Clean Power Hour

A 100 kW rooftop can be a meaningful source of energy savings—and a difficult project to finance. How do you make solar work for affordable housing, churches, and nonprofits?
In this episode of the Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague sits down with Ben Underwood and Isaac Baker, founders of Massachusetts-based Resonant Energy, to discuss how they built a solar development business around nonprofits, houses of worship, and low-income multifamily housing.
Ben and Isaac explain how a portfolio approach brings buying power and financing to smaller projects, why their business pivoted toward affordable housing, and what developers and installation partners can learn from that model.
In the interview, Ben puts completed projects at roughly 5 MW, with about 15 MW in the pipeline. Behind those numbers is years of work aligning customer demand, installation partners, capital, and policy.
A central question: do the savings actually reach residents? The conversation distinguishes direct utility-bill benefits from savings that support building operations and improvements, and explores the Connecticut approach described by Isaac. They also discuss changing federal incentives, battery deployment barriers, and the potential of peak-demand compensation.
In this episode, you'll hear about:
• Why Resonant Energy shifted from anaerobic digestion into community solar and small commercial projects
• How the company used community networks to bring solar to churches, nonprofits, and other organizations that struggled to access conventional project finance
• Why bundling smaller solar projects into portfolios can make them more attractive to investors
• How Resonant Energy moved into affordable multifamily housing after COVID disrupted its faith-based customer base
• The role of Massachusetts' net metering and SMART incentive programs in making low-income solar projects viable
• How the Inflation Reduction Act helped accelerate Resonant Energy's growth
• How solar is becoming increasingly important for all-electric affordable housing developments as electricity costs rise
• What a typical 40-unit multifamily solar project looks like, including 75 to 150 kW behind-the-meter systems
• How Connecticut's affordable housing solar policy creates a direct benefit for residents
• The challenges of deploying batteries on small commercial properties, from local fire codes to federal sourcing requirements
• Why rate design and peak-demand compensation matter as federal solar incentives change
• Why urban and suburban rooftops and parking canopies could play a much larger role in America's future energy system
For developers, EPCs, and affordable housing owners, the takeaway is practical: smaller projects can become a meaningful market when financing, delivery, and resident benefits are designed together.
Connect with Guests
Ben Underwood | LinkedIn  
Isaac Baker | LinkedIn 
Resonant 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

Rising electricity demand and prolonged outages are pushing the Tennessee Valley to rethink how it builds and operates the grid. Where do solar, batteries, and community-scale microgrids fit?
In episode 374 of the Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague welcomes Gil Hough, Executive Director of the Tennessee Solar Energy Industries Association (TenneSEIA), for a conversation following the organization’s 2026 conference.
Gil explains how the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) shapes this distinctive public-power market—and why municipal utilities and electric cooperatives are becoming a source of innovation in solar, storage, and distributed energy.
Tim and Gil discuss:
• How TVA’s federal public-power structure shapes opportunities for solar and storage developers
• Why TVA’s new Integrated Resource Plan includes a distributed-energy strategy alongside utility-scale solar, storage, and other generation
• How annual requests for proposals are changing TVA’s approach to large-scale solar and storage procurement
• What the invitation-only Resource Solicitation Cluster means for project selection and interconnection studies
• How generation flexibility gives local power companies room to develop solar, storage, and virtual power plants
• What recent storm outages reveal about the need for local resilience and community-scale microgrids
• How TVA’s decision-making and funding model differs from the investor-owned utility model
• How TenneSEIA’s committees and utility relationships help developers, manufacturers, and local power companies collaborate
For developers and energy professionals, the conversation highlights two routes into the market: TVA’s utility-scale procurement process and partnerships with local power companies pursuing distributed resources.
Gil argues that solar, storage, and better load management can help utilities use their infrastructure more effectively and mitigate cost pressures. Tim explores his vision of a grid of community-scale microgrids, with substations serving as hubs for nearby generation and storage.
Listen for a practical look at how procurement, utility partnerships, economics, and resilience are shaping the next phase of clean energy in the Tennessee Valley.
MEET TIM AT ILREC 2026
Tim Montague will be at the Illinois Renewable Energy Conference (ILREC), October 19-20, 2026, at the Bloomington-Normal Marriott and Conference Center in Normal, Illinois.
ILREC brings together leaders from across Illinois' renewable energy industry to discuss the policies, technologies, market trends, and business challenges shaping the state's clean energy future.
Learn more and register at https://illinoisrenewableenergyconference.org/
Connect with Gil Hough 
TenneSEIA website: https://tenneseiasolar.com/
Gil Hough LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilhough
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

