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Richard Swanson Podcast Series
Tune in to this six episode SunPower Podcast Series as our founder Richard Swanson talks about the company's history and industry-leading solar cell efficiency with GreenTech Media President Scott Clavenna.
Part 6: The 20-Year Horizon for PV
In the final segment, Dr. Swanson looks forward 20 years. Covering the impact of fossil fuel pricing and subsidies, the role of energy efficiency, reaching grid parity with traditional power sources, and managing the relationship between distributed and centralized generation, Dr. Swanson paints a picture of the future in which all solar plays an increasingly important role in the world's energy economy.
Length: 14:27
Part 5: Staying Power in a Crowded Market
In episode #5, Dr. Swanson surveys the solar market today, and talks to SunPower's competitive positioning in a more crowded playing field. Touching on the hot-button issues of the day, including the commoditization of solar panels, the entrance of many new competitors from Asia, and an industry trend towards vertical integration, Dr. Swanson lays out his argument for SunPower's continued leadership in the year's to come.
Length: 10:55
Part 4: Facing Today's Challenges
In episode #4, we bring the conversation up to the present and talk about the solar market today and how SunPower is facing the market's challenges, from polysilicon shortages to thin film startups and shifting demand drivers.
Length: 14:34
Part 3: SunPower Scales Up
In episode #3, SunPower has grown from a start-up to a unit of Cypress Semiconductor, and is now in a position to compete in a global market. Dr. Swanson describes the importance of manufacturing on the scale of mass-produced semiconductors, and explains the value of high-efficiency solar panels.
Length: 13:19
Part 2: Catching the Entrepreneurial Bug
In episode #2, Dick Swanson makes the move from Stanford to a start-up. His developments at Stanford centered mainly around concentration technology for utility-scale solar photovoltaics, but the market's shifts and turns would ultimately lead SunPower away from concentrating technology to today's high-efficiency PV optimized for distributed generation.
Length: 10:54
Part 1: Discovering Solar at Stanford
In episode #1, we talk about Dr. Swanson's years at Stanford University in the 1970s where he explored solar technology and realized that improving solar cell conversion efficiency would be key in building a PV solution that could compete effectively. The breakthrough Dr. Swanson identified at Stanford became the basis for the business plan for SunPower, a solar start-up designed to deliver a concentrating PV solution for utility-scale power generation.
Length: 12:20
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