Clean Power Hour

Energy bills have jumped as much as 30% in the last year, and data center demand is outpacing grid growth. CPS America, with over 10 gigawatts of string inverters shipped in the US, is responding with a wave of new products: skidded string solutions, a 250kW 600V inverter platform, and fully integrated C&I battery storage with industry-leading fire safety certification. 
In this episode, Tim Montague sits down with six CPS America team members, including Bryan Wagner, Joe Ross, Brian Baxter, Luke Hardin, Luke Schlicte, and Andrey Malyshev, to break down what solar developers, asset owners, and installers need to know about the shift from central to string inverters and the accelerating C&I storage market.
Episode Highlights
CPS America is rolling out a series of new inverter platforms, including a 250kW 600V model that Bryan Wagner expects could do more volume than all other CPS units combined. A new 200kW 480V community solar product and the 350kW with MV station round out the lineup.
Skidded string combines 10 to 12 string inverters on a factory-integrated skid with a transformer and switchgear, then ships to the site. This cuts field labor on the front end and reduces O&M costs on the back end by concentrating all equipment on a single pad.
CPS launched a fully integrated C&I battery storage system with inverters and batteries in one unit.
The central-to-string transition is accelerating as the CapEx gap between the two approaches shrinks. String inverters reduce single points of failure, lower technician costs, and give asset owners more control over uptime and spare parts.
With energy demand outpacing grid growth and battery economics improving each quarter, the team at CPS America makes a data-backed case for why commercial storage and string-inverter adoption are accelerating in 2026. CPS hosts Innovation Day in Dallas, April 22 to 24, for those who want a deeper look. 
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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: [email protected]
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

LFP battery storage pricing dropped from over $1,000 per kilowatt hour to under $100 per kilowatt hour in a few short years. That single shift is reshaping project economics across the solar and storage industry. In this episode of The Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague sits down with Wes Kennedy, a 30-year clean energy veteran. They cover DC coupling, middle market strategy, the AI-driven energy demand surge, workforce development, and what the storage ITC means in a post-solar-ITC world.
Wes Kennedy leads middle market BESS deployment at QCells. He has nearly 30 years of experience in renewables. He co-founded Namaste Solar and held senior engineering and leadership roles at SMA America, Dynapower, and Blue Planet Energy. He continues to educate the next generation of installers through his "Comprehensive Solar plus Storage" curriculum on HeatSpring.
Episode Highlights
LFP batteries went from over $1,000/kWh to under $100/kWh at scale in a few years. Wes traces this shift from his time at Blue Planet Energy, where lithium iron phosphate was still considered an exotic chemistry. 
DC coupling turns a constrained interconnection into a 24-hour revenue asset. A 1 MW grid connection, when paired with enough solar and storage on the DC side, produces a 24 MWh revenue stream for the host while remaining a 1 MW dispatchable resource from the utility's perspective.
The storage ITC still exists even though solar lost its tax credit. DC-coupled projects benefit because the battery, battery inverter, transformer, skid, and cables all qualify for the ITC. 
QCells is launching a 1.25 MW, 5 MWh middle market skid. All components come from non-FEOC nations with at least 70% domestic content compliance, qualifying for a 40% tax credit. 
The biggest storage myth is a lithium shortage. Wes points to battery recycling companies like Redwood Recycling. Recycled battery volume is a richer feedstock than the richest lithium mine on the planet. 
You can connect with Wes Kennedy here 
Wes Kennedy LinkedIn
Qcells Website
Heatspring Wes Kennedy
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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: [email protected]
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

For the first time, batteries and solar powered California around the clock, with batteries running as the number one morning electricity source at nearly 6,000 megawatts. Tim Montague and John Weaver break down this milestone and a packed week of clean energy news, from a Supreme Court ruling striking down global tariffs to a Republican push to reinstate the 30% solar ITC. 
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
California achieved 24/7 solar and battery power for the first time. Batteries discharged through the night and morning, charged on near-free midday solar, then discharged again in the evening. (PV Magazine)
Republican House member Brian Fitzpatrick voted against the "One Big Bill" over the removal of solar and wind tax credits and now pushes to reinstate the ITC. (E&E News)
The Supreme Court ruled Trump's global tariffs illegal. John clarifies this removes the 10-20% blanket tariffs on goods like copper, steel, and aluminum. Solar module tariffs, battery tariffs from China (40-60%), and Southeast Asian tariffs remain in place. 
Indonesia's solar imports surged from 6 megawatts to 2.5 gigawatts of modules in under two years. Petitioners in the AD/CVD investigation now cite "critical circumstances." Expect new tariff action targeting Indonesian modules. (Solar Power World)
Hithium completed the world's first open-door fire safety test on a 6.25 MWh battery energy storage system. Even with doors open and safety systems disabled, adjacent battery units were undamaged. (ESS News)
Tim reports the number of battery companies at Intersolar roughly doubled year over year, now outnumbering solar module companies.
With the ITC phase-out approaching, electricity prices climbing, and battery deployments accelerating, the stories covered here directly affect procurement decisions, financial modeling, and market strategy in 2026.
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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: [email protected]
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

