This episode is presented by eBay.

Rob, everyone loves a deal and a bargain from time to time, don't they? Absolutely, mate. And you know where you can grab a great deal? Talk to me. Where? The eBay app. Yes, you are correct. You didn't need to talk to me. I already knew it. I love eBay. When you're buying, you can discover loads of hidden gems. there's so many items where you think I would have never found that anywhere else.

Then when you're buying, you can discover loads of hidden gems. There's so many items where you think I would have never found that anywhere else. Then when you're selling, it's so simple and most

importantly, free. It's free, Rob. When it's this easy to sell for free and there's great deals

on things you love. You can't help but say when it's eBay. It excludes vehicles and business

sellers.

Welcome to Science Talk, the weekly podcast of Scientific American posted on July 23, 2009.

I'm Steve Murski. This week we'll talk about the nuts and bolts and photons and electrons of solar energy with Jeff Wolfe. He's the CEO and co-founder of Grow Solar,

a leader in solar energy in the U.S. Back in June, Jeff was in New York City at a conference.

We met over breakfast at the restaurant in his hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Tell me about your

personal background and how you got involved in this whole field.

Back in 1973, I was 13, and the Arabs decided to embargo oil.

And I actually built my first hot water solar collector in 73.

It didn't work.

But I guess maybe the fact that it didn't work propelled me in an engineering career.

And ended up getting a mechanical engineering degree and going out and doing about 15 years of large building design, hospitals, laboratories, hotels. And eventually got very upset with the fact that the marble tile always stayed in the projects through the cost cutting,

but the energy efficiency would usually be cut cut out, or often cut out.

And so that propelled me towards a career trying to make buildings that make energy rather than make buildings

that just simply consume unwisely.

And you were growing up where?

I grew up in north central Massachusetts.

Which doesn't get a lot of sun in the wintertime.

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