『Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy Podcast』のカバーアート

Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy Podcast

Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy Podcast

著者： Wes Ashworth
無料で聴く

Welcome to Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy, a podcast dedicated to unveiling the stories, insights, and strategies of the most influential leaders in the renewable energy sector. Our mission is to offer a platform where the voices of innovators, pioneers, and visionaries in renewable energy are amplified, sharing their journey, challenges, and triumphs with a global audience.

© 2026 Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy Podcast マネジメント・リーダーシップ リーダーシップ 経済学
エピソード
  • Building the Power Behind AI: Nuclear, SMRs, and the Delivery Challenge

    Building the Power Behind AI: Nuclear, SMRs, and the Delivery Challenge
    2026/07/10
    Electricity demand is entering a sharp new growth cycle. After years of relatively flat demand, the economy is becoming more electric at the same time AI and data centers are exploding. New manufacturing, reshoring, EV charging, building electrification, air conditioning growth, extreme weather, and 24/7 reliability expectations are all pushing more load onto the grid. AI is the loudest accelerant right now, and for good reason. Data centers need massive computing power, cooling systems, backup power, transformers, substations, and high-reliability grid connections. But the bigger story is broader: the energy transition is no longer just about generating cleaner electricity. It is about delivering enough reliable power, fast enough, in the places where demand is actually showing up.That is why nuclear power, SMRs, gas, storage, renewables, transmission, transformers, and interconnection are currently front-page issues.But there is a harder question behind the hype: can we actually build the infrastructure fast enough, safely enough, and predictably enough to meet the moment?In this episode of Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy, host Wes Ashworth, President of Lee Group Search sits down with Todd Zabelle, author of Built to Fail: Why Construction Projects Take So Long, Cost Too Much, and How to Fix It. Todd brings more than 35 years of experience in complex capital project delivery and is the Founder and CEO of Strategic Project Solutions, Founder of the Project Production Institute, Founder and CEO of Pacific Contracting, and a founding equity partner of the Lean Construction Institute.Todd’s perspective is clear: many major projects do not fail because the technology is impossible. They fail because the management system is wrong.That matters now because AI, data centers, nuclear power, and SMRs are all converging around the same challenge: the physical world does not move at software speed.Wes and Todd unpack why traditional project management tools often create false confidence, why schedules can become disconnected from actual production, and why measuring progress by money spent can hide problems until it is too late. Todd explains why critical infrastructure needs to be managed as a production system, not just an administrative exercise.The conversation then turns to nuclear power for AI. Todd shares what he heard at Datacloud Global Congress, where nuclear for AI was a major topic, and explains the cultural gap between fast-moving data center developers and the more conservative, safety-driven nuclear industry.They explore the real-world barriers standing between AI’s energy demand and nuclear deployment, including siting, permitting, grid connection, fuel supply, specialized labor, nuclear-grade quality standards, and the mismatch between data center load profiles and steady baseload nuclear generation.The episode also takes a sober look at SMRs. Todd sees real value in smaller batch deployment, especially as data centers grow over time, but warns that SMRs are not plug and play. Even smaller reactors require serious infrastructure, containment, supply chains, fuel strategy, skilled operators, and disciplined execution.This is not a conversation about whether nuclear matters. It clearly does. It is a conversation about what it will actually take to deliver nuclear-grade infrastructure in the AI era.In this episode, Wes and Todd cover:Why U.S. power demand is rising after years of relative stagnationHow AI, data centers, electrification, manufacturing, and reliability needs are reshaping the gridWhy major capital projects often fail long before the public sees the delay or cost overrunHow traditional scheduling, earned value, and percentage completion accounting can create false confidenceWhy project delivery should focus on production systems, not just administrationWhat data center developers may be underestimating about nuclear powerWhy SMRs solve some problems but leave many execution challenges intactThe fuel supply, workforce, and quality-control bottlenecks behind nuclear scalingWhy nuclear-grade welding, rebar, and construction tolerances demand a different level of skillWhat capable owners must do differently on complex infrastructure projectsWhere AI, digital twins, sensors, and automation can actually improve project deliveryWhy the energy transition depends on execution discipline as much as technology innovationIf you are working in renewable energy, nuclear power, data center development, infrastructure, construction, utilities, project delivery, or AI energy strategy, this episode is a grounded look at the gap between ambition and execution.The future of AI will require massive amounts of power. The future of clean energy will require massive amounts of infrastructure. And as Todd makes clear, the winners will be the companies and leaders who understand how to actually build.Links:Todd Zabelle on LinkedInProject Production Institute's WebsiteStrategic Project Solutions ...
    続きを読む 一部表示
    47 分
  • John Berger on Otovo, AI, and the Solar Service Crisis

    John Berger on Otovo, AI, and the Solar Service Crisis
    2026/07/03

    In this episode of Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy, Wes Ashworth sits down with John Berger, CEO of Otovo, to unpack one of the most important and under-discussed problems in distributed energy: the solar service crisis.

    Otovo began as a European rooftop solar marketplace, but under John’s leadership, the company is being reshaped into an AI-enabled energy service platform for homes and businesses across Europe and the United States. The new model focuses on what happens after solar panels, batteries, generators, EV chargers, and other behind-the-meter assets are installed. Who monitors them? Who fixes them? Who answers the phone when something goes wrong?

