Off the Grid, On the Record
Off the Grid, On the Record
Podcast Description
By JPM Media Real voices. Real energy. Real transitions.Off the Grid: On the Record is where bold voices in clean energy, climate infrastructure, and sustainable tech go on the record. Hosted by Yarek Matacz, this podcast cuts through buzzwords and brings you grounded conversations with the people actually building the future — from solar CEOs and policy architects to grid innovators and cleantech financiers.Each episode explores how renewable energy systems are being rethought, funded, scaled, and implemented in real time. No fluff. No industry jargon. Just honest insight into what’s working — and what’s next.🎧 Available on all major platforms: 🔗 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7FXxTgjKq2Mw1P8OjTfhk5 🔗 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/off-the-grid-on-the-record/id1747620342 🔗 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yarekmatacz🔗 Website: https://jpmmedia.ca/project-1/🎯 What You’ll Hear:Hard-won lessons from solar developers, climate tech founders, and infrastructure operatorsDeep dives into grid strategy, financing, and the business of decarbonizationGlobal voices — from Australia’s sub-5MW revolution to North American energy resilienceReal stories about navigating regulation, building trust, and scaling responsibly🔧 Built for: Clean energy professionals | Project developers | Investors | Sustainability teams | Grid operators | Anyone tired of surface-level green talk📩 Want to suggest a guest? Reach out at: [email protected]
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast dives into topics including clean energy innovations, sustainable technology solutions, challenges in renewable energy deployment, and ethics in energy policy. Episodes examine issues like the solar industry's maintenance problems and ethical property development, highlighted by case studies such as Futureland's community-driven housing projects in Australia and Contractor Power's AI tools for efficiency in energy management.
By JPM Media Real voices. Real energy. Real transitions.
Off the Grid: On the Record is where bold voices in clean energy, climate infrastructure, sustainable tech, and emerging software go on the record. Hosted by Yarek Matacz, this podcast cuts through the buzzwords and brings you grounded conversations with the people actually building the future — from solar CEOs and grid innovators to SaaS founders, AI engineers, and cleantech financiers.
Each episode explores how renewable energy, smart infrastructure, and software systems are being rethought, funded, scaled, and implemented in real time. We dive into how technology is changing the way companies operate — from optimizing energy grids to automating back-office operations — and the challenges of scaling those solutions globally. No fluff. No jargon. Just honest insight into what’s working — and what’s next.
🎧 Available on all major platforms:
🔗 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7FXxTgjKq2Mw1P8OjTfhk5
🔗 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/off-the-grid-on-the-record/id1747620342
🔗 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yarekmatacz
🔗 Website: https://jpmmedia.ca/project-1/
What You’ll Hear:
- Hard-won lessons from solar developers, software entrepreneurs, and infrastructure operators
- Deep dives into AI, automation, and the digital tools reshaping the clean energy sector
- Global voices — from Australia’s sub-5MW revolution to North America’s SaaS-powered energy resilience
- Real stories about navigating regulation, building trust, and scaling responsibly
Built for: Clean energy professionals | Tech founders | SaaS teams in climate & infrastructure | Project developers | Investors | Anyone tired of surface-level “green talk”
Want to suggest a guest? Reach out at: [email protected]
What happens when solar becomes a get-rich-quick scheme? Luke Pollinger, founder of PVCA (Photovoltaics California), has spent the last 20+ years fixing the mess others leave behind. From abandoned utility projects to broken microgrids, PVCA steps in where others walk away. In this episode, we break down how the industry lost its way—and what it’ll take to bring trust and technical excellence back to the forefront of clean energy.
You’ll hear about:
- Why Luke left residential solar behind
- What’s really going on with “Solar Bros” and fly-by-night installers
- How PVCA became the go-to company for recommissioning disaster sites
- His take on AI, monitoring, and the future of energy systems
- Why service—not shiny new installs—should be your solar priority
🛠️ Whether you’re a commercial property owner, facility manager, or just someone curious about how solar should be done—this one’s a must-listen.
🔗 Learn more about PVCA: https://pvca.com 🌐 Powered by JPM Media: www.jpmmedia.ca 🎥 More episodes here: http://www.youtube.com/@yarekmatacz
⏱️ Show Notes + Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro to Luke Pollinger & PVCA
01:00 – Why he left residential solar for commercial and utility 02:00 – “Solar Bros,” scams, and the flood of bad installs
04:30 – What shady sales tactics are doing to solar’s reputation
06:00 – PVCA’s business model: 70% service, 30% new installs
07:30 – Taking on the jobs no one else will touch
09:00 – The Palm Springs project: 5% production to 100%
10:30 – Heat, wind, stress—and fixing a system no one thought could be fixed
12:00 – The power of trust in solar and how one client helped him launch
14:00 – What tech actually moves the needle (and what doesn’t)
17:00 – Why newer isn’t always better in solar hardware
18:00 – Panasonic vs everyone else (and why warranty matters)
19:00 – Real-world use cases for AI in solar 21:00 – How PVCA does sales (hint: no ads, no cold calls) 24:00 – Educating clients that service beats full replacement
27:00 – Empowering clients to self-maintain and save
29:00 – Why service work should pay for itself—or you’re doing it wrong
30:00 – What’s next: PVCA’s new monitoring system & buying broken solar sites
33:00 – Ending the subscription trap and owning solar performance
34:00 – Luke’s final thoughts on long-term trust in solar
Disclaimer
This podcast’s information is provided for general reference and was obtained from publicly accessible sources. The Podcast Collaborative neither produces nor verifies the content, accuracy, or suitability of this podcast. Views and opinions belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.
For a complete disclaimer, please see our Full Disclaimer on the archive page. The Podcast Collaborative bears no responsibility for the podcast’s themes, language, or overall content. Listener discretion is advised. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more details.