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The Top 3 by E3Author: E3 Consulting
Welcome to E3 Consulting's The Top 3 by E3! We are delighted that you are taking the time to check out our series on the profession of Independent Engineering. Our podcast aims to introduce listeners to project finance and engineering. During each episode, we will examine a topic we encounter in our daily lives as technical advisors. Topics will range from the profession of Independent Engineering to hydrogen, wind, solar, and energy storage, among many others. While we can't touch on everything about a topic during our series, we will provide listeners with the "top three" takeaways. We want to thank Joseph McDade for allowing us to use his music, Elevation, as our theme. Please check him out at https://josephmcdade.com.Again, thanks for listening, and if you have any suggestions for upcoming topics, please reach out to us at e3co@e3co.com. The E3 Crew Language: en-us Genres: Business, Investing, Technology Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Rethinking Solar O&M: Why Current Cost Models Fall Short
Episode 8
Wednesday, 3 September, 2025
Send us a textRounak Kharait, E3's Executive Director of Solar, and Daniel Tarico, E3's Director of Renewables, discuss solar O&M cost models, suggesting that they need to be changed and made more realistic to reflect the true lifecycle maintenance requirements of utility-scale projects. Some of the highlights of the podcast are shown below: • Daniel brings expertise from metallurgy, construction, and tracker manufacturing to solar O&M discussions• Early solar financing models incorrectly assumed minimal maintenance would be needed throughout project lifetimes• Solar plants experience increasing failure rates and maintenance costs as they age, similar to automobiles or other mechanical products • Standard assumptions ignore the wear-out aspect of aging equipment• Without the ITC, economic models must shift to focus on long-term performance and realistic maintenance budgeting• Projects in markets where production is the primary value driver need more accurate revenue and OPEX models• Major equipment can last a long time if designed well and properly maintainedIf you have questions or suggestions for future podcast topics, please reach out at to us at e3co@e3co.com. The full white paper on this topic is available for download on our website .
