Watt It Takes: Sungevity CEO Andrew Birch

Watt It Takes: Sungevity CEO Andrew Birch

This week: a conversation with Andrew Birch, the co-founder and CEO of Sungevity.

For those who’ve been following the wild ride in solar, you’re going to want to listen to this conversation.

Sungevity was once one of the biggest residential solar installers in the U.S. – until it filed for bankruptcy protection at the beginning of the year. In this interview, Andrew Birch talks candidly about how Sungevity was founded, what killed an acquisition deal to save the installer, how market forces and the political landscape hurt the business, and where he thinks global solar trends are headed.

This interview was conducted on-stage at Powerhouse, an incubator based in San Francisco. It’s part of the “Watt It Takes” series on how top cleantech entrepreneurs built their companies. The series is produced by Powerhouse, in partnership with Greentech Media.

This podcast is sponsored by the New York Times ClimateTech conference, held in San Francisco on November 29 and 30. Engage with influential leaders from key industries and explore how innovation of all stripes can help solve one of the most pressing issues of our time. To apply and receive a 20% discount, visit www.nytclimatetech.com and use code GTM20.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episoder(341)

The muscle we forgot: SMRs, hyperscalers, and why this nuclear renaissance might actually be different

The muscle we forgot: SMRs, hyperscalers, and why this nuclear renaissance might actually be different

Why nuclear has never been project financed and how that might finally be about to change.Every nuclear plant ever built has ultimately been backstopped by taxpayers or ratepayers. Not because the tec...

24 Mar 56min

The grid nobody planned for: public power, hyperscalers and the race to rewire America for the AI age

The grid nobody planned for: public power, hyperscalers and the race to rewire America for the AI age

What two decades of flat demand means for a grid now expected to double in sizeThe US went from essentially zero load growth for twenty years to 3% national growth almost overnight. The supply chains,...

10 Mar 1h 4min

Is hyperscaler demand finally giving CCS its moment?

Is hyperscaler demand finally giving CCS its moment?

Carbon capture and storage has long been framed as a clean technology that’s forever five years away. Bridget van Dorsten speaks with Tim Vail, CEO of ION Clean Energy, to explore why a surge in AI da...

24 Feb 47min

Building the plane while it’s flying: data centers, utilities, and the new rules of power

Building the plane while it’s flying: data centers, utilities, and the new rules of power

After more than a decade of flat demand, the US power sector is now facing explosive growth, arriving faster than grids, generation, and transmission can be built. In this episode, Interim host of Int...

10 Feb 44min

Fuel cells are powering AI data center demand: they’ve moved from interesting clean tech to major player. How are utilities using them?

Fuel cells are powering AI data center demand: they’ve moved from interesting clean tech to major player. How are utilities using them?

US data centre announcements are averaging 435MW a month, and there’s around 175GW of large-load capacity already committed or under construction. AI hyperscalers are looking for innovative ways to me...

27 Jan 43min

AI, and the battle for energy in 2026. What clean energy sources are going to meet demand?

AI, and the battle for energy in 2026. What clean energy sources are going to meet demand?

AI is changing the energy system faster than almost anything we’ve seen in decades. Interim host, engineer and energy analyst Bridget Van Dorsten is joined by Ed Crooks, host of Energy Gang and Vice-c...

13 Jan 29min

How are key renewable energies faring at the end of 2025? Guest host and energy analyst Bridget van Dorsten talks through developments in geothermal, hydrogen and wind.

How are key renewable energies faring at the end of 2025? Guest host and energy analyst Bridget van Dorsten talks through developments in geothermal, hydrogen and wind.

At the start of the year things were looking uncertain for nascent renewables like hydrogen and geothermal. With policy support from the previous US administration they had boomed with the IRA, then c...

2 Des 202537min

Energy policy, technology, and utility challenges: How industry leaders are overcoming barriers

Energy policy, technology, and utility challenges: How industry leaders are overcoming barriers

Utility-scale clean energy projects in development are still facing connection queues and regulatory barriers. RE+ may be done for 2025, but the debate is still going. Host Sylvia Leyva Martinez, Rese...

18 Nov 202537min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
stopp-verden
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
e24-podden
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
pengesnakk
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
pengepodden-2
utbytte
rss-markedspuls-2
liberal-halvtime
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
rss-politisk-preik
finansredaksjonen
lederpodden
rss-pa-konto
rss-investering-gjort-enkelt
stormkast-med-valebrokk-stordalen