How Sand Batteries Are Quietly Solving Industrial Heat Emissions | Soliverse Ep. 41

How Sand Batteries Are Quietly Solving Industrial Heat Emissions | Soliverse Ep. 41

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2549232/fan_mail/new] Most discussions around energy storage focus on electricity. But what if the bigger opportunity is heat? In this episode of Soliverse, Peter Pongracz speaks with Tommi Eronen, CEO and Co-Founder of Polar Night Energy, the company behind the world's first commercial sand battery. Tommi shares the story behind the technology, how thermal energy storage works, and why industrial heat remains one of the most overlooked challenges in the global energy transition. The conversation covers thermal storage economics, district heating, industrial decarbonization, project deployment in Finland, and Polar Night Energy's vision for scaling Heat as a Service across Europe. Connect with Tommi Eronen: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommi-eronen-899a81159/] Polar Night Energy [https://polarnightenergy.com/] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2549232/support] Thank you for listening to Soliverse | The Future of Solar, the podcast for people building the future of solar, storage, and renewable infrastructure. Each episode features grounded, unfiltered conversations with the people financing, developing, operating, and scaling real projects across the solar and clean energy ecosystem. Soliverse exists to cut through noise, hype, and disconnected narratives and replace them with clarity, realism, and execution-focused insight for professionals who want to make smarter decisions, faster. 📌 Explore more from Soliverse [https://itl.ink/SoliverseEps] Explore our partners: PVX.AI [https://itl.ink/pvxdotai], utility-scale solar design software 📲 Follow Soliverse and Peter for more insights and updates: Peter on LinkedIn [https://itl.ink/soliverseLI] Soliverse Instagram [https://itl.ink/soliverseIG] Soliverse X (Twitter) [https://itl.ink/soliverseX] Subscribe on YouTube [https://itl.ink/soliverseYTSub] 🎙️ New episodes release bi-weekly. Produced by APodcastGeek [https://itl.ink/APodcastGeek]

How Robots and AI Are Rebuilding Solar Construction From Scratch | Soliverse Ep. 40

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2549232/fan_mail/new] What does it take to build utility-scale solar at the speed the energy transition actually needs? In this episode of Soliverse | The Future of Solar, Peter Pongracz speaks with Matt Campbell, CEO and Co-Founder at Terabase Energy Inc., about the future of solar construction, AI-driven robotics, energy storage, and the digital systems needed to scale solar from megawatts to gigawatts. Matt explains why traditional solar construction is still largely manual, why the industry needs integrated workflows instead of disconnected tools, and how Terabase is building a platform that connects yield simulation, construction management, data, AI, and robotics into one end-to-end system. The conversation goes deep into the pressure created by data center power demand, grid constraints, battery storage, project scale, and supply chain realities. Matt also shares how Terabase approaches products like PlantPredict, Construct, and Terafab, why physical AI is changing what robots can do on real construction sites, and what it could take to build a gigawatt of solar in less than ten weeks. Connect with Matt Campbell: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-campbell-235349/] Terabase Energy Website [https://www.terabase.energy/] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2549232/support] Thank you for listening to Soliverse | The Future of Solar, the podcast for people building the future of solar, storage, and renewable infrastructure. Each episode features grounded, unfiltered conversations with the people financing, developing, operating, and scaling real projects across the solar and clean energy ecosystem. Soliverse exists to cut through noise, hype, and disconnected narratives and replace them with clarity, realism, and execution-focused insight for professionals who want to make smarter decisions, faster. 📌 Explore more from Soliverse [https://itl.ink/SoliverseEps] Explore our partners: PVX.AI [https://itl.ink/pvxdotai], utility-scale solar design software 📲 Follow Soliverse and Peter for more insights and updates: Peter on LinkedIn [https://itl.ink/soliverseLI] Soliverse Instagram [https://itl.ink/soliverseIG] Soliverse X (Twitter) [https://itl.ink/soliverseX] Subscribe on YouTube [https://itl.ink/soliverseYTSub] 🎙️ New episodes release bi-weekly. Produced by APodcastGeek [https://itl.ink/APodcastGeek]

