Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy Podcast

What does it actually take to build solar infrastructure that performs for 30 years in the real world?
In this episode of Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy, Wes Ashworth sits down with Aaron Gabelnick, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Technology Officer at ARRAY Technologies. With a career spanning chemicals, refining, consulting, and large-scale capital projects, Aaron brings a systems-level perspective that is often missing in today’s energy conversation.
This is not a discussion about solar theory. It is about execution, risk, and building infrastructure that holds up under real conditions.
Aaron shares how his background in industrial systems shaped his approach to renewable energy, and why the biggest challenge in solar today is not innovation, but discipline.
What You’ll Learn
Why solar trackers are central to project performance, not a secondary component
How tracker design can increase energy production by up to 25 percent depending on conditions
The real meaning of LCOE and why upfront cost alone is a flawed decision metric
How extreme weather like wind and hail is now shaping core engineering decisions
The difference between active and passive wind stow systems and why it matters for reliability
How hail risk is driving new technology, including predictive response systems and high-angle stow strategies
Why simplicity in design leads to better long-term performance and lower maintenance risk
The hidden complexity behind “simple” solar projects, from subsoil to system integration
Key Themes
Infrastructure Over Ideology
The energy transition is not a switch. It is a complex evolution of systems that must remain reliable while scaling rapidly.
Execution Is the Differentiator
Many failures in solar are not due to bad technology. They are the result of poor installation, weak alignment between engineering and construction, and lack of discipline at scale.
Design Decisions Compound Over Time
Small engineering choices can materially impact performance, risk, and cost over decades.
Weather Is Now a Core Design Driver
Severe weather is no longer a boundary condition. It is central to how modern solar systems are engineered and financed.
Why This Episode Matters
As solar becomes critical infrastructure, the industry is being forced to mature.
That means:
Thinking in decades, not development cycles
Prioritizing reliability alongside speed
Integrating lessons from traditional energy and industrial sectors
Designing systems that perform under stress, not just ideal conditions
Aaron brings a rare perspective that connects all of these dots.
If you are building, investing in, or operating energy systems, this episode offers a clear view of what it really takes to get it right.
Links: 
Aaron Gabelnick on LinkedIn 
ARRAY Technologies Website
Wes Ashworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weslgs/
Email: [email protected]
https://leegroupsearch.com/green-giants-podcast/
https://leegroupsearch.com/

AI may be grabbing the headlines, but power is becoming the real constraint.
In Episode 97 of Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy, Wes Ashworth sits down with Jason Few, President and CEO of FuelCell Energy, for a timely conversation about AI, data centers, grid constraints, and the growing urgency around speed to power.
Jason explains why this moment is bigger than data centers alone. As electricity demand rises and infrastructure timelines stretch, the conversation is shifting from simply finding electrons to building the right power stack. That means rethinking how power is generated, where it is delivered, and what role distributed energy should play in the next era of industrial and digital growth.
The episode explores why power has become a gating factor for AI deployment, how data center developers are increasingly being forced to think in terms of bring your own power, and why modular, resilient, community-compatible solutions are gaining attention. Jason also shares how FuelCell Energy has worked to move beyond being seen as an interesting technology story and instead focus on solving real customer problems with speed, reliability, and commercial discipline.
Wes and Jason also discuss:
Why grid interconnection timelines no longer match market urgency 
How fuel cells fit into a broader and-not-or energy system 
Why community acceptance, footprint, noise, and emissions matter more than many people realize 
How leadership teams can identify a real market signal before consensus arrives 
Why the future of energy infrastructure will be shaped by layered architectures, not one single solution 
This is a sharp and practical conversation for anyone following AI infrastructure, distributed energy, clean power, or the future of data center development.
Links: 
Jason Few on LinkedIn
FuelCell Energy's Website
Wes Ashworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weslgs/
Email: [email protected]
https://leegroupsearch.com/green-giants-podcast/
https://leegroupsearch.com/

What happens to electric vehicle batteries after they come off the road is quickly becoming one of the most important questions in energy.
In this episode of Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy, Wes Ashworth sits down with Freeman Hall, President of B2U Storage Solutions, to explore how second-life EV batteries are transforming from a perceived waste problem into a scalable infrastructure opportunity.
Freeman brings a rare combination of experience across renewable energy investing, utility-scale solar development, and now battery storage innovation. After helping scale over 100 MW of solar projects and working at the forefront of early solar adoption, he is once again operating ahead of the curve, this time in battery lifecycle management.
At B2U, Freeman and his team are pioneering a fundamentally different approach to energy storage. Instead of dismantling EV batteries, they deploy them in their original form, using proprietary controls and software to unlock additional years of value in stationary storage applications. This approach significantly reduces costs while maintaining performance, creating a new category of infrastructure that challenges traditional assumptions about battery end-of-life.
This conversation goes far beyond technology. It dives into the real drivers of scale: capital structure, risk perception, market design, and the long process of proving bankability in a new asset class.
You’ll hear how B2U:
 Identified the economic opportunity behind second-life batteries early 
 Built a proprietary system to avoid costly repurposing processes 
 Proved reliability through years of real-world operating data 
 Navigated skepticism around safety, performance, and longevity 
 Structured a new investment model to unlock scalable growth 
Freeman also shares insights on the evolving energy landscape, including the growing demand for electricity driven by electrification and AI, the role of storage in stabilizing renewable-heavy grids, and why repurposing will become a critical link in the battery value chain.
As the industry grapples with supply chain constraints, policy shifts, and the need for more resilient infrastructure, this episode offers a clear look at how innovation actually reaches commercial scale.
If you want to understand where energy storage is heading and what it takes to build confidence in something entirely new, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.
Links: 
Freeman Hall on LinkedIn
B2U Storage Solutions' Website
Wes Ashworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weslgs/
Email: [email protected]
https://leegroupsearch.com/green-giants-podcast/
https://leegroupsearch.com/

