Clean Power Hour

A single design error on a commercial solar project can cost $60,000 to $70,000 to fix. Scott Wyssling and Catherine Kelso of Wyssling Consulting explain what quality design actually looks like, why AI cannot replace a licensed engineer reviewing plans, and how battery integration really fits into commercial solar today.
In this episode, Tim Montague sits down with Scott Wyssling, founder and principal at Wyssling Consulting, and Catherine Kelso, Director of Commercial Design and electrical engineer at the firm. Wyssling provides structural and electrical engineering and design for residential and commercial solar and storage projects across the United States. With 75 employees and an engineer-owned, engineer-led structure, the firm has built its reputation on quality control, fast turnaround, and a refusal to treat the PE seal as a formality.
With the ITC safe harbor deadline pushing a construction boom through 2027, the pressure to move fast is real. Scott's point is direct: speed without engineering integrity creates liability that lands on the EPC and installer, not just the firm that signed the plans.
What you'll learn in this conversation:
Why a single design error on a commercial project can cost $60,000 to $70,000 to fix, and how $3,000 to $4,000 in better upfront engineering eliminates that risk entirely.
How Wyssling's QAQC process actually works, including internal peer reviews and a 20% audit of already-delivered projects, and why that sets a different standard than automated or outsourced design.
Why Catherine Kelso says battery integration is simpler than most EPCs expect, whether you're retrofitting storage onto an existing system or designing it in from day one, and what to watch for when choosing a manufacturer.
Scott Wyssling's direct case against letting AI replace hands-on engineering review, and why a licensed PE needs eyes on the actual roof, the actual photos, and the actual electrical equipment.
How 15 to 20 year old solar farms are creating a new engineering challenge as 600-volt inverters age out in a market now built around 1,000 and 1,500-volt equipment, and why this only grows from here.
Quality control gets treated as optional right up until a six-figure correction lands on your desk. This episode gives you concrete criteria for telling a serious engineering partner from a shortcut operation before you sign anything.
Connect with Guests 
Website: https://www.wysslingconsulting.com/
Scott LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-wyssling-5b2aa77/
Catherine LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-kelso-pe-997b014a/
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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

Battery energy storage fire safety is one of the most urgent permitting challenges facing solar and storage developers in 2026. Mike Nicholas, Energy Storage Specialist and Fire Consultant at Hiller Companies, brings a rare perspective: he built Kern County's entire BESS permitting program from scratch in 2019, when no national standards existed, and now travels the country helping developers, EPCs, and fire departments get these projects to yes.
Kern County has the highest concentration of renewable energy and battery storage in California, including the largest active battery storage project in the world at roughly 3.2 GWh. Mike developed a 32-page submission guideline that standardized the permitting process and became a model other jurisdictions are now replicating. After retiring as a fire captain and assistant fire marshal in 2024, he joined Hiller, which represented about 85% of the battery storage clients that went through Kern County permitting. He now works with the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development and American Clean Power to build reference documents and videos for fire safety standardization.
Here is what you will learn in this conversation about battery energy storage fire safety:
Find out why the Moss Landing disaster changed everything. A fire inside an enclosed former power plant building destroyed an estimated 240 megawatts. An outdoor containerized failure, under current standards, would be contained to the enclosure of origin, a fraction of 1% of that loss. You'll understand why the industry is moving hard toward outdoor containerized deployments.
Learn what UL 9540A and the new large-scale fire testing (LSFT) requirement in NFPA 855 (2026) actually require, and why they matter to first responders. You'll hear why the test forces a fully populated unit into a worst-case thermal runaway with suppression disabled, and what it means for containing a fire within the enclosure of origin.
Understand what a complete Hazard Mitigation Analysis must include. Find out why a generic OEM document will not pass, and what site-specific elements, from failure modes analysis to emergency response plans for construction, commissioning, and decommissioning, are required under NFPA 855.
You'll hear Mike's step-by-step account of what should happen from the moment a fire alarm sounds to the moment the incident command is established. Learn why gas meters, IR cameras, and a fire alarm annunciator panel at the static water tank are critical tools for first responders who may be 15 to 20 minutes from the battery yard inside the site.
