We often take access to electricity, refrigeration, and running water for granted. In many parts of the world, these are luxuries.

In today’s episode, Andi Kleissner and Kurt Kuhlmann, Co-founders and Co-CEOs of Amped Innovation, discuss how they’re changing lives by installing high-performance off-grid solar systems and appliances across Asia and Africa. Nico visited with the pair in their CA headquarters; Seated on two of their high-efficiency solar freezers, they share insights from making solar products that empower impoverished families in the “developing world” to earn stable incomes.

Expect to learn:

• Amped Innovation’s strategies to encourage productive use of power in emerging markets
• How Amped Innovation designs products with affordability and repairability in mind to make clean energy accessible to the most remote communities.
• How Amped Innovation leverages microfinance and Pay-as-You-Go systems to overcome financial barriers for families.
• About Amped’s full suite of products, from TVs and freezers to generators

Their entrepreneurial journey is inspiring; we hope you feel the same!

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to his contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/.

SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.

You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.

Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 650 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.

Subscribe to Valence, our weekly Linkedin Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

New York set an ambitious goal for a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040.

What will it take to get there?

Turns out, hydrogen may be a key component to New York's climate strategy, especially for difficult-to-electrify sectors.

Haiyan Sun is the program manager and team leader for hydrogen and clean fuels at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). With over a decade of experience in the power sector (much of which was in GE’s gas division), she has valuable insights to offer on hydrogen’s potential to fuel NY’s clean energy goals, so listen up!

Expect to learn:

• How hydrogen can decarbonize hard-to-electrify industries like the transportation, power gen, and high temperature industrial sectors (ie, Steel).
• The importance of including disadvantaged communities in the energy transition.
• New York's strategy for making hydrogen as successful as solar and battery storage.

Curious about how hydrogen fits into the green energy puzzle? Press play!

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to his contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/.

SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.

You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.

Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 650 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.

Subscribe to Valence, our weekly Linkedin Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

Is solar plus storage magically going to fix our grid? If you listen to many of the conversations I’ve heard the last 2+ years, you’d easily assume “we got this, just throw some batteries out there and we’re well on our way to 100% RE!”

Turns out it’s not that simple.

Building hybrid power (solar+storage) projects requires a deep understanding of the unique challenges they present, from how to forecast revenue to building integrated software solutions that can handle massive complexity. Leigh Zanone, an 18-year solar industry veteran, shares his insights and experience from working in leadership roles at meteocontrol and Avantus (formerly 8Minute Energy) plus a long tenure in the monitoring & asset management side of the business long before that was even the terminology. Leigh’s expertise spans the technical, legal, and financial aspects of solar project management, and his perspective on what it takes to finance and build these projects will challenge your conventional wisdom.

Expect to Learn:

• Why deploying hybrid projects is far more complex than solar-only projects.
• Why comprehensive software solutions for forecasting and optimization are currently lacking (and how we can solve this issue).
• How we can better educate investors to help them understand hybrid project risks.
• The hidden complexities that actually require longer diligence periods for hybrid projects.
• What factors make solar plus storage almost three times more volatile than traditional solar projects

Press play, get smarter.

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to his contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/.

SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.

You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.

Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 650 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.

Subscribe to Valence, our weekly Linkedin Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/

You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus