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Zvi Alon, chief executive officer and Jing Tian, chief growth officer of Tigo joined Nico Johnson on the SunCast Podcast. They talked about Zvi’s vision for the solar industry, how he built Tigo, and the newly released EI Residential Solar Solution from Tigo. The EI Residential solution includes industry-leading Flex MLPE, hybrid inverter, battery, and more.
The SunCast is a longstanding podcast in the solar industry and a go-to resource for cleantech professionals looking to grow their business and personal skills. Below are a few highlights from their engaging conversation:
Zvi's career began long before Tigo, as he moved from Israel in the 1980s. His inspiration came from a desire to work in a place that was successful at bringing technology to market. Beginning with time spent working on the Intel microprocessor, Zvi continued his impressive track record by building NetManage and taking it public in three years. With no signs of slowing down, he then built NetVision, the largest internet provider in Israel. From early on, Zvi knew he “was looking to be in a pioneering position, one that is advancing the world” no matter what the industry.
Zvi shared his thoughts on when it became clear that Tigo and the solar industry were going to be more than just PV modules. “It was an early thought...solar must have other attributes, not just cost less than oil”. A main pillar of a successful solar company for Zvi is one that can deploy global solutions. Tigo’s position in the market allowed for room to innovate, evolve and defend the need for change in rooftop solar technology worldwide. Today, the fleet of Tigo installations spans more than 100 countries and all seven continents.
Jing shared how Tigo distinguishes itself from others in the Solar and MLPE market. “We have the technology, our Energy Intelligence (EI) platform is very strong. It gives you module level visibility, adding storage on top of that gives you (or the installer) entire system level visibility.” The Energy Intelligence platform has been improved over the years as part of the large fleet of Tigo installations and now serves as the glue that ties together the EI Residential Solar Solution.
After more than a decade of using Tigo optimizers and rapid shutdown devices, our installers came to us and asked for a more complete residential solution. Tigo released the EI Residential Solution to maximize customer value and provide as much flexibility as possible. Jing shared, “Our EI Inverter has the flexibility to be both AC and DC coupled” for new or retrofit solar installations. We give installers and homeowners design freedom, allowing them to choose a Tigo EI Inverter or use an existing one. Our residential solutions are scalable for any size home. The EI Battery provides energy resilience to customers. We are excited to have launched a “solution that brings our customers so much added value” said Jing, while, also saving installers time and truck rolls.
Zvi touched on Tigo’s unique go-to-market strategy in which, “partners and distributors are not the enemy. Our systems are not predatory, we don’t make you use only Tigo.” He later added, “You really need to get in line with your partners at the most granular level, in the gut.”
Tigo TS4 Flex MLPE have been tested and validated to work with 1,300+ different inverters. In addition, Tigo has OEM-specific programs like Tigo Enhanced where Tigo technology is embedded in the inverters to further simplify installation for our customers.
There are a bunch of other stories, competitive analysis, and words of wisdom from three leaders in the solar industry in this podcast. The full discussion can be found on the SunCast website here.
While SunCast began as the first-ever podcast focused on solar energy for emerging markets back in 2015, it is now a go-to resource for entrepreneurs and sales professionals alike in the renewable energy space. Today, SunCast is downloaded more than 20,000 times per month by energy & cleantech professionals seeking insight into how to grow their personal and professional skills and business.
For more information, visit https://mysuncast.com/