Find out what developers and EPCs get wrong in permitting. Mike explains why early engagement with the fire department, before land use approval, is not optional, and why hiring a registered design professional who knows NFPA 855 is the difference between hitting your financing deadline and chasing it.
With BESS developers racing to lock in safe harbor and stay ahead of tightening FEOC and material-assistance thresholds, permitting delays and moratoria are a real threat to project timelines. Mike describes a shift already happening in California: under General Order 167-C, the California Public Utilities Commission now requires ESS operators to file emergency response plans and produce annual testing and maintenance reports, and Kern County has introduced an annual operational permit tied to emergency contact updates. These requirements are likely to spread nationally.
Connect with Mike Nicholas 
Hiller Companies: https://hillerfire.com/
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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

A US federal court just ruled the IRS acted in an "arbitrary and capricious" manner on solar and wind safe harbor rules, shaking up project timelines for developers racing toward the July 4, 2026 deadline. 
Meanwhile, at the Shanghai Solar Show (SNEC), energy storage claimed more floor space than solar panels for the first time, signaling a major shift in where the industry is placing its bets. 
Tim and John dig into safe harbor court rulings, vertical integration in US module manufacturing, battery technology milestones, and agrivoltaics at the Vatican. Viewers get first-hand reporting from the Shanghai Solar Show floor alongside detailed discussion of what these stories mean for developers, installers, and investors. 
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
IRS Safe Harbor Court Ruling (PV Magazine): A US federal court in DC ruled the IRS acted arbitrarily in requiring wind and solar projects above 1.5 MW AC to meet a continuous physical work test to qualify for safe harbor. The ruling opens a potential 5% spend pathway for developers who could not meet construction requirements. 
Shanghai Solar Show 2026(BSKY): John Weaver returned from his first visit to the Shanghai solar show and reported that battery storage occupied more floor space than solar panels. Module efficiencies of 25% were common across exhibitors, and one solar module clocked in at 27%. 
BYD’s 2,710 Amp-Hour Battery Cell: BYD showcased a single battery cell rated at 2,710 amp-hours, roughly double the largest cell previously available. BYD's press materials claimed a levelized cost of storage of 1.4 cents per kilowatt-hour over 10,000 cycles, compared to the 3 to 4 cent range seen elsewhere. 
Q Cells Full Vertical Integration in Georgia: Q Cells announced a 3-gigawatt fully vertically integrated manufacturing facility in Georgia, covering polysilicon through module assembly. The announcement means US-made solar modules are now available from a single domestic supply chain. 
Australia's First 8-Hour Battery, New South Wales (PV Magazine): Australia's first 8-hour battery storage system reached full operations in New South Wales, using Tesla Megapack units configured to charge at 100 MW and discharge at 50 MW. 
C&I Battery Storage Playbook for 2026: Tim published a story in Solar Builder on the Earn, Save, Protect framework from Intelligent Generation, a three-part guide to battery value stacking for commercial and industrial installers. (Solar Builder) 
Vatican Agrivoltaic Project: Pope Leo XIV established the Fratello Sole Foundation to implement an agrivoltaic installation at the Vatican, aligned with Pope Francis's 2024 sustainability directive. The project will supply power to Vatican Radio's transmission center and Vatican City State. (Vatican News)
This episode is built for solar developers, commercial installers, battery storage professionals, and clean energy investors tracking policy and technology in 2026. The safe harbor ruling alone could affect capital decisions on projects above 1.5 MW AC before the July 3 deadline. Between the Shanghai show floor, the QCells factory update, and Australia's 8-hour battery milestone, this episode covers the week's most consequential moves in clean energy. 
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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 & storage pioneers Solar Design Associates share 50 years of firsts on the Clean Power Hour. They put solar on the White House in 1979 and built the first community solar garden in America. Haskell Werlin and Steven Strong trace solar's fall from $16 to $1 per watt, explain why the battery cost curve is following the same path, and break down what the ITC-free era means for developers.
Solar and storage pioneers Solar Design Associates have been designing solar energy systems since 1974, accumulating firsts from the Carter-era White House installation to the first true community solar garden in the United States. Haskell Werlin, Vice President of Business Development, and Steven Strong, Founder and President, join Tim Montague on the Clean Power Hour to trace 50 years of solar industry evolution. 