Most solar asset owners still manage performance data the same way they did 10 years ago. Dan Leary, founder of Denowatts, says that needs to change. In this episode, recorded live at RE+ Northeast in Boston, Tim Montague sits down with Leary and Doug Macmillan of Portside Systems to explore energy accounting, a method for identifying exactly where solar production losses occur and what owners and operators should do about them. Denowatts is collaborating with Sandia National Laboratories to build what Leary calls "GAAP for solar," a common standard for reporting and benchmarking solar asset performance. If you manage solar assets or invest in solar projects, this conversation explains how better data practices lead to more predictable returns.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Dan Leary explains that most solar operators still manage data the way they did a decade ago, despite significant advances in monitoring and analysis tools. Denowatts built a smarter weather station (the Deno) and a real-time analytics platform to close that gap.
Denowatts breaks down solar production losses into four categories: climate-related issues, modeling errors, external factors beyond anyone's control, and problems within the commercial boundary that owners and operators are able to fix. This framework gives asset managers clear direction on where to focus recovery efforts.
Doug Macmillan explains Portside's role as the system integrator for the Denowatts platform on distributed generation sites. Portside handles design, equipment fabrication, delivery, and commissioning, working from their UL 508 panel shop.
This episode is for solar asset managers, project developers, EPCs, and clean energy investors who want more from their performance data. With Denowatts and Sandia Labs working toward a common reporting standard, the solar industry is moving closer to the kind of financial transparency that attracts long-term capital. If you own or operate solar assets, the time to modernize your data strategy is now.
Connect with Dan Leary and Doug Macmillan
Dan Leary 
Denowatts 
Doug Macmillan 
Portside Systems

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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: [email protected]
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

The 30% investment tax credit is going away. The safe harbor window closes July 3, 2026. After that, commercial solar stands on its own. So what separates the companies that thrive from the ones that disappear? 
Costa Nicolaou, founder and CEO of PanelClaw, joins Tim Montague at RE+ Northeast in Boston for a direct conversation about surviving and growing in the post-ITC market. This episode covers domestic manufacturing strategy, FEOC compliance, logistics innovation, and three specific moves every solar installer and EPC should make right now.
Episode Highlights
- The ITC was a runway, not a permanent subsidy. Costa frames the 30% credit as a 10-year opportunity to build manufacturing capacity, drive innovation, and prepare for an unsubsidized market. The companies that treated it as a margin cushion instead of a building tool are the ones at risk.
- PanelClaw doubled its US manufacturing capacity in 2022 and expanded again. The company operates a full just-in-time domestic production model. No inventory. Enough capacity to serve the entire US flat roof market from American facilities.
- PanelClaw is the only flat roof racking company with 100% FEOC compliance for the January 1 through July 3, 2026 window. Their products qualify for the complete domestic content stack: rail, structural fastener, and production.
- ClawLogic gives EPCs real-time visibility into every order. Line items, pallet sizes, pallet weights, ship dates, and a live truck tracker. Costa modeled it after Amazon's delivery tracking experience. The platform has been live for three years. No competitor in flat roof racking has replicated it. PanelClaw is now launching ClawLogic in Europe.
- Costa delivers three rules for solar installers preparing for the post-ITC market. First, resist the race to the bottom. Second, pursue extreme collaboration across the value chain. Third, ask every supplier about their innovation roadmap. 
The safe harbor window is closing. FEOC compliance deadlines are active now. The decisions you make this year on partners, manufacturing, and operations will determine whether your company leads or exits by 2028.
Connect with Costa Nicolaou 
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Support the show
Connect with Tim
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Email [email protected]
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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: [email protected]
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