535: Turning Entire Neighborhoods Into Better Power Plants, w/Geoff Ferrell of sonnen

Geoff Ferrell is vice president of virtual power plants (VPP) and commercial and industrial (C&I) project business at sonnen, a German-based global energy storage provider fully owned by Royal Dutch Shell.A pioneer for intelligent lithium-based energy storage, sonnen offers customers energy storage and digital energy services like the sonnenBatterie, which optimizes residential solar power and supplies energy at night using stored solar power generated during the day. It built a reputation by pioneering storage technology and combining it with new business models for a decentralized energy system, like virtual power plants.In today's podcast, Geoff talks about evolving his role from a buyer of sonnen products to one of its top executives. Before joining sonnen in 2020, Geoff was chief technology officer at Mandalay Homes, where he championed technological innovations in home building and building science. Mandalay Homes is an energy-efficient production home builder in Northern Arizona, and Geoff helped it win the U.S. Department of Energy's Zero Energy Ready Housing Innovation Award 12 times.Geoff has experience in energy management, environmental building practices and, importantly, using sonnen's residential products. He weaves that knowledge through today's conversation, which stretches from his birth in Las Vegas through "falling in love" with residential construction and nurturing his interest in solar.Join us for a great discussion about Geoff's career trajectory from a potential pilot to a solar warrior bringing cutting-edge renewables and energy storage to the world.If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to his contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/.Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 730 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeoLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus