About this episode
#EP308What if you could slash your community's electricity costs by 40% while achieving true energy independence?AJ Perkins transformed from business executive to renewable energy pioneer, building 3.8 gigawatts of microgrid projects worldwide. In this Clean Power Hour episode, he reveals how community-scale solar and battery systems are revolutionizing energy economics.The breakthrough: AJ's team reduced payback periods from 7-11 years to just 18 months by combining solar, batteries, and grid services revenue. This creates a financial model that makes renewable energy irresistible to entire communities.Real-world results include:A 3,000-home Hawaii development using the "Utility Light" model where communities own their energy infrastructureAn Orange County mobile home park cutting electricity costs from 38¢ to 24¢ per kWh while adding AC for just 2¢ per kWhWhy thinking in clusters of 50-1,000+ homes creates economies of scale impossible with individual installationsTim and AJ explore the convergence of microgrids, Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), and infrastructure-as-a-service models that solve multiple municipal challenges simultaneously. They discuss California's public safety power shutoffs, utility partnerships, manufacturing reshoring, and practical strategies for scaling community energy projects.Key insight: Instead of protecting one family, AJ protects entire communities. His approach prevents the dangerous scenario where only one house has power during blackouts while neighbors remain in the dark.Whether you're a solar installer, utility professional, community leader, or clean energy investor, this episode provides actionable insights for building distributed energy infrastructure. AJ shares his complete playbook and offers to help others replicate these community-scale successes.Connect with AJ PerkinsAJ PerkinsInstant ON Support the showConnect with Tim Clean Power Hour Clean Power Hour on YouTubeTim on TwitterTim on LinkedIn Email tim@cleanpowerhour.com Review Clean Power Hour on Apple PodcastsThe Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerho
