Solar Power's Role in the Future of Digital and Energy Infrastructure
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
There's really only so many bonafide data center developers that are actually going to go soup to nuts and deliver what the end user needs or what the hyperscalers and these newer builds are looking for. Everyone else is effectively just a broker.
Welcome to another edition of Not Your Father's Data Center. I am your host, Raymond Hawkins, Chief Customer Officer at Compass Data Centers. Today, we are joined from the great state of Ohio, Dan Cook, the Founder and Managing Director of SolarStone. Dan, how are you doing? Doing well, Raymond. How are you doing? Good, good. So today we're going to talk about data centers. We're going to talk about solar power. We're going to talk about generation and transmission and distribution and all of the things that the data center business is doing to our grid. But before that, we would love to hear a little bit about you. Is Ohio home? Have you always been in Ohio? Go back as far as you like. We'd love to hear about you and how you decided to get in the solar business.
Yeah, absolutely. I appreciate it. You know, at the top level, my company, SolarStone, we are utility scale solar and battery developers for the most part. We currently are working on about two gigawatts worth of projects. Ohio is home. I'm born and raised in Cleveland, and that's where I decided to set up shop. Really starting SolarStone, for me, we were always development minded and focused. Really didn't start developing our own projects until really 2021, 2022. And I myself did not come from a development shop. I think that's somewhat unique in the development world, especially as this industry has grown so much. I got my start really in the commodities world. I was a metals trader. And started off working base metals, copper, aluminum, nickel, lead, zinc, those types of things.
And we had a lot of clients in the physical space and it was a fast stimulating environment. I really enjoyed it.
Let me get you to pause on the metals thing for one second. While watching a clip yesterday about, and it was the CEO of a large copper miner, and he made a statement that blew me away. So hearing that you're metals background, I'm going to get you to address it if you don't mind. He said that we are going to have to mine and produce as much copper in the next 18 years as we have in all of human civilization. based on how much copper goes into technology today. That number just blew me away, even if it's not 18 years. Directionally, is he right? Is the demand gone up that high?
Absolutely. I think when you look at the electrification narrative at large, Copper really is the winner and copper should be seen as kind of the biggest concern. I've seen all kinds of numbers and projections on this over the last four to five years. Those numbers sound accurate. I mean, I'd have to get into the details. Directionally, he's right. He's absolutely right. 100%.
Because he made the comment about recycling, and I know we're here to talk about solar, but interesting. Our industry is constraining the world, and I had not heard this copper constraint. He said, look, if we took all the copper out of all the buildings in the world, it would help. But he's like, obviously, we can't do that. All the infrastructure is built. That copper is all staying where it's staying. We've got to find all that new ore. And that blew me away. 18 years, the same amount of copper as in all of recorded history, which was just shocking.
Absolutely. And the grade qualities have been going down, the legacy mines, the legacy assets.
How did Dan Cook transition from metals trading to utility‑scale solar development?
I mean, it's natural resource economics. There have been ways to improve upon those existing mines and technologies. But the mining sector has a big outlook and some big shoes to fill to really meet that demand.
Well, you piqued my interest with being in the metals, commodity metals. But keep going because I interrupted you, but I had to ask when you brought it up.
Absolutely. I mean, it still informs my perspective somewhat. I mean, you look at – take what we deal with on the battery side and now how –
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–3:56
2
How did Dan Cook transition from metals trading to utility‑scale solar development?
3:56–10:38
3
Why is copper demand skyrocketing and how does it affect electrification?
10:38–27:04
4
How has data center growth strained generation and transmission infrastructure?
27:04–35:02
5
What causes interconnection queue delays and speculative project impacts?
35:02–44:13
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Not Your Father’s Data Center
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