About this episode
LFP battery storage pricing dropped from over $1,000 per kilowatt hour to under $100 per kilowatt hour in a few short years. That single shift is reshaping project economics across the solar and storage industry. In this episode of The Clean Power Hour, host Tim Montague sits down with Wes Kennedy, a 30-year clean energy veteran. They cover DC coupling, middle market strategy, the AI-driven energy demand surge, workforce development, and what the storage ITC means in a post-solar-ITC world.Wes Kennedy leads middle market BESS deployment at QCells. He has nearly 30 years of experience in renewables. He co-founded Namaste Solar and held senior engineering and leadership roles at SMA America, Dynapower, and Blue Planet Energy. He continues to educate the next generation of installers through his "Comprehensive Solar plus Storage" curriculum on HeatSpring.Episode HighlightsLFP batteries went from over $1,000/kWh to under $100/kWh at scale in a few years. Wes traces this shift from his time at Blue Planet Energy, where lithium iron phosphate was still considered an exotic chemistry. DC coupling turns a constrained interconnection into a 24-hour revenue asset. A 1 MW grid connection, when paired with enough solar and storage on the DC side, produces a 24 MWh revenue stream for the host while remaining a 1 MW dispatchable resource from the utility's perspective.The storage ITC still exists even though solar lost its tax credit. DC-coupled projects benefit because the battery, battery inverter, transformer, skid, and cables all qualify for the ITC. QCells is launching a 1.25 MW, 5 MWh middle market skid. All components come from non-FEOC nations with at least 70% domestic content compliance, qualifying for a 40% tax credit. The biggest storage myth is a lithium shortage. Wes points to battery recycling companies like Redwood Recycling. Recycled battery volume is a richer feedstock than the richest lithium mine on the planet. You can connect with Wes Kennedy here Wes Kennedy LinkedInQcells WebsiteHeatspring Wes Kennedy 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
