SunCast · 2026-07-02 · 31 min
Last year, solar and storage accounted for more than 80% of all new power generation capacity added in the United States. So why does our industry still behave like the underdog? In this special collaboration between SunCast and Energy Empire, Nico Johnson and Jigar Shah sit down with Dan Shugar, one of the most accomplished entrepreneurs in solar, to explore a question that reaches far beyond technology, manufacturing, or policy. Perhaps our biggest challenge isn't building projects... ...it's learning how to lead? Dan has spent four decades helping shape the modern solar industry. In this candid conversation, he explains why solar has already won on economics, why domestic manufacturing became a strategic imperative long before it became political, and why the industry's greatest opportunity now is changing how it communicates with policymakers, communities, and the public. The conversation also explores the leadership principles that have kept Dan's core team together across multiple companies, how semiconductor thinking helped him see around corners before the rest of the market, and why culture remains one of the most durable competitive advantages in business.
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