Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy Podcast

In this episode of Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy, Wes Ashworth sits down with David Piperno, CFO of SparkCharge, to explore how portable energy solutions are reshaping EV charging, fleet electrification, and grid stability.SparkCharge is best known for building the world’s first portable EV charging network, but the conversation goes far beyond charging vehicles. David explains how mobile energy storage, pay-as-you-go models, and rapid deployment are solving some of the biggest bottlenecks in clean energy adoption, from long infrastructure timelines to rising grid constraints.Drawing on more than two decades of experience across finance, mobility, and energy technology, including leadership roles at Zipcar, Deloitte, and Spartan, David shares how aligning sustainability with strong unit economics is the key to scaling climate solutions.Key Themes CoveredWhy EV infrastructure keeps falling behind demand David breaks down why traditional charging infrastructure is too slow, too expensive, and often underutilized, especially for fleets trying to scale quickly.How SparkCharge’s portable, pay-as-you-go model works The discussion explains how SparkCharge eliminates upfront capital costs, deploys in days instead of years, and scales energy up or down based on real usage rather than peak assumptions.Flexibility as a competitive advantage From same-day deployments to serving locations without grid upgrades, SparkCharge’s approach gives fleets operational certainty while reducing financial risk.When delivered energy can be cheaper than the grid David walks through peak shaving, avoiding demand charges, and absorbing surplus renewable energy, showing how mobile storage can lower energy costs while supporting grid stability.Beyond EVs: supporting the grid and other power-constrained industries The conversation expands into non-wire alternatives, frequency regulation, data centers, and how mobile energy assets are becoming essential as electricity demand accelerates.Why EVs are deflationary and ICE vehicles are not David explains total cost of ownership, declining battery prices, lower maintenance, and why EVs continue to improve over time through software updates.What the U.S. must do to stay competitive The episode explores policy consistency, infrastructure incentives, and why pace matters as global competition in clean energy intensifies.The role of AI in accelerating electrification David shares how SparkCharge is using AI to reduce fleet analysis timelines from months to minutes, enabling faster and more accurate energy deployments.Why This Episode MattersAs electrification expands across transportation, data centers, and industry, the grid is under unprecedented pressure. This episode offers a practical look at how mobile energy, storage, and flexible deployment models can close the gap between ambition and execution, without waiting years for infrastructure to catch up.Whether you’re leading a fleet, building energy infrastructure, or navigating the clean energy transition, this conversation provides real-world insight into what scalable, economically viable solutions look like today.Links:David Piperno on LinkedInSparkCharge's WebsiteWes Ashworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weslgs/ Email: [email protected] https://leegroupsearch.com/green-giants-podcast/ https://leegroupsearch.com/

In this episode of Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy, host Wes Ashworth sits down with Joe Adiletta, CEO of Volexion and a veteran of the battery world, to explore what it really takes to commercialize deep tech innovation in one of the most capital-intensive and strategically vital industries of our time: lithium-ion batteries.With two decades of experience spanning A123Systems, 24M, Ionic Materials, and now Volexion, Joe brings a rare blend of hard-won insight and strategic clarity. This isn’t a conversation about hype. It’s about navigating the messy, capital-constrained, slow-moving reality of energy storage innovation and doing it anyway.Volexion’s approach? A conformal graphene coating, what Joe describes as a “wetsuit for cathodes.” It’s a subtle but powerful manufacturing innovation that improves battery performance without overhauling production lines. And it’s gaining traction globally.But this episode goes far deeper than the tech. We unpack what it takes to build hard tech startups in the U.S., close the missing-middle funding gap, and lead teams through the emotional rollercoaster of building the next generation of industrial infrastructure.In this episode, we cover:Why the cathode, not the anode, may be the most underleveraged opportunity in battery innovationHow Volexion’s “small change, big impact” strategy drives measurable results with minimal disruptionWhat it takes to turn university research into commercial materials shipped around the worldThe brutal realities of funding first-of-a-kind facilities and what hard tech really needs from investorsWhy battery breakthroughs haven’t followed the step-change model of software and why that’s okayHow Joe leads through uncertainty and builds resilience inside small, mission-driven teamsWhy it matters: Energy storage is foundational to the electrification of everything. Battery innovation is a national priority. But meaningful progress doesn’t always look like sci-fi headlines. Sometimes, it’s a quiet revolution in materials science, backed by great people and smart capital.Whether you're a battery nerd, an energy investor, or a founder navigating the tough terrain of cleantech startups, this episode is a must-listen.Links: Joe Adiletta on LinkedInVolexion's WebsiteWes Ashworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weslgs/ Email: [email protected] https://leegroupsearch.com/green-giants-podcast/ https://leegroupsearch.com/

