Clean Power Hour

Speed to power: Bala Ramamurthy of Critical Loop on cutting grid connection from years to days with modular microgrids. 
Speed to power is the problem Critical Loop was built to solve. Bala Ramamurthy is the founder and CEO of Critical Loop, a California modular microgrid company that brings megawatts to industrial facilities and data centers when a utility interconnection is years away. Before energy, Bala spent 12 years at SpaceX as chief engineer on the first human spaceflight mission, and he applies that same high-reliability systems thinking to the grid. 
This conversation covers how their Cygnus controller orchestrates batteries and on-site generation to close the gap between what a utility can deliver and what a site needs. Tim pushes Bala on the hard questions: whether Critical Loop competes for scarce batteries, and why a site like San Diego International Airport needs them at all. It matters now because load growth is outpacing what the grid can build.
Here is what this conversation reveals about closing the gap between grid capacity and industrial demand:
How do you power a 20-megawatt site when the utility offers seven?
Why does a rocket engineer see the grid as the same problem as a launch?
What does Critical Loop's Cygnus controller actually do on site?
When does a temporary bridge microgrid become a permanent asset?
Why does San Diego International Airport need Critical Loop at all?
What keeps a founder up at night as load growth outpaces the grid?
Critical Loop is betting that the fastest way to add power is not to build more grid, but to orchestrate what a site already has. Bala Ramamurthy makes the case that a controller, batteries, and on-site generation can close the gap between what a utility delivers and what a factory or data center needs, turning a years-long interconnection wait into weeks.
For anyone building, financing, or powering industrial load right now, this conversation is a look at how speed to power becomes a business. 
Connect with Guest:
Balachandar Ramamurthy | LinkedIn 
Critical Loop Website 
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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

Section 232 tariffs are reshaping solar module pricing across the United States. Tim Montague and co-host John Weaver sit down with returning guest Chris Lettman, a solar module supply chain and technology expert with Imperial Star Solar. 
Chris explains why the new policy works as a price floor, not a simple tariff, setting a minimum import price plus a 15 percent tax on cells, wafers, and modules. The three break down domestic cell shortages, First Solar litigation, and how developers hedge against monthly price hikes. 
Anyone buying solar panels before the December 4 deadline needs this pricing and procurement picture.
Chris Lettman answers the pricing questions every solar buyer is asking before December 4:
Why is Section 232 a price floor instead of a normal tariff?
How much do imported, hybrid, and fully domestic modules now cost per watt?
Which companies make solar cells in the U.S. today?
How is John Weaver stockpiling modules to beat rising prices?
Why does only PERC ship domestically while TOPCon stays blocked?
What happens to overseas module factories after December 4?
Section 232 changes the math for every solar buyer heading into 2027. The tariffs raise prices across all three module tiers and close the gap between imported and domestic panels, with fully imported modules near 45 cents per watt and fully domestic near 53. Imports look set to stop around December 4, domestic cell supply stays tight behind ES Foundry and Saniva, and buyers like John Weaver are stockpiling now to beat monthly price hikes. Tim, John, and Chris disagree on whether the policy drives real U.S. manufacturing or adds cost and friction, but they agree on the takeaway: know your pricing tiers, lock in supply early, and plan procurement through 2027 before the next increase hits. 
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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

Clean energy company culture is what separates good solar EPCs from great ones, and Mynt CEO Derek Hansen has a name for how he builds it: inspire, empower, support.
Company culture in the solar and storage industry gets talked about far less than it should, and this episode makes the case for why that needs to change. 
Derek Hansen is CEO and co-founder of Mynt, a vertically integrated development, engineering, and construction firm that builds solar and battery storage projects for commercial real estate owners and other solar developers. Tim Montague hosts this conversation, framing it around a question that gets skipped in the industry: what actually separates a good company from a great one. 
In this episode, you'll learn:
Why Mynt is shifting its project mix from mostly solar toward majority battery storage
How Derek Hansen's inspire, empower, support philosophy drives EPC leadership
What personality assessments and one-on-one conversations reveal about a team member's strongest work
How Mynt built a buddy system to pair complementary skill sets on project teams
Why Mynt chose to unionize its install crews under IBEW after California's new prevailing wage mandate
The reason Hansen ties personal significance and legacy to day-to-day work at a growing EPC
If you work in solar, storage, microgrids, or the broader energy transition, this conversation offers practical insights into building stronger teams, creating meaningful company cultures, and preparing for the next phase of distributed energy. 
Connect with Derek 
Derek Hansen | LinkedIn 
MYNT 
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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 asset management inside a 35-year ownership model: CJ Colavito and Jay Smith of Standard Solar explain what it actually takes to own distributed generation projects for decades, from evaluating tracker and inverter reliability to redesigning inverter specs around eventual failure.
In this episode of Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague sits down with CJ Colavito, General Manager of Integrated Project Teams, and Jay Smith, VP of Operations and Maintenance and Asset Management, to discuss what they have learned from developing, building, owning, and operating commercial and community solar projects.
The conversation goes deep on one of the biggest challenges facing the solar industry: how to balance cost, performance, reliability, and long-term asset value.
Tim, CJ, and Jay also discuss:
• Why thorough project diligence can reduce delays, change orders, and budget overruns
• Standard Solar's integrated project team model and its focus on execution excellence
• The challenges of rooftop solar and why project scale matters
• Connector reliability, wire management, and lessons from thermal events
• What Standard Solar looks for when selecting tracker technology
• Tracker reliability, maintenance, snow shedding, and hail protection
• Standard Solar's approach to inverter selection and long-term reliability
• Why inverter failures can have a much greater financial impact than the initial equipment cost
• The importance of manufacturer support and warranties over the life of a project
• How changing supply-chain and foreign entity requirements are affecting equipment decisions
• Adding AC-coupled batteries to existing community solar projects
• How Standard Solar is adapting its business as the solar market and technology continue to evolve
The episode comes at an important moment for the industry. As solar portfolios grow and assets age, the focus is increasingly shifting from simply adding megawatts to ensuring those assets can perform reliably over the long term. 
Listen to the full conversation for an inside look at how an experienced solar owner-operator thinks about technology, reliability, O&M, project execution, and the future of distributed solar.
Connect with Guest 
Jay Smith LinkedIn
CJ Colavito LinkedIn
Standard Solar Website
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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

The Federal Communications Commission's new ban on foreign-produced solar inverters left the industry without clear answers on warehoused stock, firmware updates, and grid cybersecurity risk. 
On this episode of The Clean Power Hour Live, hosts Tim Montague and John Weaver break down the foreign inverter ban alongside new Section 232 solar tariffs that set a 38 cent per watt minimum price on modules. They also cover a Reuters report on Chinese electric truck exports climbing as diesel prices spike across Southeast Asia, a 30% efficient perovskite-silicon solar panel from Tandem PV headed to market this fall, and a phishing scam using fake zoning invoices to target solar contractors. Recorded live on August 21, 2026, this episode covers solar policy, battery storage, and grid security in one sitting.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
FCC added foreign inverters and communication devices to its Covered List on July 28, citing grid cybersecurity risk from remote firmware updates. (PV Magazine)
Section 232 solar tariffs raise panel costs. New tariffs set minimum import prices of 38 cents per watt for modules, 22 cents for cells, and roughly 14 cents for wafers. (PV Tech)
Chinese electric truck exports climb amid Iran war fuel spike . (Reuters)
Tandem PV ships a production-quality 30% efficient perovskite-silicon panel (PV Magazine). 
Enphase launches the IQ Battery C80 commercial battery. The 80 kWh AC-coupled unit delivers up to 40 kVA of continuous power and targets small commercial and industrial demand charge management projects. (Enphase)
Octopus Energy customers earn nearly 100 million pounds in solar export payments. (Solar Power Portal).
Security alert: fake zoning permit invoices target solar contractors. John shares an AI-generated phishing email built from public permit records, disguised as a $6,700 town zoning fee. (Blue Sky)
This episode is built for solar installers, project developers, and policy watchers tracking how tariffs and cybersecurity rules are reshaping equipment sourcing. With Section 232 tariffs taking effect in December and the FCC inverter ban already in force, procurement decisions made this fall carry real cost and timeline consequences.
Support the show
Connect with Tim  
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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