Wildfires, Microgrids & Troubleshooting the Grid – Piper Wilder of 60Hertz

In this episode of the Watts Up Solar Podcast, Emmitt sits down with Piper Wilder, founder & CEO of 60Hertz, to talk about the messy, beautiful reality of keeping renewable assets alive and performing in the real world.

The conversation starts with microgrids in remote Alaska, indigenous operators running million-dollar systems, and a legit grizzly bear outside the tent… and then climbs all the way up the stack to utility-scale asset management, wildfire smoke, aerosols, AI, and VPPs.

Piper breaks down:

• How 60Hertz grew from a CMMS into a full O&M platform
• Why Alaska was ground zero for seeing O&M failures up close
• The origin of Flare API – an algorithm/API that quantifies lost generation from
  wildfire smoke, ash, pollen, and dust
• How aerosol optical depth, PM, and satellite data explain “mystery” underperformance
• Why asset owners need to stop treating wildfire impact as “bad luck” and start treating it as a measurable business variable
• Where parametric insurance and revenue protection may be heading for large portfolios
• The idea behind Asset Watch Pro, a “meta” dashboard for what asset owners actually need to see
• The tension (and partnership) between service providers, asset managers, and asset owners

On top of that, Emmitt and Piper go deep on:

• Troubleshooting as meditation, not torture
• Thinking down to the component level – from automotive ECUs to PV inverters
• Why training is troubleshooting humans so they can troubleshoot systems
• Where AI can help O&M teams work faster… and where it falls flat (Example: hello, cold solder joints)
• The future of work in renewables, trades versus degrees, and what Austria/Germany get right about apprenticeships
• Identity, nationalism, and what it means to be called “the American” for the first time

The episode closes with Emmitt’s reminder:
 Relationships are seasonal. The sun is permanent. And the sun will never send you a bill.

🔗 Links & Contact

Guest – Piper Wilder / 60Hertz
Website: https://60hertzenergy.com/
 

Host – Emmitt  Muckles
S.E. Power Consulting: https://www.sepowerconsulting.com

Solar Energy for Consumers: https://www.solarenergyforconsumers.com

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Our Sponsor for this Episode is S.E. Power Consulting
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Whether you’re scaling up or just getting organized, we help you train smarter, not harder.
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