Clean Power Hour

The U.S. is facing a major energy challenge. AI data centers are driving electricity demand higher, grid infrastructure takes years and billions of dollars to expand, and communities need reliable power. Could microgrids and distributed energy resources help bridge the gap?
In this episode of The Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague speaks with Lester Crafton of Ovanova about the evolution of solar, battery storage, and microgrids, and why he believes homes and businesses could play a much bigger role in America's energy future.
Lester shares the story behind Ovanova's unconventional beginnings, from a solar marketing model built around supporting schools and community organizations to deploying integrated energy systems designed for resilience and grid support.
The conversation explores Ovanova's microgrid project at the Isha Institute of Inner Sciences in Tennessee, where limited grid capacity threatened to delay a major community development. Lester explains how a combination of battery storage, solar generation, and dispatchable backup power can help address that challenge while reducing dependence on costly grid upgrades.
Tim and Lester also discuss a bigger question: As data centers and AI increase electricity demand, should homes and businesses remain passive electricity consumers, or could they become local power plants that help support the grid?
In this episode, you'll learn:
• How Ovanova evolved from residential solar into integrated microgrid and energy resilience projects.
• Why Lester believes solar and battery storage should be designed to work together.
• How a buffer battery can help a community develop when the local grid cannot initially supply enough power.
• What the Isha Institute microgrid project reveals about the challenges of developing new infrastructure.
• How distributed energy resources could help utilities access reliable, dispatchable power.
• Why cybersecurity and communications reliability matter as more distributed energy assets connect to the grid.
• How homeowners and businesses could potentially earn revenue by supplying power during periods of peak demand.
• Why data center developers could help finance distributed energy infrastructure in the communities they affect.
• What it will take to scale microgrids, battery storage, and local energy resilience across the United States.
Connect with Lester Crafton, Ovanova 
Website: https://ovanova.co/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lestercrafton/
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The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email:  CleanPowerHour@gmail.com
Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems.  Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com

Can you put cattle beneath solar panels without damaging the equipment or driving up project costs?
Silicon Ranch set out to answer that question, and the result is what Matt Beasley, Chief Commercial Officer at Silicon Ranch, describes as the world's first utility-scale solar PV plant specifically designed to integrate cattle grazing.
In this episode of the Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague speaks with Matt about the engineering behind this breakthrough, including a patented solar tracking design that adjusts panel positioning in active grazing areas. The 4.5 MW project in Christiana, Tennessee, went live in April 2026 and could open the door to integrating cattle into larger solar developments.
Matt also explains how Silicon Ranch is expanding its regenerative energy model, from managing solar sites with more than 5,000 sheep to partnering with farming families and exploring new agricultural revenue streams.
The conversation goes beyond cattle grazing to examine how Silicon Ranch develops utility-scale solar projects, why it retains long-term ownership of its facilities and land, and how TVA's Generation Flexibility program has created new opportunities for renewable energy procurement across the Tennessee Valley.
In this episode, you'll learn:
• How Silicon Ranch engineered a solar tracking system to accommodate cattle without raising entire arrays to impractical heights.
• Why conventional cattle grazing presents equipment-protection and capital-cost challenges for solar developers.
• How adaptive grazing and software-controlled panel positioning work together.
• How livestock grazing can reduce vegetation management costs and create additional revenue opportunities.
• How Silicon Ranch works with farming families and builds its own livestock operations.
• How TVA's Generation Flexibility program enables local power companies to participate in utility-scale solar projects.
• How Silicon Ranch identifies customers, land, transmission access, and power purchase agreements for new developments.
For solar developers, asset owners, utilities, and agricultural businesses, this conversation examines a specific technical innovation that could expand the possibilities for cattle grazing at utility-scale solar facilities.
#SolarEnergy #Agrivoltaics #CattleGrazing

Connect with Matt Beasley, Silicon Ranch 
Website: https://www.siliconranch.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-beasley-7229154/

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Connect with Tim  
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The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email:  CleanPowerHour@gmail.com
Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems.  Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com

America’s nuclear renaissance is gaining momentum, but new nuclear power plants can take around a decade to build. With electricity demand rising and the grid under pressure, what can the energy industry do now to deliver reliable, affordable power?
In this episode of the Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague speaks with Cortney Piper, founder and executive director of the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council and president of Piper Communications.
They explore Tennessee’s growing advanced energy economy, the role of solar and storage in meeting near-term electricity demand, and the policy decisions needed to accelerate power generation while maintaining grid reliability.
Cortney also discusses the importance of technology-neutral energy policy, support for emerging companies, and turning energy innovation into economic development and job creation.
In this conversation, you’ll learn:
Why Tennessee is positioning itself as a hub for America’s nuclear renaissance and advanced energy innovation.
How the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council supports businesses, entrepreneurs, and emerging technologies.
Why solar and energy storage could help meet electricity demand while new nuclear projects move forward.
How fusion energy, nuclear fuel recycling, carbon capture, and advanced materials fit into the evolving energy landscape.
Why the industry needs practical policies that expand grid capacity, strengthen reliability, and keep electricity costs manageable.
How Tennessee is working to address the power infrastructure challenges facing utilities, businesses, and growing energy users.
Cortney’s central message is that the energy industry cannot rely on future nuclear capacity alone. It must also identify the resources that can be deployed quickly, manage the grid more effectively, and deliver reliable power at an affordable cost today.
If you work in solar, storage, nuclear, utilities, energy policy, or advanced manufacturing, this conversation offers a useful look at how innovation and policy can shape the next phase of the energy transition.
Subscribe for more conversations with the people building the future of solar, energy storage, microgrids, and the clean energy industry.
#CleanPowerHour #NuclearEnergy #SolarEnergy #EnergyStorage #AdvancedEnergy

Connect with Cortney Piper
Website: https://tnadvancedenergy.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cortneypiper/?isSelfProfile=false
Support the show
Connect with Tim  
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Clean Power Hour on YouTube
Tim on Twitter
Tim on LinkedIn 
Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com 
Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email:  CleanPowerHour@gmail.com
Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems.  Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com

Solar and battery storage are reshaping the energy industry, but policy uncertainty, grid constraints, manufacturing challenges, and equipment reliability remain major issues.
In this episode of Clean Power Hour Live, Tim Montague and John Weaver break down the latest developments in solar, energy storage, and the evolving power grid. They discuss new research showing that four-hour battery storage is becoming cost-competitive with gas peaker plants, China's restrictions on solar manufacturing technologies, U.S. solar deployment forecasts, and the growing challenges of connecting data centers to the grid.
The conversation also explores solar project quality, the financial impact of equipment failures, and why reliable operations and maintenance will become increasingly important as more developers transition into asset ownership.
Key Highlights
• 4-Hour Batteries Challenge Gas Peaker Economics: New research suggests that four-hour battery storage is now less expensive than open-cycle gas turbines across all 43 markets included in the comparison. (Solar Power World Online)
• The Next Frontier for Battery Storage: As batteries increasingly serve evening peak demand, the hosts consider how storage could reshape other periods of electricity demand and what role wind and other technologies might play. (Ember reports)
• Solar Manufacturing and a Patent Dispute: The hosts examine a dispute involving an American company based in Rochester and a Chinese supplier over patents related to photovoltaic crystal-growing machinery. 
• U.S. Solar Deployment and the Tax Credit Cliff: BloombergNEF projections point to several years of strong U.S. solar additions before growth potentially slows as clean energy tax credits phase out. (Bloomberg)
• China's Solar Market Slows While Other Markets Grow: The hosts discuss projections that China's solar installations could decline by 29% in 2026 while installations elsewhere increase by 15%. (PV Magazine)
• China Restricts Exports of Solar Manufacturing Technologies: China is reportedly limiting exports of 12 photovoltaic-related technologies, including technologies associated with perovskite-silicon modules and polysilicon production. (Bloomberg report)
• FERC Rejects Most of PJM's Large-Load Interconnection Proposal: Tim explains why the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's decision could add uncertainty to the process of connecting large electricity consumers, including data centers. (Utility Drive)
• Project of the Week: A Nearly 2 MW Rooftop Solar Installation: John shares progress on a commercial rooftop solar project with approximately 1.8 MW of DC capacity and 990 kW of AC capacity. (John Weaver's LinkedIn)
• Solar Quality Issues Could Increase LCOE by More Than 20%: The hosts review research showing how component failures, inverter downtime, and other system issues can increase the levelized cost of electricity. (PV Tech)
What You'll Learn
• Why four-hour battery storage is becoming competitive with gas peaker plants.
• How solar-plus-storage could reshape electricity pricing and peak demand.
• What China's solar technology export restrictions could mean for U.S. manufacturing.
• Why global solar deployment patterns are changing.
• How data center growth is complicating grid interconnection.
• Why solar system quality and ongoing maintenance matter to project economics.
• What developers should consider when evaluating monitoring and energy management solutions.
Support the show
Connect with Tim  
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The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email:  CleanPowerHour@gmail.com
Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems.  Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com

Solar EPCs face growing pressure to deliver projects on time, manage costs, secure financing, and navigate changing energy policies. So how can smaller companies grow while protecting their profitability and reputation?
In this episode of the Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague sits down with Forrest Cohn, co-founder of Utopian Power, to discuss building a reliable solar and battery storage business in a changing market.
Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Utopian Power develops renewable energy projects. It provides engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services for municipalities, municipally owned utilities, rural electric cooperatives, and other project developers. The company focuses primarily on projects under 10 MW, with experience across the Midwest and other US markets.
Whether you're a solar developer, EPC contractor, project owner, or clean energy professional, this episode offers practical insights into growing a solar business without compromising on project delivery.
IN THIS EPISODE
• How Utopian Power grew from a startup founded in 2020 into a renewable energy developer and EPC contractor.
• Why municipalities and smaller utilities can create opportunities for solar developers.
• How EPC companies can partner with developers to deliver community solar projects.
• Why bonding capacity matters when pursuing larger construction contracts.
• How financial discipline and responsible project selection help protect profitability.
• How Utopian Power approaches hiring, project pipelines, and business growth amid market uncertainty.
• How tariffs, equipment restrictions, and changing federal tax credit policies affect solar project costs.
• Why state policies and utility programs remain important to commercial solar deployment.
• What solar companies can do to build trust and strengthen the industry's reputation.

Connect with Forrest Cohn, Utopian Power 
Forrest Cohn | LinkedIn
Utopian Power
Support the show
Connect with Tim  
Clean Power Hour 
Clean Power Hour on YouTube
Tim on Twitter
Tim on LinkedIn 
Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com 
Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts

The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email:  CleanPowerHour@gmail.com
Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems.  Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com