In this episode of the Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague talks with Nate Owen, founder and CEO of Ampion, about the evolution and future of community solar. Key topics and takeaways include:

- How community solar is moving beyond its roots in state-specific programs to more flexible models that can scale rapidly. Nate discusses "Community Solar 2.0" - applying the shared solar concept to larger projects over 5 MW with diverse corporate and institutional offtakers.

- The huge pent-up demand from companies, municipalities, hospitals, and others to subscribe to community solar farms. Nate says the appetite is "insatiable" and likens it to "selling a slice of bread when they want 10 bakeries."

- How marrying batteries with community solar creates valuable dispatchable assets. Adding storage allows solar farms to provide grid services and generate significant revenue, especially during peak summer hours.

- The critical role of initiatives like the Inflation Reduction Act in improving community solar economics through incentives and the ability to monetize environmental attributes.

- Emerging state markets that excite Nate, like New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Illinois, Minnesota, and Colorado. At the same time, he expresses bafflement at California's recent decision that could hinder community solar growth there.

- The nitty-gritty complexities involved in making community solar work, from standardizing contracts and processes to evolving utility billing systems to working with regulators on interconnection policies and consumer protections.

Though challenges remain, Nate is extremely bullish on community solar's future. He envisions an absolutely massive effort to build solar farms everywhere, seeing community-scale projects with multiple offtakers as the predominant model going forward.

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Nate Owen
Ampion

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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

Solar trackers have swept the utility-scale solar industry in recent years, with single-axis trackers now deployed on a staggering 94% of large-scale projects. While a few big names dominate the tracker market, one company - Nevados Solar - has carved out a distinct niche with its unique all-terrain tracking technology. In this episode, host Tim Montague chats with Nevados founder and CEO Yezin Taha about how their innovative segmented torque tube design is helping developers tackle more challenging project sites while driving down the levelized cost of energy.

Yezin shares the intriguing story of how a serious skiing accident and shattered leg put him on the path to starting Nevados after years working at large engineering firms. He explains how breaking the torque tube into linked segments allows Nevados' trackers to follow the natural contours of the land, greatly reducing the need for expensive and environmentally damaging grading. This terrain-following capability helps developers navigate permitting obstacles, shrink construction costs and timelines, and open up project opportunities on sites that would be infeasible with conventional trackers.

As Yezin details, Nevados pairs its segmented hardware with smart software to optimize energy yields on the undulating ground - no easy feat. He dives into the sophisticated modeling tools the company has developed to accurately predict production and determine optimal module tilt angles on variable terrain slopes before construction.

Key Takeaways

1. Nevados has developed a novel single-axis tracker design using linked torque tube segments that can conform to sloped terrain with minimal grading or site disturbance.
2. Their terrain-following trackers help developers avoid steep costs and permitting hurdles tied to major grading while enabling project construction on sites that would be unworkable for conventional trackers.
3. Nevados' plug-and-play tracker installs 25% faster than standard trackers thanks to its straightforward design and self-aligning module attachments.

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Yezin Taha
Nevados

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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

The solar industry has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past decade, with string inverters playing a pivotal role in this evolution. In this episode of the Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague sits down with John Drummond, the Senior Applications Engineer at CPS America, to explore the advancements in string inverter technology and how they are shaping the future of the solar industry.

Drummond shares his extensive experience, tracing his career journey from the early days of renewable energy to his current role at CPS America. He delves into the critical changes that have enabled the rise of string inverters, such as the shift to ungrounded (transformerless) inverters and advancements in IGBT module technology that allow for faster more efficient switching.

The discussion explores how string inverters have evolved to become sophisticated "computers" that can dynamically inject reactive power, maintain voltage and frequency stability, and even ride through grid disturbances – features that are now required by national standards.

Furthermore, Drummond provides insights into the growing importance of utility-scale string inverter solutions, such as CPS America's flagship 275 kW inverter and their innovative 800V Breaker Box.

This episode is a must-watch for anyone interested in the transformative journey of solar inverter technology and the pivotal role it plays in the energy transition.

Key Takeaways

1. Evolution of String Inverters: The episode highlights the significant advancements in string inverter technology.
2. Grid Services and Smart Inverter Functions: String inverters have evolved to become sophisticated "computers" that can provide vital grid services.
3. Flexible and Scalable Solutions: CPS America has designed its string inverter products to be highly flexible, allowing for both distributed and centralized architectures to cater to diverse applications.
4. Utility-Scale Innovations: The discussion covers CPS America's development of high-power, high-voltage string inverter solutions, such as the 275 kW inverter and the 800V breaker box.

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John Drummond
CPS America

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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