#EP326 Happy Holidays! Today on the Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague breaks down his top 5 episodes of 2025, featuring conversations that shaped how we think about solar, storage, virtual power plants, microgrids, and AI. From Jigar Shah's call for the industry to become a political force to Spark AI's permitting breakthroughs, these episodes capture where clean energy is headed.
Key Episodes Covered:
Episode 304 - Jigar Shah
85% of new grid capacity will be solar, wind, and batteries
Fossil fuels outspend clean energy 10:1 on political lobbying
VPPs could shift 20% of peak load by 2030
20% of Americans struggle to afford their electricity bills
Episode 274 - Ryan Mayfield and Jayson Smith
CPS America's Gonzo containerized battery (125-256 kWh)
20-millisecond switchover for grid-forming capability
Daisy chain up to 12 units for megawatt-scale deployments
60% of CPS workforce dedicated to service
Episode 307 - Peter Kelly-Detwiler
1,500 MW of data center load disconnected in Virginia incident
PJM capacity prices jumped from $30 to $329 per MW-day
California VPPs dispatched 535 MW from 100,000 homes
Brooklyn-Queens demand management: $150M vs $1.2B infrastructure upgrade
Episode 310 - Jeff St. John (Canary Media)
93% of new U.S. grid additions were solar, batteries, and wind
Texas ERCOT grid now 50% solar, wind, and batteries
California VPPs show 2:1 cost-benefit ratio
Texas allocated $1.8B for microgrids after Winter Storm Uri
Episode 322 - Julia Wu and Anuj Saigal (Spark AI)
Platform compresses 4-10 hours of research to seconds
Standard Solar reduced acquisition diligence from months to one week
Three core use cases: site selection, regulatory monitoring, acquisition due diligence
Bonus: Episode 296 - Mark Palmer (Conductor Solar)
Most listened to and shared episode on Spotify
Covers PPAs, project finance, and tax credit swapping
Discusses tariffs, supply chain pressures, and state policy importance
2025 was a turning point. The conversations featured in this episode show an industry maturing from a startup mentality to a political force. Virtual power plants moved from concept to cost-saver. AI began solving permitting bottlenecks. Battery storage became standard, not optional. The grid is tripling, and clean energy will build most of it. These episodes give you the roadmap for what comes next.
Episodes Mentioned
Ep 304 - Jigar Shah - https://youtu.be/lGv6NoDlf70
Ep 274 - Ryan Mayfield and Jayson Smith - https://youtu.be/QxLIzBSM-lQ
Ep 307 - Peter Kelly-Detwiler - https://youtu.be/apMrWUz7TV8
Ep 310 - Jeff St. John (Canary Media) - https://youtu.be/76PDeZ7ZGps
Ep 322 - Julia Wu and Anuj Saigal (Spark AI) - https://youtu.be/B3t0cpvTT-Y
Ep 296 - Mark Palmer (Conductor Solar) - https://youtu.be/aj_zNnpAUk8
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