In the latest Clean Power Hour Live, Tim Montague and John Weaver discuss major developments in clean energy markets. Learn about the world's largest solar plus storage project breaking ground in Abu Dhabi, how silver prices are transforming solar panel economics, and why residential batteries are creating a feedback loop that drives more solar installations. Tim shares insights from his recent visit to the TenneSEIA market, where LightWave Solar and other installers are building community-scale projects and expanding into battery storage.

Episode Highlights:

• Silver prices exceeded $50 per ounce, making older solar panels worth $30 or more for recyclers and adding $7 to $15 in material costs to new modules (Link)
• Masdar breaks ground on 5.2GW solar with 19GWh storage in Abu Dhabi, delivering 1GW of baseload power around the clock starting in 2027 (PV Tech)
• Australia's residential battery installations tripled after new energy storage incentives launched, requiring VPP compatibility (Link)
• Tennessee Valley Authority (TenneSEIA) market shows growth in utility-scale solar through Silicon Ranch and community solar projects, with Light Wave Solar leading residential installations since 2006
• FlexGen announces hybrid OS software platform to manage both batteries and solar assets, expanding to 25GWh of battery capacity under management (PV Magazine)
• Residential battery demand creates a shortage of smaller 100Ah cells as manufacturers shift to larger utility-scale formats (PV Magazine)

The clean energy sector shows strong momentum across multiple fronts. Large-scale storage projects like Masdar's 5.2GW plant demonstrate the path to 24/7 solar baseload power. Meanwhile, residential battery incentives in markets like Australia prove how energy storage dri

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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

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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

#316 Rebekah Pierce runs a regenerative sheep farm in upstate New York and has cracked the code on making solar farms work for agriculture. Her new book "Agri Energy" reveals how combining solar panels with farming creates a win for developers, farmers, and rural communities.

The land use math is stunning. The US dedicates 30 million acres to growing corn for ethanol fuel. Solar panels are 100 times more efficient at converting land into energy. We need just 1% of US land (23 million acres) to supply all our electricity with solar alone. Converting those ethanol acres to dual-use solar could power 100% of electricity needs AND a nationwide EV fleet.

Rebekah Pierce is the author of "Agri Energy" (Island Press, November 2025) and owner of JR Pierce Family Farm in Clinton County, New York. She started with backyard chickens in 2015 and now grazes sheep across half a dozen solar projects in three counties. She writes about regenerative agriculture, solar grazing, and the intersection of farming and renewable energy.

Key Discussion Points:

• Why corn-to-ethanol uses massive land area with terrible efficiency (100 to 200x worse than solar)
• How solar grazing cuts O&M costs for developers while creating farmer income
• The real threat to farmland: urbanization takes far more land than solar ever will
• 100,000 farms lost between 2011-2018 as average farmer age hits 58
• Technical requirements: water access, secure fencing, interior paddocks for rotational grazing
• Topsoil loss: one pound per bushel of corn produced
• Resources: American Solar Grazing Association (ASGA) and REFA (Renewable Energy Farmers of America)

The book covers far more than sheep and solar. Rebekah researched all the ways agriculture and renewables intersect, from wind farms to battery storage to elevated tracking systems for larger livestock.

Connect with Rebekah Pierce

Website: www.jrpiercefamilyfarm.com/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rebekah-pierce-writer/

Book: "Agri Energy" available November 2025 on Amazon and Island Press

https://islandpress.org/books/agri-energy#desc

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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

In this week's Clean Power Hour live, Tim Montague and co-host John Weaver were joined by Wes Hersche, Director of Enterprise Sustainability at Prologis, to explore how the world's largest logistics real estate company is transforming 1.3 billion square feet of rooftop space into clean energy assets. They discuss Prologis' ambitious push toward their first gigawatt of solar, innovative approaches to enterprise sustainability including microgrids and geothermal solutions, and how on-site generation remains compelling despite regulatory headwinds.

Episode highlights:

• Prologis is nearing their first gigawatt of on-site solar installations across their 1.3 billion square feet of logistics real estate in 20 countries
• The company is targeting 2 gigawatts of solar by 2030 while expanding into battery storage, EV charging infrastructure, and microgrids for major clients like Amazon and Walmart
• Community solar developments are being explored as a way to serve customers who can't install on-site solar due to structural or operational constraints
• Geothermal solutions including deep geothermal (4,000-15,000 feet) and ground-source heat pumps from companies like Bedrock Energy are being evaluated for heating and cooling optimization
• Their EV depot project in Torrance, CA, serves as a model for freight electrification, enabling 96 trucks to charge concurrently, supported by 18 MWh of backup storage. (Source: Prologis)

With their "power as a platform" approach, Prologis is not just installing solar panels on warehouse rooftops; they're creating comprehensive energy ecosystems that include battery storage, EV charging, microgrids, and emerging technologies like geothermal and non-combustive generators.

Wes Hersche's insights reveal that despite industry headwinds and regulatory uncertainty, the fundamental economics of on-site generation remain compelling for enterprise customers pursuing sustainability goals.

Connect with Wes Hersche

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/herche/

Website: www.prologis.com/

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Connect with Tim

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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