Solar and storage are moving into a new phase, and this week's Clean Power Hour Live covers the technologies, policies, and market shifts shaping that transition.
Tim Montague and John Weaver break down the latest developments across solar, batteries, wind, grid infrastructure, and electrification.
In California, Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation supporting virtual power plants and making plug-in solar officially legal. The hosts discuss what these changes could mean for distributed energy, grid flexibility, consumers, and the future of behind-the-meter solar.
They also cover US solar manufacturer ratings, a Google pilot for hourly carbon accounting with battery storage, solar repowering, UK grid interconnectors, the world's tallest wind turbine, and the 45X tax credit. These stories land as California utilities report record profits and power costs in the state run twice the US average. 
Episode Highlights:
Governor Newsom signed bills to contain utility spending and pay customers who let batteries, EVs, and appliances ease grid stress (Canary Media). 
Finlay Colville rates US solar manufacturers from AAA to C, with First Solar at number one (PV Magazine). 
A Google-backed pilot demonstrates hourly carbon accounting for US battery energy storage using granular certificates (Energy Storage News). 
A Foundry Logic study argues replacing old panels adds significant new capacity to the grid (Heatmap News). 
An insider quoted by Roth says, "We are moving into a positive political environment for solar" (Roth). 
Roughly 10 GW of UK grid interconnectors link Britain to Europe (Financial Times). 
Germany installed the world's tallest wind turbine at 300 meters, as tall as the Eiffel Tower. Tim questions the economics, and John points to a higher capacity factor at greater heights.
This episode suits solar professionals, battery storage professionals, project developers, policy watchers, and clean energy investors. California's new VPP and plug-in solar laws, the 45X tax credit debate, and the growth of solar repowering all affect project decisions right now. 
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

A battery only earns its keep when it can connect to the grid and get to work. What does it take to turn better battery technology into a viable energy project?
In episode 373 of the Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague speaks with Dr. Simon Engelke, founder of Battery Associates and Battery MBA and host of the Battery Insiders podcast. They explore the technology, economics, and expertise needed to scale storage across the grid, transportation, and emerging industries.
Drawing on his Cambridge PhD in lithium-ion batteries and his work advising and training industry professionals, Simon explains why chemistry is only part of the story. Utilization, manufacturing scale, maintenance, investor confidence, and grid access all shape whether a battery project succeeds.
Tim and Simon discuss:
• Stationary storage and mobility: where Simon sees demand growing and how vehicle-to-grid programs can put parked EV batteries to work
• Battery technology explained: LFP and NMC cathodes, silicon anodes, sodium-ion batteries, and what changes when the electrolyte becomes solid
• Manufacturing scale: why increasing production can drive battery costs down through learning and process improvements
• Vanadium flow batteries: Tim raises G&W Electric's experience, while Simon discusses pump and seal failures he has encountered and the challenge of proving a bankable business case
• Project economics: why cycling, utilization, operating reliability, and a track record matter to developers and investors
• Interconnection bottlenecks: Simon describes investors in Germany ready to deploy batteries that cannot yet connect, leaving assets idle while they continue to age
• U.S. manufacturing: Simon's view that repurposing automotive battery factories could temporarily expand stationary storage supply, with EV demand changing that equation
• New applications: how data centers, drones, humanoid robots, and electric aviation are expanding the conversation beyond solar and EVs
• Battery careers: why engineers, solar professionals, business leaders, and people from other disciplines need to understand the full battery value chain
• Inside Battery MBA: a 12-week online program built around live industry experts, office hours, and collaborative case studies, with group enrollment options for employers
Simon also shares a Battery MBA case study exploring how a data center battery could serve both as backup power and as storage for an island grid. His message to professionals: start with the skills you enjoy using, then look for where they can contribute to the battery industry.
For solar, storage, and microgrid professionals, this conversation connects battery innovation with the practical decisions behind project deployment, workforce development, and long-term business strategy.
Learn more about Simon Engelke:
Dr. Simon Engelke | LinkedIn 
Battery Associates | Training, Consulting & Insights 
BatteryMBA | CPD-Accredited Battery Course 
All Battery Insiders podcast episodes 
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

Grid storage is growing faster than the industry expected. EVs accounted for more than 70% of global battery deployment in 2025, down from almost 80% in 2024, according to the IEA. 
On this CPH Live, Tim Montague and John Weaver unpack stationary battery storage growth and follow the batteries to two places: 230 GW of data center interconnection requests and a solar plus storage copper mine in Congo. They also cover China clean tech investment, EV charging costs, and agrivoltaics. These stories show where new batteries are going and why.
Episode Highlights:
Stationary storage is taking a larger share of global battery deployment. EVs fell to more than 70% in 2025, down from almost 80% in 2024 (IEA), as EV growth ran slower than projected and grid storage grew faster. Tim opened with a 95% EV figure, John corrected it with the IEA data live, and the hosts named CATL, BYD, and Illinois' new grid law as drivers of grid-scale battery storage. 
Cross Boundary Energy's Kamoa Copper project in the Democratic Republic of Congo pairs 233 MW of east-west solar with a 526 MWh battery and 30 MW of output. John calls the roughly 8 to 1 DC to AC ratio the largest he has seen. (Crossboundary Energy)
Tim reports 230 GW of data center interconnection applications across the U.S., against a grid running near 500 GW. He argues 20 million Powerwall 3 units, or one in five homes, would match that load. The hosts discuss grid edge computing from Lektra and Base Power's 40 kWh home batteries, which entered Illinois through the state's virtual power plant legislation.
China's share of global clean manufacturing investment fell from 71% in early 2023 to 33% in Q2 2026 (Reuters). Tim asked why this counts as good news for solar. 
Maize under the panels produced 19.6% more dry matter than an open control plot during a drought and heat wave. The panels cut evapotranspiration by 20% (PV Magazine). 
A Sydney green roof ran 28 degrees Celsius cooler, and its solar outperformed a metal roof array by 11% (Renew Economy).
This episode serves battery storage professionals, solar developers, clean energy investors, and policy watchers. Data center load, gas price spikes, and shifting battery demand all affect project economics right now. Tim and John give you the numbers and more.
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