Solar Maverick Podcast
The Solar Maverick Podcast is the insiders guide to where the solar and energy markets meet entrepreneurship and trailblazing. Hosted by Benoy Thanjan - a serial entrepreneur and founder of Reneu Energy
Episodes
Episode Summary
In this special episode of Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan sits down with Russell Laplante, Flavia Cabral, and Stephen Jordan to reflect on the November 2025 Puerto Rico delegation with Let’s Share the Sun.
The group reflects on their time in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, where they helped install solar and storage systems, spent time with beneficiary families, and saw firsthand why energy resilience can be lif...
Episode Summary:
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan speaks with Kellie MacPherson, Executive Vice President of Compliance and Security at Radian Generation and a board member of the Solar Energy Industries Association.
Kellie is one of the leading experts in NERC compliance and cybersecurity for renewable energy assets. In this timely conversation, she explains why the May 15, 2026 NERC deadline matters fo...
In this special live episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, host Benoy Thanjan moderates a panel discussion from the MSSIA(“Mid-Atlantic Solar and Storage Industries Association”) Solar and Storage Conference focused on one of the most important topics in renewable energy today: how AI is accelerating solar development, asset management, and O&M. The panel explores how AI is both creating new energy challenges...
Episode Summary:
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan sits down with Marek Kubik, energy storage expert and former Fluence founder, to break down the rapid evolution of battery storage and its critical role in the energy transition.
Marek shares insights from nearly two decades in the industry, explaining how declining costs, technological advancements, and new use cases are pushing energy storage to the cen...
Episode Summary:
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan speaks with Zainab Gilani and Diana Rasner from the Cleantech Group to break down the biggest trends shaping the energy transition in 2026.
From AI-driven energy demand and data centers to shifting investor sentiment and evolving policy dynamics, this conversation dives deep into where cleantech capital is flowing and what it takes to scale in today&rsquo...
Episode Summary:
In this episode, Benoy Thanjan speaks with Julia Wu and Anuj Saigal from Spark AI and Patrick Chandler from Standard Solar about how artificial intelligence is transforming solar project development, diligence, and acquisition.
They explore how AI powered tools are enabling developers and asset owners to move significantly faster, reduce manual work, and improve decision making. The conversation also highlights a r...
Episode Summary:
In this episode, Benoy Thanjan sits down with Dorian Hunt from Leo Berwick to break down the Foreign Entity of Concern(“FEOC”) rules and what the February 2026 guidance means for solar and storage projects. They unpack how FEOC is reshaping supply chains, tax credits, and project finance, and why uncertainty is currently the biggest risk to development.
Biographies
Benoy Thanjan
Benoy Thanjan is the Fo...
Episode Summary:
In this episode, Benoy Thanjan sits down with Nobel Chang, Co-Founder & CEO of Palladium Energy, to discuss how AI is transforming solar and infrastructure development.
Nobel shares how Palladium built Scout IQ, an AI-driven development engine that has enabled a 3-person team to originate 2.7 GW of projects and dramatically compressing timelines, reducing costs, and redefining scalability in solar development.
...
Episode Summary:
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan speaks with Peter Pongratz, host of the Soliverse Podcast, about the current state of the European solar market and how it compares with the U.S.
Peter shares insights on the slowdown in European solar installations, the growing importance of battery storage, curtailment, negative pricing, permitting delays, and the need for better grid integration. They ...
Episode Summary:
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan sits down with Hervé Billet, CEO and co-founder of Sunvoy, the first white-label customer portal and fleet management app built by solar installers for solar installers.
Hervé shares his entrepreneurial journey, from helping design Belgium’s first solar car to building and selling a solar installation company in the U.S., and now leading Sunvoy. The...
Episode Summary:
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, host Benoy Thanjan sits down with H.G. Chissell, Founder and CEO of AEG ("Advanced Energy Group"), live from DistribuTech 2026 in San Diego. H.G. shares how AEG convenes utilities, regulators, agencies, corporates, and community leaders to turn urgent climate and grid challenges into action through a “competitive collaboration” model built around 12-month g...
Episode Summary:
Robots Are Building Solar Farms
Robots Are Building Solar Farms: How Cosmic Robotics Is Transforming Utility-Scale Construction
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, host Benoy Thanjan sits down with James Emerick, Co-Founder and CEO of Cosmic Robotics, to explore how autonomous robotics are changing the way utility-scale solar is built. Cosmic Robotics is developing an autonomous vehicle with an industria...
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan sits down with Peter Davidson, CEO of Aligned Climate Capital, to discuss how private capital is driving the deployment of solar projects and climate technologies.
Aligned Climate Capital manages approximately $2.1 billion in assets and invests in companies and projects accelerating the clean energy transition.
Peter explains how climate-focused investors evaluate opportu...
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, host Benoy Thanjan sits down with Joel Santisteban, Co-Founder & CEO of Ecosuite, to explore how AI, edge computing, and interoperable infrastructure are transforming the way solar and storage assets are managed.
Joel shares his journey from solar development to building one of the most advanced distributed energy resource (“DER”) platforms in the industry, and explains...
Episode Summary:
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, host Benoy Thanjan sits down with Abu Riaz, CEO and Founder of AMS Renewables, to discuss what it takes to scale a solar and storage EPC in today’s rapidly evolving clean energy market.
Abu shares how AMS Renewables grew out of a traditional construction background into a fast-scaling EPC platform, executing projects across commercial, community solar, and utilit...
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, host Benoy Thanjan is joined by returning guest and co-host Nate Jovanelly, CEO and Founder of Sunraise Capital, for a deep dive into the US Residential Solar Outlook for 2026.
With major policy changes, the elimination of Section 25D for homeowners, and a rapid shift back to third-party ownership models, the residential solar market is undergoing one of the biggest transformations in ...
Episode Notes
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, host Benoy Thanjan sits down with Jarand Rystad, Founder and CEO of Rystad Energy, one of the world’s leading energy intelligence and data advisory firms.
Jarand explains why solar has dramatically outperformed historical forecasts, how rapid cost declines have reshaped global power markets, and why many regions are now facing a new challenge: too much solar at the ...
Episode Notes
On this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, host Benoy Thanjan sits down with Jing Tian, Chief Growth & Revenue Officer at Tigo Energy, to explore how smarter electronics, AI, and energy intelligence are reshaping the solar industry.
Jing shares her journey from a PhD in chemistry to becoming a global solar executive, including leadership roles across Asia and the U.S. She breaks down how module-level power ele...
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, host Benoy Thanjan sits down with Dr. Hunter McDaniel, CEO of UbiQD, a quantum materials company redefining how light interacts with solar technology.
Hunter breaks down quantum dots and explains how this nanotechnology can dramatically improve solar performance by optimizing the light spectrum. The conversation dives deep into UbiQD’s landmark supply agreement with First Solar, ...
Episode Summary:
Benoy sits down with MyWorkerAI founder William Szamosszegi to talk about how an “AI sales team as a service” can automate research, outreach, and lead generation for founders and renewable energy companies. They also dive into AI’s impact on the solar industry, personal branding, and the mindset tools entrepreneurs need to win in an AI-driven world.
Biographies
Benoy Thanjan
Benoy Thanjan is the...
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