What if the key to solving our rising materials costs and hurdles to decarbonize hard-to-abate industries lies in a radical shift in thinking—laying solar panels directly on the ground and using the cheap electrons they produce to make hydrogen?
When I first heard of Erthos, I thought, like many of you I’m sure, “What a radical idea! Will that even work? Lay the panels directly on the ground???” Yet, the more I learned about the company, it’s leadership, and their approach to creating the cheapest cost of solar energy, I decided I needed to suspend my reservations and go see it for myself. And, to my surprise, Jim Tyler and his all-star leadership team didn’t even want to talk to me about the “earth-mounted solar” innovation, and instead, focused much of the attention and time on their next big move - Hydrogen!
Jim Tyler, CEO of Erthos, has been on a mission to reduce the cost of solar for a long time. He’s been part of some of the most iconic and important innovations in the solar industry, and was one of the early pioneers to focus on driving cost out of the installation process. With his background in semiconductors, industrial energy, and food processing, Jim saw an even bigger opportunity: using low-cost, DC-coupled solar to produce hydrogen in the most cost-effective way possible.
In this conversation, Jim explains why Erthos’ culture of breaking industry norms is now driving them into hydrogen—and how their disruptive approach could redefine the future of clean energy. Regardless what you think of Erthos, there’s no denying that Jim and his team are yet again shaking up the industry and forcing people to think different.
Expect to learn:
- Why earth-mounted solar could push the cost of solar energy closer to zero.
- Why industrial steam—one of the largest energy demands globally—could be the breakthrough use case for green hydrogen.
- How Erthos’ created a direct DC-to-hydrogen system that eliminates inefficiencies
- Why investors from Tesla, SpaceX, and First Solar are betting on this model.
- Why the Navajo Nation could become a key hub for renewable energy manufacturing—and how solar could drive jobs and economic growth in the region.
I’m curious to hear your thoughts, skeptical or otherwise, once you’ve had a chance to give this a listen!
And we have some fun b-roll from or visit to Jim’s office, testing lab and skunk-works facility where they’re building their hydrogen electrolyzer prototypes.
Check it out on our YouTube channel!
If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to his contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/.
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31 mins