#EP308
What if you could slash your community's electricity costs by 40% while achieving true energy independence?
AJ Perkins transformed from business executive to renewable energy pioneer, building 3.8 gigawatts of microgrid projects worldwide. In this Clean Power Hour episode, he reveals how community-scale solar and battery systems are revolutionizing energy economics.
The breakthrough: AJ's team reduced payback periods from 7-11 years to just 18 months by combining solar, batteries, and grid services revenue. This creates a financial model that makes renewable energy irresistible to entire communities.
Real-world results include:
A 3,000-home Hawaii development using the "Utility Light" model where communities own their energy infrastructure
An Orange County mobile home park cutting electricity costs from 38¢ to 24¢ per kWh while adding AC for just 2¢ per kWh
Why thinking in clusters of 50-1,000+ homes creates economies of scale impossible with individual installations
Tim and AJ explore the convergence of microgrids, Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), and infrastructure-as-a-service models that solve multiple municipal challenges simultaneously. They discuss California's public safety power shutoffs, utility partnerships, manufacturing reshoring, and practical strategies for scaling community energy projects.
Key insight: Instead of protecting one family, AJ protects entire communities. His approach prevents the dangerous scenario where only one house has power during blackouts while neighbors remain in the dark.
Whether you're a solar installer, utility professional, community leader, or clean energy investor, this episode provides actionable insights for building distributed energy infrastructure. AJ shares his complete playbook and offers to help others replicate these community-scale successes.
Connect with AJ Perkins
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajperkins808/
https://instanton.energy/
Check out my new book: Wired for Sun: The Commercial Solar Playbook on Amazon http://www.ceanpowerhour.com/book
Growing into large commercial-industrial solar? Book a free consultation with Tim Montague to grow your solar business today!
https://calendly.com/tim-montague/coaching_consulting
Clean Power Hour logo wear now available on demand: https://cleanpowerhour.merchyme.com/
Sponsor the show: If you make solar equipment, tools or software, you can reach thousands of energy professionals each week including decision makers, engineers, EPCs, installers, developers and asset owners.
https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/p/media-kit/
The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 10GW 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 350kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. CPS America has offices in California, New Jersey, and Texas. Learn more at https://www.chintpowersystems.com/
00:00 Introduction
03:03 About AJ Perkins
07:09 The Evolution of Microgrids and VPPs
14:33 The Microgrid Landscape
20:49 The Role of Utilities in the Microgrid Revolution
27:06 The Utility Collaboration Playbook
30:27 Community Scale Microgrids Economics
34:46 Hydrogen and Cybersecurity Role in Microgrids
36:56 The Hydrogen Economy
42:08 The US Supply Chain
45:49 AJ Perkins Punchline
51:37 Conclusion and AJ Perkins Contact Information
