covered structure, then uses robotic vehicles to transport them to field positions. (Solar Power World) Tim has interviewed Terabase CEO Matt Campbell on the Clean Power Hour (Episode 165)
• Global battery storage deployment hit 17 gigawatt hours in February 2026, a 60% increase over February 2025. (Energy Storage News)

Support the show

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Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com

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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

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 host of the Solar Maverick podcast, and Dean Solon of Create Energy at InterSolar San Diego 2026.

Here's what you'll learn in this conversation:

• Find out how Imperial Star offers "domestic light" module configurations that let developers hit their required domestic content percentage without overpaying for content they don't need.
• Learn why some module manufacturers will disappear this year as FEOC compliance separates companies with verified supply chains from those without.
• Understand what the ITC phase-out by 2028 means for project economics and why Dean Solon says the industry needs to "break free of that pacifier."
• You'll hear why Dean Solon built Create as an open-architecture system where project owners control their own data without recurring software fees.
• Learn how battery storage is expanding beyond California and Texas into Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. Benoy Thanjan notes that residential customers in Florida are now buying storage for peace of mind during blackouts, not purely for economic payback.

The FEOC compliance deadline that took effect in January 2026 is reshaping the entire solar supply chain. With the ITC phasing out by 2028 and battery storage markets expanding into new states every year, solar professionals need to understand their module sourcing options, domestic content configurations, and post-incentive business models right now.

Connect with the Guest

Chris Lettman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrislettman/

Benoy Thanjan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bthanjan/

Deon Solon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-solon-b8876649/

Imperial Star: https://www.imperialstar.com/

Reneu Energy: https://www.reneuenergy.com/

Create Energy: https://www.create.energy/

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Connect with Tim

Clean Power Hour
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Tim on Twitter
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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

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 how this energy war affects electricity costs, solar economics, and your business as a clean energy professional. They cover solar's fastest growth in a decade, the new SEIA market report, Virginia's clean energy moves, deep geothermal technology, and a perovskite milestone that signals large-scale manufacturing.

Episode Highlights:

The Iran war has disrupted oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Tim and John discuss how this "energy war" raises electricity costs, increases shipping expenses for solar equipment, and changes forward price curves for commercial solar proposals. (Clean Air Task Force)

John reports in PV Magazine that US solar generation grew at its fastest rate in a decade. (PV Magazine)

Solar and wind are set to pass nuclear as a share of global electricity generation in 2026. Combined with hydro at 14%, clean sources now supply about 44% of global electricity. (Michael Liebreich)

Virginia's new Democratic governor moved the state back into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which funds renewable energy certificates worth 3 to 4 cents per kWh. (Politico Pro)

Quaise Energy raised $200 million to develop a super-hot geothermal power plant in Oregon. (Canary Media)

Maxwell Equipment achieved 32.5% efficiency in a perovskite/HJT tandem solar cell. (PV Tech)

If you sell, finance, or develop solar projects, this episode gives you the numbers and context to update your proposals and conversations with clients.

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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

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+ Boston. They walk through the new Lumi 4 robot, its autonomous pallet bot companion, and how robotics-as-a-service delivers 20 to 30% cost reduction for EPCs and mechanical installers. This conversation covers where robotic solar construction stands today and why labor shortages make adoption urgent.

Here's what you'll learn in this conversation about robotic solar installation and the future of utility-scale construction:

• Find out how the Lumi 4 robot was redesigned since last year, with a smaller form factor that fits under torque tubes and adapts to varying site conditions.
• Learn how Luminous Robotics pairs an autonomous pallet bot with the installation robot to separate material staging from panel placement, bringing factory-style Lean process optimization to the field.
• You'll hear why third-party testing by an independent engineering firm confirmed 16 to 20% fewer microcracks and defects with robotic installation compared to manual crews.
• Understand the cents-per-watt, robotics-as-a-service pricing model that gives customers 20 to 30% cost reduction from day one without owning or maintaining the equipment.
• Andy Klump explains why developers who have safe-harbored gigawatts of equipment will face a labor shortage in 2027 and 2028, and why many systems will not connect to the grid on time without large-scale robotic deployment.

With a wave of safe-harbored solar projects set to break ground in the next two years, the construction workforce will not scale fast enough to meet demand. Robotic installation is moving from proof of concept to commercial deployment, and EPCs who adopt early, stand to gain a measurable cost and quality advantage on utility-scale projects.

Reach Jay and Andy Here

Jay Wong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaymingwong/

Luminous: https://www.luminousrobotics.com/

Andy Klump: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aklump/

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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

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 Installers Need to Know.

Sunvoy is a solar fleet monitoring and customer management platform that pulls inverter data from multiple brands into a single dashboard so installers see their entire fleet in one place.

Tim and Hervé cover the shift from residential to commercial solar, the growing role of batteries and VPPs, and why fleet monitoring and O&M are no longer optional for installers who want to stay competitive in 2026.

Here's what you'll learn in this conversation about scaling a solar business and preparing for the C&I transition:

• Find out why solar systems produce less than promised, and how the industry's "no maintenance" sales pitch created a generation of neglected assets.
• Learn how consolidating inverter data from SMA, SolarEdge, and other platforms into one dashboard changes the way installers manage their fleet.
• Understand the "dead zone" between residential and commercial solar, where companies running both without dedicated teams risk breaking both pipelines.
• You'll hear why predictive AI in monitoring is premature for most residential installers, and why fixing offline inverters matters more right now than advanced models.
• Learn what a 3-year payback on C&I solar with batteries in Illinois signals about where the market is heading, and why Tim predicts VPPs will be active in 30 states within five years.

With residential solar declining and battery attachment rates rising, the installers who build dedicated teams and monitoring systems now will be the ones still operating in five years.

Connect with Hervé Billiet here.

Sunvoy: https://sunvoy.com/

Hervé Billiet: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hervebilliet/

What Solar Installers Need to Know podcast: https://sunvoy.com/podcast

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Connect with Tim

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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

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 solutions, a 250kW 600V inverter platform, and fully integrated C&I battery storage with industry-leading fire safety certification.

In this episode, Tim Montague sits down with six CPS America team members, including Bryan Wagner, Joe Ross, Brian Baxter, Luke Hardin, Luke Schlicte, and Andrey Malyshev, to break down what solar developers, asset owners, and installers need to know about the shift from central to string inverters and the accelerating C&I storage market.

Episode Highlights

• CPS America is rolling out a series of new inverter platforms, including a 250kW 600V model that Bryan Wagner expects could do more volume than all other CPS units combined. A new 200kW 480V community solar product and the 350kW with MV station round out the lineup.
• Skidded string combines 10 to 12 string inverters on a factory-integrated skid with a transformer and switchgear, then ships to the site. This cuts field labor on the front end and reduces O&M costs on the back end by concentrating all equipment on a single pad.
• CPS launched a fully integrated C&I battery storage system with inverters and batteries in one unit.
• The central-to-string transition is accelerating as the CapEx gap between the two approaches shrinks. String inverters reduce single points of failure, lower technician costs, and give asset owners more control over uptime and spare parts.

With energy demand outpacing grid growth and battery economics improving each quarter, the team at CPS America makes a data-backed case for why commercial storage and string-inverter adoption are accelerating in 2026. CPS hosts Innovation Day in Dallas, April 22 to 24, for those who want a deeper look.

Connect with the CPS Team

Website

LinkedIn

Register for the CPS Innovation Day

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Connect with Tim

Clean Power Hour
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Tim on Twitter
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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