Show Notes
As the utility-scale solar market collides with an era defined by massive load growth, EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) firms are rethinking their strategy to meet the moment.
In this episode, Shayle speaks to George Hershman, CEO of SOLV Energy, one of the largest solar and storage construction firms in the US. George offers a unique perspective into the state of the market as well as the logistics of building gigawatt-scale projects and insights into how automation is changing the EPC game.
Shayle and George discuss:
Why George believes rising demand can help solar move past boom-and-bust cycles
How SOLV is taking on larger projects without needing to increase its workforce proportionally
How automation helps SOLV build and install utility-scale solar faster
The logistics bottleneck impacting EPCs’ ability to scale
How AI-driven simulations can help optimize installations
Catalyst: Can AI revolutionize EPC?
Catalyst: 2026 trends: Gas turbines, Texas’ load queue, and China electrifies
Catalyst: Scaling America’s domestic solar supply chain
Latitude Media: Can the US bring solar installation to below $2 per watt?
Latitude Media: This former solar installer is all-in on software-only sales
Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Max Savage Levenson. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor.
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More from Catalyst with Shayle Kann
As data center-driven load growth continues to rise, hyperscalers are turning to natural gas – both in front of and behind the meter — to secure power. But whether the natural gas pipeline system has the bandwidth to support this surging demand remains far from certain.
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It’s been a wild few years for grid-scale batteries in Texas. At the start of the decade, the Lone Star State was home to roughly 200 megawatts of battery capacity. Today, that number has skyrocketed to seventeen gigawatts…with at least five more gigawatts expected to come online by the end of 2026.
This is a partner episode, brought to you by Bloom Energy.
Dual-use technologies and the rise of defense tech are having a moment. But how does the defense sector approach innovations in energy that may be necessary to optimize its fleets?