What happens when solar, new home construction, battery storage, community and customer service all come together?

In this episode of The Green Room, Veli sits down with Lauren Ciconte from SixStar Plus to discuss her journey from an energetic teenager working at Boost Juice, through the building industry, and into renewable energy where she now works as PV Operations Manager.

Lauren brings a unique perspective to the solar industry. She understands builders, processes, pricing, installers, customers and the importance of community, and she is incredibly passionate about doing all of it properly.

We talk about how solar works inside the new-build market, why two-stage installations can make life easier for installers, batteries in new homes, Solar Victoria incentives, STCs, product selection, training subcontractors, customer support, leadership, processes and procedures, and why giving back to the communities you work in matters.

We also get into the future of renewables, commercial batteries, AI, data centres and why human customer service still matters.

What we cover:

✅ Lauren's early life, Italian family and community values
✅ The 75 Hard challenge, discipline and productivity
✅ Leadership, managing people and learning from mistakes
✅ Her move from the building industry into renewable energy
✅ How SixStar Plus operates in the builder market
✅ Two-stage solar installations on new homes
✅ Builder documentation, processes and procedures
✅ Solar panel selection and structural considerations
✅ Batteries and electrification in new builds
✅ GoodWe, Sungrow, Sigenergy and product training
✅ Solar Victoria rebates, loans, PV STCs and battery STCs
✅ Why builders can be a powerful pathway for solar and battery adoption
✅ Community programs and the Victorian Homeless Fund
✅ Women in renewable energy and industry leadership
✅ The future of commercial solar and battery storage
✅ AI, data centres and the importance of real human service

What does it really take to build a solar and battery business that lasts?

In this episode of The Green Room, we sit down with Brad Teasdale from Teaslec Energy Solutions to talk about quality installations, customer expectations, batteries, EVs, electrification, business resilience and the lessons that only come from doing the work for more than a decade.

Brad shares how he moved from an electrical apprenticeship into running his own business, why technical salespeople matter, how battery systems have changed customer expectations, and why doing the job properly from day one is still one of the strongest selling points in solar.

We also get into the harder side of business. Brad speaks openly about financial pressure, debt, cash flow, learning from mistakes and rebuilding the business stronger. He also explains how his team approaches site visits, sales, operations, after-sales support and continuous improvement.

Later in the conversation, we move into commercial solar, the STC changes up to 1 MW, data centres, electrification, EV charging, off-grid systems and what the next stage of the energy transition could mean for installers and customers.

What we cover:

✅ Why quality matters more than the cheapest quote
✅ Battery sizing and customer expectations
✅ Why Brad prefers electricians in sales roles
✅ EVs, three-phase upgrades and home electrification
✅ Solar and battery sales process from lead to installation
✅ Building systems, teams and operational discipline
✅ Cash flow, debt and lessons from business setbacks
✅ Panel, inverter and battery product selection
✅ Solar servicing and after-sales support
✅ Commercial solar and the move toward projects up to 1 MW
✅ Data centres and future electricity demand
✅ EV charging, heat pumps and whole-home electrification
✅ Off-grid systems and why they need specialist design
✅ Staff fatigue, panel weight and continuous improvement

What happens when someone has spent more than two decades watching solar evolve from remote off-grid systems and lead acid batteries to microinverters, AI, battery storage and panel-level monitoring?

In this episode, we sit down with Duncan McGregor from Enphase, one of the Australian solar industry's true long-term operators.

Duncan takes us back to the early days of Going Solar, the legendary renewable energy training courses, flooded lead acid batteries, early grid-connect systems and the people who helped shape the Australian solar industry.

We then move into modern solar, including microinverters, DC optimisers, commercial applications, panel-level monitoring, battery storage, grid-forming technology, AI energy management and what the next phase of distributed energy could look like.

What we cover:

✅ Growing up in New Zealand and discovering renewables
✅ Sailing, windsurfing and the idea of energy independence
✅ The early days of Going Solar
✅ What solar training looked like 20 years ago
✅ How panels, batteries and inverters have evolved
✅ Microinverters vs DC optimisers
✅ Why panel-level monitoring changes fault finding
✅ Commercial solar and large microinverter systems
✅ Voltage rise and AC cabling considerations
✅ How Enphase batteries use microinverter technology
✅ Grid-forming capability and backup power
✅ AI, hot water control and home energy management
✅ Battery storage and the future C&I opportunity
✅ Why installer education still matters