Howard Wenger

Director & President, Nextracker

Search every verified Howard Wenger interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Howard Wenger, president of Nextracker, said on the podcast "The Solar Journey" that the company had shipped 100 gigawatts cumulative in 11 years, with over 1,000 employees and about $2.5 billion in revenue in the last fiscal year. He stated that Nextracker has localized production with over 80 manufacturing facilities worldwide, achieving 100% domestic content in the US and over 65% in Europe. Wenger expressed mixed feelings about efforts to diversify the solar supply chain away from Chinese manufacturers, noting that Chinese companies have driven costs down. He described interconnection approvals as the biggest bottleneck to US solar growth, citing a queue of about 2.5 terawatts. Wenger said the solar industry needs to grow tenfold to match the size of the oil and gas industry to achieve the energy transition. He noted that the Inflation Reduction Act is fast-tracking renewables in the US with incentives across the value chain. Wenger also discussed Nextracker's acquisition of BrightBox to bring AI and machine learning capabilities to its software, and contrasted US and German corporate cultures, stating that US companies are more willing to acquire others for expertise or market access.