571: 3 Problems Causing Solar to Stumble and How to Solve Them, Michael Orshan of PVHardware

Michael Orshan is a solar expert who has helped implement more than 10 gigawatts worldwide during the past 15 years. In that time, he’s become a trusted advisor and contributor to the growth of the global solar tracker industry. Presently, Mike serves as VP of US Sales for Valencia, Spain-based solar tracker vendor PVH and also is a founding board member at Breeze, a startup using existing oil and gas pipelines for electricity generation with compressed air pipeline systems (CAPS).

 In today's podcast, you'll hear his perspective on how manufacturers and utility-scale developers have evolved to address market needs, their current challenges, and their options for moving forward to overcome three critical issues in cleantech.

Michael studied computer science and accounting in 1980’s, and quickly realized that converging technologies would create leapfrog opportunities for those who were prepared. His skills were put to good use in the nascent internet days for companies that changed how the telecom & broadband industries were scaled like AT&T, Verizon and VCTI. He continues to find himself at the crossroads of convergent technology and serving as a guide to those who seek to disrupt status quo industries.

In 2003, he was named director of the Office of Science and Technology at the New Mexico Economic Development Department, where he pioneered some early solar laws and projects. He left in 2006 to focus on solar trackers — support structures that allow solar panels to follow the sun's path and absorb more solar radiation for increased efficiency, working for market-leading players such as ATI, P4Q, Arctech and now PVH.

Breeze, a company he has helped incubate and advise, seeks to be a leader in long-duration energy storage, and in a quite unconventional way. As one of the companies represented on McKinsey Long Duration Energy Storage Council, Breeze provides a novel approach to recapturing the value in an increasingly underutilized asset - gas pipelines. Tune-in to learn how.

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