Silicon Ranch Radio

Author: Silicon Ranch

Silicon Ranch Radio explores the American solar energy frontier. Listen in as we discover opportunities and challenges, with thought-leaders, industry and technology leaders, and our partners and community members.
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Smarter Solar: How AI Is Transforming Plant Operations
Episode 48
Tuesday, 21 April, 2026

Rob Andrews, founder of Heliolytics and Engramiq, joins host Nick de Vries to explore how advanced data analytics and AI are reshaping solar development and operations. From using drones and thermography to detect faulty modules at scale to building "data-complete" digital models from project documents, Andrews explains how better data organization enables more reliable, trustworthy AI. Dives into the rise of AI agents, the importance of grounding them in real-world context, and what it will take to scale solar from hundreds to thousands of projects — without scaling complexity alongside it.