Why Simplicity May Be Solar’s Biggest Advantage Right Now ft. Aaron Nichols & Jacob Yang | Soliverse Ep. 39

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2549232/fan_mail/new] What if solar’s biggest advantage right now is not more complexity, but simpler communication? In this episode of Soliverse l The Future of Solar Episode 39, host Peter Pongracz is joined by Aaron Nichols, host of This Week In Solar and Marketing and BD Manager at Exact Solar, and Jacob Yang, Founder and CEO of Amp Your Story and clean energy marketer. Together, they explore why solar, storage, and clean energy companies often struggle to communicate clearly, why energy security is becoming a stronger message for homeowners and businesses, how distributed generation and balcony solar are shifting the market, and why clean energy marketing needs to meet people where they are. The conversation also covers data centers, rising electricity bills, utility relationships, community solar, solar conferences, personal branding, storytelling, and why simple, human, specific messaging can help the solar industry build trust and drive action faster. Connect with Aaron Nichols: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-nichols-50a834139/] This Week In Solar on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-solar/id1812459488] This Week In Solar on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6KBALbb3w1Dc864mbdM7P1] Connect with Jacob Yang: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobjuancarlosyang/] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2549232/support] Thank you for listening to Soliverse | The Future of Solar, the podcast for people building the future of solar, storage, and renewable infrastructure. Each episode features grounded, unfiltered conversations with the people financing, developing, operating, and scaling real projects across the solar and clean energy ecosystem. Soliverse exists to cut through noise, hype, and disconnected narratives and replace them with clarity, realism, and execution-focused insight for professionals who want to make smarter decisions, faster. 📌 Explore more from Soliverse [https://itl.ink/SoliverseEps] Explore our partners: PVX.AI [https://itl.ink/pvxdotai], utility-scale solar design software 📲 Follow Soliverse and Peter for more insights and updates: Peter on LinkedIn [https://itl.ink/soliverseLI] Soliverse Instagram [https://itl.ink/soliverseIG] Soliverse X (Twitter) [https://itl.ink/soliverseX] Subscribe on YouTube [https://itl.ink/soliverseYTSub] 🎙️ New episodes release bi-weekly. Produced by APodcastGeek [https://itl.ink/APodcastGeek]

Understanding How Regulation, Politics, & Markets Actually Impact Solar and BESS Projects in the EU | Soliverse Ep. 38

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2549232/fan_mail/new] Is Europe’s solar market hitting a wall, or entering its next phase? In this episode of Soliverse | The Future of Solar, host Peter Pongracz speaks with Antonio Arruebo Lacleta, Market Analyst at SolarPower Europe and the Battery Storage Europe Platform, about why solar installations are slowing, what negative power prices are telling us, and why battery storage is becoming essential for the future of the energy transition. Antonio explains how curtailment, grid congestion, permitting delays, and weak flexibility markets are starting to drag on solar growth across Europe. He also breaks down why hybrid solar plus storage is quickly becoming the new default, which battery markets are moving fastest, where Europe still lacks manufacturing depth, and what policymakers need to fix to unlock the next wave of deployment. This is a grounded conversation for anyone working in utility scale solar, battery storage, project development, policy, or energy finance. About this episode: Learn more about Battery Storage Europe [https://www.batterystorageeurope.org/] Explore the Market and Policy Navigator [https://database.solarpowereurope.org/] Read the EU Battery Storage Market Review 2025 [https://www.solarpowereurope.org/insights/outlooks/eu-battery-storage-market-review-2025-1] Read the Mission Solar 2040 report [https://www.solarpowereurope.org/insights/thematic-reports/mission-solar-2040-1] Battery Storage Europe, policy and action plans [https://www.solarpowereurope.org/our-work/battery-storage-europe/] Connect with Antonio Arruebo Lacleta on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonio-arruebo/] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2549232/support] Thank you for listening to Soliverse | The Future of Solar, the podcast for people building the future of solar, storage, and renewable infrastructure. Each episode features grounded, unfiltered conversations with the people financing, developing, operating, and scaling real projects across the solar and clean energy ecosystem. Soliverse exists to cut through noise, hype, and disconnected narratives and replace them with clarity, realism, and execution-focused insight for professionals who want to make smarter decisions, faster. 📌 Explore more from Soliverse [https://itl.ink/SoliverseEps] Explore our partners: PVX.AI [https://itl.ink/pvxdotai], utility-scale solar design software 📲 Follow Soliverse and Peter for more insights and updates: Peter on LinkedIn [https://itl.ink/soliverseLI] Soliverse Instagram [https://itl.ink/soliverseIG] Soliverse X (Twitter) [https://itl.ink/soliverseX] Subscribe on YouTube [https://itl.ink/soliverseYTSub] 🎙️ New episodes release bi-weekly. Produced by APodcastGeek [https://itl.ink/APodcastGeek]

