Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
What if the cleanest energy you’ll ever use never requires you to buy a single solar panel?
And what if the biggest barrier to solar in 2025 isn’t technology — it’s procurement?
In this episode of Climate Confident, I sit down with Scott Therien, Director of Strategic Partnerships at REC Solar, to dig into one of the most misunderstood — and fastest-growing — drivers of real-world decarbonisation: solar PPAs (power purchase agreements).
Scott has spent more than a decade helping organisations transition from “we should really think about solar…” to fully-operational, behind-the-meter solar + storage systems. His journey from EPC engineer to independent power producer says a lot about how the energy transition is actually unfolding inside companies.
You’ll hear why the shift from owning solar to subscribing to solar is reshaping clean energy procurement.
We dive into how PPAs eliminate CAPEX, reduce operational risk, and align incentives in a way traditional construction contracts never could. And you’ll learn why storage is no longer a bolt-on — it’s now central to the economics of commercial solar.
We explore the messy reality: complex utility tariffs, evolving interconnection rules, stakeholder misalignment, and why lowest-price bidding often leads to the worst outcomes. Scott explains how organisations can avoid common failures and build partnerships that deliver real emissions cuts and real cost savings over 20–30 years.
If you’ve been thinking about solar — or wondering why your organisation hasn’t moved yet — this episode gives you the practical framework to finally make a smart, future-proof decision.
What’s your take? Let me know below 👇
⸻
Links
🎙 Full podcast & archive: climateconfidentpodcast.com
🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes
📩 Contact me: tomraftery@outlook.com
💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tomraftery
Guest
Scott Therien — Director, Strategic Partnerships, REC Solar
recsolar.com
linkedin.com/in/scott-therien
⸻
2️⃣ Chapters / Timestamps
00:00 – Why PPAs Align Incentives
00:25 – Welcome & Guest Introduction
01:37 – Scott’s Background & Career Path
02:53 – The Origin Story of REC Solar
04:08 – From EPC to Independent Power Producer
05:46 – How PPAs Remove CAPEX for Organisations
07:02 – Why O&M and Asset Risk Shouldn’t Sit with the Customer
09:45 – Solar + Storage: When It Makes Sense
11:52 – Solar vs Diesel Generators: The Real Resilience View
12:52 – Energy as a 25-Year Subscription
14:30 – Behind-the-Meter vs Community Solar Models
15:50 – How Utilities Treat Your Solar as a Battery
17:40 – When Storage Becomes Essential
18:38 – Who Is Deploying Commercial Solar Today?
20:13 – Why Fortune 100 Procurement Often Gets Solar Wrong
22:50 – Building Long-Term Partnerships, Not Lowest Bids
24:57 – Why Public Sector Projects Succeed (or Fail)
26:34 – Defining Success: Cost, Carbon, or Both?
27:52 – Agrivoltaics and Using “Dead Space” Smartly
30:26 – Solar + Sheep: Symbiosis in Practice
31:30 – The Post-ITC Future of Solar Economics
32:50 – Data Centres, Firm Power & the Next Big Shift
33:40 – First Steps for Anyone Considering Solar
35:20 – Why Mindset Matters More Than Ever
37:52 – Who Would Be Solar’s Ultimate Champion?
38:38 – Closing Thoughts & Where to Find Scott
What if the cleanest energy you’ll ever use never requires you to buy a single solar panel?
And what if the biggest barrier to solar in 2025 isn’t technology — it’s procurement?
In this episode of Climate Confident, I sit down with Scott Therien, Director of Strategic Partnerships at REC Solar, to dig into one of the most misunderstood — and fastest-growing — drivers of real-world decarbonisation: solar PPAs (power purchase agreements).
Scott has spent more than a decade helping organisations transition from “we should really think about solar…” to fully-operational, behind-the-meter solar + storage systems. His journey from EPC engineer to independent power producer says a lot about how the energy transition is actually unfolding inside companies.
You’ll hear why the shift from owning solar to subscribing to solar is reshaping clean energy procurement.
We dive into how PPAs eliminate CAPEX, reduce operational risk, and align incentives in a way traditional construction contracts never could. And you’ll learn why storage is no longer a bolt-on — it’s now central to the economics of commercial solar.
We explore the messy reality: complex utility tariffs, evolving interconnection rules, stakeholder misalignment, and why lowest-price bidding often leads to the worst outcomes. Scott explains how organisations can avoid common failures and build partnerships that deliver real emissions cuts and real cost savings over 20–30 years.
If you’ve been thinking about solar — or wondering why your organisation hasn’t moved yet — this episode gives you the practical framework to finally make a smart, future-proof decision.
What’s your take? Let me know below 👇
⸻
Links
🎙 Full podcast & archive: climateconfidentpodcast.com
🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes
📩 Contact me: tomraftery@outlook.com
💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tomraftery
Guest
Scott Therien — Director, Strategic Partnerships, REC Solar
recsolar.com
linkedin.com/in/scott-therien
⸻
2️⃣ Chapters / Timestamps
00:00 – Why PPAs Align Incentives
00:25 – Welcome & Guest Introduction
01:37 – Scott’s Background & Career Path
02:53 – The Origin Story of REC Solar
04:08 – From EPC to Independent Power Producer
05:46 – How PPAs Remove CAPEX for Organisations
07:02 – Why O&M and Asset Risk Shouldn’t Sit with the Customer
09:45 – Solar + Storage: When It Makes Sense
11:52 – Solar vs Diesel Generators: The Real Resilience View
12:52 – Energy as a 25-Year Subscription
14:30 – Behind-the-Meter vs Community Solar Models
15:50 – How Utilities Treat Your Solar as a Battery
17:40 – When Storage Becomes Essential
18:38 – Who Is Deploying Commercial Solar Today?
20:13 – Why Fortune 100 Procurement Often Gets Solar Wrong
22:50 – Building Long-Term Partnerships, Not Lowest Bids
24:57 – Why Public Sector Projects Succeed (or Fail)
26:34 – Defining Success: Cost, Carbon, or Both?
27:52 – Agrivoltaics and Using “Dead Space” Smartly
30:26 – Solar + Sheep: Symbiosis in Practice
31:30 – The Post-ITC Future of Solar Economics
32:50 – Data Centres, Firm Power & the Next Big Shift
33:40 – First Steps for Anyone Considering Solar
35:20 – Why Mindset Matters More Than Ever
37:52 – Who Would Be Solar’s Ultimate Champion?
38:38 – Closing Thoughts & Where to Find Scott