In Episode 95 of Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy, Wes Ashworth sits down with Salim Rahemtulla, President and CEO of PowerTap Hydrogen Fueling Corp., for a grounded, real-world conversation on hydrogen, infrastructure, and what it actually takes to build in a volatile market.
With a background as a U.S. Naval Officer and over $1 billion in infrastructure projects delivered, Salim brings operational discipline and strategic clarity to one of the most misunderstood sectors in energy.
This episode moves beyond the hype cycle and into execution.
In this episode, we cover:
How Salim’s military background shaped his approach to risk, systems thinking, and decision-making in hydrogen
Why infrastructure success depends on stakeholder alignment, permitting strategy, and long-term operational planning
What most cleantech founders underestimate when navigating bureaucracy and building physical assets
The reality of raising capital during market downturns and how to maintain conviction through uncertainty
Lessons from navigating failed partnerships, shifting investor sentiment, and multi-year capital challenges
Why resilience and team alignment are critical when building in emerging energy markets
 The strategic pivot into data center backup power and why it unlocked new investor interest
The difference between hydrogen hype and real market demand across heavy industry and energy systems
Common misconceptions around hydrogen safety, cost, and scalability
Why on-site hydrogen production can eliminate logistics costs and improve economic viability
The role hydrogen already plays in industries like ammonia, refining, aerospace, and chemicals
Where hydrogen has the greatest decarbonization potential, including steel, cement, and maritime
Why hydrogen is not just a bridge technology but a long-term pillar of the energy system
The importance of narrative, communication, and education in scaling clean energy solutions
This episode is ultimately about resilience, discipline, and clarity of mission. It is a candid look at what survives when markets shift, capital tightens, and only the most grounded operators continue building.
If you are working in clean energy, infrastructure, or climate tech, this conversation offers practical insight into how real progress gets made, especially when the path forward is not obvious.
Links: 
Salim Rahemtulla on LinkedIn
PowerTap's Website
Wes Ashworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weslgs/
Email: [email protected]
https://leegroupsearch.com/green-giants-podcast/
https://leegroupsearch.com/

Battery energy storage is rapidly becoming one of the most critical pieces of modern energy infrastructure. But behind the clean white containers sitting quietly on grid sites lies one of the most complex operational challenges in the energy industry.
In this episode of Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy, host Wes Ashworth sits down with Lennart Hinrichs, Executive Vice President and General Manager for the Americas at TWAICE, a leading battery analytics platform helping operators improve the safety, performance, and profitability of battery energy storage systems.
Lennart has been part of TWAICE’s journey since the company’s early days, helping build the platform as the battery storage industry evolved from small pilot projects to gigawatt-scale portfolios. His work focuses on helping energy companies turn massive volumes of battery data into actionable insights that improve operations and prevent costly problems.
As battery storage scales across global energy markets, Lennart explains why many systems underperform once deployed. The challenge is rarely a single component failure. Instead, it is the complex interaction between thousands of battery cells, control systems, software, and operational processes.
In the conversation, Lennart breaks down why the industry often misunderstands battery storage. From the outside, a battery container looks simple. In reality, a single storage system can generate billions of data points every day and requires sophisticated analytics to identify problems early and maintain performance.
The discussion explores how small issues inside a battery system can quietly escalate. A handful of faulty cells or imbalances within a system can significantly reduce usable capacity, impact market participation, and lead to lost revenue if operators cannot quickly identify root causes.
Lennart also shares real-world examples of how analytics can transform battery operations. In one case, identifying a small number of defective cells restored millions of dollars in annual revenue for a storage project. In another, predictive insights helped operators move from reactive firefighting to proactive maintenance.
The episode also dives into broader industry challenges, including scaling battery portfolios, managing complex vendor relationships, navigating long-term service agreements, and dealing with the growing shortage of talent across the energy storage sector.
Looking ahead, Lennart discusses how rising electricity demand, the growth of AI-driven data centers, and the expansion of renewable generation will dramatically increase the need for energy storage.
For operators, investors, and developers, the message is clear: running batteries successfully requires more than installing hardware. It requires treating storage as long-term infrastructure and building the operational intelligence needed to manage it at scale.
If you want a deeper understanding of how battery storage actually works once projects move beyond pilot scale, this conversation offers a grounded look inside the systems powering the energy transition.
Links:
Lennart Hinrichs on LinkedIn
TWAICE's Website
Wes Ashworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weslgs/
Email: [email protected]
https://leegroupsearch.com/green-giants-podcast/
https://leegroupsearch.com/