What Happens When Energy Policy Ignores Storage ft. Dr. Radovan Kopecek | Soliverse Ep. 37

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2549232/fan_mail/new] What happens when energy policy plans the future grid, but leaves storage out of the equation? In this episode of Soliverse | The Future of Solar, host Peter Pongracz sits down with Dr Radovan Kopecek, Co-Founder and Director at ISC Konstanz, to unpack why the next phase of solar depends on battery storage, local manufacturing, and clearer industrial strategy across Europe, the US, India, and China. Dr Kopecek shares a sharp global view on solar manufacturing, hybrid projects, battery economics, European industrial policy, cybersecurity, and why space may become one of the most unexpected frontiers for crystalline silicon. This is a grounded, wide-ranging conversation for anyone working in utility scale solar, energy storage, renewable manufacturing, or the future of the grid. About the guest Dr Radovan Kopecek is Co-Founder and Director at ISC Konstanz, the International Solar Energy Research Center Konstanz. His work spans high-efficiency solar cell technology, PV manufacturing strategy, battery-adjacent energy systems thinking, training, and emerging solar applications including space. Guest links ISC Konstanz [https://www.isc-konstanz.de/] ISC Konstanz, solar cells for satellites [https://isc-konstanz.de/en/solar-cells-for-satellites-research-development-at-isc-konstanz/] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/radovan-kopecek-617a8721/] TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@rado1366] PV Trainings [https://www.pv-trainings.com/about/] Important PV events [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/radovan-kopecek-617a8721_february-march-april-activity-7414593949715292160-NUOw/] Referenced organizations and events ESA, European Space Agency [https://www.esa.int/] DLR, German Aerospace Center [https://www.dlr.de/] IEEE PVSC [https://ieee-pvsc.org/] IEEE PVSC, Area 12 Industry Perspective [https://ieee-pvsc.org/PVSC54/program-areas.php] EU PVSEC [https://www.eupvsec.org/] EU PVSEC Programme, Industry Summit [https://www.eupvsec.org/index.php/programme/programme] Asian PVSEC [https://www.pvsec-asia.org/] Gigawatt PV Tech Conference [https://isc-konstanz.de/en/gwpvtech-2025-workshop-en/] Taiyang News [https://taiyangnews.info/] RCT Solutions [https://www.rct-solutions.com/] Premier Energies [https://www.premierenergies.com/] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2549232/support] Thank you for listening to Soliverse | The Future of Solar, the podcast for people building the future of solar, storage, and renewable infrastructure. Each episode features grounded, unfiltered conversations with the people financing, developing, operating, and scaling real projects across the solar and clean energy ecosystem. Soliverse exists to cut through noise, hype, and disconnected narratives and replace them with clarity, realism, and execution-focused insight for professionals who want to make smarter decisions, faster. 📌 Explore more from Soliverse [https://itl.ink/SoliverseEps] Explore our partners: PVX.AI [https://itl.ink/pvxdotai], utility-scale solar design software 📲 Follow Soliverse and Peter for more insights and updates: Peter on LinkedIn [https://itl.ink/soliverseLI] Soliverse Instagram [https://itl.ink/soliverseIG] Soliverse X (Twitter) [https://itl.ink/soliverseX] Subscribe on YouTube [https://itl.ink/soliverseYTSub] 🎙️ New episodes release bi-weekly. Produced by APodcastGeek [https://itl.ink/APodcastGeek]