What if the strongest opportunities in renewable energy aren’t in massive utility projects, but in the overlooked middle of the market where disciplined operators consistently outperform?In this episode of Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy, Wes Ashworth sits down with Mike Silvestrini, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Energea. After developing more than 500 solar projects across three continents and scaling Greenskies into a national C&I leader, Mike is now opening global solar investing to everyday investors.He unpacks the hard realities, the operational lessons, and the global opportunities most people never see.Inside the episode:How Greenskies scaled from a two-person startupWhy being undercapitalized became their advantageHow Walmart and Target reshaped the businesssWhat selling the company taught Mike about timingHow Energea was createdThe financing gap Mike discovered while meeting solar companies around the worldWhy emerging markets offered high-quality projects but little access to capitalHow Energea structures diversified portfolios with monthly dividendsGlobal markets and performanceWhy Brazil became a breakout successHow South Africa’s unstable grid drives demand for solar-plus-storageWhy Colombia’s hydro volatility creates huge opportunityOperating solar assets in the real world Why theft is often a bigger threat than weather Why key O&M and customer functions stay in-house How experience shapes better underwriting and better assetsMike also shares why he believes solar is positioned to win on economics, even if public perception lags behind.If you want a clearer view of how global solar projects are financed, built, and operated, this conversation delivers rare insight from someone who has been in the trenches for nearly two decades.Links:Mike Silvestrini on LinkedInEnergea's WebsiteEnergea - Get StartedWes Ashworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weslgs/ Email: [email protected] https://leegroupsearch.com/green-giants-podcast/ https://leegroupsearch.com/

What if the key to unlocking nuclear energy’s future has been buried all along?In this episode of Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy, host Wes Ashworth dives into one of the most overlooked and misunderstood challenges of the clean energy transition: nuclear waste disposal.His guest, Rod Baltzer, is a 25-year veteran of the nuclear waste industry and now CEO of Deep Isolation, a company pioneering deep horizontal borehole disposal for spent nuclear fuel. With a background in finance and a career spanning public and private sector leadership, Rod brings a rare combination of technical insight, regulatory experience, and business acumen to an issue most would rather ignore.For decades, the nuclear industry has lacked a permanent solution for high-level waste, relying instead on short-term storage and costly, politically stalled mined repository concepts. Deep Isolation offers a radically different approach: leveraging proven directional drilling technology from oil and gas to safely and affordably isolate nuclear waste more than a mile underground, horizontally, in stable geologic formations.Rod breaks down:Why traditional mined repositories are 70% more expensive and far slower to implementHow horizontal boreholes can isolate waste for over a million years with peak doses lower than a single banana per yearWhat Deep Isolation’s universal canister makes possible across fuel types, reprocessing, and storageWhy the real bottleneck isn’t technology, but outdated U.S. policy stuck on Yucca MountainHow countries like Estonia and others in Eastern Europe are leapfrogging the U.S. with forward-looking nuclear strategiesThis episode also tackles widespread myths, including the “green goo” misconception, and explains why transportation concerns persist, even though nuclear waste has an extraordinary safety record.Rod shares why the nuclear industry can’t afford to treat waste as an afterthought any longer, and why solving it now is essential to ensuring nuclear’s role in a clean energy future.If you're curious about the back end of the nuclear lifecycle and how it may be the unlock for scaling next-gen clean power, this conversation delivers both a reality check and a hopeful vision for what's possible.LinksRod Baltzer on LinkedInDeep Isolation's WebsiteYouTube Video - Rocket Powered Train Impact Test of Spent Nuclear Fuel Shipping CaskWes Ashworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weslgs/ Email: [email protected] https://leegroupsearch.com/green-giants-podcast/ https://leegroupsearch.com/

Most conversations about solar focus on growth, installation, and deployment. Far fewer address the reality on the other end of the lifecycle: what happens to millions of solar panels once they’re damaged, decommissioned, or reach the end of their usable life.In this episode, host Wes Ashworth sits down with Dr Janette Freeman, Vice President of Business Development at Fabtech Solar Solutions, one of the few companies in the United States specializing in solar panel recycling, refurbishment, and reuse. Blending decades of leadership experience with a background in consciousness studies, Dr. Freeman brings a rare combination of technical clarity, industry insight, and human-centered perspective to one of clean energy’s most misunderstood challenges.Together, they break down the true scale of solar waste, why perceptions don’t match reality, and how the recycling landscape is evolving far faster than most people realize. Dr. Freeman also explains the economics behind recycling, why the reuse market is reawakening, and how developers, EPCs, and asset owners can plan ahead to protect both budgets and brand reputation.Beyond the operational side, this episode explores the mindset required to lead in a rapidly changing renewable energy ecosystem. Dr. Freeman shares how resilience, adaptability, and emotional intelligence have shaped her approach to navigating the solar coaster and helping steer an emerging industry toward circularity.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why solar panel waste is dramatically smaller than often portrayedThe biggest misconceptions that still slow down recycling adoptionWhat 75 percent of today’s recycling volumes reveal about industry growthHow companies decide between refurbishing, reselling, or fully recycling modulesThe economics behind recycling and why costs are droppingHow risk, compliance, and reputation increasingly influence end-of-life decisionsWhy landfill access is tightening and how that accelerates circular solutionsHow the recycling market has rapidly expanded from only a handful of providersWhat the next decade looks like as the first major wave of utility-scale projects retiresThe leadership mindset needed to stay steady in a volatile, high-growth sectorDr. Freeman’s mission is simple: keep solar modules out of landfills and in the circular economy. Her work demonstrates how technical innovation, practical problem-solving, and grounded leadership can move an entire industry forward.If you work in solar development, EPC, asset management, recycling, sustainability, or energy policy, this episode delivers essential clarity on one of the most important and misunderstood components of the clean energy transition.Tune in to learn how the recycling revolution is taking shape and why mindset matters just as much as machinery.Links: Dr. Janette Freeman on LinkedInFabtech Solar Solutions' WebsiteWes Ashworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weslgs/ Email: [email protected] https://leegroupsearch.com/green-giants-podcast/ https://leegroupsearch.com/