What if the biggest threat to your solar business wasn’t competition—but compliance?

Rebekah Hren has spent over 20 years helping the solar industry avoid costly mistakes and dangerous shortcuts - by writing the very codes and standards that govern it. From fieldwork and training at SEI to consulting for AirBnB and now co-founding Solar Tech Collective, Rebekah has seen it all—and helped shape how we do solar safely and at scale.

In this episode, Nico dives deep with Rebekah to uncover the untold story of the National Electrical Code (NEC), the real reason rapid shutdown rules nearly derailed the industry, and how better training - not just better tech - is key to solar's future.

You’ll learn:

🔹 Why UL certifications aren't optional - and what too many installers still get wrong

🔹 The behind-the-scenes battles of Code Making Panel 4 (CMP-4)

🔹 How O&M pros are rewriting the rules of safety and reliability

🔹 Why rapid shutdown rules almost broke the solar industry

This is more than a conversation about compliance - you need this if you want to build a solar business that lasts.

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/.

Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!

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 730 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

Inflation, interest rates, tariffs—most markets flinch. But according to Josh Goldberg, commercial solar doesn’t blink. In this Tactical Tuesday, Josh pulls back the curtain on how Sunstone Credit is adapting—and thriving—by making it easier than ever to finance clean energy upgrades for America’s businesses.

You’ll hear why commercial solar might be more resilient than resi, how to decode confusing lease structures, and why every building owner should be thinking like a telecom landlord. Plus: what makes a killer commercial proposal and the surprising financing products Sunstone now offers (hint: they finance roofs!).

Expect to learn:

🔹 How to translate NOI boosts into powerful solar sales

🔹 Why EV chargers and storage make sense in C&I (but also complicate the deal)

🔹 The tools commercial solar desperately needs—but don’t exist yet

🔹 How Josh is making Sunstone the easiest lender in the clean energy game

“AI is the greatest threat to your business ever.”

That’s how Sheldon Kimber opens this episode—and it only gets bolder from there.

Live from the Kiterocket Lounge during ACP CleanPower 2025, Sheldon returns to SunCast to unpack the real story behind energy-hungry data centers, the rise of hybrid power solutions, and why clean energy is no longer about purity—it’s about pragmatism.

As CEO of Intersect Power, Sheldon’s built one of the most forward-thinking development firms in the sector. He shares how Intersect is co-locating massive renewables with gas, batteries, and even grid backup—forming what might just be the future of baseload power. This is a must-listen for anyone monitoring how clean energy collides with digitalization, electrification, and AI.

Expect to learn:

🔹 Why the U.S. grid is fundamentally broken—and who’s really to blame

🔹 The hybrid power recipe Intersect is using to power Google-scale data centers

🔹 How political oscillation—not gas—is the real threat to climate progress

🔹 Why Intersect is building its own control software instead of relying on VC-backed startups

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/.

Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!

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 730 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