Podcast – Solar Works for Illinois!
Monthly interviews with developers and solar experts bringing you the knowledge and information
you need to develop and install solar projects in Illinois and the Midwest. Have a suggestion?
Contact Tim Montague, host and creator, at 217.722.0429 m
Rapid Shutdown & Solar Safety - Chris Connell, Fronius USA
September 29, 2020
As cities and states adopt the NEC 2017 (National Electric Code), solar installers are searching for great module-level rapid shutdown solutions. In this live interview with Chris Connell, head of solution management for Fronius USA, we will explore the issues that matter to solar installers/developers, project/facility owners and first responders.
Accelerating the Midwest Energy Transition - Jigar Shah, Generate Capital
October 6, 2020
Join us for a live interview with Jigar Shah, president and co-founder of Generate Capital as we discuss the energy transition and the forces that are collaborating and colliding to create the current rapid adoption of solar, wind and storage in the upper Midwest including: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
Watch recordings of past events:
Advancing the Midwest Clean Energy Economy with Will Kenworthy, Vote Solar
Featuring Will Kenworthy of Vote Solar
Successful solar markets come to fruition with a combination of good policies but also years of work to properly implement those policies in ways that are useful to consumers, facility owners, solar developers and installers. Join us as we discuss the Midwest solar market, what’s working now, and identify the challenges and opportunities moving forward across the heartland and the upper Midwest including IL, MN, WI, MI, IN, OH, MO, and IA.
90% Clean Grid by 2035 with Julian Spector of Greentech Media
Featuring Julian Spector of GreenTech Media
As the price of solar, wind and storage drops there is emerging optimism that the U.S. can achieve 90 percent clean electricity by 2035. Join us for a conversation with Julian Spector of GreenTech Media as we break down a new study from UC Berkeley and GridLab that concludes that renewables will be economically feasible to power a reliable grid by 2035, while only depending on natural gas for 10 percent of annual electricity production.
Illinois Solar Market Evolution
Featuring Brian Haug, President of Continental Energy Solutions
The Illinois Solar Program including the Adjustable Block Program, Solar for All, and Competitive Procurements for utility scale wind and solar was established in 2017 as mandated by the Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA). The goal of the program is to fulfill Illinois’ renewable portfolio standard of 25% clean power by 2025. IPA Director Anthony Star will join us for a live interview and update on the Program.
Simmons Knife & Saw Goes Solar
Featuring Colin Murphy, Owner and President of Simmons Knife & Saw
Join us for a live interview with Colin Murphy, Owner and President of Simmons Knife & Saw. We will discuss how Simmons’ executive team decided to pursue a rooftop solar project, combining it with a complete re-roof of their facility. Learn how facility owners and managers make the case for rooftop solar in Illinois.
Illinois Solar Program Update
Featuring Anthony Star, Director of the Illinois Power Agency
The Illinois Solar Program including the Adjustable Block Program, Solar for All, and Competitive Procurements for utility scale wind and solar was established in 2017 as mandated by the Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA). The goal of the program is to fulfill Illinois’ renewable portfolio standard of 25% clean power by 2025. IPA Director Anthony Star will join us for a live interview and update on the Program.
Solar Plus Battery Storage, Business Case for Midwest Manufacturers
Featuring Marc Thrum, VP of Marketing and Business Development for Intelligent Generation
Join us for a live interview with Marc Thrum where we discover the value stacks of solar plus storage in the Midwest market (PJM/ComEd and MISO/Ameren).
Corporates Going Solar in the Midwest and Beyond
Featuring Katherine Canoy, Director of Key Accounts for C2 Energy Capital
Join us for a live interview with Katherine Canoy, Director of Key Accounts for C2 Energy Capital as we discuss her experience working for Walmart as their renewable energy czar and now C2 Energy Capital developing portfolios of corporate solar projects and PPAs (Power Purchase Agreements).
Bringing Low-Income Community Solar to Illinois
Featuring Jon Carson, Managing Director of Trajectory Energy
Join us for an interview with Jon Carson as we discuss his experience bringing low-income community solar projects to Illinois.
Solar Project Finance, Getting Your Project Acquired and Built
Featuring Harry Benson, Director of Business Development, Standard Solar
Join us for a conversation with Harry Benson of Standard Solar as we break down C&I (commercial industrial) and community solar finance in the Midwest.
