Why Battery Storage is the Next Big Thing for Solar

Clean Power Hour

#EP305

Batteries are no longer an afterthought in solar, they are the future.

Pete Sarelas, founder and CEO of Source Solar in Chicago, joins Tim Montague to reveal how adding battery storage can eliminate your electric bill entirely and even push it into negative territory. Pete shares his journey from door-knocking solar sales in California to building a multi-million dollar solar and battery financing business in Illinois, now the 4th largest solar market in the country. He explains how Illinois has become a top five solar state, but more importantly, why customers are demanding storage to protect themselves from outages, manage costs, and gain energy independence.

What You'll Learn:

• Why solar alone only reduces 50-75% of your electric bill (and what the other 25-50% actually is)
• How commercial battery systems can cost $2-3 million but pay for themselves through capacity charge elimination
• The "Earn, Save, Protect" model that makes batteries cash flow positive from day one
• Pete's zero-down PPA financing model that removes the capital barrier for businesses
• Why the ITC phase-out makes battery storage the survival strategy for solar companies
• Real case study: Church drops monthly bills from $2,500 to double digits with battery addition
• How time-of-use rates and virtual power plants create multiple revenue streams

Pete explains the three-pronged value proposition: earn money through grid services like frequency regulation, save money by attacking capacity charges during peak hours, and protect your facility with backup power during outages. He breaks down how his SOCAP financing division makes million-dollar battery installations accessible to businesses without the upfront capital.

Whether you're a solar installer looking to survive the post-ITC world, a business owner tired of rising electric bills, or just curious about the future of distributed energy, this episode reveals the financial strategies making battery storage the next solar gold rush.

Connect with Pete Sarelas

Pete Sarelas

Source Solar

Support the show

Connect with Tim

Clean Power Hour
Clean Power Hour on YouTube
Tim on Twitter
Tim on LinkedIn

Email [email protected]

Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts
The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email: [email protected]

Corporate sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/

The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com