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About the Episode:

Hybrid solar and storage projects are changing the game in renewable energy, but are they the solar industry messiah we’ve been promised?

Turns out it’s not that simple. 

Building hybrid power (solar+storage) projects requires a deep understanding of the unique challenges they present, from how to forecast revenue to  building integrated software solutions that can handle massive complexity. 

Leigh Zanone, an 18-year solar industry veteran, shares his insights and experience from working in leadership roles at meteocontrol and Avantus (formerly 8Minute Energy) plus a long tenure in the monitoring & asset management side of the business long before that was even the terminology. Leigh’s expertise spans the technical, legal, and financial aspects of solar project management, and his perspective on what it takes to finance and build these projects will challenge your conventional wisdom. 

Expect to Learn:

• Why deploying hybrid projects is far more complex than solar-only projects.
• Why comprehensive software solutions for forecasting and optimization are currently lacking (and how we can solve this issue).
• How we can better educate investors to help them understand hybrid project risks.
• The hidden complexities that actually require longer diligence periods for hybrid projects.
• What factors make solar plus storage almost three times more volatile than traditional solar projects

Press play, get smarter.

Helpful RESOURCES:

Connect with Leigh Zanone:

• LinkedIn

Check out Zanonergy:

• Website

Expect To Learn:

• Why deploying hybrid projects is far more complex than solar-only projects.
• Why comprehensive software solutions for forecasting and optimization are currently lacking (and how we can solve this issue).
• How we can better educate investors to help them understand hybrid project risks.
• The hidden complexities that actually require longer diligence periods for hybrid projects.
• What factors make solar plus storage almost three times more volatile than traditional solar projects

NOTEWORTHY QUOTE:

“There’s a huge upside, but there’s more complication, there’s more risk. And so that’s just different, from Wall Street’s perspective of renewable power plants just being a financial instrument. It’s not a bond with a guaranteed, basic level of return, it’s much more of a stock, there’s a higher upside, there’s higher revenue, but it’s more risky.”

— Leigh Zanone

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ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:

Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.

Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 16-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.

You can connect with Nico Johnson on Twitter, LinkedIn or email.

If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.