Pollinator & Wildlife Friendly Solar Farms in the Midwest
Featuring Rob Davis, Director, Center for Pollinators in Energy at Fresh Energy
Watch Rob Davis introduce pollinator and wildlife friendly solar concepts and best practices. We discuss four key questions that solar developers, EPCs, land owners and other stakeholders want to consider.
Building a Solar Portfolio in Illinois – Challenges & Opportunities
Featuring Jonathan Roberts, Vice President of Development, Midwest with Soltage LLC
In this webinar, we discuss the ups and downs of getting a portfolio of community solar projects off the ground in Illinois.
Path to 100% Wind and Solar in Illinois: 7 Steps to a Clean Energy Future
Featuring Kevin Borgia, Midwest Policy Director, Cypress Creek Renewables
In this webinar, we break down the Illinois RPS (renewable portfolio standard) which could be expanded to 40% by 2030 if we get the Path to 100 legislation.
Midwest Solar Explosion
Featuring Christian Roselund
Now with the advent of FEJA, Illinois is adding 2.8 GW of community solar, DG and utility scale projects in the next few years. New legislation like the Path to 100 could catapult Illinois past MN. But numerous Midwestern states have BIG solar projects on the books.
Illinois Solar Industry Update — Ten Things You Want to Know
Featuring Brian Haug & Lesley McCain of ISEA (Illinois Solar Energy Association)
The Illinois solar market is now experiencing rapid growth with 666 MW of DG RECs and a total of 2800 MW of solar being installed in the next five years. This is helping Illinois achieve it’s RPS of 25% clean power by 2025.
Zero Energy Homes: Coming Soon to a Neighborhood Near You
Featuring Ann Edminster of the Net Zero Energy Coalition
This presentation covers zero energy basics, trends in this housing sector to date, and resulting changes to the housing industry that are likely to emerge in the next five to ten years.
Five Things You Wanted to Know About Our Net Zero Future
Featuring Cathy Higgins of New Building Institute
Growth of the commercial net zero construction market is picking up. Join us for a discussion of trends and case studies of net zero construction with New Building Institute’s Research Director, Cathy Higgins.
Illinois Solar For All Program
Featuring Vito Greco of Elevate Energy
The Illinois Solar for All Program is launching in April 2019 and this webinar will answer your questions about what projects and organizations are eligible for the program.
Intelligent Monitoring Systems for Solar Projects and Portfolios
Featuring Anson Moran, CEO meteocontrol North America
Solar project monitoring and control systems are the project owners’ main tools to make sure the solar plant is running smoothly. Solar monitoring systems are vital to maintaining project ROI and cash flow.
Maximize Your Solar Investment by Adding Battery Energy Storage
Featuring Travis Simpkins, PhD, founder of muGrid
The installation of battery energy storage in behind-the-meter applications is poised for exponential growth over the next few years. Batteries can be combined with solar to form grid-connected microgrids.
Getting to Net Zero with Solar Energy
Featuring Sean Moran of Skender
Getting to Net Zero with Solar Energy with Sean Moran of Skender, a leader in sustainable construction in Chicago – high performance buildings can achieve net zero energy status; learn how solar pays dividends for the life of your building!
Five Questions About Rooftop Solar Answered
Featuring Anson Moran, CEO meteocontrol North America
1. What does solar PV cost? 2. What is the payback period? 3. Which facilities can benefit from solar PV? 4. What about solar plus battery storage? 5. Why is Illinois a top solar market in the US?
Five Ways Solar Pays Back
Featuring Travis Simpkins, PhD, founder of muGrid
Here I explain five ways that solar pays back. Solar PV (Solar energy systems) produce electricity from sunlight. This means you can put a solar power plant on your factory, warehouse or farm.
Community Solar
Featuring Eric Pasi of IPS Solar
Community solar is coming to Illinois. These are 10-20 acre solar farms that any resident or business can subscribe to. That means clean power for anyone in Illinois who wants it.
Solar Finance
Featuring Stan Fishbein of CleanView Capital
On this month’s webinar, we will review the different financing options for solar arrays, comparing the advantages and benefits of each with our special guest and renewable energy finance expert, Stanley S. Fishbein JD, LLM (Tax), co-founder and principal at CleanView Capital in White Plains, New York.
Reduce Operating Expenses with Solar Energy
Featuring Tim Montague
Business owners can reduce their operating expenses and green their infrastructure with solar power. A properly sized system can reduce your power bill by 75%.