Solar pricing fell from $16 per watt for satellites to $1 per watt for ground mounts today, and Haskell confirms the battery cost curve is now following the same downward path, with Texas leading the country in solar and battery installations. This episode covers landmark projects, including the Bullit Center in Seattle and the Harvard community solar garden, alongside a direct assessment of what the residential ITC removal means for project economics through 2028 and beyond.
Here is what you will learn from this conversation about 50 years of solar storage pioneers and the battery transition ahead:
You will learn why Haskell argues Texas, not Hawaii, is now leading the country in solar and battery installations after transforming the ERCOT grid from fossil fuel dependency to firm base load power.
Find out how the first true community solar garden in the US, a 542-kilowatt ground mount in Harvard, Massachusetts required a statewide home rule petition to resolve a property tax classification dispute with the local assessor.
Understand how the Bullit Center in Seattle, described by the New York Times Architectural Review as the “Most sustainable commercial building in America,” achieved 100% energy offset in one of the least sunny major cities in the US.
Find out how Solar Design Associates put solar on the White House under President Carter in 1979, with Steven Strong on the roof for the dedication ceremony, and were called back under President George W. Bush in 2006 to install solar on the pool and cabana, spanning two administrations and three decades. 
Find out how Solar Design Associates has never exceeded 20 employees in 50 years, why hiring graduates with no prior solar experience is a deliberate strategy, and what Haskell says about the companies growing fast and falling hard.
Fifty years ago solar panels powered satellites because nothing else could reach them, and the technology now costs $1 per watt for ground mounts, a cost collapse driven by German feed-in tariffs, and Chinese manufacturing scale. The battery industry is now following the same path solar took from satellite technology to mass market infrastructure, with the same forces of policy, manufacturing scale, and early adopter projects already in motion. Professionals watching this episode are standing at the same inflection point the solar pioneers of 1974 stood at, with the advantage of knowing exactly how this story ends.
Connect Steven Strong, Haskell Werlin 
Haskell Werlin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haskell-werlin-1a21383/
Steven Strong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-strong-3309894/
Solar Design Associates: https://solardesign.com/
Support the show
Connect with Tim  
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Tim on Twitter
Tim on LinkedIn 
Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com 
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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

Community microgrids and virtual power plants are two of the most misunderstood concepts in clean energy, and the gap between them is where billions of dollars in grid value are being left on the table. Craig Lewis, Founder and CEO of the Clean Coalition, returns to The Clean Power Hour to break down how community-scale microgrids and VPPs actually work, where the money is, and why the current policy window in California matters to every energy professional in the country.
California's Microgrid Incentive Program funds up to $18 million per community microgrid project, covering 100% of upfront costs for front-of-meter solar and storage, grid upgrades, and interconnection. Craig explains the Clean Coalition's methodology for sizing solar and storage, calculating the minimum state of charge required for resilience, and building a value stack through wholesale markets, bilateral agreements with load-serving entities, and PURPA qualified facility status.
Here is what you will learn in this conversation about community microgrids and virtual power plants:
You will learn the difference between reliability and resilience, and why designing for resilience automatically gives you reliability, but not the other way around.
Find out how California's Microgrid Incentive Program works, what the $18 million funding breakdown covers, and why the program is competitive enough that most applicants need deep grid analysis expertise to win.
Understand the three ways to build a value stack for front-of-meter solar and storage assets: wholesale markets through CAISO, bilateral agreements with load-serving entities, and PURPA qualified facility status.
You will hear why transmission costs, not energy prices, are the fastest-growing component of electricity bills in California, and how distributed energy resources close to load are the only structural fix.
Learn how the Clean Coalition's VOR123 methodology tiers loads and facilities into critical, priority, and discretionary categories, and why tier-one facilities like hospitals and fire stations should be funded through public dollars.
California's Microgrid Incentive Program is active and awarding projects now, with roughly 30 community microgrids expected to be funded as proof-of-concept demonstrations. At the same time, transmission costs continue rising with no policy mechanism anywhere in the US that compensates for provisioning energy resilience. For solar and storage professionals and clean energy investors, the window to build expertise in community microgrid development and front-of-meter value stacks is open today.
Connect with Craig Lewis 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-lewis-81b0521/
Website: https://clean-coalition.org/
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