    John Berger brings a rare operator’s perspective. Before Otovo, he founded and led Sunnova for more than 12 years, helping build one of the most recognized residential energy companies in the United States. Today, he is applying those lessons to a different problem: creating the service layer that distributed energy needs in order to scale reliably.

    The conversation explores why installation and service are fundamentally different businesses. Berger explains why installation is a construction business measured in weeks and months, while service is a logistics business measured in hours and days. That distinction matters as more homeowners and businesses are left with orphaned solar systems, unreliable support, and unclear warranty paths.

    Wes and John also dive into Otovo’s acquisition-led growth strategy, including the company’s expansion into the United States, its growing service footprint, and the importance of building density and scale in field operations. They discuss how Otovo is using its proprietary AI platform, Endurance, to reduce software costs, automate workflows, support dispatch, improve response times, and change the economics of energy service.

    This episode also looks ahead to the grid. As solar, storage, EV chargers, generators, and load management become more common behind the meter, reliability becomes essential not only for customers but also for virtual power plants and grid participation. Berger makes the case that service is not a side issue. It may be the missing precondition for distributed energy to become real infrastructure.

    Topics covered include:

    • The shift from solar installation to long-term energy service
    • Why behind-the-meter assets need a dedicated service layer
    • The difference between construction businesses and logistics businesses
    • How orphaned solar customers became a major industry problem
    • Otovo’s reinvention from European marketplace to AI-native service company
    • How Endurance is changing the cost structure of field service
    • Why AI matters only if it improves speed, cost, reliability, and customer experience
    • The role of batteries, generators, EV chargers, and load managers in home energy
    • What virtual power plants need before they can scale
    • Why the future of residential energy may look more like Amazon Prime than traditional utility service

    This is a timely, candid conversation about where the energy transition gets real. More solar and batteries matter, but the next phase depends on whether those systems actually work, whether customers trust them, and whether someone is accountable for keeping them online.

    Links:
    John Berger on LinkedIn
    Otovo's Website

    Wes Ashworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weslgs/

    • Email: wes@leegroupsearch.com
    • https://leegroupsearch.com/green-giants-podcast/
    • https://leegroupsearch.com/
    続きを読む 一部表示
    49 分
  • Liam Ryan of Streetleaf: The Solar Streetlight Revolution Hidden in Plain Sight

    Liam Ryan of Streetleaf: The Solar Streetlight Revolution Hidden in Plain Sight
    2026/06/26

    Streetlights are one of the most overlooked pieces of community infrastructure. Most people only notice them when they fail. But for builders, developers, utilities, municipalities, and storm-prone communities, streetlighting can quietly shape project timelines, infrastructure costs, public safety, resilience, and long-term operating models.

    In this episode of Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy, host Wes Ashworth sits down with Liam Ryan, CEO of Streetleaf, a Tampa-based company building off-grid, solar-powered streetlighting systems with integrated batteries, controls, remote monitoring, and a managed service model designed to remove the friction of traditional grid-tied lighting.

    Liam’s path into clean infrastructure was anything but conventional. After studying economics at Cornell and working in wildlife conservation in Mozambique, he returned to Tampa during the pandemic and began exploring a streetlighting challenge tied to land development in Florida. What started as a practical problem has grown into a national infrastructure story, with Streetleaf now working across builders, developers, utilities, public spaces, and resilience-focused applications.

    The conversation goes far beyond solar panels on poles. Liam explains why the real competition is not just the grid, but the cost and complexity of trenching, conduit, utility coordination, delays, maintenance contracts, and long-term community fees. Streetleaf’s model is built around a simple but powerful equation: if the solar panel, battery, controls, and communications stack can cost less than connecting a streetlight to the grid, the cleaner option can become the practical default.

    Wes and Liam also dig into storm resilience, one of Streetleaf’s strongest proof points. In hurricane-impacted communities, Streetleaf’s off-grid lights have continued operating when conventional grid-tied systems went dark, turning streetlights into visible anchors of safety and continuity during outages. Liam shares how events like Hurricane Ian, Helene, Milton, and wildfire recovery work in Hawaii shaped Streetleaf’s product, operations, and sense of purpose.

    This episode also explores what it takes to sell new infrastructure into conservative markets. Liam breaks down how Streetleaf reduces adoption risk for builders and utilities, why managed service matters, how national relationships with major homebuilders helped shift the company from early adoption to mainstream credibility, and why “smart infrastructure” only matters when it creates real value.

    If you care about renewable energy, distributed infrastructure, resilient communities, land development, utility innovation, or the hidden systems shaping how we build, this episode will change the way you look at the streetlight outside your window.

    In this episode, we cover:

    • Why streetlights are a hidden infrastructure bottleneck
    • How Streetleaf’s off-grid solar streetlights change project economics
    • Why trenching, utility coordination, and delays create hidden costs
    • How solar streetlighting supports hurricane and outage resilience
    • What conservative buyers need before adopting new infrastructure
    • Why managed service can accelerate clean technology adoption
    • How Streetleaf is scaling through builders, developers, utilities, and municipalities
    • What “smart streets” should really mean in practical terms
    • Why the future of infrastructure may be cleaner, simpler, and more distributed

    Links:
    Liam Ryan on LinkedIn
    Streetleaf's Website

    Wes Ashworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weslgs/

    • Email: wes@leegroupsearch.com
    • https://leegroupsearch.com/green-giants-podcast/
    • https://leegroupsearch.com/
    続きを読む 一部表示
    42 分
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
まだレビューはありません