John Berger on Otovo, AI, and the Solar Service Crisis

In this episode of Green Giants: Titans of Renewable Energy, Wes Ashworth sits down with John Berger, CEO of Otovo, to unpack one of the most important and under-discussed problems in distributed energy: the solar service crisis.Otovo began as a European rooftop solar marketplace, but under John’s leadership, the company is being reshaped into an AI-enabled energy service platform for homes and businesses across Europe and the United States. The new model focuses on what happens after solar panels, batteries, generators, EV chargers, and other behind-the-meter assets are installed. Who monitors them? Who fixes them? Who answers the phone when something goes wrong?John Berger brings a rare operator’s perspective. Before Otovo, he founded and led Sunnova for more than 12 years, helping build one of the most recognized residential energy companies in the United States. Today, he is applying those lessons to a different problem: creating the service layer that distributed energy needs in order to scale reliably. The conversation explores why installation and service are fundamentally different businesses. Berger explains why installation is a construction business measured in weeks and months, while service is a logistics business measured in hours and days. That distinction matters as more homeowners and businesses are left with orphaned solar systems, unreliable support, and unclear warranty paths.Wes and John also dive into Otovo’s acquisition-led growth strategy, including the company’s expansion into the United States, its growing service footprint, and the importance of building density and scale in field operations. They discuss how Otovo is using its proprietary AI platform, Endurance, to reduce software costs, automate workflows, support dispatch, improve response times, and change the economics of energy service. This episode also looks ahead to the grid. As solar, storage, EV chargers, generators, and load management become more common behind the meter, reliability becomes essential not only for customers but also for virtual power plants and grid participation. Berger makes the case that service is not a side issue. It may be the missing precondition for distributed energy to become real infrastructure.Topics covered include:The shift from solar installation to long-term energy serviceWhy behind-the-meter assets need a dedicated service layerThe difference between construction businesses and logistics businessesHow orphaned solar customers became a major industry problemOtovo’s reinvention from European marketplace to AI-native service companyHow Endurance is changing the cost structure of field serviceWhy AI matters only if it improves speed, cost, reliability, and customer experienceThe role of batteries, generators, EV chargers, and load managers in home energyWhat virtual power plants need before they can scaleWhy the future of residential energy may look more like Amazon Prime than traditional utility serviceThis is a timely, candid conversation about where the energy transition gets real. More solar and batteries matter, but the next phase depends on whether those systems actually work, whether customers trust them, and whether someone is accountable for keeping them online.Links:John Berger on LinkedInOtovo's WebsiteWes Ashworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weslgs/Email: [email protected]://leegroupsearch.com/green-giants-podcast/https://leegroupsearch.com/